The Edmonton Oilers forced a Game 7 by defeating the Vancouver Canucks 5-1 on Saturday night. Edmonton scored five even-strength goals, including Dylan Holloway’s outstanding individual effort on the opening goal, when he blew past three Canucks and beat Arturs Silovs, bringing the Rogers Place crowd to its feet.
If the Oilers defeat the Canucks in Game 7, his goal will become more meaningful, and it may be remembered as one of those legendary Oilers playoff moments. However, based on the way he’s played since being given the opportunity to display his skills in the top six since Game 4, that tally marked the first of many Holloway highlight-reel goals.
The 22-year-old deserves some kudos because, in almost a month and a half, he’s worked his way up tremendously from the AHL, to the Oilers’ fourth line and right into a prominent spot on the second line, where he’s starting to look very comfortable in his top six role alongside Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane.
Holloway Was Doing All the Right Things Before Scoring His Big Game 6 Goal
Before netting his crucial goal in Game 6, it was evident that Holloway was bringing his A-game to the top six table.
After the Oilers lost Game 3, where they loaded up the top line of Connor McDavid, Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman and fell behind 2-1 in the series, Kris Knoblauch made the bold decision to elevate Holloway to the top six for a lengthy stay for the first time in these playoffs for Game 4.
By all accounts, Holloway looked confident early in Game 4 and made nice plays to get the puck in the hands of Draisaitl, which were signs that the game was slowing down for him. In one shift in the second period, he kept the puck in the offensive zone twice using his speed, tipped a point shot and made confident moves to get the puck back into the hands of his superstar centerman. He didn’t register any points that night, but the confidence was evident, especially on a two-on-one chance with Kane—he didn’t force a pass and patiently waited to take the puck hard to the net.
Holloway’s Had Some Interesting Encounters With Canucks in His Young Career
Holloway will likely forever remember his huge Game 6 goal against the Canucks and interestingly in his very short NHL career, he’s had some intriguing moments against them
Holloway was promptly removed from the top six after that error, signalling the beginning of a period of ups and downs for the young forward. He dealt with injuries, went back and forth from the NHL to minors, battled for playing time and just recently received an extended opportunity again in the top six.
Fast forward almost 20 months later, and he went from coughing up the puck to Pettersson in the first game of the season in 2022 to zipping past him and scoring a big Game 6 goal, likely the biggest tally of his young career, in an elimination game in the playoffs. Hockey sure has some interesting turns, doesn’t it?
Adding Holloway to Oilers’ Top Six Forms a Fast, Big and Physical Line
Holloway is blessed with size and speed, but it now appears he’s processing the game very well, and his elevated play makes the second line stronger, potentially turning the top six into a constant scoring threat, which bodes very well for the Oilers in Game 7.
The second line of Holloway, Draisaitl and Kane has produced 4GF and only 1GA at 5v5 in the three games they’ve played together. They offer a different dynamic than the first line, as they’re not only fast but also big and physical, with Kane (41 hits) and Holloway (32 hits) being the team’s top players in hits in the playoffs.
No matter what happens in these playoffs, despite being a small sample size of only three games, one takeaway will be Holloway’s growth in showing he can excel in the top six, and this line might even be a fixture beyond the postseason.
With that in mind, what are your thoughts on Holloway since he’s been promoted to the top six?
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