The Edmonton Oilers salvaged the final game of their three-game Eastern Canadian road trip with a 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. They were on the second half of a back-to-back and showed no signs of fatigue. They looked lifeless and uninterested during their 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens the night before, but completely flipped the script in this one, and used a great first period to dismantle the Senators. Here are five takeaways from this solid road victory:
Oilers’ Penalty Kill Continues to Improve
It took some time to get going, especially after the departures of Ryan McLeod, Warren Foegele, and Cody Ceci, who were all instrumental in the success of the Oilers’ penalty kill during their playoff run. At the start of the season, they were scrambling in their own zone, which led to some positioning miscues. They also weren’t clearing the puck effectively, and often turning it over, which led to high-danger chances against. Goaltending has also been a major contributor to why the penalty kill has struggled. Oilers’ goaltenders are last in the league with a measly .719 save percentage (SV%) while shorthanded.
Lately, they seem more composed and in control. They’ve improved their positioning, and are making the most of their clearing attempts. The Oilers have killed off 12 straight penalties, dating back to the game against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 9, including two in this one. This recent streak now puts them 30th in the league in penalty kill percentage, surpassing the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders. They were below 60% at one point, but are now sitting at 68.6%. They have a lot of work to do if they want to continue moving up, but this is a good start.
Zach Hyman Gets Injured
Zach Hyman left the game near the end of the second period, after a collision with Senators defenceman Nick Jensen at Ottawa’s blue line. He didn’t return for the third, and head coach Kris Knoblauch didn’t have an update on his condition during the post-game media scrum.
Earlier in the day, the Oilers claimed forward Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from the St. Louis Blues, which may have come at an important time. While Kapanen has been relatively unproductive in recent years, he does bring some speed to this aging forward group. If Hyman misses time with injury, they have another forward to insert into the lineup. They have gone 11 forwards and seven defencemen the last few games with the recent injury to Viktor Arvidsson, so once he’s back, they can go back to playing 12 forwards, even in Hyman’s absence.
Related: Oilers Help Blues More than Themselves in Kapanen Waiver Move
Even though Hyman has struggled to score goals this season, only having three through the first 20 games, he’s still their top-line right-winger, so his presence will be missed. Hopefully, it’s just a minor ailment, and he doesn’t miss much time.
Oilers’ Big Guns Have a Great Night
The big dogs came to eat in this one. Offensively, they were led by their big three of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard. They each had three points and combined for 11 of the team’s 31 shots. When the best players produce like this, the team is unstoppable. According to Jack Michaels, the Oilers play-by-play announcer, McDavid and Draisaitl have had at least three points in the same game on 43 occasions, and the Oilers are undefeated in those games.
McDavid and Draisaitl have had at least three points in the same game on 43 occasions.
— Jack Michaels (@EdmontonJack) November 20, 2024
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Oilers are 43-0 in those games.
Simply put, the Oilers need their top players to produce in order to have success. Through 20 games, the Oilers’ forward group has scored 42 goals, and McDavid and Draisaitl have combined for 23 of them, while the rest of the forwards have combined for 19. This team does not function without their superstars leading the way.
Stuart Skinner Was Good
To say Stuart Skinner has struggled so far this season would be an understatement. However, he was very good in this one, stopping 29 of 31 shots for a .931 SV%. Both goals he allowed were absolutely not his fault. The first one was a one-timer from the high slot by Tim Stutzle, who’s a very skilled player, and good players will bury their golden opportunities. The second goal came in the final three minutes on a borderline high stick that was reviewed and eventually called a good goal.
Skinner made some big saves early on, when the game was close, including 11 stops in the first period. After the Oilers got out to an early lead, he remained solid in the blue paint, making the saves he needed to in order to maintain their lead and not give Ottawa any hope of a comeback. If he can duplicate this performance on most nights, the Oilers will have success. He doesn’t need to be spectacular, he just needs to be solid, and make saves, especially at key moments in games. Like it or not, he is their number one goaltender, and he has the capabilities of turning his season around, and going on an incredible streak. Hopefully, he can build off this performance.
Oilers Hold Lead
Edmonton took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission, and didn’t look back. They kept pressing and added to their lead. In three of their previous four games heading into this one, the Oilers had a one-goal lead going into the third period, but couldn’t hold on. The opposition forced overtime because the Oilers sat back, and couldn’t close it out. Despite winning two of those overtime games, they need to find a way to win some more in regulation like they did against the Senators.
The game against the Maple Leafs on Saturday night (Nov. 16) is a perfect example of why you can’t take your foot off the gas. They had a chance to break the game wide open on a five-minute power play midway through the contest, but failed to generate any offense, which eventually came back to bite them. Therefore, it was good to see them put the pedal to the floor and not give Ottawa an opportunity to claw their way back into the game. They took the crowd right out of it, and cruised to victory.
The Oilers return to Rogers Place for a mini two-game homestand starting on Thursday (Nov. 21) against the Minnesota Wild, and concluding against the New York Rangers on Saturday (Nov. 23).
