The Edmonton Oilers earned their third consecutive victory with a 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night. The game, which began with a bizarre delay due to a power outage, saw the Oilers jump out to an early lead and maintain control for most of the contest. Seattle made things a bit uncomfortable with their physical play and a near comeback in the third, but an empty-net goal by Leon Draisaitl secured the win.
Adam Larsson suffered an injury for the Kraken, leading to Brandon Montour playing 29:40 in the game.
Here are the key takeaways:
Draisaitl Stays Red-Hot
Leon Draisaitl extended his point streak to 14 games and extended his NHL goal-scoring lead with an empty-net goal to seal the victory. As one fan wrote on social media, it’s amazing to watch Draisaitl when he decides to take over a game. He’s one of the few players in the league who can dictate the speed of a game and control the pace.
Thank goodness for Draisaitl, as this was the first time in Connor McDavid’s career that they won two consecutive games without a point from their captain.
Viktor Arvidsson has two assists, and he continues to stay productive since returning from an injury.
Podkolzin Shined for the Oilers
Vasily Podkolzin set the tone with a goal just 57 seconds into the game. His performance was a complete 200-foot effort, generating offense and shutting down plays with strong back-checking. He continues to prove he can impact games in all areas of the ice, and when he scores, it’s a nice reward for the hard work he continues to put in.
Don’t Write Off Jeff Skinner Yet
Jeff Skinner made the most of limited minutes, scoring his seventh goal of the season. After being a healthy scratch about a week ago, Skinner has responded impressively, producing points in his last two games and showing true professionalism by not pouting despite a lack of opportunity in the top six.
He finally earned a mid-game promotion from coach Kris Knoblauch on Saturday, getting a shift with McDavid after some solid play. Fans and analysts have been writing off Skinner because he is stapled to the bottom six, but he remains a reliable scoring option and could be a valuable depth player. If all else fails, he’s upping his value as a trade asset if the Oilers look to make moves later this season.
Rough Night for the Kraken, Who Dramatically Outhit the Oilers
The Kraken outhit the Oilers 23-7 in the game, but Seattle lost a player to injury. Brandon Montour played an extended shift (13:02) due to Adam Larsson leaving the game and not returning. The former Oiler rarely misses action, so it must have been something fairly serious to keep him out of the game.
Edmonton’s lack of physical presence remains a concern. They sit last in the NHL by a large margin in hits on the season with 499. Their hits per 60 is nearly two per game lower than the Dallas Stars and Seattle crawled back into the game because they wore the Oilers down and created turnovers in the third. Edmonton has to do something to match grit for grit, especially as they gear up for the playoffs. Adding Evander Kane will help, but he’s not close to returning.
The Oilers’ 14-3-1 record over their last 18 games is good news. That the depth on the team provided a chunk of the offense is also a positive. However, physicality concerns remain an area to watch.
