Welcome to The Week In Review According To Me (TWIRATOME), a regular Monday feature that sometimes appears on Tuesday or Wednesday when I’m lazy or cranky, breaking down the week that was for the Edmonton Oilers. Most weeks might take on the feel of an autopsy, sifting through symptoms and clues to determine the cause of disaster, but all are worthy of examination before moving forward.
What Happened?
Three straight losses essentially ended any hopes of playing beyond the regular season, as the Oilers sank to 6-10-2 on the season. Last Tuesday, Edmonton couldn’t rally from a 3-0 first-period deficit against the Nashville Predators, falling 3-2. Hosting the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, the Oilers again trailed 3-0 hole after 20 minutes, but three unanswered goals forced overtime before losing in the extra frame. The week ended with a 2-1 loss to Devan Dubnyk and the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday.
Standings Snapshot
The Oilers have officially been left behind, as even the Coyotes have separated themselves from the Pacific Division’s punching bag. Blame it on goaltending if you’d like, but when you’ve scored the fewest goals in the division and allowed the most you have an entire organization full of needs to address. It’s frustrating because, as an Oiler fan, I’m in a constant state of “if we win our next five games we’re right back in this thing,” which makes friends and family question my mental competency.
Best Reason to Freak Out
As bad as things are at the moment, they could get even worse. Worse? That’s right my friends, this season could soon go from the frying pan, to the fire, to charred remnants. The Oilers have played 10 of their 18 games at home, lost to both the Canucks and Coyotes twice, and have only played one game against a California team (losing to the Los Angeles Kings, 6-1). They haven’t faced a Central Division team aside from Nashville, and haven’t wasted a second of playing time on Luke Gazdic yet.
Week’s Worst Moment
Ottawa’s overtime winner is the obvious choice, but at least it cleared the building quickly. Arizona’s second goal came with just over seven minutes remaining in the third period, giving the Coyotes a 2-0 lead and forcing us to endure the futile final moments before Dubnyk’s celebration on Rexall ice. He didn’t pitch a shutout, he didn’t have to. Dubnyk just stood tall and benefitted from Edmonton’s shoot-from-anywhere strategy that makes most opposing goaltenders look like Ken Dryden.
Week’s Best Moment
Jeff Petry’s game-tying goal against the Senators was the week’s best moment for a few reasons. First, it was nice to see him associated with something other than trade rumours. Second, it displayed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ awareness, finding a trailer with 60 acres of open ice to work with. Third, it evened the score—the closest the Oilers came to a lead all week. Fourth, it reminded us that Petry has an absolute cannon. Finally, it was nice to hear a puck ping off the post and in, rather than out.
Special Teams Report
PP: 8/58 – 13.8% (up from 12.5% last week)
PK: 39/48 – 81.2% (up from 79% last week)
The cynic in me (a stuttering chain smoker who looks like Ted Green after a bender) says of course the Oilers’ special teams improved last week, they had nowhere to go but up. The optimist in me (a 10-year-old Scandinavian boy who doesn’t know the pain of loss or a woman’s scorn) says the Oilers have turned the corner. The realist in me (just me with better clothes) says it was a solid week that needs to be repeated, as the Oilers were 2-for-10 on the power play and 9-for-10 on the penalty kill.
Completely Useless Advanced Stat
Edmonton Oilers Shooting Percentage – 8.12 Percent
The Oilers rank 26th in shooting percentage, which leads several statheads to say “just keep shooting the puck, because the number can’t remain that low all season.” Of course, everyone knows about regression (or progression) to the mean, but ignoring the contributing factors is foolish. The Oilers are settling for low-percentage shots and aren’t getting bodies to the net for screens, deflections, and rebound opportunities. Until that happens, expect the shooting percentage to remain low.
Simple Stats
Goaltending Glance
LVP of the Week
Okay Teddy Purcell, I’ve seen enough. You can go. Purcell is not the type of player who’s going to pull the Oilers from their nearly decade-long doldrums. Sure he can find the puck in his skates and advance it, or make a play when a linemate creates some open ice for him, but he doesn’t do anything to create his own chances. Purcell didn’t have a point last week, averaging 14 minutes of a night of unproductive back-and-forth. At $4.5 million this year and next, he’s the team’s most expensive passenger.
MVP of the Week
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had another impressive week, but I’m going off the board to give Keith Aulie the MVP. He was only on the ice for one opposition goal (Ottawa’s OT game-winner, which he was blameless on) and played with a lot of composure all week, blocking shots and banging bodies. For now, Aulie has proven he belongs. Plus, his hit on Ottawa’s Chris Neil led directly to a fight—one of his two on the night—and we don’t often see an Oilers defenceman produce that kind of response.
Looking Ahead
After being tenderized last week, the Oilers go right into the meat grinder this week. The Vancouver Canucks come calling tonight, and they’ve been licking their chops on the sidelines since last Friday. The New Jersey Devils are better than their record indicates, and they’ll be well-rested for Friday’s meeting at Rexall Place. Finally, the Chicago Blackhawks are on the docket Saturday night for the second of back-to-back games. Time for the Oilers to impress the patrons before a three-game trip next week.
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