Much ado has been made about the Edmonton Oilers’ defensive efforts coming out of the Olympic break. Giving up 60 or more goals in 12 games is an abysmal tally. It looked like, with strong showings against Vegas and Colorado, the tide was turning for the Oilers. But then came the Dallas Debacle, and they were right back to square one.
Good news is there can be a case made that that was a mere aberration, and the Oilers are course-correcting defensively. Bad news is a complete, 60-minute effort still lacks. As well, the offence is starting to dry up again, with just two goals for on consecutive nights. The last night, it didn’t matter because too many pucks went in at the Oilers’ end. Here, it ended up factoring into a crushing difference.
Oilers lose 3–2 in OT.
At least this loss comes with a loser point attached. And nobody can rag on Edmonton for it based on how many Vegas has racked up. But having that second point as well would have been really darn nice. Here’s the game story.
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Probably the best 50 minutes of Oilers defence thrown in the trash
Just a simple glance at the game summary tells you that the shots on goal were only 7–6 in favour of Edmonton after the first period, which is average. It also tells you that they were 18–11 Edmonton after two, which is actually decent. It’s not totally lopsided, but the Oilers are clearly controlling more of the play. However, it was that the Blues weren’t allowed a shot in almost a full period worth of game action that indicates just how stout the Oilers defence was for most of the game.
Nearly twenty minutes of game time elapsed before shot-on-goal number seven was stopped by Connor Ingram. That’s pretty darn impressive. To boot, after 50 minutes, the Oilers had a 2–0 lead. Against a team like the Blues, it should be an easy one to put away.
Yet this team couldn’t. Former Vancouver Canuck Pius Suter scored with 7:38 remaining, and all of a sudden, it’s a game again.
Not even four minutes later, Cam Fowler tied the game up. This apparently was a night of players who faced Edmonton in second-round playoff series in prior years coming back to haunt them. If that was the Blues’ strategy for winning every game they play against the Oilers, then it worked to perfection.
Robert Thomas ended the game with a “smooth” late OT winner. Let’s be real, the Oilers have inexplicably been garbage in shootouts this season so there was little hope they’d win there anyways. Thomas may have done them a favour, actually.
This finish didn’t need to happen. When you have a two-goal lead with eight minutes left in the game, it’s gotta be finished off. This is a habit that doomed the Oilers earlier on in the season. Now is not the time for them to let it re-emerge.
It’s hard to blame Ingram when he did what we want him to do
The additional problematic stat for the Oilers was that St. Louis generated as many shots and chances in the third period as they did in the first two combined. Meaning, after being able to chill for most of the game, Ingram suddenly had a lot of work to do. Any current or former goalie worth their salt will tell you that’s a tougher task than being peppered all night.
Through 60 minutes, Ingram’s save percentage sat at .909 and he had only given up two goals against. Anybody who dares to fault Ingram for this loss simply does not know hockey well enough. .909 is a godsend for Oilers goaltending, and for it to be wasted like it was is crushing.
The good news is that it will be a while before the Oilers have another back-to-back (they only have one more left). So the team can now ride with Ingram as much as possible. Which gives the Oilers a far better chance to win most nights.
The Oilers making Hofer look like prime Brodeur was the real crime
A recent part of the Oilers’ game that was facing scrutiny was their low shots-on-goal totals. Notably, against San Jose a couple weeks ago, it could have helped to get more than 20 pucks onto Yaroslav Askarov, who wasn’t at his best. More shots equals more goals, is the thought process.
That theory was disproven on this night. Kasperi Kapanen did get the first goal of the game, in the second period. But it came on the Oilers’ 17th shot on goal, after St. Louis went all that time earlier without getting one.
The other Oilers goal belonged to Connor McDavid (on a beautiful effort) and came in the third period. So they at least got some insurance that basically guaranteed them at least a standings point. But that was all they were allowed.
By game’s end, Edmonton generated 38 shots on goal; quite a lot, by their standards. Yet it only yielded those two goals. This all came against Joel Hofer, who has been in a bit of a groove lately but is still not in the upper echelon of NHL goaltenders. The Oilers made him look like he was, though, which is what cost them that second standings point. They have to do a better job finding that third goal, and putting away a game like this.
Five out of eight points on a tough road trip isn’t the worst outcome
If you told an Oilers fan, before this trip began, that the team would go 2–1–1 on it, they probably wouldn’t complain about it. This has been a season full of struggles for the Oilers, and just finishing .500 on it would have been no small feat. That additional point may be huge at the end of the season.
It’s just annoying how it all unfolded. To beat the Avalanche in Denver, but then lose to St. Louis, is some pretty big whiplash. The Stars loss was a bit expected, given they handle Edmonton better in the regular season than they do playoffs. But this one shouldn’t have happened.
The Oilers now begin a four-game homestand in which they can set themselves up for success still. Major matchups loom later in March against Vegas and Anaheim. It would be wise to bank as many points as possible at home before then.
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