One week into the new season and we have an “Uh-oh-and-3” start.
It’s pretty clear the Edmonton Oilers can’t score and can’t defend right now, which doesn’t leave much room for anything else three games in. They can’t even fall back on their sweat equity still being there because, frankly, there’s little urgency there.
OK, they were 2-9-1 to start last season, got the coach Jay Woodcroft fired and then dug themselves out of the crater with the new man Kris Knoblauch, winning 16 in a row and eight straight in two streaks.
So, we’ve seen this picture show before, but… .
There’s lots to unpack when you’ve been outscored 6-0, 5-2 and 4-1, all at home, but let’s zero in on the offence, shall we; it has been almost zero with just two even-strength goals by their oldest player Corey Perry and Jeff Skinner and a power play score by Leon Draisaitl.
Perry, by the way, has a goal and should have had two but for a suspect goalie interference call in the Calgary loss. He’s been good, and Skinner, who has 12 shots in three games, was the Oilers best forward by plenty Sunday, moving up to play with Connor McDavid for two periods, finishing with six shots and his goal.
It would be different if the Oilers were losing 6-4 or 7-5, right?
But, they have three goals on 94 shots, a league worst 3.2 percent, with Philadelphia Flyers in town Tuesday night.
That sounds like they’ve been pouring it on, but their puck play has been eye-poppingly bad, a planet removed from how they looked in the playoffs last spring. Their passing choreography looks like that of the TV show Dancing with the Stars and their two left feet in their routines.
Their zone exits have been fraught with peril, in part because the forwards have spent too much time in the neutral zone waiting for hopeful 60-foot passes (we’ve seen that before), rather than coming back into the Oiler end to help out, so, the defencemen only have to make a safe 10-foot pass. And when the play is finally moving north, on the attack, it’s tic, tac and no flow.
Discombobulation.
Malfunctions at the junction.
‘Not clean with the puck’
“Our puck play has been bad all over,” said Connor McDavid. “There’s guys fumbling it, not handling passes, passes in the air, passes behind guys. It’s just not good enough in terms of puck play. When you’re not clean with the puck it’s tough to get offence.”
They’re breaking in two new wingers Viktor Arvidsson and Skinner in the top 6, and they’ve lost considerable speed at forward with Ryan McLeod, Dylan Holloway and Warren Foegele gone. The pace of their game isn’t as high as it could be. Plus, got new hands on defence — Ty Emberson, acquired from San Jose in the Cody Ceci salary dump but was a healthy scratch against Calgary Sunday, and training camp invite Travis Dermott on the back-end.
But, Evan Bouchard, who doesn’t have a point, is having trouble moving the puck too. When it’s in his hands in the offensive zone, he either won’t shoot it (not many Bouch-bombs, folks) or the shots are bouncing off shinpads and skates. They’re not getting to the goalies. He’s had four shots get through and 19 have been blocked.
Even McDavid and Draisaitl are fighting it right now.
So is Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins hasn’t done much.
As an aside, 97 and 29 both got drilled in the Calgary loss — the greasy Martin Pospisil hit McDavid hard along the boards and the 11-game NHL forward Justin Kirkland belted Draisaitl, also along the wall. They miss Evander Kane’s intimidation factor, especially in games against the Flames.
But, we digress. Back to the lack of offence.
‘Disconnected’
When they have been around the other net, it’s been too much one and done.
“Collectively we all need to get to those areas. We can do a better job in our D-zone, breaking out and having the puck more in the O-zone and getting second opportunities,” said Hyman, the king of hard labour, who lives in the blue-paint and is coming off a 54-goal regular-season and 16 more in the playoffs.
Hyman started slowly last season, too, with just one goal in his first three games, so maybe no alarm bells are needed. But he had five points. He has none right now.
Even the power play, their ultimate team toughness, is out of sync. They’re not drawing enough penalties (just five in three games), a sign they’re not moving their feet enough. Or the zebras are looking the other way, like with that Mikael Backlund slash to the back of goalie Stu Skinner’s leg that one of the most experienced refs in the game, Eric Furlatt, or referee counterpart, Kendrick Nicholson, missed Sunday.
Skinner, as placid as they come, was in Furlatt’s face at the end of the first period, and, rather than admit the call was missed, Furlatt dismissed the complaint and skated away.
But, when the Oilers have gotten a PP over the first three games, they’ve had just four shots on net (one by Bouchard) against Winnipeg, Chicago and Calgary.
Where has the connection gone in terms of passing and getting the puck up ice?
“I wish I had an easy answer,” said Knoblauch, who looked and sounded like his patience was starting to wear thin after the Calgary loss. “It’s not easy to put your finger on it. One it’s about having people in the right positions moving their feet and making the right passes and knowing who’s where and when.”
Certainly, they are not moving the puck up ice together.
“Everything is… I guess the right word to use would be, disconnected,” said Knoblauch.
The big guns, as we said, have been silent.
Heck, the guns have barely left the holster.
McDavid has eight shots but Hyman only has four, same as Arvidsson and Bouchard.
Draisaitl just five, the same as Nugent-Hopkins.
What is Knoblauch seeing or not seeing from his best guys?
“With top players or any player, it’s about feel,” said Knoblauch, who has already had to resort to playing 97 and 29 together late in games to try and jump-start the offence.
“It’s early but right now, the confidence isn’t there.
“It’s a fickle thing, but, yeah, we have to find it,” said Knoblauch.
Skinner set up Derek Ryan for a terrific, diving goal that was called back because Arvidsson was offside. He also hit the post against Calgary goalie Dan Vladar. He was noticeable and dangerous.
“He responded well (moving up with 97), had some good chances. Was it perfect? No. But there were a lot of bright spots in his game,” said Knoblauch.
Pretty overcast from many of the other forwards, though.
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