It’s down to the wire. The Edmonton Oilers officially have five games remaining until the end of a long 82-game regular season. The Oilers now have two games remaining on the road, and their other three games will be played in front of the home crowd. The Honda Center in California and the Anaheim Ducks welcomed the Oilers one last time to finish off the season series.
Wrapping up their division road trip against the Ducks, the Oilers flew out of the gate, outshooting the Ducks 14 to six in the first period. Adam Henrique would get a late first period goal, thanks to the deflected shot off of his skate.
A storyline throughout the season for the Oilers has been their inability to keep a lead. That was showcased again when Cutter Gauthier scored two goals and gave the Ducks the lead less than 10 minutes into the second frame.
A dandy debut as a starter for Olivier Rodrigue
With the injury bug sidelining some of the Oilers’ best players and their number one starter, Rodrigue got to experience what it was like to skate a rookie lap and got his first career start in the NHL. With 18 saves on 21 shots, Rodrigue didn’t have an amazing first start by any means, but he made some big saves for the team when he was called upon and did his best to show and prove that he could eventually belong in the NHL.
Having been called up by the Oilers before, Rodrigue has already touched NHL ice, just not as a game’s starter. He played 40 games in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors this year, posting a .899 save percentage and a 3.05 GAA. Rodrigue still has yet to prove what he can bring to the NHL level, but I know that with the right development, he can be a future goalie that the Oilers could rely on.
Let’s get “physical, physical!”
With 16 hits for the Oilers and 10 for the Ducks, this turned out to be quite the physical matchup. This should be evident, considering that the Ducks managed to rack up 28 penalty minutes, while the Oilers only put up 12. With the Oilers being down in this game and trying hard to fight their way back into it, things seemed to get pretty chippy as the night went on.
Some fans like the physicality of hockey, while others don’t prefer it. With the NHL playoffs being so close now, the Oilers need to bring the physical play and hits—the postseason will bring this game aspect to a whole new level. The team has been considered soft by some of their coaches, so realistically, there isn’t a better aspect for the team to change and improve on. This is the perfect time for that to happen for the Oilers.
The Oilers dominated the shot department
With a “Mighty” 47 shots on goal for Edmonton, you would think they would have won this game, right? Unfortunately, they lost by one goal and only scored two on the guy who sees 30+ shots in almost every game that he plays/starts: Lukas Dostal.
If you’re getting that many shots in a single hockey game, you should typically be scoring at least four or more goals, and that is where the Oilers have struggled this year. They haven’t been able to outscore their opponents compared to the previous games last year. With the majority of the players having an off year—except for the amazing season by Draisaitl—and the team losing quite a few of their top players to injury, the Oilers are really hoping now that they can get back to their top form and start winning some hockey games.
The final stretch for the Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers are set to fly back to Oil Country before they match up against the hottest team in the NHL in the St. Louis Blues, who had won 12 games in a row—though the streak was ended by the Winnipeg Jets. The Oilers will have their work cut out for them, with the Blues on a streak similar to that of their 11-game heater in the 2018-19 season en route to winning the Stanley Cup.
To top off a quick two games in Alberta, the Oilers will finish off against the current 32nd and worst-ranked team in the league, the San Jose Sharks. The Oilers haven’t shined against the Sharks, only winning both games played so far this year by a final score of 3–2.
Now more than ever, this team needs to step up to the tasks at hand and get back to being a Cup-contending team. I know the Oilers have been plagued with injuries over the last few weeks, but it’s always nice for a team to win games leading into the NHL playoffs.
Let us know in the comments if you think that the Oilers’ sticks and players are going to heat up as they finish their push to clinch a spot in the postseason.
