It’s been a long time since an overtime win over a pedestrian opponent brought hockey fans in Edmonton so much relief.
OK, it’s been less than two weeks since a 3-2 OT win over Montreal extinguished the fires of despair following a 6-2 beat down by Anaheim.
Still, the Oilers beating the Islanders 2-1 Friday night calmed the masses after an 0-2 start to the road trip and a 3-8 nose dive that dropped the team to third place in the Pacific Division.
They aren’t out of the woods yet, and Sunday evening in Madison Square Garden will certainly provide more clarity.
In the meantime, here are a best-of-five thoughts on the never-boring Oilers:
TWO MEN ACTING ALONE
It’s been a season for the ages for Leon Draisaitl.
He has the Rocket Richard Trophy locked up, he’s neck-and-neck for the Art Ross and he’s a front-runner for the Hart and the Ted Lindsay. That’s some pretty amazing stuff.
And even though Connor McDavid isn’t having his best season, the Oilers captain is still fourth in league scoring, which would be a career year for 99 per cent of the players who’ve ever been in the NHL.
The pair has combined for 187 points on Edmonton’s 211 goals this season, which gives you some idea how much of this team’s weight they’ve been carrying.
Too much, as a matter of fact. Despite two players in the top four in league scoring, Edmonton is still struggling for offence lately — they’ve scored just 27 goals in regulation (2.45 per game) in going 4-7 since returning from the 4 Nations break.
The lowest-scoring team in the NHL, the Calgary Flames, are averaging 2.55 goals per game this season, so if things don’t change in a hurry the Oilers are going nowhere fast.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
Edmonton’s inability to pull away from its opponent in a game is making for a steady diet of harrowing finishes, which can put a great deal of stress on a team. The Oilers haven’t won a game by more than one goal (not counting empty-netters to make it 4-2 and 3-1 against Seattle and Carolina) since a 6-2 win over Vancouver on Jan. 23.
It also leaves them vulnerable to the comeback, especially when there are cracks in defence, goaltending and confidence. They’ve been outscored 15-5 in the third period (not counting the empty netter against Carolina) in 11 games since the Four Nations break.
Good teams find ways to win when they aren’t at their best, so maybe scoring one goal in regulation and still beating the Islanders is still a good sign.
“We’ve been putting together some pretty good efforts, we just haven’t been able to score,” said goalie Calvin Pickard.
“It just took 65 minutes to score two goals. Credit to our team, we defended really well, played the right way and got the reward we deserved.”
HURTING HYMAN
Zach Hyman only played a handful of minutes in the third period and finished with 10:36 of ice time against the Islanders so he’s obviously hurting in some way.
He’s a had a tough run this season, missing five games after being hit in the face with the puck and then having to wear a protective bubble for six weeks. His production is way down from last season — 46 goals through Edmonton’s first 66 games last year compared with 22 this year — and he’s been held pointless in nine of Edmonton’s last 12 games.
He’s a battler, and right now he’s really having to battle.
PICKARD OR SKINNER?
Everybody loves a good goaltending controversy, but that’s not where the Oilers are right now. Instead, how about a ‘play until you lose’ scenario with Calvin Pickard and Stuart Skinner?
A little healthy competition in a position where the Oilers need to be stronger could be beneficial for both keepers while giving the coaching staff a better idea of what they’ve got heading into the post-season.
Pickard proved in the playoffs last year he can step in and win for you in a big moment and he’s been excellent in two of his last three starts, stopping 35 of 36 shots to beat Carolina and 24 of 25 to beat the Islanders.
“He gives us a chance every single time he’s in net,” Draisaitl said after the 2-1 win over the Isles. “You can’t ask for more than that. We love playing for him. I think that’s very obvious.”
Skinner’s been gaining momentum in recent games, and certainly deserved a win in New Jersey, but an .876 save percentage over his last four games opens the door for a challenge.
DEATH RACE
The race for position in the Pacific Division could be the difference between life and death in the playoffs for a slow-starting Oilers team that’s a lukewarm 9-8 on the road since Jan. 1.
The Los Angeles Kings are 22-3-4 on home ice this year. The Vegas Golden Knights are 24-7-3.
Opening on the road against a Kings team that’s getting stronger by the year, and has revenge on its mind after three-straight first-round losses, isn’t what Edmonton needs.
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