After having their winning streak snapped by Vegas on Saturday at Rogers Place, the Edmonton Oilers kicked off their road trip in Utah for the first half of a back-to-back set. Losing a divisional game in regulation like that was tough, and life wasn’t going to get any easier against the surging Mammoth. So, it was hard not to get excited when the Oilers built themselves a two-goal lead after 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the second period was when the wheels started to fall off. In the end, Edmonton gave up three separate leads en route to a 6-5 overtime loss. Pain. At least we got the point?

Of all the problems we work through during an NHL season, it’s not often that we’re talking about the power play. But over the last few weeks, the Oilers’ usually red-hot unit has gone ice cold. Of course, it’s hard not to point at the struggles lining up perfectly with Leon Draisaitl being out of the lineup. Draisaitl is the franchise’s leading power play goal scorer, and taking him out of the equation is a kick to the pills, no matter how you slice it. Adding to the pain is that Zach Hyman is also out, and all of a sudden, the PP we’re used to hasn’t carried nearly the same punch. If we’re being honest, the numbers have been grim.

Even with the power play goal from Connor McDavid, the Oilers are still 2-for-20 without Draisaitl in the lineup. Stretching that out further, Edmonton is only 4-for-34 over their last 18 games. That’s light years from what we’re used to seeing and honestly one of the biggest hurdles the boys have between them and securing a first division title since 1987. As much as McDavid’s goal was absolutely stunning, the boys also gave up a shortie after a tough giveaway in the offensive zone turned into a soft goal against. Not to mention, that shorthanded goal by Nick Schmaltz handed the Oilers yet another loss in the special teams battle. Taking that L is a big part of the story when you wind up losing the game in overtime, especially after coughing up three separate leads to get there.

Did anyone else think Tristan Jarry’s night actually started off pretty well against the Mammoth? I always have a running list of notes in my phone when I write post-game articles, and through 20 minutes, I had a couple of key saves from Jarry that kept the score at 3-1. After stopping 10 of 11 shots in the first period, I was thinking he was putting together the start of another respectable night. If I’m being extremely honest, I even wondered if him playing well might earn him another start or two before the regular season wraps up. He had won his last two starts, three of his last four, and was actually starting to earn a little bit of trust from the fanbase. I don’t think Tuesday’s game is going to help much.

Over the final two periods and 33 seconds of overtime, Jarry allowed five goals on 20 shots. Were they all his fault? No. Were most of them shots you’d probably want your NHL goaltender to stop? Yes, I think so. And I don’t even think that’s me being mean either. At the very least, there’s some room for improvement. The problem, of course, is that there’s no time for Jarry to find his game. With only four games left in the season and first place very much on the menu, the question isn’t really about whether he can play better in his next outing. It’s more about whether we even see him again this season. And after an .806 save percentage, some tough goals, and an important point left on the table, I wouldn’t be surprised if Connor Ingram gets the net for the rest of the season.

I’ll be damned if I don’t sneak at least one positive into this thing, so here we are with the silver lining. If the boys are going to keep giving me opportunities to write about depth scoring, then you sure as shit know I’m going to take them. I love depth scoring, and if you’ve been an Oilers fan for more than a minute, you know how much of a battle it’s been just to get any of it. That’s why I’m always fired up when someone outside of the top six or the usual suspects finds a way to pick up a big goal, and that’s exactly what Curtis Lazar did in the first period. Only 11 seconds after the Mammoth opened the scoring, Lazar responded with a goal as the business end of a beautifully executed 2-on-1 with Adam Henrique. In terms of a response, it doesn’t get much better than that.

If the Oilers are going to take the extra step in the playoffs this year, they’ll need contributions from the bottom six. Over the past handful of runs, Edmonton has had to rely on Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard for the bulk of the offence. And while that works a good chunk of the time, the extra quarter turn toward greatness will come if everyone else can find another gear and chip in from time to time. As our pal Mike Menzies noted in the tweet above, the fourth line has chipped in with four goals over the last five games, and I think that stat is postcard beautiful even though we know the heater won’t last forever. Depth goals are life, friends, and it would be pretty damned cool if the Oilers could keep getting them.

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