Oilers’ true test of recent rebound to come this week
We’ve arrived at the a crucial intersection in the Edmonton Oilers season, one that will give us a true indication of what they’re really made of, writes Mark Spector.
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EDMONTON — We’ve arrived at the a crucial intersection in the Edmonton Oilers season, one that, as little as three weeks ago, we weren’t sure they’d be ready for.
On Tuesday night at Rogers Place, Edmonton faces the usual stern test from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Then, the Oilers play three division leaders in a row: at Minnesota on Thursday, and at home to Vegas on Saturday and Florida on Monday.
Not so long ago, as they stumbled through an opening quarter of the season at 10-9-2, the goaltending was questionable, the support scoring nonexistent and the overall defensive game middling at best.
However, points out big defenceman Mattias Ekholm, “In the last five, six games, we’ve started to find the way we want to play.”
Look, it’s not easy to get an NHLer to look past the next opponent to a four-game set against some of the NHL’s best teams. “Don’t look too much ahead of what’s coming, more than just Tampa tomorrow,” Ekholm said. “We’ll worry about the rest when it comes.”
However, NHL players never mind entertaining the topic of their team being on the upswing. Finally, an Oilers team that has won five of its last six — and is 9-3-1 in its past 13 games — has built some ground to stand on.
“It’s good to see where you stack up against the league’s best. We’re gaining momentum, winning games,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Our goaltending has been fantastic, and our special teams are winning (games). We’re scoring more often than we’re giving up goals (on special teams). The first 10 or 15 games, we were getting outscored on special teams quite badly.”
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So, what makes this Oilers team ready for a test like the one presented by the schedule maker? Here are a few thoughts:
• In goal, Stuart Skinner’s save percentage since Nov. 12 (eight starts) is .904. It’s at .945 over his past four starts, in a league where only five NHL starters have a seasonal save percentages of better than .915.
• Zach Hyman, who has been more of a primary scorer than a support scorer by averaging 39 goals per season over the past three years, is back from injury and has three goals in two games. When it’s going in for him, that opens up ice for Connor McDavid, which is always a problem for the opposition.
• Third-line centre Adam Henrique quietly has six assists in his past eight games. If he’s productive, Edmonton becomes a three-line team that’s hard to handle, and Jeff Skinner’s recent production (four points in four games) is a result.
• In their past eight games, Edmonton has lost the special teams battle only once — in a 4-1 win at Colorado. They’ve outscored opposing power plays 6-2 over that span, adding a shorthanded goal.
“Tampa is a great team. They’re going to take all of our attention to be ready for that, first and foremost,” said McDavid, who has 27 points in his last 13 games to climb into a tie for seventh in NHL scoring. “But it’s nice stretch of games here before Christmas to see where we’re at.”
He and Leon Draisaitl have been productive since Game 1. Now, he’s seen some teammates find their games, and we all know that Edmonton is good when Nos. 29 and 97 are hot, but very good when the rest of the roster comes to play as well.
“That’s ultimately what it comes down to,” McDavid said. “We can put five different guys on the power play, four different guys on the penalty kill, but if guys aren’t doing what they need to be doing, it’s not going to have success team-wise. Guys have to take care of what they can take care of, and that’s ultimately their own play.”
It’s funny, we’re not even halfway through the season, and already the ebbs and flows have begun. The hottest NHL teams around Halloween aren’t necessarily the best teams as we approach Christmas — and who knows who will be on top come Easter?
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The Oilers, for the second straight season, are opting for the gradual build. Less peaks and valleys, more steady climb toward the playoffs.
“Last year taught me that — knowing that when you do get to the Aprils and the Mays — you can lean on having had a little bit of early adversity,” said Ekholm. “You look at a Winnipeg (the Jets started the season at 15-0-1). When you start that way — I don’t think I’ve ever done that, so I can’t really speak from experience here — I can imagine that you feel pretty good about yourself. And maybe some of those details can get lost in translation, after that 12th, that 13th, that 14th win.
“Then you’ve got to go back to your roots again and try to find those.”
A year ago, Edmonton went from 2-9-1 and a fired head coach to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. This time around wasn’t quite as dire in November, but the Oilers are hoping the formula plays out somewhat the same way.
“When you go through adversity, you’ve got to look at it an opportunity to build your game, to build your team. Would I rather start 15-0, rather than our start? Absolutely,” Ekholm said.
“But if you can go in a straight line — start slower and then learn as you go and build your game — I think that’s probably the best pattern to go.”
It starts this week, where the Oilers will see how their game stacks up against the best.
Let’s talk next Wednesday, about how the test results look.
