There’s a scene in the movie Parenthood when the grandma talks about the difference between the rollercoaster and the merry-go-round. She mentions how much more exciting life is when you ride the rollercoaster. If you’re a fan of the Edmonton Oilers, following the team through a rollercoaster season can be fun and terrifying all at the same time. The Oilers are currently on a three-game home losing streak where they dropped a 6-5 decision to the Boston Bruins on Feb. 17, and then lost back-to-back games to the Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames on Feb. 23 and 24. Now with the resurgent Los Angeles Kings coming to town on Monday, Feb. 26, it could be four losses in a row. Or maybe not.
Oilers Not Playing Great Since the All-Star Break
The Oilers currently have a 4-5-1 record since the early February break. They were coming off a 16-game unbeaten streak when they lost 3-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 6 and things have been topsy-turvy ever since. In fact, after their 6-3 loss to the Flames on Feb. 24, they’ve looked tired. And well they should be, considering they played four games in six days. That’s why it’s not time to panic…yet.
Considering the venom coming out of Oilers Twitter, especially after the loss to their provincial rivals in Calgary, you’d think the sky was falling. The Oilers are a tired hockey team at the moment. They need a couple of days to recover and they should be back to their old selves. That’ll mean Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid will be making smart decisions. And the whole team will turn their focus on team defence so that they’re not leaving goaltenders Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard out to dry. The Oilers don’t need to go out and mortgage the future to get another goalie, they just need to tighten up and commit to playing in their own end like they did on their 16-game winning streak. It would also help if head coach Kris Knoblauch would go back to the line combinations that worked in January. The blender isn’t working, and he needs to go back to the formula that advanced the Oilers’ fortunes during the middle part of the season.
Goaltenders Need Help From D-Men and Forwards
The greatest goalies in the history of the game, from Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden and Bernie Parent to Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy and Andrei Vasilevskiy couldn’t stop a beach ball in front of this Oilers team the way they’re playing right now. That’s why it’s tough to pin all of the Oilers’ issues on Skinner and Pickard. Anyone who’s played the game knows that great goaltenders often had a team committed to playing solid hockey at both ends of the rink. Ask Parent how much Bobby Clarke helped him by hustling back into his own end. The same thing applies to the Oilers. Until they stop running around like the Keystone Kops in their own end they’re not going to win too many hockey games, and the crying heard coming from Alberta’s capital city will be louder than ever if they don’t get back to tightening up in their own zone.
A Few Bright Spots During the Current Dip in Play
Zach Hyman continues to be a bright spot in the Oilers lineup as he’s now up to 37 goals, and has a real shot at getting 50 goals this season. The great thing about watching Hyman is his work ethic. If all the players on the Oilers followed his lead, they might be able to win a few more games.
Dylan Holloway is also showing flashes of becoming the player Oilers brass envisioned he could be. Against the Flames, he and Hyman were clearly the two best Oilers on the ice. If Holloway’s development continues, they may have a real keeper on their hands here.
If the Oilers Get Hot in Mid-March, Look Out
There’s something to be said about momentum. The Oilers proved that during their 16-game winning streak in late December and early January. Losing right now isn’t the end of the world, unless they slink back to the form they showed at the start of the season when they went 3-9-1. Both McDavid and Mattias Ekholm were injured at the beginning of the season, and when they both started getting healthy, the Oilers returned to their winning ways. Considering the pendulum swings in the Oilers’ season, the rollercoaster of winning streaks and losing streaks, if they time it right, they could go into the postseason hot. And that’s the best time of year to go on a heater.
Trade Deadline And Rest Could Help the Oilers
The sky is not falling in on the Oilers as we approach the NHL trade deadline on March 8. Every day that goes by between now and then, the Oilers are earning more cap space to do something to upgrade the lineup on deadline day. I don’t foresee a deal happening before that unless it’s similar to the Tyson Barrie trade for Ekholm last season, where unloading Barrie’s salary helped make the deal possible.
Related: “Perfect Fit” Willing to Waive No-Trade at Deadline to Join Oilers
In the meantime, the Oilers need to focus on conserving their energy. They have four more back-to-backs between now and the end of the regular season. They have 27 games left. If they can win 15 to 20, they’ll be in a great spot. If they go on a prolonged losing streak then all bets are off. But I’m betting the Oilers and their fans will be enjoying the roller coaster ride all the way to the playoffs…and then who knows what will happen.
