The Edmonton Oilers had a quick one-game stop in Seattle, defeating the Kraken 4-0 in a Saturday matinée from Climate Pledge Arena. The Oilers improved their record to 11-10-5. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made his return to the lineup after a nine-game injury absence, while Jake Walman, Kasperi Kapanen, and Jack Roslovic remained sidelined with injuries.
The Oilers got goals from Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Connor McDavid, with all four players finishing the game with multipoint performances. Edmonton’s top players were their best players. Here are three takeaways from this latest victory.
Oilers’ Special Teams Was the Difference
Edmonton’s special teams were perfect, going 2-for-2 on the power play and 6-for-6 on the penalty kill. They were undisciplined in the first period, taking four minor penalties, including killing off an extended 5-on-3 opportunity. Then, in the middle frame, Draisaitl elbowed Mason Marchment in the head for another unnecessary and undisciplined penalty. However, that didn’t come back to bite them, and they were able to kill it off unscathed. A good penalty kill can lead to a momentum boost, and the Kraken were unable to grab the momentum off the man advantage, while Edmonton maintained it because of their successful penalty kill.
Related: Skinner Leads Oilers to 4-0 Shutout Win Over Kraken
While they had limited power plays, they made the most of them. Their five-man unit from the past three seasons was finally reunited for the first time this season. The Oilers desperately missed Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman together on that unit, and they made an immediate impact. Nugent-Hopkins won a board battle and retrieved the puck to keep the play alive. The puck eventually landed on Evan Bouchard’s stick, who found Nugent-Hopkins for the goal.
Then, in Hyman fashion, he was in front of the blue paint, and the puck ricocheted off his skate and into the net for his first goal since returning from injury. Their power play clicked, and they need that to continue.
Stuart Skinner Was Perfect
Goaltender Stuart Skinner allowed four goals on eight shots before getting pulled during his last outing against the Dallas Stars on Nov. 25, leading to speculation about his future with Edmonton and if he would be traded. To make matters worse, the Oilers had three days off between games, so rumours and speculation were running wild. There were no games to report, so the goaltending situation was the topic of discussion. It reached the point where media member Jim Matheson told Skinner that the fans want a new goalie following Thursday’s practice (Nov. 27), and asked if that’s hurtful to hear.
However, Skinner didn’t let that noise affect him as he was locked in. He stopped all 26 shots he faced for his second shutout of the campaign, and ninth of his career. Seattle had 13 high-danger chances in all situations, and 2.88 expected goals for, but Edmonton’s netminder was up to the task. He was calm, composed, and had excellent rebound control, unlike his last start. During their previous meeting, Seattle scored all their goals off odd-man rushes. However, Edmonton limited those opportunities in this one.
The defensive breakdowns weren’t prevalent, and that helped their netminder. Good defensive coverage will lead to improved goaltending. They weren’t chaotic in the defensive zone and were able to clear the front of the net. Skinner was able to see most of the shots he faced, and he made the saves.
Oilers Were Scrappy
The Oilers aren’t known for dropping the gloves, only having three fighting majors heading into this game, but they added two more in this one, bringing their season total to five. Connor Clattenburg got things started against Frederick Gaudreau 12:24 into the third period. Then, Alec Regula fought Tye Kartye less than three minutes later. In the final few minutes, Darnell Nurse wanted to fight Marchment, but he didn’t engage with the Oilers’ blueliner, leading to 10-minute misconducts for both players.
One of this team’s biggest critiques is their lack of toughness and pushback, so it was good to see that in this one. The main reason Clattenburg was called up was to add toughness and energy to this group, and he succeeded. He already has one goal, one fight, and 14 hits in his first three games.
The Oilers begin a five-game homestand on Tuesday, Dec. 2, against the Minnesota Wild, before hosting the Kraken in a rematch on Thursday, Dec. 4. Keep following The Hockey Writers for all your NHL content throughout the season.
