The Edmonton Oilers played a rare complete hockey game against the New York Rangers on Saturday night (Nov. 23). They dominated early and often, resulting in a 6-2 victory at Rogers Place. The Oilers were relentless in the offensive zone throughout the game, resulting in a 21-9 shot differential after the first period, and outshooting the Rangers 40-34 by the end of the game. New York was never really in this game and didn’t have much sustained offence throughout the contest. The Oilers put the pedal to the floor and came away with a dominating win. With that said, here are three takeaways from this Saturday night victory.
Oilers Got Contributions Throughout the Lineup
Everybody stepped up for the Oilers in this one, and that’s a great sign. They need contributions from throughout the lineup more frequently if they want to find sustained success this season. There were 10 different players who had points, including a few unsuspecting suspects. Vasily Podkolzin scored his first goal of the season, Troy Stecher got his first point of the season, Kasperi Kapanen registered his first point as an Oiler, and both Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark registered two assists each. On top of that, Darnell Nurse scored a big shorthanded goal at the end of the first period, and Adam Henrique also got an assist.
Related: Oilers Dominate Rangers in 6-2 Victory
The usual players also got on the scoresheet with Connor McDavid getting three points, and both Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard registering two points each. This was the prototypical 60-minute performance. They got great goaltending, defended well, got secondary scoring, and the big guns still had a big night.
Stuart Skinner Quietly Had a Great Game
Stuart Skinner has been the topic of conversation in Oil Country and not for a good reason. His recent struggles have brought up a lot of trade talks, and if the organization should prioritize acquiring a goalie such as John Gibson or Mackenzie Blackwood. It was a bit surprising that he got the start after surrendering five goals on only 26 shots during his last outing against the Minnesota Wild, especially with a five-day break looming. Nobody needs a reset on this team more than the Edmonton netminder.
However, Skinner had a great game which was overshadowed by the six-goal offensive outburst. The 26-year-old goaltender stopped 32 of 34 shots for an excellent .941 save percentage (SV%). The first goal he allowed was a short-side shot off the stick of superstar forward Artemi Panarin. Skinner got a large chunk of that shot, but it still ended up in the back of the net. That’s probably one he would want back, but other than that, he was great. He made the saves he needed to, controlled his rebounds, and also made some big saves to snuff out any chance New York had of coming back in the game.
This feels like a broken record, but Skinner needs to find consistency in his game. If he can turn it around, this will be a very dangerous team down the stretch. The organization clearly trusts him, so the fanbase should, as well.
Oilers’ Break Comes at a Great Time
Their next game isn’t until Friday night (Nov. 29) against the Utah Hockey Club. Despite the win, this five-day break comes at the perfect time for this Oilers squad. They are battling some injuries and an illness bug at the moment, so it’s important that they get some rest and heal up. They just got Nurse back from injury, after missing the last three games, but are still without Viktor Arvidsson and Zach Hyman. Bouchard also missed the morning skate ahead of this contest and was deemed a game-time decision due to an illness, but he ended up playing. Hopefully, when the Oilers hit the ice in six days, both Arvidsson and Hyman are in the lineup, and the team is 100% healthy, minus Evander Kane, who’s still recovering from surgery.
This team could also use a reset after their underwhelming start. They are currently 11-9-2, which is good enough for fourth place in the Pacific Division. They have been extremely inconsistent as a team, especially regarding their effort level. Fans don’t know which Oilers team will show up on most nights.
They seemed uninterested in competing during their recent 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, but then responded nicely against the Ottawa Senators, before ultimately laying another egg against the Wild. Then they dominated a really good Rangers team. There’s been a lot of back-and-forth with their compete level, so hopefully, this break will get them focused, energized, and engaged moving forward. This team is good, they just need to put in the work on a consistent basis.
After the mini-break, the Oilers begin a three-game road trip that goes through Utah, Colorado, and Vegas, before returning home for three more.
