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Coach Eakins happy for Scrivens, ‘mad’ at Oilers

Edmonton Oilers v Phoenix Coyotes

GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Dallas Eakins of the Edmonton Oilers during the NHL game against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena on December 31, 2013 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Oilers 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Christian Petersen

Edmonton Oilers coach Dallas Eakins likes to tell his players that it takes a whole team to win a hockey game. As far as he’s concerned, their 3-0 victory against San Jose on Wednesday was in defiance of that.

Goaltender Ben Scrivens couldn’t have been a bigger factor in that contest. He made a record-breaking 59 saves to earn the shutout.

Eakins couldn’t help but take some time to admire what Scrivens was doing. The problem is that he wasn’t the only one.

“That’s how I thought our skaters were playing the game — they were watching Ben,” Eakins told the Edmonton Journal. “I’m so happy and proud of him, and then you’re mad at the same time.

“(It was an) incredible thing to watch. I’ve never seen it before and, boy, hopefully I don’t have to see that again.”

Eakins felt the Sharks overwhelmed them, as the shot total obviously suggests. He added that the Oilers were playing a cautious game and they can’t expect to get away with that under normal circumstances.

The Oilers have won three straight games, but at this point it’s really about laying the groundwork for the future. They have a 18-32-6 record and next to no chance of making the playoffs.

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