Jones Scores in Close to Home Battle with Detroit

With only 30 seconds left in the game, it looked like Ryan Jones, playing in Detroit, the closest NHL centre to his hometown of Chatham, Ontario, would be a hero in front of friends and family.

Edmonton Oilers

 Unfortunately for Jones and the Edmonton Oilers, his goal, the lone goal scored by the Edmonton Oilers in the game, wouldn’t hold up. Future Hall of Famer Niclas Lidstrom scored with 25 seconds left on the clock to tie the game 1-1 followed by Pavel Datsyuk winning it for Detroit in overtime 2-1.

For Jones however, the goal, his 15th of the season, symbolized a continuation of what has been the most successful season of his career. Last season, Jones managed 8 goals while splitting time between the Edmonton Oilers and Nashville Predators.

The explosion in scoring comes at the right time for Jones, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and will likely receive several offers as he has proven himself to be a reliable depth scorer capable of playing a grinding role on the third or forth lines, as well as having the ability to step into a scoring role if needed.