The Edmonton Oilers may have missed the memo that their 4 Nations break is over. After a putrid performance against the Washington Capitals in their second matinee of the weekend, the Oilers have now dropped their third straight game, eerily mirroring their sluggish start to the season, and fallen to 34–19–4 overall. Let’s break it down.
Kris Knoblauch blends the lineup
During warmups, Bob Stauffer tweeted out Edmonton’s new line combinations for yesterday afternoon’s game:
The @EdmontonOilers in Washington:
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) February 23, 2025
Podkolzin-McDavid-Kapanen
Perry-Draisaitl-Savoie
Arvidsson-RNH-Hyman
J. Skinner-Henrique-Brown
Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Emberson
Kulak-Klingberg
Pickard
After a disappointing effort against the Philadelphia Flyers, Kris Knoblauch clearly felt a shakeup was necessary. He demoted Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman to the third line, while giving Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen an opportunity alongside the world’s best player. Mattias Janmark also found himself as a healthy scratch for the first time this season.
Despite the line shuffling, Edmonton struck first, with Leon Draisaitl burying his league-leading 42nd goal of the season on an early power play. Even though the Capitals equalized with about three minutes remaining in the opening frame, the Oilers looked competitive, and I felt reasonably satisfied with their performance.
Unfortunately, with the clock ticking down, Viktor Arvidsson, who has struggled to produce all season, took an unnecessary roughing penalty in front of the net. That mistake proved costly, as Washington capitalized on the ensuing man advantage, resulting in their first lead of the game (one that they would not relinquish).
Despite getting a chance to quickly counterpunch with a man advantage of their own, the Oilers’ power play failed to create much of anything in the dying seconds of the opening period. After this, the Oilers offence flatlined, and only showed limp signs of life in the third after the game was far out of reach.
Knoblauch likely hoped the adjustments he made to the lineup would simplify the Oilers’ game and get them back to playing their system, but the new combinations struggled to generate production or build any real chemistry. Whether it was a lack of motivation, preparation, or urgency, Edmonton failed to show up in crucial moments of the game. Perhaps the most damning stat of the night: the Oilers forwards combined for just 10 shots on goal—Alexander Ovechkin alone had nine.
Penalty killing woes and poor goaltending
The penalty kill continues to be a major problem for the Edmonton Oilers. Over their last six games, they’ve killed just five of the 13 minor infractions they’ve taken—an abysmal 38% success rate. Currently ranked 21st in the league, the penalty kill has been a far cry from the unit that helped backstop this team to the Stanley Cup Final last summer.
What’s baffling is that Edmonton actually ranks second in the NHL in expected goals against while shorthanded (per MoneyPuck). On the flip side, Edmonton also leads the league in Goals Against Above Expected while on the penalty kill. Calvin Pickard in particular has been victimized while shorthanded. In 22 games, he’s posted below a -5 Goals Saved Above Expected (per Evolving-Hockey) on the penalty kill, a stark contrast to Stuart Skinner’s -1. The old adage that “your goaltender needs to be your best penalty killer” has never been more relevant.
Alexander Ovechkin’s quest for 895 goals
Early in the game, the Sportsnet broadcast noted that Calvin Pickard was one of the few goaltenders Alexander Ovechkin had never scored against. Call it foreshadowing, call it a jinx, call it motivation, but by the end of the game, the Capitals’ captain would make them eat those words. Ovechkin registered his 32nd career hat trick—his first ever against Edmonton—with a dominant performance: three goals, nine shots, one hit, and a +3 rating in just 16:29 of ice time.
At nearly 40-years-old, Ovechkin continues to defy time. He now has 29 goals in 41 games and is on pace for yet another 40+ goal season—the 14th (!) of his career. He is undoubtedly the best goal-scorer in the history of the National Hockey League.
The Great 8’s race to 895 is going to be a huge storyline heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Wouldn’t it be something if he breaks the NHL goal-scoring record when the Washington Capitals meet Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 17, their final game of the season?
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