It’s not the NHL, but it’s still a lot of fun to go to a Tulsa Oilers hockey game, in the ECHL.
Last weekend, my wife, daughter and I attended our first Oilers game in over a year, and we really enjoyed it. Attending one game in a season is highly unusual for me, but with the pandemic and a very busy schedule at ORU this winter and spring, this was my first opportunity to watch our local minor league hockey team.
If you’ve read this column for any length of time, you know I’m a big hockey fan and a three-time former Oilers broadcaster, so it doesn’t take much for me to enjoy their games
However, even my wife and daughter found themselves yelling and cheering for the team. They too have been watching hockey for a long time and have become big fans.
My wife and I used to go to Buffalo Sabres games several times each season, when we lived in Western New York, and now we watch our favorite NHL team on a regular basis on our satellite television service.
When I was doing the Oilers broadcasts in 1992-1993, 1999-2002, and 2015-2016, my family attended several of the games each season and became big fans. My daughter wasn’t born until 1995, so she was young an getting a great introduction to hockey during my second stint with the Oilers.
On this night, we all wore our Buffalo Sabres jerseys and were even shown on the video board during a timeout. I’ve literally been to hundreds, maybe thousands of sports events, and this was the first time I’ve ever been featured on the video board as a fan. (I’m not counting the times when as a member of the ORU Pep Band or as a broadcaster my mug has flashed on the video screens.)
As for the game; the Oilers lost 3-2 in overtime.
Tulsa’s Robby Jackson scored a power play goal at 9:05 of the first period. Ian McNulty put the Oilers ahead 2-0 with a wrist shot from long range, with just 11 seconds remaining in the first period.
Utah answered with a pair of goals in the second period, and after a scoreless third period they went to overtime. It took only 18 seconds into the overtime period for the Grizzlies’ A.J. White to score his second goal of the game for the win.
Although the NHL has ended the regular season and is now into the playoffs, the Oilers still have a few weeks left in the ECHL regular season. Tulsa will have three more home games for you to enjoy so great minor league hockey; May 22 and 24 against Kansas City, and May 28 against Wichita, all games begin at 7:05 p.m.
NHL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
It’s been a weird season in the NHL since the league set up the schedule in a way to cut down on travel and COVID exposure. The teams in each division ONLY played the other teams in their division, so there was no way to get a really good read on what teams were the strongest in the league. With that being said, I’ve decided to take a stab at predicting the NHL playoff bracket it an online contest, and I share those picks with you here.
I have the following division winners; Toronto (North), Pittsburgh (East), Carolina (Central) and Las Vegas (West). I picked Las Vegas to beat Toronto to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals against Carolina (over Pittsburgh). This will be the Knights second trip to the Stanley Cup Finals and it’s the team’s fourth year in existence. They lost to the Washington Capitals, 4-1, in 2018, but this time I predict the Knights will hoist the Stanley Cup.