In a week that we maybe expected to be a rare off week in the middle of the hockey season, we were met with some of the most exciting and action packed games since the fateful events of last June. There were fairly low expectations on the 4 Nations Face-off. We didn’t really know what to think of it and I’m sure some of us were just annoyed at not having any games for a couple of weeks.
That couldn’t have been more wrong. This tournament has blown us away with excitement and an unmatched quality of play. These guys came to play. Capped off with, quite frankly, the most jaw-dropping start to a hockey game in history in Saturday’s game between Canada and the United States. The most electric atmosphere imagineable at the Bell Centre with three fights in the first nine seconds of the game, in an international tournament, no less. Couldn’t have asked for a better break from the NHL.
The Edmonton Oilers have three players participating in the tournament. Connor McDavid has one goal and one assist in two games. Mattias Ekholm has one assist in two games. And Viktor Arvidsson has been held pointless in Sweden’s two games.
Other parts of the Oilers organization still active
Elsewhere in the organization, the Bakersfield Condors did not make out well last week with two losses in two games. Connor Carrick scored in both games while Matthew Savoie continues making a case for a call-up with a goal and assist as he sits third in AHL rookie scoring.
In last week’s update, the two games played by the London Knights featuring Oilers prospects Sam O’Reilly and William Nicholl were featured. Both players continued building on their excellent seasons. O’Reilly had four assists in two games while Nicholl had a goal and two assists. They currently sit third and fourth in team scoring.
What do we have to look forward to this week? Let’s take a look!
Edmonton Oilers playing this week
We still have a little bit of time before the Oilers as a whole are back in action, but that doesn’t mean some of the team has the entire week off.
On Monday morning, Team Canada takes on Team Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, featuring McDavid. While Ekholm and Arvidsson take on Team USA in the evening. Hopefully, one of those two teams makes the final and will be in action on Thursday evening battling for the championship.
Regardless, the entire Oilers team will be back on Saturday morning as they are in Philadelphia to take on the Flyers and Sunday morning to take on the Washington Capitals.
| Opponent | Day | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Flyers | Saturday, February 22 | 24–26–7 |
| Washington Capitals | Sunday, February 23 | 36–11–8 |
This is not going to be an easy weekend. After not playing for two weeks, the Oilers have back-to-back games at 1pm EST, the back end of which is against the best team in the entire league. These two games will be a major test for Edmonton.
Are the Oilers destined for a slow start against the Flyers?
We know this team. We know they are not always the greatest at starts. Or early games. Or in the first game after breaks. So we may need to keep our expectations in check for the first bit of this game against the Flyers. Luckily, Philadelphia is the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference, which might help level the playing field.
The Flyers are a bit of a new-look team in the aftermath of their recent trade with the Calgary Flames, losing two of their more productive forwards in the process.
Philadelphia might not be much of a threat on paper, but they are built to be hard to play against. Travis Konecny is the main threat offensively, with 61 points on the season already. Their scoring depth is better than one might expect from a team that low in the standings. For forwards, that is. They only have one defender with more than 15 points on the season, that being Travis Sanheim.
Trying to get back at the Capitals
The last game against the Washington Capitals did not end up as the team would have liked. Despite heavily outshooting their opponents, Edmonton lost 3–2. They will be looking for and hoping for a more reliable performance in net who might be able to make more than 11 saves on 14 shots.
And that will be a tough ask against the Capitals with their potent scoring talent. Washington has six players with 40 points already, led by Dylan Strome’s 54 points in 55 games. The breakout season for Aliaksei Protas is something to keep an eye on. He has come out of nowhere to have 46 points in his fourth season in the NHL. Protas has already nearly quadrupled his previous career high in goals, jumping from six last season to 22 already this season.
All of this in front of Logan Thompson, one of the best goalies in the league this season.
In the second half of a back-to-back, it will be a huge ask of the team to put up a fight.
Keys to the week for the Oilers
Given the odd schedule and context, there are few things the Oilers must focus on if they want to succeed this week.
Be ready for opening puck drop
This is a problem the Oilers have had for ages. Slow starts, especially after a break and in early games. Both games are early afternoon this weekend. Edmonton needs to be ready to go from the opening face-off, however they can. If they can somehow manage a quick goal to get the energy up, even better.
Find scoring from the wings
The Oilers’ offensive power is largely driven by McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, as expected. But they need to start getting a little bit more from the wings to keep up. It is no secret that depth scoring is one of the things the front office is looking to improve on at the trade deadline, but maybe the answer is already here. Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, Zach Hyman, and Vasily Podkolzin could all be producing more than they are right now.
Protect the goalies
The most likely scenario is that Calvin Pickard plays against the Flyers while Stuart Skinner plays against the Capitals. Either way, the team needs to continue playing defensively sound hockey to protect them and hopefully get Skinner back in a groove. The Oilers have been linked closely to John Gibson as a target for a trade, but he wants the starting role. Skinner has just a couple of weeks to convince the team to not make that move and relegate him to being a back-up.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
