The Edmonton Oilers’ season has been anything but smooth, with nearly every facet of their game facing struggles. To add to their growing list of concerns, another glaring weakness has emerged, costing them crucial points. In Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Oilers let a one-goal lead slip away in the final minutes. Despite scraping out five points, this marks the third consecutive game in which they’ve blown a third-period lead.
Getting a lead is one thing; holding onto it is another, and that’s where the Oilers continue to falter. In four of their last five games, they’ve surrendered third-period leads in the final minutes. Against the Vegas Golden Knights, they gave up three goals in the last ten minutes, squandering a 2-1 lead and losing the game. The trend continued against the New York Islanders, where they allowed two late goals, forcing overtime. In the following game, the Nashville Predators netted an equalizer with just three minutes left, and the same scenario played out against the Maple Leafs. Even though the Oilers managed to secure wins against the Islanders and Predators, the pattern is becoming increasingly concerning.
Many of the issues stem from brutal, but avoidable mistakes. Against the Maple Leafs, Bouchard banked a clearing pass off McDavid in one play and failed to backcheck in another. Versus the Islanders, McDavid too a penalty and Mattias Ekholm was on the ice when Anders Lee got a wide-open look in the slot for the tying goal. Against the Predators, Jeff Skinner missed a gaping net in the second period to extend the lead over Nashville, only for the Preds to come back when the Oilers got caught in the offensive zone and allowed a breakaway in the final three minutes to tie the game.
The Oilers Costly Pattern Threatens Long-Term Goals
The Oilers are tied for the most number of goals against in the finals in the last ten minutes of the game, with 18. Failing to play a full sixty minutes and close out a game is a costly habit. With the Oilers only in the second wildcard position, this concerning pattern puts into question the Oilers ability to have a deep playoff run or even make the playoffs at all.
This was a team that felt as though they could come back from any lead and this season, with the scoring troubles that have plagued them to date, the added pressure of a close game in the dying stages is seemingly proving to be too much for the Oilers.
Blowing third-period leads, particularly in the dying moments, not only costs the Oilers valuable wins but it slowly breaks down the team’s confidence and momentum. There is still time to break this pattern, but the club needs to start moving in the right direction now.
Winning teams know how to comfortably close out a tight game, no matter how intense the pressure is. If the Oilers want to repeat last season and go to the Final, they must commit to three full periods with no coasting or overreliance on their offense.
They can start by getting a lead in Monday’s matchup against the Montreal Canadiens and holding it.
