The Edmonton Oilers are starting to showcase a depressing trend.
For the second straight season, the team entered the first game of the year with the weight of the hockey world’s expectations on their shoulders and fell face-first into the ice. Last season’s 8–1 demolishing at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks was embarrassing, but last night’s 6–0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets matches if not exceeds the level of disappointment.
It also highlights the same concerns that have plagued this team for a while.
Worrisome trends
First things first, the biggest letdown from last night’s contest was the performance of Stuart Skinner. Coming off of a phenomenal postseason where he was nearly unbeatable, Skinner was an absolute sieve against the Jets.
Skinner faced only thirteen shots on goal before being pulled, finishing with a 9.64 GAA and 0.615 SV%. Yes, it is game one, but those are ECHL statistical results from a goaltender who has showcased some poor stretches in the past.
Even more painful is that according to Natural Stat Trick, only three of those shots were high-danger chances, and Skinner saved all three of them. So the shots that he should have stopped he didn’t, and those with a higher chance of going in were saved. The Oilers never seem to get the saves when they need them, and last night they couldn’t buy anything.
It’s not all on Skinner though, as the defence ahead of him was not as strong as it could have been. Darnell Nurse and Ty Emberson had the lowest CF% on the team when the Oilers held possession for most of the game. Emberson had a particularly difficult game, with multiple turnovers and blown zone exits that made his debut with the Oilers.
The forward group wasn’t that good either, with the top players not able to generate anything offensively. Some of the new players, like Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, have clearly not formed the level of chemistry that many assumed would exist for a pair of NHL veterans.
Postseason hangover
The postseason hangover is real, but after a lacklustre preseason, I think many expected just a bit more out of the team come puck drop. Last season they were able to hang the poor start on the head coach, but this season they do not have that luxury.
Simply put, this wasn’t the performance the Oilers should have opened the season with coming into the year as Cup favourites across many analytical models, pundit projections, and fan predictions.
Maybe it’s a one-night fluke for a team with Stanley Cup or bust aspirations, but if the trend continues then the panic button may be hit earlier than expected.
