The Edmonton Oilers simply didn’t have it in this one, as they lost to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night (Jan. 18) by a score of 3-2. The theme of the past few games was falling behind early and battling back. In five of their last six games, the Oilers were trailing by a few goals early and were forced to play from behind. They were able to complete the comeback in three of those games but were unable to find the equalizer against Vancouver. The Canucks scored three goals in a four-minute stretch in the second half of the first period, which was all they needed. Leon Draisaitl tried to lead a comeback with two goals in the second period, but it was all for not, as the Oilers just ran out of gas. Here are three takeaways from this tough loss.
Oilers Looked Tired
The Oilers have played nine games in 17 days and in eight different cities across four different time zones. It showed. Even during this recent three-game road trip, each game was played in a different time zone. They managed to win two of those games, visits to the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche, but couldn’t find that next gear in Vancouver. They were held to a season-low 15 shots.
Related: Canucks Use Strong First Period to Defeat Oilers 3-2
Special teams were the difference in this one and it sunk the Oilers. Due to their brutal start, there were two stick infractions from their top defensive pair, Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, in the first period. This led to a couple of Quinn Hughes goals, which spotted Vancouver a 3-0 lead. That lead ended up being too much to handle.
The team came out flat, and according to Natural Stat Trick, the Canucks had eight high-danger chances with 2.19 expected goals at 5-on-5, whereas the Oilers only had two high-danger chances and 1.06 expected goals. Edmonton didn’t generate nearly enough offence, and didn’t look dangerous, which is a testament to how solid Vancouver’s defence was throughout. This was just one of those nights and Oiler fans shouldn’t overreact.
Draisaitl Is the Hart Trophy Favourite
The team didn’t have it, but Draisaitl put the team on his back like he has for most of this season. He doesn’t get the respect he deserves since he’s teammates with the best player in the world, but if an Oiler is going to win the Hart Trophy this season, it’s going to be number 29.
Out of Draisaitl’s league-leading 33 goals, only eight of them have come on the man advantage. He’s second in the NHL in 5-on-5 goals with 16, only behind Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens. But, he is first in 5-on-5 points with 36. To put that into perspective, Nathan MacKinnon, the NHL’s leading point scorer and other Hart Trophy favourite, only has eight 5-on-5 goals, which ranks 89th in the league.
What’s even more impressive is the fact that Draisaitl is doing most of his damage away from the top line. Connor McDavid has played with Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for the majority of the season, whereas Draisaitl has played with the likes of Vasily Podkolzin, Viktor Arvidsson, and Kasperi Kapanen. Not to take away from those players, but Draisaitl hasn’t played with the most elite talent on this team, yet he’s still producing at an unbelievable level while making the players around him better. The German superstar is a true leader and deserves a considerable amount of Hart Trophy consideration.
McDavid Suspension Incoming?
It’s not a rivalry without some shenanigans at the end of the game. In the final minute, McDavid was in a battle with Conor Garland in the high slot, and they wrestled to the ground. Garland was holding him for what felt like 15 seconds, so he couldn’t shake free, but once he did, the Oilers’ captain gave Garland a vicious cross-check to the side of the head out of frustration. “There’s a rivalry and Connor gets frustrated. We were down one goal, and the best player in the league is getting held for 15 seconds” head coach Knoblauch said during his postgame presser. Away from the play, Tyler Myers also gave Bouchard a vicious cross-check to the face, and as a result, both Myers and McDavid received match penalties and will likely face supplemental discipline from the Department of Player Safety.
Connor McDavid was issued a match penalty on this play for cross-checking Conor Garland. pic.twitter.com/sB2Gpb3xAA
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 19, 2025
McDavid has also made headlines for his recent elbow against Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson, which went uncalled yet landed the Swedish forward on injured reserve. The Oilers superstar didn’t even receive a fine on the play.
So, how many games, if any, should McDavid get in this instance? These teams won’t have to wait long to renew hostilities, as they have a rematch on Thursday (Jan. 23) in Edmonton. But, the question is, will McDavid be playing, or will he still be serving a suspension?
Looking Ahead for the Oilers
Both the Los Angeles Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights lost in regulation, so Edmonton didn’t lose any ground in the standings and remains tied with Vegas for the division lead. Thankfully, the Oilers return home to start a six-game homestand. That begins on Tuesday night (Jan. 21) against Alex Ovechkin and the league-leading Washington Capitals.
