The tale of two wolves, or in this case the tale of two Edmonton Oiler games. Both end up in losses. However, in one of them, you see a glimmer of hope and optimism and in the other, you see dread and sorrow.
This was a very weird recent set of back-to-back games the Oilers just completed. They absolutely gave the Dallas Stars everything they could handle. Then they flew into Seattle, a team they’ve beaten nine straight times and were 12–2–0 all-time against, and played probably one of their worst games of the season.
Their record is now 1–2–0 without Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the lineup. Tonight, Mattias Ekholm was sat for maintenance reasons and had to play… *checks notes* Troy Stecher at forward.
So what are my thoughts after all this? Let’s do a quick deep dive into each game.
The Oilers deserved a win against the Stars
The Oilers deserved a better fate in this game. They outplayed Dallas in every facet of the game—besides goaltending. Like clockwork, it’s how Edmonton loses another game again. The Oilers put up 5.54 xG to Dallas’ 3.29, and at 5v5, Edmonton had 3.13 to Dallas’ 1.65. Without McDavid and Draisaitl, the Oilers dominated the Stars and yet the Oilers won’t get a point to show for it.
The first goal of the game by Wyatt Johnston was a late read by the defence and not much Stuart Skinner can do on. However, the second and third goals via Jason Robertson are absolutely soft. Those goals aren’t NHL calibre and Skinner knew it as he smashed his stick on the bench gate during a TV time-out. Skinner was later pulled from the game as Mikko Rantanen skated into his head.
When Calvin Pickard came in, the Oilers seemingly turned a new page and scored three unanswered. It needs to be said that Adam Henrique has been quite good with the elevated minutes. I don’t know why he hasn’t been given more time on 97’s wing. He showed last season that he can play well there, look at Game 1 versus L.A. before he went down with an injury. The Oilers ended up 44 shots to the Stars’ 24. Again, they deserved a better fate but that’s just how hockey goes.
Not the same Oilers from the night before
Awful. Just awful. The only decent Oilers by my eye were Zach Hyman and Jeff Skinner. They looked like an old, slow, team coming off a back-to-back. There was zero energy from puck-drop, and while they may of been robbed of a goal, that doesn’t excuse that abysmal second period where they let in five goals, with one being disallowed.
It also once again showed that Calvin Pickard isn’t an NHL goalie. A -2.28 GSAx tonight and a -8.28 GSAx on the season. On the bright side, Olivier Rodrigue finally made his NHL debut stopping 7/8 pucks, the goal he allowed was not on him whatsoever.
Worry is setting in across Oil Country
The Oilers are now two points behind L.A. for third in the division while playing an extra game with ten games to go this season. It’s looking likely the guys won’t have a home-ice advantage in the first round for the first time in the McDavid era. Edmonton desperately needs those two back if they want to make a push for home ice.
The goaltending is even more in question with Skinner’s injury and Pickard’s implosion. The depth and speed of the wings hasn’t gotten better (do not look at Dylan Holloway’s season for your sake). Trent Frederic is still hurt and the Oilers have a huge divisional week here coming up against Calgary, Vegas, and the California road trip.
I won’t lie… I’m worried about the team.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
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