After an odd goal by Leon Draisaitl in the opening seconds of the game on Thursday night, the Edmonton Oilers struggled in all facets (except penalty killing) during their 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. It marked another frustrating outing in what has been an inconsistent season. The Oilers were shorthanded due to some injuries to key players, but their poor effort was likely not a result of those players being out. The powerplay went 0-for-2, the team made repeated defensive mistakes, and the goaltending wasn’t there.
Here are three key takeaways from the game:
Wild Capitalized on Oilers’ Defensive Lapses
The Oilers’ defensive effort was a glaring issue. They were lethargic and disorganized in their own zone, allowing the Wild to seize momentum after Edmonton’s early lead. Corey Perry summed it up best: “They definitely out-competed us tonight.” Defenders Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard combined for eight giveaways, with Bouchard continuing to struggle to get shots through traffic. Ekholm, typically the one stabilizing and reliable blueliner, had an uncharacteristically poor night with the puck.
“Not good enough defensively. All the goals were from within 10 feet of the net. We didn’t block guys out,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. He said he believes in the team, but that good players need to be good players by working hard. “We have to find ways to score goals. You need skill to do that but you also need some grit.”
Oilers’ Offense Lacked Spark
Despite scoring three goals, two came from fortunate bounces, and the Oilers generated little sustained pressure. Their power play was unproductive, managing zero shots on goal, and their overall offensive performance wasn’t at all impressive.
The positive note was that Kasperi Kapanen drew two penalties in his Oilers debut. Unfortunately, that didn’t spark the team’s attack. Jeff Skinner scored at the end of the game, which is fortunate because he needed to score. It was too little, too late.
Goaltending Issues Continue for the Oilers
Stuart Skinner’s struggles in net were evident again, as he allowed five goals and appeared in need of a reset. With five days of practice ahead, the Oilers may need to consider giving Calvin Pickard a start against the Rangers to provide Skinner with a mental break.
“His game isn’t where it was last year. When I was here I thought he was one of the top goalies in the league,” said Knoblauch. The coach added that the players weren’t good enough in front of him and it was hard to predict what shots might be coming at him.
The Oilers have significant work to do to address these ongoing issues.
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