To say that the Edmonton Oilers’ fanbase has come to expect better from their team would be an understatement. Coming into last night’s tilt against the Montreal Canadiens, the Oilers were 3–7–0 in their last 10 games including a 1–5–0 record since the 4 Nations Face-off. Their poor play is perhaps best summarized by the abysmal 6–2 decimation at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night. As the betting favourites to win the Stanley Cup, the Oilers are team that are surely playing like a team out of playoff contention.
With a flurry of action on both ends and back and forth responses by both clubs, the Oilers were able to pull away in overtime when Evan Bouchard scored a goal with seven seconds left. Despite the win, the Oilers’ level of play was far from perfect. What were our three takeaways? Lets dive in below!
Welcome to Edmonton, Max Jones
Acquired in the Trent Frederic trade on Tuesday, Max Jones had certainly introduced himself to the crowd in Rogers Place. Drafted 24th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, it would likely be fair to say that Jones has not lived up to the expectations of a first-round pick. This includes spending most of this season playing for the Boston Bruins’ AHL affiliate. His play Thursday night however, tells a different story.
Despite only playing 10:26 minutes in the game, Jones had a +1 rating and got his first point as an Oiler, an assist on the Corey Perry goal. More importantly, Jones was absolutely buzzing on the ice which included the final minute of the second period, when his play with the puck came close to creating a Kasperi Kapanen goal.
While Jones is unlikely to be a top-six forward for the Oilers, his level of play should certainly earn him a closer look from Kris Knoblauch as a secondary scoring option on either of Edmonton’s third or fourth lines.
Too many mistakes from the Oilers’ defence
Even though the Oilers were able to walk away with the win in this one, their defence certainly put the two points into jeopardy. Whether it was allowing one too many two-on-one opportunities and breakaways or simply failing to move the puck and clear the rebounds, a lot was left to be desired from Edmonton’s defensive pairings. Plain and simple, Montreal’s forward group made Edmonton’s defencemen struggle to keep pace with their speed.
In fairness to the home team, the Oilers were missing the likes of Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg, with Cam Dineen bravely stepping up for his first NHL game since the 2021–22 season. However, the play of the Oilers’ defence has raised questions throughout the season and has arguably become a top priority to address with trade deadline looming. With the reports of Jake Walden joining the Oilers likely coming to fruition, will this be enough to address the defensive deficiencies moving forward?
Leon Draisaitl or Clark Kent?
Is there anything than Superman, aka Leon Draisaitl, can’t do? With his league-leading 46th goal tonight, Leon Draisaitl surpassed Mark Messier for fourth most goals in the Edmonton Oilers’ history. As he continues to chase Nathan MacKinnon in the point totals, Draisaitl remains poised to take home the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league MVP. Knowing his competitive drive however, Draisaitl likely won’t be satisfied taking home individual trophies only.
What’s next for the Oilers?
The Oilers will close out their three-game homestand this Saturday against another Western Conference powerhouse, the Dallas Stars. A rematch of last year’s (and a possible preview of this year’s) Conference Final, the Oilers will be looking to build on the momentum of the gutsy overtime win, perhaps even with some new additions to their roster.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
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