That Will Do, Pig: Hawks 5, Oilers 1

Took my time getting to this since I figured I have all week to do it, what with The Hawks about to take their league-mandated five days off, soon to be known as the "Momentum Destroyer".  Not that the extra time I have to spend on this will make my thoughts any more coherent or anything...
In short, The Hawks really didn't have to strain themselves a whole lot in order to bury The Oilers because:
a) The Oilers' defence is kind of bad.  
b) Their bottom-six may potentially, one day, be okay, but they're not there yet.
c) This was Edmonton's first game after their Momentum Destroyer week (See! It's already a thing!)
d) Even with the last change, Oilers coach Todd McLellan chose to pit his top line, more often than not, against the Anisimov or Toews lines, rather than letting them prey on The Hawks' bottom-six.  I recall a playoff series against The Sharks, when McLellan worked there, in which he refused to do any line matching and, if memory serves, The Hawks swept 'em in four (don't quote me on that and I'm too effing lazy to look it up).  I dunno if he's arrogant, stubborn or really believes this kind of deployment is a good idea but, with a forward corps as thin as Edmonton's, he needs to get better value from McDavid & Co. than this particular strategy affords.  Bitch all you want about Coach Q and his infamous Line Blender, but at least he's responding when Plan A fails to work.  I'm shocked that McLellan's apparent rigidity hasn't resulted in unemployment.

At the other end of the pitch, The Hawks did just enough to bury Edmonton and not a bit more than that.  Mistakes were made, Scott Darling got pretty lucky with some missed opportunities by The Oilers and he didn't pay the piper for any of the numerous juicy rebounds he kicked out.  The Oilers simply don't have enough guys who are able to capitalize on those chances.  The Hawks were crushed in the possession dept., particularly in the third period but, by then, The Hawks had circled the wagons and were content to let The Oilers come at them, hoping to keep their shooters on the periphery and cover the forwards barging toward the net in search of a pass or a rebound.  For all the shots The Oilers took in the third frame their best chances came earlier in the game.

Aaaand a few Bits:
I slated Schmaltz for being defensively clueless and then he turns around and suddenly has this good stick on the forecheck.  Hey, I don't mind looking like an idiot (ask anyone) if I get what I want.
Forsling was in for Kempny and had a decent game, highlighted by a sequence in which he was first pantsed by Eberle (I think) but spun around and made the check on the second attempt.  Eberle overplayed it a bit but I still liked Goose's refusal to quit on the play.
After a fine game on Friday Anisimov was kind of stumbling in this one but, again, his line took a lot of shifts against two of the NHLs best. And also Patrick Maroon.
Kruger took no faceoffs, according to what little I can see on NHL.com's trash heap of a website.  If he's nursing a hand or wrist injury the winter break came at just the right time.

Because any time A Guy dressed up in top-six clothing nails a three-point night eight out of ten Stormares agree IS GOOD.  Little Ricky Panik is the man of the match.

We'll reconvene here in about a week, unless I feel a need to mock the hockey media in the interim, and we'll see if The Hawks come out of their days off with their motors running or not.