EDMONTON — The Oilers felt like everything was right again as they walked off the temporary rink at Commonwealth Stadium.
Their best and most comprehensive performance of the season came in their Heritage Classic victory over the Calgary Flames on Sunday. It wasn’t as though they were facing a top NHL team right now or a team that was as good offensively as defensively as the Montreal Canadiens from the 1970s. They couldn’t have played any better, though, save from giving up eight insignificant penalties.
The Oilers didn’t give up a five-on-five goal for only the second time in eight games as they played strong blue line defence and sound positional defence. They used a quick pace to attack, making strong forechecks and attacking off the rush. They also had good goaltending.
Everything about it was such a 180 from what they had shown so frequently this season.
Due to numerous on-ice problems, the Oilers have a 2-5-1 record going into their game against the Dallas Stars on Thursday. This record was improved by their victory in the Heritage Classic.
The Oilers, a preseason favourite for the Stanley Cup, are near the bottom of the standings due to a number of issues.
The goal that the Oilers gave up to Zach Whitecloud in the third game of their series against the Vegas Golden Knights isn’t the best illustration of why they decided to play zone defence this year. However, it demonstrated a weakness in man-to-man defence.
Skating to the blue line to follow his check, Darnell Nurse found himself in a part of the ice no defenceman should ever be in. In addition to Warren Foegele being boxed out on a pick by Reilly Smith, that error made it possible for Whitecloud, Foegele’s man, to enter the game unopposed and defeat Stuart Skinner.
Through their first eight games, the Oilers have allowed 32 goals, which is the second-worst average in the NHL. Additionally, they have only allowed five goals in their last two games.
“When you switch, there will always be growing pains,” Ekholm stated. “Obviously, we’re not perfect at it yet, but we’re making progress.”
At five on five, they have given up eighteen goals. Just one of the 11 goals that were scored before they collapsed in the third period last week in Minnesota, according to Woodcroft, was the product of a defensive coverage blunder on October 14 by Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Höglander.
Rather than a flaw in the system or in positioning, Woodcroft attributed the remaining plays to situational individual errors such as poor checking, forechecking, rush opportunities, or faceoff losses. Some players believe that since mistakes are only related to effort, they are simpler to correct.
Regardless of the approach, there are creases to smooth out. Consider this, one of Brock Boeser’s four goals in the season opener, which Woodcroft referred to as a “breakout turnover.”
