The Edmonton Oilers’ struggles continued since returning from the Christmas break, as they lost 5-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 3). Their record fell to 20-16-6, and 1-3-0 since the break. They’ve had some stinkers on home ice this season, losing 9-1 to the Colorado Avalanche, 8-3 to the Dallas Stars, 6-2 to the Boston Bruins, and 5-2 in this one. Out of their eight losses on home ice, four have been by more than two goals. Getting blown out has happened far too often at Rogers Place.
The Flyers got goals from Denver Barkley, Travis Sanheim, Bobby Brink, Nick Seeler, and Owen Tippett, while Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard scored for Edmonton.
The Oilers couldn’t generate nearly enough offensively, thanks to a stingy Flyers’ defensive unit. The home squad had a measly six shots in the third period, with most of them occurring in the final minutes with the goalie pulled. Trailing by one, Edmonton didn’t register a shot on goal for the first seven minutes of the final frame, heading into the first TV timeout. That lack of offensive pushback is simply unacceptable. With that said, here are three takeaways from another dreadful loss on home ice.
Oilers Had an Abysmal First Period
While the Oilers outshot the Flyers 13-9 in the first period, they weren’t good. They generated some decent chances, but struggled defensively. The trio of Leon Draisaitl, Vasily Podkolzin, and Jack Roslovic were minus-2 each within the first 10 minutes of the game. Darnell Nurse also struggled defensively, with some atrocious plays, and was also a minus-2. He made a terrible read along the wall, resulting in a turnover and directly leading to Sanheim’s goal. Nurse tried to shift the momentum, fighting Garnet Hathaway, which worked temporarily, as McDavid scored moments later. However, the $9.25 million blueliner has to be much better and can’t rely on his fists. He’s hurting the team far more than he’s helping.
Related: Flyers Use Strong First Period in 5-2 Victory Over Oilers
Bouchard also had an egregious giveaway on Philadelphia’s third goal. His breakout pass landed on Brink’s tape, allowing the Flyers to gain the zone with speed before getting the puck toward the net and capitalizing on their opportunity. The Oilers haven’t looked good since returning from the Christmas break. They aren’t managing the puck well, and their attention to detail is severely lacking, which was evident in this opening frame. Until they start the game on time and limit the turnovers, they won’t find sustained success.
Oilers Have a New-Look “Kid Line”
With the current struggles of the bottom six, Edmonton needed a change and a spark. Therefore, head coach Kris Knoblauch deployed a new kid line of Isaac Howard, Matt Savoie, and Quinn Hutson. 22-year-old Savoie was drafted as a centre, but this was the first time he had played that position in the NHL. 21-year-old Howard and 24-year-old Hutson were recalled from the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) after finding success at that level.
That trio each finished minus-1, with Savoie playing 10:16, Hutson playing 9:17, and Howard playing 11:52. According to Natural Stat Trick, that trio played 6:42 together at 5-on-5, and the underlying metrics weren’t favourable. They got outshot 7-1, out-chanced 5-1, and the high-danger chances were tied at one. Hopefully, that doesn’t deter Knoblauch from keeping them together. They need to play through their mistakes and learn from them at this level.
Do the Oilers Have a Coaching Problem?
The Oilers weren’t ready to play, and that has been the case far too often. Not showing up on time and looking unorganized from the start seems like a coaching problem. Yes, Knoblauch has helped them get to two straight Stanley Cup Finals, but his system isn’t working. The Oilers aren’t pushing the pace enough and are playing it too safe, leading to bland and uninspired hockey. They’re trying too hard not to make mistakes, which leads to more mistakes. The current system is stifling the offence, and when the top guys are off the ice, the team is getting caved.
The bottom six have been taught to prevent goals rather than push for offence, and that has a negative impact. The team isn’t dangerous when McDavid and Draisaitl aren’t on the ice, and that’s an issue. They need depth scoring, and while some of that might be a personnel issue, coaching also plays a major role. Something needs to change with how he’s coaching the offence. They aren’t fun to watch right now and aren’t winning games as a result. This team is built on offence, so they should be coached that way.
The Oilers conclude their three-game homestand on Tuesday (Jan. 6) against the Nashville Predators. Keep following The Hockey Writers for all your NHL content throughout the season.
