Vasily Podkolzin gets national backing after Ducks fight

Vasily Podkolzin is getting loud support across Canada for how the Oilers answered Drew Helleson's hit on Connor McDavid.

It started Thursday night in Edmonton, when Helleson hit McDavid and sent him into the net. Podkolzin dropped the gloves for his captain, and the reaction hasn't slowed down since.

One line from the coverage captured the mood bluntly: "Throwing up in my mouth." Not everyone sees the hit the same way, though.

Jim Matheson landed in the middle. He said McDavid's knee hit the post hard and that the Oilers star is entitled to get mad. But he didn't think the hit was vicious, since it came on a vulnerable player after the puck had gone.

Nobody is calling it dirty across the board. Still, the sense that McDavid needed someone to answer is clearly winning out, and McDavid's own words on the hit, shared in his reaction to Helleson earlier today, show the emotion hasn't faded.

Podkolzin is more than the guy who fought

Fighting aside, the 25-year-old has been one of the more useful Oilers this season. He has 9 goals and 5 assists in 17 games, and he is a +11.

Three of those goals came on the power play, and one was a game winner. For a player with 54 goals over 318 career games, that is a real jump in output.

Thursday was a different kind of night. He played just 2:35 and finished with 27 penalty minutes, so the fight cost Edmonton a player it clearly leans on.

That was already the story when Podkolzin stood up for his captain right after McDavid went hard into the net.

And the Oilers are hurting a bit. They lost 5-4 to the Ducks at home, they have dropped two straight, and they sit at 11-3-3.

Mike Babcock's group is still carrying the emotion from that night. Emotion is fine. Penalties are the problem, and Podkolzin's box time showed exactly how fast they pile up.

The Canucks arrive Saturday, and they are 3-14-1 and last in the NHL, on a four-game losing streak after a 6-2 loss in Winnipeg. On paper it's an easy get-right game. Edmonton just can't afford to spend it chasing payback or sitting in the box.

Quick hits

CALGARY FLAMES: The five-game winning streak is over. The Ducks rallied to win 5-3 at the Saddledome, with Cutter Gauthier scoring the go-ahead goal. A good run, but it ended against a team that never quit.

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MINNESOTA WILD: Kirill Kaprizov had a four-point night, per Michael Russo, and the Wild beat the Sharks 4-1. When he plays like this, Minnesota is a tough out.

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BUFFALO SABRES: The Sabres beat the Blue Jackets 5-2 at home, and Josh Norris scored twice. A comfortable night for Buffalo in front of its own crowd.

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DETROIT RED WINGS: Pierre LeBrun reports the Panthers never really engaged on captain Dylan Larkin, even though they were an original team on his list. That one will keep the Larkin talk going.

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SAN JOSE SHARKS: Macklin Celebrini tied it in Minnesota, but the Sharks fell 4-1 for a fourth straight loss. One bright spot in a slide that keeps getting longer.

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