Let’s call a spade a spade, the Oilers trip to Dallas was nothing short of a nightmare on the ice. On Tuesday night, the Oilers fell 4-2 to the Stars, but that score flattered the visiting team in a big way. For the first time this year, the Oil surrendered 50 shots. They were dominated, and outside of three players, it looked like they didn’t even show up to the rink.
Andres Nilsson was sensational, making 48 saves in the loss. Connor McDavid was terrific, scoring his first NHL goal and creating more chances than anyone else on the Oilers attack. Justin Schultz, for the first time in a while, looked really good to my eyes too, playing a sound defensive style of hockey.
Outside of those three, however, it was a pretty bleak night for the Oilers.
What’s Wrong Here:
I think we need to be honest, the Oilers are not nearly as good as the three teams they have lost to this season. Both St. Louis and Nashville are elite teams and will be in the playoffs this spring. Dallas has the chance to be a playoff team and do some damage as well, these aren’t cupcake opponents by any stretch.
And really, it’s nothing to be ashamed of to have lost all three games and be worse than those teams. Why? The Oilers aren’t built to win now, the teams they played are. Edmonton is at a different stage right now, that’s just the fact of the matter. The Blues, Predators and Stars will all be pushing for a championship this spring, the Oil are pushing for progress.
My biggest issue is the amount of players on this roster that are simply overwhelmed right now. It isn’t just younger players, it’s highly paid veterans too.
Teddy Purcell has been a massive weak spot for the Edmonton Oilers to this point. He’s created next to no offense and has been very sloppy with the puck. He just hasn’t been good enough to earn ice time in the NHL, the Oilers would be better off with Leon Draisaitl right now.
Eric Gryba was really bad in this loss too, he clearly did not belong on the same sheet of ice as the skilled forwards of the Stars. Gryba made a number of key mistakes that led to golden chances against.
Mark Fayne was not much better, which is very alarming. Fayne is supposed to be a second pairing defender for Edmonton, but his current play suggests a level far below that. He and Andrej Sekera were not very good on this road trip, and that should make Oiler fans a little nervous.
Overall, Edmonton still has too much chaos in their game and too many holes in key areas of the roster, mainly the defensive unit.
But Really, What The HELL Happened:
The Oilers looked like they were simply there collecting a paycheck on Tuesday night. Numerous players appeared indifferent and a lot of guys looked like they wanted nothing to do with the pressure Dallas was putting on after the five minute mark of the first period.
Why? I’m not sure, I didn’t notice that after the first or second game. I’m also pretty glad that Todd McLellan took some time to call them out in the media about this exact thing after the game, pretty much saying a number of guys were just there putting in time.
I’m not blaming this on the coach, he’s had three games, but it’s a little bothersome and frustrating to see a team that, quite frankly, is not very good just showing up and expecting to win. That’s been an issue for a number of years in Edmonton. Until that changes, the results simply will not change.
We Have to be Patient, Right?:
To a degree, but I feel like some of the decisions being made are questionable. Why is Griffin Reinhart not playing? He was solid in St. Louis and then sat for Andrew Ference and Brandon Davidson, both of whom were terrible in their outings this season.
Why is Teddy Purcell still in the lineup? Outside of turnovers, he’s been completely invisible for the Oilers this season. He was like this last year as well, which makes it puzzling why the leash has been so long for the veteran.
Also, if Anton Slepyshev is not going to be used, he needs to be sent to the AHL. The kid had a great training camp, but he hasn’t had an impact in the NHL to this point. Instead of stapling him to the bench, send him to Bakersfield and let him play.
Here’s the thing, there is no excuse why Edmonton can’t win between 30-35 games this season. The team, on paper, is improved and two teams they struggled with last year got worse in the summer (Arizona and Vancouver). I don’t expect them to make the playoffs, but patience in terms of waiting for a competitive team that can fight for a playoff spot is gone.
F I N I S H:
One of the massive things here I believe is finishing chances. The Oilers have struggled to do that this season, and it’s killed them. A prime example is Tuesday night in Dallas. If Nail Yakupov buries his grade A chance in the third period, Edmonton goes up 3-2. Instead, he’s stopped and Dallas scores about ten seconds later to go up 3-2.
Is it Nail Yakupov’s fault Edmonton lost? Hell no, I’m just using this as an example. Everyone up front has missed their fair chance of scoring looks so far this season.
If Edmonton is going to hang their hat on being skilled, they need to start sinking some of these chances. They won’t win much of anything this year if they don’t start scoring.
Final Thoughts:
Can you tell I’m frustrated? There have been some improvements in Edmonton’s play, but once again the Oilers are 0-3 and facing a tough schedule. They just got blown out and looked like last fall’s unit in Dallas, against a team likely on the bubble for the playoffs this season.
I’m not sure what has to change for the results to change, but the Oilers have to figure this out and fast. I’m done pointing the finger at the GM and coach, it’s a new group there, I’m looking squarely at the players wearing that jersey.
It’s time to show up and put in the needed work to get some victories. That shouldn’t be too much to expect, in fact it’s a must if we want to see progress this season.
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