Heading into the Thursday night’s game, the Edmonton Oilers on-ice performance has certainly left a lot to be desired. Since the 4 Nations Face-Off concluded, the Oilers have struggled to get themselves back into the win column. In that time span, they amassed a 3–6–0 record, giving up 37 goals against (or 4.11 goals per game) while producing only 25 goals for (or 2.78 goals per game).
Despite missing Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton in their lineup, Jesper Bratt and the New Jersey Devils had no intention of giving up. Down 2–1 in the third, the Devils produced two goals on two excellent screens by Nico Hischier to make it 3–2 and give the Oilers their seventh loss in the last 10 games. What were our three takeaways from this one? Let’s dive in below.
Stuart Skinner gave the Oilers a fighting chance
Looking at the stat sheet for the game and seeing three goals on 22 shots, it can be easy to assume that this was a poor goalie outing. But a closer look at Stuart Skinner’s performance tells a different story.
The Devils had a number of close chances. Despite their low shot output through the game, time and time again the players in red seemed to have clean looks or enough time to settle the puck and fire a good shot. Skinner stood tall and kept the team in the game long enough to see the Bouchard knuckle puck give the good guys the 2–1 lead in the final frame.
However, his efforts would not be enough as Hischier’s screening was effective at blinding Skinner for the game tying and the game winning goals. Regardless of what the stats show in this one, Skinner deserved a better outcome.
Oilers’ defence is hemorrhaging opportunities
Mattias Ekholm, the team needs you.
As mentioned above, the Oilers’ recent streak of goals against coming into this one has been abysmal. While Skinner and Calvin Pickard have had to endure a share of criticism, it is tough to hold them accountable when the team in front of them can certainly do better.
First, the Oilers continue to have the tendency of giving up odd-man rushes to their opponents. Regardless of how many chances the other team gets, every chance such as this is a chance too many. Second, the Oilers’ opponents seem to have the time and the looks to create good quality shot attempts.
Lastly, and more specifically to this game, the Oilers’ defence struggled to outmuscle their opposition. Hischier had ample space to sneak behind the defence and create an effective screen not once, but twice, to give Skinner no chance at stopping the two consecutive goals. With the regular season now in the final quarter, the Oilers’ blueliners need to find their footing.
Are the Oilers having an identity crisis?
Prior to the season starting, Leon Draisaitl talked about this team creating a new identity. Based on their performance last season, including a run to the Stanley Cup Final, there seemed to be minimal doubt that this team would only continue to build on this experience. However, as the season has gone on, the silhouette of the identity seems more difficult to make out.
Throughout the campaign, the team’s performance has been a roller coaster. The Oilers have endured a slow start, had a streak of third period collapses, went through a number of comeback wins, faced challenges with secondary scoring and more recently, had a dip in the penalty kill that was so efficient in last year’s post season.
With 17 games remaining, the time for this group to dig in is now and this is the message Kris Knoblauch needs to give this group. You have 17 games to build something special and show the world just what this team is capable of.
What’s next for the Oilers?
The Oilers will have a quick turn around after this one as they travel to the Long Island to face Anders Lee and the New York Islanders. They will complete their four-game road trip on Sunday when they descend upon the Madison Square Gardens to take on Artemi Panarin and the New York Rangers.
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