GDB 28.0 Wrap Up: Oilers finish off six-game homestand with back-to-back losses
7 months ago
Something about teams from Florida.
On Saturday, Edmonton hosted the Florida Panthers for their final home game of 2023. It uh, didn’t go well, as they lost 5-1, which brings their record to 13-14-1. Florida also swept the season series and carried on a streak that dates back to November of 2013 in which they haven’t dropped a game in regulation in Edmonton.
THE WRAP UP IS PRESENTED BY BETWAY
A weird stat with Edmonton is that they’re 1-7 in games where they’ve had 40+ shots. Fortunately for this very unusual stat, Edmonton fell just shy of adding an eighth loss, as they put 39 shots on Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Oilers need a backup goalie, that much is evident. Stuart Skinner has been playing better as of late, posting a 10-3-0 record in his last 13 games, along with a .905 save percentage which was up to .915 before his start against Tampa.
But the backup situation is subpar, to say the least. Calvin Pickard allowed five goals on 39 shots for an .872 save percentage. To make matters worse, Jack Campbell appeared in an American Hockey League game on Saturday, and it also didn’t go well. The $25 million dollar man faced only 21 shots, yet allowed four goals before being pulled. Goaltending prospect Olivier Rodrigue faced 16 shots and saved all but one, but he needs more time to develop.
Teams aren’t exactly willing to help the Oilers out, and picking a guy like James Reimer up from a team with three goaltenders probably won’t be enough to close the stopgap. Alternatively, the Oilers could pivot to adding another defenceman like they did with Ekholm last season.
Aside from the doom and gloom, Zach Hyman scored his 18th goal of the season. The contract which was supposed to be bad at this point, looks like a steal. Connor McDavid picked up an assist on the goal, meaning his point streak is now extended to 12 games.
Speaking of point streaks, Evan Bouchard’s 13-point streak came to an end on Saturday unfortunately. The 13-point streak is the fourth-longest for a defencemen in the last 20 years, so that’s fun at least.
The Oilers will be on the road for the rest of the season, and will face the New York Islanders on Tuesday at 5:30 PM MST. Both the Minnesota Wild (equal games) and Calgary Flames (three games in hand) have jumped over the Oilers. Moreover, St. Louis sits at 31 points with the Oilers have two games in hand, and Arizona is at 32 points to hold down the final wild card spot with two games in hand.
Hopefully, they make a move that makes the team better soon.
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