The Edmonton Oilers appeared to be in the driver’s seat for a large portion of last night’s game versus the Vegas Golden Knights. It wasn’t meant to be, however, as they wound up falling by a 4-2 final, and have now lost two straight.
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This game continues what has been a very rocky start to the season for the Oilers, who now sit at 6-7-1. Fans should be reminded, however, that this team was at 2-9-1 and 5-12-1 during last season. They will be fine, though it would be nice to see them turn things around sooner than later. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from this one.
Late Game Collapse
As mentioned, it felt like the Oilers were in the driver’s seat for a large majority of the time. They did find themselves trailing 1-0 heading into the first, but were able to gain the lead in the second thanks to goals from Brett Kulak and Zach Hyman.
That lead appeared safe, as the Oilers weren’t giving the Golden Knights a whole lot of looks. That changed around the midway point of the third, however, as Noah Hanifin beat Stuart Skinner on a point shot. Still, the Oilers didn’t break. Until the final minute, that is.
Hanifin shocked the crowd at Rogers Place when he was able to beat Skinner glove side for his second of the night with just 49 seconds remaining. It served as the game winner, as Mark Stone wound up sealing it with an empty netter a short time later, leaving the Oilers and their fan base stunned.
Quiet Return for McDavid
There was tons of chatter surrounding the Oilers yesterday, as it was announced that Connor McDavid would be returning to the lineup. The 27-year-old hadn’t been in the lineup since suffering a lower-body injury versus the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28. He was expected to miss two to three weeks, but, in typical McDavid fashion, willed himself back sooner.
While it was great to see McDavid in the lineup, however, it didn’t give the Oilers the boost they ultimately could have used. The generational talent was rather quiet, going pointless while throwing just two shots on net. He has just 10 points through 11 games this far, numbers that suggest he is due for a hot stretch in the near future.
Penalty Kill Struggles Continue
While there have been plenty of issues with the Oilers this season, one that has received plenty of attention is their struggles on the penalty kill. Hanifin’s first of the night came on the power play, which was just one of two opportunities the Golden Knights had on the man advantage in this one. Shockingly, going 50% in terms of penalty killing on the night isn’t far off the Oilers average through 14 games.
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The Oilers’ penalty kill after last night’s game sits at 59.5% on the season. That marks the third-lowest total in NHL history for any team through its first 14 games of the season. The 2020-21 New Jersey Devils (59.1%) and 1977-78 Minnesota North Stars are the only teams who rank worse. It’s a baffling stat given how great their penalty kill was during their run to the Stanley Cup Final last season.
Looking Ahead for the Oilers
The Oilers will have two nights to shake things off before playing in a big divisional matchup on Saturday night versus the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks have been heating up as of late, winning their last two outings to improve their record to 6-2-3. It won’t be an easy one for the Oilers but feels like a game they need to win as they look to get themselves back on track.
