Blues 7, Oilers 2: The towel has officially been thrown in
By Cam Lewis
5 years ago While it isn’t technically over, last night’s miserable showing against the St. Louis Blues was the unofficial end to the Oilers’ season. The Oilers got completely slammed over the course of 60 minutes by a good team driving in playoff mode. This team just isn’t good enough.
What happened?
After this goal was scored, you kinda knew how the game was going to unfold. Well, I mean, maybe it was actually the fact the Blues outshot the Oilers nine to two in the first half of the period, but you get the point. Mikko Koskinen, who takes up most of the net, somehow let this shot by Jaden Schwartz get past his glove.
The floodgates opened in the second period. Alex Pietrangelo scored just 27 seconds into the period when the Oilers just let him casually walk in on a breakaway and then Jaden Schwartz buried another from the slot. That would be the end of Mikko Koskinen’s night, but Anthony Stolarz wouldn’t be much better.
The bright spot for the Oilers came in the latter half of the second period. Zack Kassian dropped the gloves with former pal Patrick Maroon in what was one of the better bouts of the season. Soon after, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kassian each scored goals to cut the lead in half.
But that’s as close as the Oilers would get. The Blues would put the pillow over the Oilers’ heads in the third period with three goals. Predictably, one of those goals came from Maroon. Man, do I miss this guy.
By the numbers
There wasn’t really a point in which the Blues let up last night. They had 53 shot attempts to Edmonton’s 25 and they had nine high danger chances to Edmonton’s three at even strength. I don’t think there was a point in which it seemed like the Oilers were in this game and the shot chart reflects that.
Thoughts…
- What can you even say after a game like that? It’s hard to call it a death blow because, if we’re being totally honest rather than forcibly optimistic for the sake of having a talking point, this team was already dead. Last night’s pounding was like watching a boat that had been slowly sinking for months finally go completely under. We saw a good team — just good, not great — turn on the jets and get into playoff mode and completely dismantle the Oilers. The Blues are the sixth-placed team in the West right now. This isn’t like losing 7-2 to, like, Tampa Bay or San Jose. This is a middling team that might win a playoff round. Getting pounded so hard by a team like this really shows how bad this Oilers team really is.
- At this point, the Oilers should probably not play Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl more than humanly possible. They’ve been playing more than 22 minutes a night for virtually the entire season and it’s time to dial it back. There’s no need for these two to be on the ice for 22 minutes in a 7-2 pounding. Just dig to the bottom of your bullpen and send the scrubs out there to munch the minutes.
- Speaking of that, it would be nice to see some Anthony Stolarz down the stretch. Mikko Koskinen has had a rough go and, like with McDavid and Draisaitl, there’s no point in pushing him. Get Stolarz in there to give him a chance to show what he can do.
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