What is there to even say? The Edmonton Oilers have been the least physical team in the league all season, usually are fairly durable and healthy with very few lengthy absences or severe injuries, but heading into the playoffs the only story around this team is the ever growing injury reserve. No longer are we even worrying about this team winning the Stanley Cup, that’s not even a pipe dream at this point. All we have left to discuss is injuries.
Capped off with the most recent additions, that being Zach Hyman and the readdition of Mattias Ekholm (who is now rumoured to be a possible absence for the entire playoffs with a more severe injury than anticipated), the Oilers have been rolling with over $$40M of cap space injured in some games over the past week.
All things considered, the week did not go terribly for the Oilers. A loss to the Anaheim Ducks is disappointing, but back-to-back-to-back wins over the red-hot St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks, and President’s Trophy winning Winnipeg Jets following the return of Connor McDavid helped make up for it.
That’s a pretty impressive three game stretch, isn’t it? Maybe just enough to get our hopes back up in time for the playoffs to start? It is noteworthy and impressive that this depleted team is still able to compete, even if the opponents may have turned it down a notch in these late season games.
The aforementioned return of McDavid brought some offence, as he led the way with nine points (all assists) in three games. He is determined to hit 100 points, it appears. Also of note is Adam Henrique recording five points on the week while Connor Brown scored four goals in four games after being elevated to the top line with McDavid. This showing of depth scoring is a good sign.
Edmonton Oilers schedule for the week of April 14
It is a small week for the Oilers as they wrap up the regular season this Wednesday. Just two more games on the schedule, that we know of at least. We can expect the playoffs to start over the upcoming weekend and add more games to this list.
| Opponent | Date | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Kings | Monday, April 14 | 46–24–9 |
| San Jose Sharks | Wednesday, April 16 | 20–48–11 |
Round one preview (again)
So, the first attempt at a playoff preview did not go very well. The Los Angeles Kings won 3–0 in the matchup last weekend. Here’s attempt number two to help give us a sense of what we can expect for game one in the playoffs!
It’s becoming tradition each year now. The Oilers and Kings face each other once or twice at the end of the season. These games are usually some of the best regular season games of the season as both sides approach it like a playoff game. With this being a final tune-up before the real action begins, we can expect an intense game.
The Kings have been playing well lately, sporting a 7–3–0 record in their last 10. And as usual, they will pose a major threat to a depleted Oilers squad. The impressive part is the scoring by committee they have received. In the month of April, five players are at or above a point per game, led by Andrei Kuzmenko who has nine points. Drew Doughty is technically at the same pace, but he has only played three of the games.
Quinton Byfield is the player to watch for in the Kings lineup for this game, and for the playoffs, as he has started to find his game to showcase his insane combination of size, speed, and stickhandling to end the season hot.
Maybe the third time is the charm for the San Jose Sharks?
The San Jose Sharks got to save most of the season series against the Oilers until April, where these two teams will be playing for the third time in three weeks. The Sharks are not closing things out on a high note, as they enter the week with a 2–6–2 record in their last 10 (just slightly below their pace over the full season). The organization is more than ready for this final game and a look ahead to the draft lottery and a fresh start in September.
Normally, this would be a game where all the team’s best players would rest. But since most of them are already out of the lineup anyways, there likely won’t be much for lineup changes or rest days. Though you can imagine if McDavid is sitting shy of 100 points on the season, he might dress for this game just to try and hit triple digits for the fifth straight season.
Keys to the week for the Edmonton Oilers
Two meaningless games (for the standings, anyways), though home ice advantage in the first round is still up for grabs, means there are very few things of note for this week to keep an eye on for the Oilers. Regardless, here are a couple tips for the team this week as they prepare for a playoff run.
Watch the goalies, very carefully
In what may be a bit of a surprise announcement, the Oilers do not have a predetermined game one starter. Head Coach Kris Knoblauch implied that who starts the playoffs is to be determined as they monitor how the two goalies do in the final few games. Stuart Skinner made his first start in three weeks last night against the Jets, and appears ready to go, but with how well Calvin Pickard has played in his absence, there is a good argument to make to let the latter start game one.
With two games left, including Pickard being the likely starter against the Kings tonight, it is going to be a battle between the two for who is the starter going into the playoffs. So, we should watch these two very closely to determine who should get that role.
Buy bubblewrap
Self-explanatory, really. It is hitting a point where the Oilers injury reserve team would be a better lineup than the actual healthy roster. The last thing they need to do is go get more players hurt in these last two games. Buy some bubblewrap for everyone, wrap them in foam, go find something to help prevent the injuries from continuing to pile up ahead of the playoffs.
How do you think the Oilers will do to close out the season? Drop a comment down below!
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
