The Edmonton Oilers rolled into Chicago and narrowly defeated the Blackhawks 4-3 on Saturday night (Jan. 11). They managed to battle back from another poor start and come away with the two points despite stretches of underwhelming play. They seemed uninterested early, which resulted in a 3-1 Blackhawks lead midway through the second period. But, after that third goal, Edmonton really turned it up and started controlling play in the offensive zone, which led to the eventual comeback. This was not a pretty win by any means, but they got the job done. Here are five takeaways from this Western Conference matchup.
Oilers with Another Sleepy Start
Just like their last game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Oilers had another miserable first period against the Blackhawks. Against the Penguins, they were down 4-1 after 20 minutes, and in this one, they were down 2-0 to the last-place team in the league.
Once again, Edmonton was not ready to play, and Chicago capitalized on their complacency. The Oilers did have a few quality looks in the opening frame, but limited offensive zone time. Their chances were one-and-done, and the Blackhawks were able to break the puck up the ice effectively, and with ease. The Oilers need to start on time because if they don’t, good teams will take advantage and hold the lead.
Oilers Need to Upgrade Fourth-Line Centre
This game solidified that Edmonton needs to upgrade on their fourth-line centre position because Derek Ryan is not the answer. He drew back into the lineup after being healthy scratched the last few games, while replacing Jeff Skinner who was scratched for the second time this season.
The 38-year-old forward is looking his age and simply can’t keep up anymore. He doesn’t have the hands or speed to compete at the NHL level. He consistently loses puck battles and gets out-muscled along the boards. He doesn’t provide the grittiness or energy required of a fourth-line player. He turned the puck over numerous times during his team-low eight minutes of ice time. It came to a point where Connor McDavid took a few shifts with Ryan’s linemates in Kasperi Kapanen and Corey Perry in the second period.
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Ryan only has one goal and five points on the season, and he can’t even be trusted in the defensive zone anymore, so what value does he bring to the lineup? Mattias Janmark played some centre while Ryan was healthy scratched, but he’s a natural winger, so he should stay there. Therefore, this team needs to upgrade their fourth-line centre by the Trade Deadline and waive the veteran forward.
Connor vs. Connor Disappoints
This was a marquee matchup because it was a battle between two generational talents in Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard. However, by the end of the game, nobody was talking about either of them. Both players were held pointless, and both were a minus-2 on the evening. Bedard didn’t even register a shot on goal, and McDavid only had one. From an offensive standpoint, this was a game to forget for both of them.
Oilers Get Secondary Scoring
In their last game against the Penguins, it was Leon Draisaitl leading the way for Edmonton with two goals in that 5-3 loss. The big guns were the only ones producing, which resulted in Draisaitl and McDavid playing north of 26 minutes each. They were down 3-0 not even halfway through the first period. As a result, head coach Kris Knoblauch went nuclear with the two superstars by playing them together for the remainder of the game.
However, despite being down early in this one, they stuck with it and didn’t panic. The Oilers got major goal-scoring contributions from their depth players, which wasn’t the case the game before. Vasily Podkolzin scored his fifth, Adam Henrique scored his sixth, and Corey Perry scored his seventh, all in the middle frame which brought the game even, and allowed them to win it in the third.
Henrique has found his offensive game as of late, scoring three goals in his last three games. It’s taken some time, but the 34-year-old veteran has found his stride and is scoring at the right time. If he can provide this level of offence moving forward, the Oilers are in a good spot. Secondary scoring is so important come playoff time, so hopefully he can keep this up.
Oilers’ Power Play Was the Difference-Maker
The Oilers had one power-play opportunity and they made the most of it. Zach Hyman scored the eventual game-winning goal from right in front of the blue paint 7:18 into the third period. This gave Edmonton a 4-3 lead which completed the comeback. Hyman is now up to 14 goals on the season, recording his 11th since he was left off Team Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster. Edmonton’s power play improved to 24.8% on the season which is good for eighth in the NHL. The power play came in clutch in this one.
The Oilers improved to 26-13-3 on the season to continue a seesaw battle with the Los Angeles Kings for second place in the Pacific Division. Edmonton begins a tough stretch with their next six games against teams currently in a playoff spot, and it starts on Monday (Jan. 13) when they host those aforementioned Kings in a huge divisional contest.
