Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers seemed to have a lot in common heading into their Tuesday night matchup: both Canadian teams were fifth in the standings of their respective divisions. Both were coming off shutout losses: Ottawa 4–0 to Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton 3–0 to Montreal Canadiens. More importantly, both teams believe that their early season records are not an accurate reflection of the quality of their play.
Edmonton started strong out of the gate and took control of the game in the first period. Unlike the three of their past four games, where the Oilers gave up a third period lead, Edmonton was able to hold on and walk away with a 5–2 victory. What did their performance against the Senators show? Lets’ discuss the three main takeaways below.
Three period game
Coming off two straight losses, which included a late game collapse against Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, the Oilers knew they needed a full 60 minute effort. That is what they got.
Just over three minutes into the game, Evan Bouchard (yes, Evan Bouchard) skated into the offensive zone and deeked out Ottawa’s defence before going top shelf past Linus Ullmark’s glove for the first goal of the game.
Tim Stutzle briefly tied the game late in the first frame. The equalizer, however, was short-lived as Connor McDavid pounced on the rebound off Vasily Podkolzin’s shot to make it 2–1. McDavid would double his goal tally minutes later before assisting Leon Draisaitl on his lone marker early in the second period, making the score 4–1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would add another goal to make it 5–1 on a phenomenal saucer pass by Derek Ryan in the third period.
McDavid, Bouchard, and Draisaitl each had three points in the game. Edmonton’s stars came alive in this one and did what they do best, which is put on an absolute clinic and carry the Oilers’ offence to victory.
While the Oilers’ defence gave up a few clean looks to the Senators and continued to show at times how susceptible they can be to their opponents’ speed, Stuart Skinner was there to largely shut the door and keep Oilers from giving up yet another lead. In a season that has been mired in inconsistency, Skinner’s play and positioning were excellent against the Senators and he deserves praise for making sure the Oilers’ offensive output was not negated by poor defensive decisions.
Podkolzin continues strong play
Podkolzin remains one of the consistent bright spots in the Oilers’ line-up. Getting a chance to play on the wing with McDavid and Draisaitl, Podkolzin seemed to make the most of his opportunity. His ability to apply the pressure and exert physical play helps to create space for his linemates and allows the Oilers to maintain offensive zone possession. In fact, Podkolzin continues to lead the Oilers in the hits category with 48 hits.
His numbers on the scoresheet this season do not tell the whole story and while he did get two assists tonight, his impact was much larger than that. Time will tell how his underlying numbers continue to look and whether the contributions from his play can transfer over onto the scoresheet. But with largely lackluster performances of Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, and Jeff Skinner early in the season, Podkolzin continues to fight for his opportunities and has shown that he has earned the right to remain in the top-six forward group.
Below is a reminder of Podkolzin’s fighting abilities.
Penalty kill is gaining momentum
Much has been said about the poor start the Oilers’ penalty kill has had to the season. They have been a far cry from the masterclass performances put on in last year’s playoffs, spending a large chunk of the season as league’s worst ranked penalty kill.
Since their 7–3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on November 9, the Oilers’ penalty kill has yet to give up a goal. That is five games in a row or 12 straight power plays killed off. Oilers’ play has continued to put pressure on the opponents and has limited both their set up and the quality of the opportunities produced.
For a team that is continuing to bounce back from a slow start to the season, it has been refreshing to see the team work towards improving their special teams which were very consistent and reliable in the last years’ Stanley Cup playoff run.
What is next for the Oilers?
The team will be returning to Rogers Place as they look to face the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. Led by phenomenal play from Kirill Kaprizov and the sound goaltending of Filip Gustavsson, this will be a great test for the Oilers as they look to continue building on the early season adversity.
Minnesota is currently sitting as second best team in the Western Conference and if the Oilers want to be the best this year, they have got to beat the best that NHL has to offer.
