Game Notes Oilers @ Canucks: 28 Day Difference

What a difference four weeks makes. On January 28th the Edmonton Oilers lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs and saw their record drop to 3-6. They were 29th in points%, 27th in goals against/game at 3.67, and 16th in goals/game.

Mikko Koskinen had started all nine games and had a .895Sv% and 3.50 GAA. He was overworked. They only had three goals from their depth scorers. Jesse Puljujarvi, Dominik Kahun, Alex Chiasson, James Neal, Jujhar Khaira, Tyler Ennis and Tyson Barrie had combined for zero goals. Things weren’t looking good.

Then the Oilers defeated the Maple Leafs 4-3 on January 30th, and the direction of their season completely changed.

— Edmonton is 10-2 in their last 12 games. They have the best P% in the NHL since then at .833 (Chicago is second at .773). They are first in goals/game at 4.17. They are 12th in GA/game at 2.67.

— Mike Smith has made six starts and is 5-0 with a .934Sv% and 2.0 GAA. Koskinen is 4-1 in his five starts (he took a loss coming in relief of Smith against the Jets), and has a .912Sv% and 2.88 GAA. He plays better when he plays less and gets to practice more.

— In this hot streak 20 Oilers have at least one point, 18 have two or more. Fifteen skaters have one goal, while 13 have two-plus. Puljujarvi has five goals, Kahun has four, Chiasson, Barrie and Archibald have three, Neal, Khaira and Ennis have two. Everyone is scoring. Even their superstars are producing more. McDavid has 24 points (2.00 pts/game), while Draisaitl is at 1.67 after they were at 1.55 and 1.44 respectively in the first nine games.

— The biggest improvement has been their defensive play at 5×5. In their 10 wins they’ve only allowed 14 goals at 5×5. In their two losses they allowed 10. The attention to detail defensively, combined with improved goaltending play, has helped them immensely at 5×5. If they continue that, then this team will be dangerous.

— For three years the Oilers showed virtually no improvement in reducing goals at 5×5. They allowed 2.14, 2.18 and 2.16 the past three seasons. You can’t win allowing that many. They are at 2.14 this season, but they have shown improvement recently, and that must continue.

— @Caleb Jones and @Evan Bouchard had a solid game as the third D pair last night. They played 12 minutes at 5×5 and had really good possession numbers. But it is important to note they played most of those minutes against bottom six forwards. Tippett put them in a position to succeed. I disagree with any mention they should be playing more right now. I like having them in a position to succeed and gain confidence.

— “They played well together,” said Tippett. “I think that was one of Bouch’s (Bouchard) best games defending in awhile.” That is the key regarding Bouchard. The Oilers don’t need much more offence. They need to continue to be sound defensively. Bouchard is a rookie. He will make rookie mistakes, which is fine, but trying to force feed him top-four minutes would be a mistake.

— Look no further than what @Quinn Hughes is dealing with. He isn’t good enough defensively yet to consistently handle top-six forwards. He is being asked to do too much and he is struggling defensively. He is an elite puck moving and offensive-minded defenceman, but his defensive zone awareness is like most young D’s: not good enough. Edmonton doesn’t need to rush Bouchard. Let him gain confidence and get a few minutes a game against top-six forwards, but he should be facing third and fourth lines.

— @Ethan Bear is close to returning. I wonder if Tippett dresses seven D-men in his first game back. Right now I think Bouchard is better in the O-zone than Bear, but Bear is better defensively and on the PK, and I think that is why Bear will play more, once they dress six defenders. It is a good situation for the Oilers. They have enough actual defensive depth that you don’t have to rush Bouchard into the lineup every night.

— Despite trailing 3-0 last night, the Oilers didn’t look or play like a team down by three in the first 16 minutes. They easily could have tied the game in the second period, after hitting a few crossbars, and Smith channelled his inner Grant Fuhr by refusing to allow the fourth goal. His shorthanded breakaway save on Antoine Roussel in the second period was massive.

— I like how @Jesse Puljujarvi is involved in battles. He is often around the puck and enters battles without hesitation, and it is annoying opponents. Antoine Rousse was livid after Puljujarvi, without knowing, ran his shoulder into Roussel’s head. Roussel snapped and dropped his gloves and threw punches at a surprised Puljujarvi. It led to an Oilers powerplay, but it also illustrated how important it is to be in the battle. Puljujarvi is a huge man. He can lean on guys, and with his 6’4″, 215 pound frame he can do some damage when he wants. But playing that way, I think he needs to become more aware that sometimes the opposition is going to try and go after him.

I have no doubt that Tippett, or Jim Playfair or @Darnell Nurse, Jujhar Khaira or another physical player will give Puljujarvi some tips on how to defend himself and be more prepared for those situations. I’m not saying he needs to fight, far from it, but just get his hands up or grab a guy and wrestle him. He’s very strong and he should be able to handle himself. I know some fans were upset thinking Roussel should have been suspended, but what I took from that is how Puljujarvi has been initiating contact, and when you do that, the odd time, you will make contact that upsets the opposition. I hope he keeps doing it, because for far too long the Oilers were the ones reacting to those types of plays. It is great to see them initiating it and becoming a harder team to play against.

— If you were the head coach which goalie would you start tonight? Koskinen or Smith, and why?