Edmonton finds itself alone atop the Pacific Division today and 3rd in the Western Conference with 23 points. The Ducks, Sharks, and Kings are all at their heels, however, and the team needs to find a way to turn back to back wins into an actual winning streak. With the next 4 games against the Avs, Coyotes, and Leafs there is an opportunity to walk away with points.
Edmonton has proven capable of scoring goals in bunches and there’s little doubt that it’s McDavid as the catalyst for this increased scoring ability. Even with an extended goalless stretch this season, Connor McDavid still leads all scorers in the NHL with 24 points in 20 games. He’s on pace for 98 points in 2016-2017 (I think he’ll get more). Since he returned from injury in February last year he is tied for 1st in the NHL in for points (60). He’s in a three-way tie with Crosby and Scheifele.
With McDavid at the front, the depth at center this season has allowed the team to keep pressure on team, even during the losing streak, and it helped overcome stretches where both Draisaitl and RNH have struggled offensively. Right now, the Oilers would get its biggest boost if Nugent-Hopkins could find his scoring touch again. He’s 2nd on the team in shots on goal but is sporting a brutal 3.6% shooting percentage. He hasn’t scored a 5v5 goal yet this year.
Additionally, Klefbom’s return to his previous level of play has provided a significant boost to the back end. If you’ve been feeling like Klefbom has been shooting a lot, you’d be correct. He’s actually 4th on the Oilers in shots. Statistically he’s been the best Oiler defender with the combination of offense and shot attempt control. He’s on pace for close to 30 points this year.
Edmonton committed to building a more solid defense and by adding Larsson as well as Russell they’ve done well to keep younger players lower in the order than they’ve done in the past. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Nurse is doing better from the 3rd pair than he was from the 2nd last year. That said, he is only in his 2nd year and progress was expected. Nurse has been another player shooting in volume this season. In fact his 5v5 shots per 60 minutes is 9th in the NHL for defenders with at least 200 minutes played. With Klefbom right behind him (11th) the Oilers have been getting a lot of shots on net from the point this season.
They may not be lighting the league on fire in points, but their presence is going to stretch defenders out and open more space up for the forwards. I think it’s a safe working theory that this has contributed to Edmonton’s improved overall attack significantly. Even though the whole defense is only on pace for 130ish points as a group, that’s almost 30 more points than they generated a year ago.
Better depth at key positions is paying off to make the Oilers a competitive club in general. I think in some places they are still worrisome, but Chiarelli hasn’t been afraid to make changes to his rosters in the past. I still identify the right wing and the 2nd pairing as an area of weakness. Pitlick is shooting the lights out but doesn’t seem like a good bet to maintain his pace. Slepyshev is an inexperienced player. And, despite the love-in he’s getting, Russell is neither a right-handed shot nor is he effective at moving the puck up the ice. The 2nd pair spends a lot of their shift defending and a change (even a high-end rental) might add a dynamic that really makes the Oilers a dangerous team.
It’s a strange thing to think about after so long not caring, but some quality veterans who can still play might be in order for a playoff run. I know, there’s lots of hockey before we get there. Still, let’s keep an eye on those positions moving forward.
LINEUP
How many changes can the team be expected to make after a 5-0 win over the Hawks?
Lucic McDavid Puljujarvi Maroon RNH Eberle Kassian Draisaitl Slepyshev Hendricks Caggiula Pitlick
Klefbom Larsson Sekera Russell Nurse Benning
Talbot Gustavsson
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Don’t Let Up. After a big game against the best team in the West, the danger for the Oilers is taking the foot off the gas pedal and letting the Avalanche have an easier time tonight. The good teams don’t just play well against the best competition; they also dictate the pace against the weaker ones. The Avalanche, despite winning 2 in a row, do not inspire the same energy as the Hawks. That’s just a fact, and it works in their favor. Edmonton has to push the pace of this game and really attack with their speed. McDavid and Puljujarvi followed by Nuge and Eberle, followed by Draisaitl and Kassian. That’s Edmonton’s first few shifts. Set the tone early and don’t make life easy for the Avalanche.
2) Drought. The Colorado Avalanche have scored the 2nd fewest amount of goals by any team this year. Granted they’ve played in 2 fewer games than the Oilers, but they have scored 20 fewer goals (39 to 59). Offensively it’s MacKinnon and Duchene pulling the weight for the Avalanche and it’s a serious problem that it ends there for them. Landeskog, Barrie, and Soderberg are all off to poor starts this season. For that matter, so are Iginla, Colborne, and Grigorenko. It’s pretty much a complete breakdown offensively despite keeping games pretty even on the shot clock. This is a team that is snake-bitten. I think they’re better than what they’ve accomplished thus far.
3) 4th Line Bounce Back. Caggiula picked up an assist against the Hawks, but his line was hemmed into their own zone all night. They didn’t register a shot attempt on Crawford until the 2nd period. Even when they started the shift in the offensive zone, it was a disaster waiting to happen and the line was back defending 5 seconds later. It was a brutal effort from a 4th line that looked good the game before. You wonder how much adrenaline fueled both Hendricks and Caggiula in that 1st game and how much it had worn off against Chicago. The 4th line needs a better outing against Colorado. They need to find a way to leave their zone, at the very least. Caggiula has talent and there’s enough speed between he and Pitlick to make something happen. They just have to execute.
Puck drops tonight at 8PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet West. Game On!
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