This is the year, right? Consensus pick to make the Stanley Cup Finals and plenty of attention to win the Stanley Cup this season for the first time in over 30 years. The strongest roster on paper that the team has had in probably the same amount of time. Expectations are high and fans, rightfully so, are running low on patience as the core of the roster is playing in their prime years.
So starting the season 1–3 with three losses against teams that have very little chance of even making the playoffs is not good.
We can pinpoint any number of things going wrong, from the lack of heart and energy up and down the roster to the defensives lapses to shots going in on Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner that have no business going in.
There are a few things that the team can do to start turning things around. These still stand. But one thing missing from that list is one of the most concerning trends through the first four games of the Edmonton Oilers’ 2023–24 season.
The absolute absence of any third period scoring.
The drop-off in third period scoring from last season
Last season, the Oilers were top in the league in scoring with nearly four goals per game, so it makes sense that they are near the top in the league in each individual period as well. And that was the case in 2022–23.
Specifically looking at the third period, the Oilers were fifth in the league with 100 goals in the third period, an average of 1.2 per third period.
After four games in the 2023–24 season, Edmonton has scored a grand total of zero third period goals. Some games, like when they’re winning a game 6–1, they don’t really need any goals in the final frame.
But the other three games, in which they enter the third against the Vancouver Canucks down 5-1, again against the Canucks tied 3-3, and then the Philadelphia Flyers down 3–1, one would hope that there is some fight in the team and that they’d find a way to score something, anything.
What is behind this concerning drop off?
Given how the team has performed overall, there are a number of causes to look towards.
Are they ready for the season?
When we learned that the team was beginning to skate immediately after the Labour Day long weekend, things looked good that they would be in game shape and ready for the season. But so far, that does not look to be the case. Players seem slower and not playing the game at the high pace that their opponents are.
It looks like the team is still trying to find their game legs, despite starting training so early and playing the most preseason games in the league. At times, they still look like they are in preseason mode.
Maybe this is a consequence of the systems changes implemented in the preseason. And the players may still be adjusting and trying to find some confidence in the new strategies.
Goalies and defensive support (or the lack thereof)
Goaltending was a major question mark heading into the season. Would Campbell bounce back? Would Skinner continue to improve off of his nearly Calder Trophy winning season last year?
So far, that is not happening. Campbell has been wildly inconsistent, and Skinner has not been at the same level he was last season quite yet.
Sure, it’s easy to blame the goalies. But what about the defence in front of them?
So far, the Oilers have had major issues with turnovers creating high quality chances against, like Evan Bouchard‘s misplay against Philadelphia. Or with weak defensive play leading to goals against, like Connor McDavid and Darnell Nurse mixing up who is covering who and giving J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser a goal. Or with players getting their cues mixed up and assignments lost leading to, you guessed it, a high danger chance and goal against like when both defenders pinched in the offensive zone and gave Elias Pettersson and Jack Studnicka a two-on-zero the other way.
All of this suggests a situation in which the team is not able to gain the puck or control the play when they do have it. The level of engagement is still stuck in the transition from pre-season to regular season. And the amount of turnovers and untimely goals against are going to sap any momentum or pressure the Oilers are trying to generate.
A team protecting a lead in the third period is going to be playing with high pressure, especially against a powerful team like the Oilers. If they’re turning the puck over and not able to get it back, of course they can’t score in the third period.
The Oilers have found themselves in a tricky spot where they are not winning games, nor are they even putting up much of a fight late in the game when they need it most. Third period scoring is not only important to comeback games, but if they have a lead they still need to be able to pad it and close games out.
It is still early, but to not have a single third period goal in those four games is one of the most concerning trends for the Oilers thus far.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
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