The Edmonton Oilers lost their season-high fourth game in a row by a score of 4-1 at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who’ve won six straight. Once again, there were not many positives from this game. They continue to look lifeless, unmotivated, and uninspired. This is their worst stretch of the season and something needs to change. Here are five takeaways from another lifeless performance.
Draisaitl & Savoie Continue to Build Chemistry
The only positives from this game were Leon Draisaitl and Matt Savoie. While he did take two minor penalties, Draisaitl was the only player who cared or even showed emotion. He’s frustrated, and rightfully so. He opened the scoring 11:53 into the first period on his league-leading 43rd goal of the season. He’s been their best player, and it’s not remotely close. He continues to put the Oilers on his back, but he’s not getting any support.
Related: Lightning Defeat Oilers 4-1 to Win Sixth Straight Game
Draisaitl has a 10-goal lead in the scoring race, and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. 60 goals is realistically within reach. He’s also been putting up these numbers with unproductive wingers. Finally, he has found someone who can provide support on the second line in Savoie. Draisaitl and Savoie have found some chemistry early on and hopefully, they can build off that. The 21-year-old rookie has gotten into dangerous areas, and the German phenom set him up for some quality looks. These two players were the best forwards on the ice, but this team needs more from everyone else.
Oilers’ Second-Period Woes Continue
The Oilers completely fell apart in the second period for the third straight game. They allowed another two second-period goals, and have been outscored 9-1 in the middle frame since returning from the break. A five-on-three penalty kill was ultimately their downfall as the Lightning scored to make it a 3-1 game, and the Oilers didn’t have an answer.
This seems redundant, but in their last three games, the score was tied or within one after the first period. Then, Edmonton had an abysmal second period which sucked the life out of the team, and as a result, there was little to no pushback in the third. The game was over after two periods because the team had given no reason to believe that a comeback was possible. They were outshot 36-24 in the game but were held to only five shots in the third period. They didn’t generate enough quality looks and had too many defensive breakdowns.
Oilers Are Too Slow
Edmonton was always a step behind. The Lightning won every race to loose pucks and kept the Oilers hemmed in their zone for large stretches. Tampa Bay was the quicker team, and Edmonton’s lack of team speed is evident. They are the oldest team in the league, and they looked like it. They did not attempt to get younger in the offseason when they re-signed 35-year-old Adam Henrique and 39-year-old Corey Perry, while also adding 32-year-old Jeff Skinner, and 31-year-old Viktor Arvidsson in free agency. They prioritized those players instead of re-signing their homegrown younger talent in Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. Those mind-boggling decisions will continue to haunt the organization for years to come. Oilers’ mismanagement of prospects continues.
On top of being too old and slow, they are also too soft. They are not tough to play against, which makes it easy on their opponents. On Tampa Bay’s fourth goal, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was way too soft. He lost his positioning and didn’t work hard enough to get back and defend. This team is last in the league in hits by a wide margin, and that’s somewhat concerning. They currently have 739 hits, and second last has 813. They need to ramp up their physicality and make life more difficult for their opponents. They allow easy opportunities because they aren’t tough enough in the trenches.
Oilers’ Depth Scoring Is Concerning
The Oilers’ bottom six is a mess, and they aren’t getting any contributions from their depth players. Edmonton only has six forwards with over 10 goals, and that’s not enough for a Stanley Cup contender. Henrique, Connor Brown, and Viktor Arvidsson only have seven goals each, Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin only have six, and Mattias Janmark has two. That’s not going to cut it. Jeff Skinner has 11 goals, and he’s either on the fourth line or in the press box like he was for this game. The secondary scoring is nonexistent. The depth of this team needs to step up because if they don’t, they will be an early playoff exit.
Stan Bowman, Get to Work
This team desperately needs a shakeup. General manager Stan Bowman must get on the phone and start finding ways to improve this roster. They have so many holes that need to be filled, starting with a top-four defenceman, a scoring winger, and a goaltender if possible. We are just nine days away from the NHL trade deadline, and the Oilers have four games in that span. Bowman is running out of time, and he needs to make a substantial move if the Oilers hope to have any success come playoff time. This team is in trouble, and it might be time to panic.
The Oilers continue their five-game road trip on Thursday (Feb. 27) against the Florida Panthers. They return to Amerant Bank Arena for the first time since losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
