So, it’s over. The six game winning streak for the Edmonton Oilers came to a halt on Tuesday night when the team lost 4-2 to the New York Rangers. It’s funny, because I thought the Oil played a good game in the Big Apple, outplaying the Rangers for large stretches. That said, the Oilers didn’t capitalize on numerous opportunities while their opponent did. Never a good thing, but it was the result nonetheless.
The important thing is for the Oilers to not let this become a losing streak. Far too often over the last few seasons this team has won a few in a row only to turn around and lose an equal amount of games. That simply cannot happen here. A huge indicator of where the Oilers are as a team will be how they respond tomorrow night in Chicago. I’m willing to bet it’ll be a strong effort.
Injury Strikes:
Iiro Pakarinen and Rob Klinkhammer both left the loss with injuries. Pakarinen blocked a shot and did not return, while Klinkhammer apparently re-injured his ankle. Unfortunate on both accounts, really. Klinkhammer had been out since October 27th, a 21 game stretch. He’s nothing special, but he’s a solid role player and the Oilers need guys like that.
I’m not sure the extent of Klinkhammer’s injury, but I’d be surprised if we see him on Thursday night in Chicago, just my gut feeling.
As for Pakarinen, the hope is that this isn’t a bad injury. There has been no word from the Oilers, which is a little worrisome. Pakarinen has been a very good role player for the team this season, in fact I’d argue he has won himself some serious consideration as a full-time NHL’er.
Returning Bodies:
Connor McDavid’s timeline appears to be sometime in January, but the other injured Oilers appear to be close. Benoit Pouliot has been skating and there is some thought that he could be back as early as tomorrow in Chicago. He’s expected before Christmas, which is good news. The team badly needs a veteran to help out in the top-six right now.
Oscar Klefbom, the team’s best defender, is also supposedly aiming for a pre-Christmas return to the Oiler lineup. This would be a welcomed development for the Oilers, who have sorely missed him since he went down a week ago.
Nail Yakupov is likely back after the Holiday, probably two weeks from now. Those three back would really upgrade Edmonton’s roster, it would be clicking pretty close to 100%, missing only the key cog that is McDavid.
Meaningful Games:
Yes, the NHL’s Pacific Division is not very good. We’ve heard that a million times but, honestly, who cares. The Oilers are currently tied for the final playoff spot in the division and will hold that into tomorrow night’s slate of games. The team is winning games minus it’s entire second line and now is battling without it’s top defender.
I’m not going to say that this is a playoff group, I still feel a few holes need to be addressed, but this group is still very much alive in the middle of December. This is the first time that has happened in a few years and I think it needs to be taken very seriously.
If this group can hang in this race, within three points, and get healthy then they will have a chance to fight until the bitter end. Really, that is all we can ask for this season. Meaningful games in the month of December is a thing this time around.
Should the Oilers make the games in January meaningful and get some guys back, then we can start talking about a push. Until then, let’s enjoy the entertaining hockey and let’s enjoy the progress of this organization. It is real and it is overdue.
Final Point:
More on this tomorrow, but Justin Schultz is really struggling right now. The eye test is showing a player that, quite frankly, is too soft and does not have the hockey IQ to make a difference on the ice. He’s also struggling on the power play big time and his passing is a serious issue.
Again, this is a topic to go more in-depth on at a different time, but I’m kind of alarmed by the defender’s play as of late. If Edmonton wants to have a shot at the postseason, they need that number four slot defensively to be strong. Right now, Schultz is not playing anywhere near a strong game.
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