Tough times continue for the Edmonton Oilers, who lost 3-2 to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday (March 13) at Prudential Center.
Evan Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl each scored for the Oilers, while New Jersey got goals from Jesper Bratt, Simon Nemec and Brett Pesce. Devils netminder Jake Allen made 31 saves to outduel Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner, who stopped 19 of the 22 shots he faced.
Related: Simon Nemec’s Goal (& Mrs. Fields Magic) Propel Devils Over Oilers, 3-2
The teams were tied 0-0 after the opening frame and even at 1-1 through 40 minutes. Edmonton went ahead 2-1 early in the third period but couldn’t hold on to its lead.
This was the second straight loss for the Oilers, who are now just 3-8-0 in their last 11 games, including 1-6-0 on the road, and have only two regulation wins since Jan. 27.
Knoblauch Shuffles the Deck
Edmonton started the game as usual, with Draisaitl and Connor McDavid each centering their own line. But right after Pesce scored at 3:58 of the second period to put New Jersey in front 1-0, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch put his two superstars together on a line with Zach Hyman.
The “nuclear option” produced immediate results, with McDavid setting up Draisaitl for a goal at 10:05 to level the scoreboard. The Draisaitl-Hyman-McDavid trio was also on the ice when Bouchard scored at 4:18 of the third period to give Edmonton the lead. Draisaitl, Hyman and McDavid all finished the game with a rating of plus-2, while no other forward had a plus/minus above zero.
Making changes mid-game to load up his top line with Draisaitl and McDavid is nothing new for Knoblauch, and it was hard to argue with the wisdom of such moves, considering the incredible success Edmonton had over the first 14 months of his tenure as Oilers coach. Now, as the Oilers have struggled over the last several weeks, Knoblauch has faced increasing criticism for how he has deployed his lineup.
But rather than asking whether it’s smart to put Draisaitl and McDavid together, maybe the focus should be on why Knoblauch is so reactionary to the slightest bit of adversity. That was never more evident than on Thursday, when a one-goal deficit with more than three-quarters of the game remaining was enough to prompt Knoblauch to shake things up.
Perhaps the question should be, why doesn’t Knoblauch have faith to stick with his original lines? And if he doesn’t have faith in them, why not just have Draisiatl and McDavid together right from the opening faceoff?
Third Period Woes Continue
For anyone wondering why the Oilers have so few victories since January, they need look no further than their numbers in the third period.
With New Jersey outscoring Edmonton 2-1 over the final 20 minutes on Thursday, the Oilers have now gone an astonishing 13 consecutive games without scoring more goals than their opponent in the final frame. Over that span, Edmonton has been outscored 19-9 in the third period.
This final act disappearing act might be the biggest difference between this current version of the Oilers who are mired in mediocrity and last year’s team that came within one win of capturing the Stanley Cup: over the 82 games of the 2023-24 season, Edmonton had an incredible plus-31 goal differential in the third period.
Why has this team of closers suddenly turned into one that wilts down the stretch? It’s baffling, especially for a team of veterans that have experienced great success. It’s also not unfair to wonder if there is a correlation between Knoblauch’s apparent lack of faith in his lineup and the lack of confidence his team is playing with.
Eye on the Standings
The news on the out-of-town scoreboard was also not good for the Oilers on Thursday, as the Los Angeles Kings beat the Washington Capitals 3-0 at Crypto.com Arena.
With that result, Los Angeles moves one point ahead of Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division. The Kings are now up to 79 points from a record of 35-20-9, while the Oilers have 78 points from a record of 37-24-4. The Vegas Golden Knights, who are 39-19-7, lead the division with 85 points.
When the NHL returned from the 4 Nations Face-Off break three weeks ago, the Oilers were first in the Pacific. Since then, Edmonton has managed to pick up just six points, while Vegas and L.A. have gained 13 and 14 points, respectively. The Oilers have quickly gone from visions of finishing atop their division for the first time since 1986-87 to the very real possibility of not even having home-ice advantage in the opening round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The good news, if it can be considered as such, for the Oilers is that they get a chance to bounce back right away, with a game tonight (March 14) against the New York Islanders at Elmont. The Isles sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and are a team the Oilers should be able to beat. The key word there, of course, is ‘should’. Because based on recent events, it kind of seems foolish to suggest there is a single team in the NHL that the Oilers should defeat right now.
