Saturday Oilers Thoughts

The Oilers finished their homestand with a 2-2-0 record that easily could have been a 3-1-0 or 4-0-0 record. I said before the homestand began that 2-2-0 was bare minimum and they were able to pull it off. I’ll call it a moderate success, but I can’t help but think the Oilers left some points on the table here.

Thoughts From The Homestand:

The Oilers played their best game of the season against the Flyers and dominated for forty minutes against Montreal. Edmonton deserved to win both of those games, but dropped the ball in the other two. They started slow against both Calgary and Pittsburgh and it cost them in both instances.

The Oilers are better than the Flames, but when you spot a team a 3-1 lead you likely won’t win that game. I can’t help but think if Edmonton played a full 60 minutes they would have won that game. Ditto for last night against Pittsburgh, they played well enough to win for forty minutes but a tough first sunk them.

The issues were the same as well. Edmonton’s defensive coverage was not very good during this homestand, far too many times guys were left open in high percentage areas and it cost them in a big way. Goaltending was average as well, but I don’t think we can really blame it for the losses.

Edmonton’ inability to finish hurt them too. Hitting four posts against the Penguins was the difference in that game, and that’s tough to see. Another thing? Edmonton needs to find a way to sustain more offense moving forward. They didn’t sustain enough on Friday night.

Roadie Preview:

The Oilers will go to Chicago, Anaheim, Arizona and Los Angeles during the next week. All of these teams are currently ahead of the Oilers and three of them are in their division. It’s obvious, this is a massive, massive road trip for the Oilers.

I think the best case scenario for this trip would be 2-2-0, aka keep this ship afloat for a little bit. Ideally, the Oilers would go 3-1-0 and pick up some ground in the standings. That would be a massive momentum boost for a team that badly needs one.

I think it’s very winnable to go to Arizona and beat the Coyotes, but outside of that the Oilers will be in tough to steal one of these games. Both the Ducks and Kings have owned the Oilers over the years while the Blackhawks are the defending Stanley Cup champions and will be a lot to handle, no doubt about that.

I’ll say the Oilers get wins in Anaheim and Arizona to go .500 over the next week.

Davidson:

Quick thought on Brandon Davidson here, he’s really emerging. Davidson has really solidified his defensive coverage and is showing some offensive ability too. He and Oscar Klefbom have formed a pretty solid pairing here recently, and I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised by that.

I’m not sure it will last, but Davidson’s season so far has me excited for the future. If Brandon Davidson can emerge as a legit option to play defense at the NHL level, then the Oilers will be better off moving forward. His latest stretch has certainly got me feeling good about him and his future.

The Oilers Are Playing Better:

The Oilers, to me, didn’t have enough sustained pressure against the Penguins on Friday night. That said, they’ve looked better this season and played some good hockey. The Oilers were in every game during their homestand and easily could have come out of it undefeated. A few bounces and we are talking about a different team.

It’s really frustrating right now because they are losing these close tilts, but the Oilers are playing a much more structured game and have been respectable this season. Todd McLellan is doing a solid job right now and I do believe that this team is primed for a strong second half this spring.

Edmonton needs to hover around .500 while they learn the system and get healthy. Right now, they are on the lower end of that spectrum. Looking better is certainly a step forward for this team, now it’s time to start winning some games.