The Edmonton Oilers looked to get back into the win column against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Friday night (March 14). The Oilers have been slumping and desperately needed a victory to keep pace with the Los Angeles Kings for second place in the Pacific Division and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They got that much-needed win with a narrow 2-1 overtime victory. Here are three takeaways from this low-scoring affair.
Leon Draisaitl Continues to Dominate
Where would the Oilers be without Leon Draisaitl? He was once again the best forward on the ice and continues to carry this team and drag them into the fight. He was all over the ice and had a few glorious chances in the first period. The German superstar was a man on a mission and wouldn’t be denied. Eventually, he broke the scoreless tie 8:46 into the second period on a slap shot from distance that was ripped home. Then, he won the game on a breakaway, going blocker side.
Related: Leon Draisaitl Scores Both Goals in Oilers’ 2-1 Victory Over Islanders
Draisaitl has 49 goals this season and is running away with the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race. He has 13 more goals than second place, which is unbelievable. He also recorded his 100th point of the season, joining Nathan MacKinnon as the only two players to reach that plateau thus far. On top of that, he extended his point streak to a career-long 17 games and tied David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins for the longest this season.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch praised Draisaitl during his postgame presser. “He’s always been a good player, he’s always been dominant, and is one of the best forwards every single night. I saw him step it up more, and he hasn’t taken any games off.” Draisaitl is on another level right now, and it’s fun to watch.
The Oilers’ Penalty Kill Was Perfect
When things haven’t been going your way, a strong penalty kill can help build confidence. The Islanders have the worst-ranked power play at only 11.7%, and Edmonton took advantage. The Oilers were a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and nearly had a shorthanded goal in the first period, but Connor Brown‘s breakaway was denied. Goals have been difficult to come by lately, so the last thing they needed was to give one up on the man advantage and chase the game. The usual penalty killers have had abysmal offensive seasons, so if guys like Brown, Vasily Podkolzin, and Mattias Janmark want to stay in the lineup, they need to step up defensively and contribute to a successful penalty kill. Just like they did throughout the playoffs last season, the team can rally behind a strong penalty kill, and it can take you far. Edmonton currently has the 23rd-ranked penalty kill at 76.1%. They still need to improve, which comes down to attention to detail and goaltending. That leads us to the final takeaway.
Calvin Pickard Was Excellent
The Oilers came into this contest having lost seven of their last 10 games. In that stretch, goaltending has been a significant talking point for all the wrong reasons. So, Calvin Pickard required a quality start in New York and delivered. He wasn’t as busy as Ilya Sorokin at the other end, but Edmonton netminders rarely are. The journeyman goaltender came up clutch, stopping 24 of 25 shots for a sparkling .960 save percentage (SV%). He also made a great play in overtime, resulting in an assist on Draisaitl’s game-winning goal.
Pickard has outplayed Stuart Skinner lately, recording a 2.67 goals-against average and a .898 SV% through 25 games this season. That bodes the question, who should get the next start? On March 1, Pickard was outstanding against the Carolina Hurricanes, stopping 35 of 36 shots for an incredible .972 SV%. As a result, he got back-to-back starts for the first time since last season. Unfortunately, he got lit up the following game, allowing four goals on 11 shots to the Anaheim Ducks, resulting in a goalie change to start the second period. The 32-year-old netminder isn’t used to starting consecutive games, so coach Knoblauch has a tough decision ahead.
The Oilers will look to build on this victory when they conclude their four-game Eastern Conference road trip at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers on Sunday night (March 16).
