The Oilers have won two straight games and have scored ten goals in that span. Things are going pretty well right now for the Oilers, who have an inviting stretch of four games coming up to conclude the month of November. Common sense would dictate that coach Todd McLellan should roll with the same line up, right? I respectfully disagree with that.
The fourth line of Matt Hendricks – Drake Caggiula – Tyler Pitlick has absolutely been crushed the last two games. The underlying numbers for this trio have been awful, they got caved possession wise against Chicago and gave up far more chances than they created in both Dallas and against the Blackhawks.
Yes, Pitlick scored a goal on Saturday on a really nice play and Caggiula added his second assist in as many games on Monday, but I think this line needs a change. It’s the only tweak I feel the lineup needs right now, and it comes on the left wing of this particular line.
Matt Hendricks is a fan favorite, and I totally get it. Seriously, I really like this player. He’s extremely tough and does everything he can to help the team win. That blocked shot at the end of Monday’s game to help preserve the shutout? Fantastic, I absolutely loved it.
Hendricks is a leader, is willing to do the dirty little things that grinders are supposed to do, and can help on the penalty kill. The problem is, Hendricks is getting older and has clearly lost a step from the last two seasons. He’s too slow to help contribute, and he was an anchor for this line the last two times out.
The Oilers have two players, Benoit Pouliot and Mark Letestu, who can reenter the lineup and give the club more than Hendricks can.
But Why Change?:
As I mentioned above, I like Matt Hendricks and love what he brings to the locker room, but what we saw the last two times out cannot be ignored. Hendricks was caved possession wise and did not look good by the eye test. Regardless of which evaluation process you trust, Matt Hendricks just was not good enough for the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday and Monday.
The team needs all hands on deck if they want to take advantage of this four game stretch. Having twelve players at forward that can contribute at both ends of the rink is better than having eleven.
While Benoit Pouliot has been in the doghouse lately, I think he’s a much stronger option to play the left wing role on the fourth line and he’ll certainly be hungry to make an impression upon returning to the lineup. Also, unlike Hendricks, Pouliot can move up in the lineup and give Todd McLellan much more flexibility.
Letestu, meanwhile, could return to his fourth line center spot and allow Caggiula to either move to line three (Allowing Draisaitl to shift to wing) or move to the wing. In both scenarios, the Oilers are better off up front.
End Of The Road?:
I’m not ready to say it is the end of the road for Hendricks yet, but he’s clearly taken a step back and doesn’t look like the same player we saw even last season for the Oilers. Yes, it has only been two games, but there were signs of decline in training camp as well. The Oilers can’t allow the veteran forward to be a liability and weak link in the lineup, even if they are winning hockey games.
It could very well be that Hendricks needs adjustment time to get back into the lineup. He’ll play his third straight game later tonight and, should the Oilers win, he’ll probably play his fourth straight game on Friday night in Arizona. Maybe by the time Sunday rolls around I’ll look like a fool and Hendricks will be his old self again.
That all said, he hasn’t looked good so far and he’s been the weak link for the Oilers on the ice. If I were Todd McLellan, I’d be inserting Benoit Pouliot or Mark Letestu for tonight’s tilt in Colorado. Those are two strong NHL’ers just sitting in the pressbox. I’m not sure that’s a wise decision.
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