The Edmonton Oilers are back above .500 to start the 2011-12 National Hockey League regular season.
On Monday night at Rexall Place, Taylor Hall, Ryan Smyth and Ryan Jones scored third period goals as Edmonton defeated the Nashville Predators 3-1 on Ryan Smyth bobblehead night.
Captain Shawn Horcoff added three assists.
It was also a stronger night for Jordan Eberle. After fanning on a couple of key opportunities in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, Eberle co-led the team with Hall with four shots on goal.
Eric Belanger was also strong in the faceoff circle as he won 13 of 19 draws.
The Oilers played a very strong defensive game as a collective unit. Nashville was only limited to 12 shots on goal, with only three of them coming in the third period.
I also felt the Oilers were significantly more disciplined than the Predators as well. Even though each team took five minor penalties, the Predators (2-2-1) didn’t receive very strong leadership from their two young stud defencemen in Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, who had a combined six penalty minutes.
Tags: Edmonton Oilers, eric belanger, jordan eberle, nashville predators, ryan jones, ryan smyth, shawn horcoff, Taylor Hall
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