The Edmonton Oilers’ modest two-game win streak came to an end on Saturday (Oct. 19) at American Airlines Center, where they were defeated 4-1 by the Dallas Stars in a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Final.
Matt Duchene scored twice for Dallas, which also got goals from Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. Leon Draisaitl was the only Oilers player to put the puck behind Stars netminder Jake Oettinger.
The game was scoreless for nearly 40 minutes before Duchene beat Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner for a power-play goal with just 26 seconds remaining in the second period. Edmonton didn’t get on the board until 17:38 of the third period when Draisaitl potted his team-leading third goal of the season.
Edmonton outshot Dallas 31-24, including 17-4 over the first 30 minutes of the game. The Stars converted their only power-play opportunity, while the Oilers went 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
With the loss, Edmonton’s record drops to 2-4-0 in 2024-25. The Oilers had won their previous two games, against the Philadelphia Flyers at home on Tuesday (Oct. 15) and the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday (Oct. 17).
Skinner Is Not on Top of His Game Yet
Skinner didn’t have a terrible outing by any means, but he was the second-best of the two goalies in this game. The 25-year-old would definitely like to have back Duchene’s ice-breaker goal at 19:34 of the second period. Hintz won a draw to the right of the Edmonton net and fed the puck back to Duchene, who beat Skinner clean with a wrist shot from the high slot to give Dallas the game’s first goal.
The score remained 1-0 until the final minutes of the game, when Duchene and Hintz scored 70 seconds apart, at 12:06 and 13:16 of the third period. After Draisaitl’s goal pulled Edmonton within 3-1, Robertson scored in an empty net.
Skinner is now 1-3-0 and has allowed at least three goals in all four of his starts this season. His goals against average (GAA) of 4.03 and save percentage (SV%) of .851 are well below standard for Edmonton’s No.1 netminder.
It should be noted that Skinner also struggled out of the gates last season. He was 1-5-1 with a 3.87 GAA and .854 SV% through his first eight appearances of 2023-24, before going 35-11-4 with a 2.43 GAA and .913 SV% the rest of the way.
Oilers’ Special Teams Are a Big Problem
Through six games, the Oilers have been outscored 24-12. Their goal differential of minus-12 is the second worst in the NHL, ahead of only the Predators.
Special teams are largely to blame for that hideous margin, as Edmonton has converted just one of 15 power-play opportunities while killing off only 11 of 20 power plays for the opposition. The Oilers have the league’s lowest penalty-kill percentage (55.0%) and its third-lowest power-play percentage (6.7%).
To understand how crucial special teams are to Edmonton’s success, consider the following numbers from the 2024 playoffs, when the Oilers made a run all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final:
Over 25 games, Edmonton scored 22 power-play goals and three short-handed goals, while allowing four power-play goals and zero short-handed goals, giving the Oilers a differential of plus-21 on special teams. In all other situations, the Oilers merely broke even, scoring 61 goals and allowing 61 goals.
While incredible offensive talents like Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid among others are in the Oilers’ arsenal, there’s no doubt their power play will get on track. Edmonton’s penalty kill, however, is cause for real concern, and it’s fair to wonder how much the Oilers are missing the likes of offseason departures Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais, Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod, all of who logged significant time on the penalty-kill in 2023-24.
Breakthrough Is Coming for Hyman
With only 12 goals in six games, the lack of offence is obviously a team-wide issue for the Oilers. Almost every player’s point production is below expectations, so it’s unfair to single anyone out in particular. But when you score 54 goals one season and start the next season going pointless through six games, you’re going to come under fire.
Thus, Zach Hyman is the poster child for Edmonton’s early-season struggles. After failing to register either a goal or an assist against the Stars, the veteran winger has now gone six straight games without a point, his longest such drought in a single season since going seven straight games without a goal or an assist at the end of 2016-17 with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Related: 5 Takeaways From Oilers’ Encouraging 4-2 Victory Over Predators
Oilers fans should be encouraged by Hyman’s play, however. Saturday’s game was the second in a row that he was a constant presence around the opposing net, resembling the player who finished with the third-most goals in the NHL in 2023-24. He led all Oilers forwards with four shots and had another four shots missed.
After firing just five shots on goal over Edmonton’s first four games, Hyman has now totalled nine shots on goal from the last two games. He started the season with a minus-4 rating in the first three games but has a rating of plus-3 in the three games since. If Hyman continues to play like this, it won’t be long before the first goal comes. Once he finally breaks the seal, many goals could follow.
Hyman’s next chance to get off the schneid comes Tuesday (Oct. 22), when the Oilers host the Carolina Hurricanes at Rogers Place.
