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 triumph over the Calgary Flames on Sunday. It wasn’t as though they were facing a premier 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 performed any better, though, save from giving up eight insignificant penalties.
The Oilers didn’t let up a five-on-five goal for only the second time in eight games as they played strong blue line defense and smart positional defense. 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 several 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 favorite for the Stanley Cup, are toward 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 defense this year. However, it demonstrated a weakness in man-to-man defense.
Skating to the blue line to follow his check, Darnell Nurse found himself in a part of the ice no defenseman 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 to defeat Stuart Skinner.
