Game Day 46: Edmonton at Vancouver
Cast your mind back to two weeks ago today. The Edmonton Oilers were on the west coast for the first leg of their ongoing cross-and-recross-continental tour of seemingly random NHL cities, as a road trip that would next take them to Boston started, logically enough, in Seattle.
Having played in Edmonton the night before, the Oilers started well enough, building an early lead though flagging a bit by the third period. That was when netminder Calvin Pickard misjudged a change-up from Kraken defender Vince Dunn, attempted to direct the reboud into the corner but instead poked it weakly onto the stick of winger Jaden Schwartz, who scored. That cut Edmonton’s lead to 3-2 midway in the final frame, though the Oilers would ultimately see it through, add an empty-netter and start their January journeys with a 4-2 win.
Why do I mention this random event from what is becoming ancient history? Because as of this moment a fortnight later, this was the last time the Oilers allowed a goal against in the third period of any game.
In the six games since, five of them officially road games and the sixth effectively so, Edmonton netminders Stu Skinner and Pickard have faced 61 third-period shots and stopped all 61 of them. The Oilers won five of the six, all in regulation, with three of those wins being by a single goal. Three times the squad was tied entering the third period and found the one goal needed to win it; on another, they nursed a slender 1-0 lead forged late in the second period all the way to the final buzzer.
Surely, you might think, this extended stretch of clutch netminding has quieted the naysayers and worrywarts. Surely you jest.
Instead, the focus has switched to the Oilers’ recent and admittedly alarming tendency to get off to a slow start, and to allow the first two or even three goals of the game in the first period, with the goaltenders typically receiving the brunt of the criticism for that rash of early goals. Consider just the five most recent games:
- Oilers fall behind Pittsburgh 3-0 in the first 10 minutes, then 4-1 by the end of the first. They fight back but ultimately lose 5-3.
- Oilers fall behind Chicago 2-0 in the first 15 minutes, then climb back into the game with 3 second period goals before winning it in the third, 4-3.
- Oilers have another slow start at home against the Kings, getting outshot 10-2 in the first half of the first period while allowing the game’s first 5 Grade A shots. This time, Skinner is sharp from the get-go and a good thing too, as Edmonton’s offensive machine is held to a single goal by a red-hot Darcy Kuemper at the other end. That lone tally is enough to win, 1-0..
- Oilers fall behind Minnesota 2-0 in the first 16 minutes, but as in Chicago, climb back to tie it 3-3 by the end of the second. This time th3 third period game winner is backed up by an insurance goal and Edmonton wins 5-3.
- Oilers fall behind Colorado 3-0 in the first 12 minutes the very next night before righting the ship. Once again, they pull back to a 3-3 deadlock after 40 minutes. Once again they find a goal, and all the saves, in the final frame to win it 4-3.
That seems like a lot of wins, so naturally the angst has found a temporary home in those slow first periods. 11 goals against in those last five games. 4 were the first goal of the game. 4 more were the second goal to double the deficit. A further 2 made it 3-0. The 11th made it 4-1 in Pittsburgh, and doubled as the game winner. In each of the other games the position players found their skating legs, the goalies found their form. and the team found a way to win. Most recently, back-to-back unlikely comebacks from multi-goal deficits on consecutive nights to post regulation wins in two of the league’s toughest barns: Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN and Ball Arena in Denver, CO.
Overall, the Oilers enter tonight’s action on an 8-1-0 roll, with a pair of 4-game (regulation) win streaks sandwiching that lone loss in Pittsburgh. Here’s how the Goals Against settled out in those games:
Summarizing:
- Oilers scored at least 3 goals in 8 of the 9 games, winning 7 of them.
- Oilers allowed 3 goals or fewer in 8 of the 9 games, winning all 8.
Bottom line, this team has the offensive firepower to consistently put up 3 or more goals, having done so in 18 of their last 20 games. In the others, they won 2-1 and 1-0, against the Lightning and Kings respectively. Overall they are 16-3-1 in those games.
As for those slow starts which have been a recent problem? Fair to say it’s not just the goaltenders who have struggled to get it going some nights. The players in front of them have been feeling their way into those same games. But the record suggests that the entire team, goalies and all, have shown a consistent ability to find their game, to wipe out deficits, to forge the lead in the back half of games, and then to protect that lead. It’s not entirely conventional, but is a winning formula. At least for now.
Hockey Day in Canada
Today marks the 25th version of this national hockey festival. Times are relatively good, with all seven of Canada’s teams right in the playoff hunt. Three of them are in first place in their respective divisions, or tied for that position in the case of the Oilers.
Edmonton listed behind Vegas by virtue of the first tie-breaker, regulation wins, even as the two clubs sport identical 29-13-3 records, tied for third best in the NHL. The columns at far right give indicators as to how the Oilers have overtaken the Vegans in recent times. Indeed, a week ago this morning the Oil were 6 points in arrears.
The green and red numbers in the goal differential column speak volumes about where the power lies in the Pacific, with the Golden Knights, Oilers and Kings far ahead of the pack. Which speaks to the importance of winning the division and letting the other two match up against each other in the first round.
The other four Canadian teams are highly competitive in the wild card race, all of them within a point of the playoff cut line in their respective conferences.
On the right are points percentages at the end of last season, reflecting improvement in six of the seven Canadian clubs. Only the Vancouver Canucks have fallen on relatively hard times after copping a surprise Pacific Division regular season flag a season ago, then taking the Oilers all the way to Game 7 of their second round playoff series.
Of late there has been plenty of sound and fury emanating from Van City, losers of 6 of their last 7 games. Things haven’t got any quieter this week, with the Canucks having absorbed consecutive drubbings of 6-1 and 5-1 at the hands of conference powers Winnipeg and Los Angeles. No respite for the wicked, who will tonight host the red hot Oilers.
All of which, I suggest, signifies nothing. Expect nothing less that a committed team effort from Rick Tocchet’s club that suddenly finds themselves with their backs to the wall and everything to prove.
The Oilers, meanwhile, land back on the west coast for the final game of the convoluted road trip that started just across the border two Saturdays ago and has since bounced back and forth across the full breadth of the continent. At some point, one might think, the energy budget will dwindle, especially if there is yet another slow start to overcome. Ideally, they’ll bring something resembling their A game from the opening puck drop this time.
Tonight’s line-up
…is identical to the one that roared back to defeat the Avalance on Thursday. Viktor Arvidsson was doubtful after leaving that game midway in the third, but is good to go.
No surprise that Skinner will be between the pipes as coach Kris Knoblauch consistently gives him two of every three starts, including most high-profile games vs. top opponents and geographic rivals. That makes him a natural choice to play in Vancouver for Hockey Day in Canada.
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