It was the NHL equivalent of putting a pillow over somebody’s face and waiting till the kicking stops.

The Edmonton Oilers, fresh off a 4-3 defeat in which a 3-0 lead dissolved after a fluke, a razor-thin vide review and one of the worst goaltending gaffes you’re ever going to see, went into full shutdown mode Saturday.

They absolutely suffocated the Vancouver Canucks, giving them almost nothing in a 3-1 decision that left the visitors gasping for air.

They outshot them 14-4 in the first period, 14-5 in the second and 37-15 overall in a defensive performance that looked straight out of the playoffs — which is good because Edmonton’s shooters were shooting blanks most of the night.

Even though Edmonton dominated from start to finish, it took an empty-net goal from Leon Draisaitl before the Oilers could finally exhale late in the third period.

“Games like that, a lot of times you’re not scoring, you’re not scoring, you get all the looks in the world and you look up at the clock and all of the sudden it’s 2-2,” said Draisaitl. “And you find a way to lose a game like that.”

Not this time. It was closer than it should have been, but it was also never really in doubt. Being able to summon that kind of complete game, that kind of defensive gem, two games into the season, showed a lot.

Edmonton needed a win at home to avoid going 0-2 before heading out on the road for five games. That they were able to summon a 60-minute playoff-style effort illustrates the base they’ve built over the last two post-season runs.

“I thought we were the better team,” said Draisaitl. “I think we’re going to be a hard team to beat when we consistently find a way to play like that.”

Fans seeing Thatcher Demko at the other end of the ice and worrying that Edmonton might lose another goaltending battle never got to see one. Demko was sensational, and had to be as the Oilers swarmed Vancouver most of the night, but Calvin Pickard could have brought a chair and a book to the crease for all the work he had.

It was a one-way street.

“Pucks weren’t going in for us,” said Pickard. “Demko was great, he made a lot of big saves. But we didn’t stray from the game plan, we didn’t cheat for offence. We earned that win. If we play that game over and over again we’re going to win pretty much every time.

“We’re a good defensive team, a great defensive team and we showed it tonight.”

DANDY ANDY

Andrew Mangiapane made it two goals in two games as an Oiler, celebrating his 500th NHL game by putting Edmonton up 2-0 late in the second period. It was an absolute gift, a tape-to-tape pass deep in Vancouver territory from Canucks forward Filip Chytil, but you still have to finish those chances. And, on a night when the Oilers had hands of stone, Mangiapane made no mistake.

POWER PLAY WHIFFS

After scoring two of their three goals on the power play against Calgary, Edmonton went 0-for-5 with the man advantage against Vancouver, a big reason why the game stayed as close as it did. Edmonton had a 5-1 advantage in power plays deep in the third period and it was still only 2-1.

They had a million chances, but no goals.

“I feel like we could have scored two on every power play we’ve had,” said Draisaitl. “But the goalie was great and you have to tip your cap sometimes. We’ll continue to chip away at it.”

TOM-MISS-EK

David Tomasek could have scored about three power play goals in the first period, but he watched great chance after great chance come and go with nothing to show for it but frustration. He padded his “expected goals” total, but the name of the game is “actual goals.” But they have a feeling he’s about to break through.

“He’s really smart, he knows the reads and where to pop in the holes and when he gets into those holes and gets a look it’s really dangerous,” said Draisaitl. “You can just tell the way he handles the puck and the way he shoots the puck. It’s just a matter of time.”

KANE MAKES RETURN

Former Oilers winger Evander Kane got a rousing round of applause when they welcomed him back during a TV time out. He was classic Kane, taking a high-sticking penalty later in the first period and then ramming Oilers defenceman Alec Regula face-first into the end boards in the third period. It should have been a boarding penalty but the referees decided to let it go. Then Kane absolutely obliterated Regula with a hit behind the net.

E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com