Good morning, everyone, and a happy holiday Monday to you all. I’ve got a fresh mailbag ready to go, after taking your questions and sending them to the crew for their take on whatever’s on your mind. This week, we’re discussing the Edmonton Oilers’ line combinations, Stuart Skinner’s back-to-back shutouts, Mattias Ekholm, and more. If you’ve got a question you’d like to ask, email it to me at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk, and I’ll get to you as soon as I can.
Feb 5, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Edmonton Oilers left wing Jeff Skinner (53) celebrates his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
1) Andrew asks – Is it more alarming or a testament of depth that the Oilers have two of their free agent bets in Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson sitting in the press box during the playoffs?
Jason Gregor:
I don’t see it alarming at all. They’ve added better/different players since July 1st. The goal is to always improve throughout the season. Arvidsson played quite well in the playoffs and had four points before coming out. Knoblauch wanted a more physical presence who was a bit quicker. And it worked perfectly. If the Oilers get an injury to a LW or a C, then Skinner will come in as RNH will have to move to the middle. Depth is a good thing.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
I’ll say it’s a testament to their depth. In years past, players got to stay in the lineup even when they weren’t playing well. Look at last years playoffs as an example. The only player who they would even consider adding into the lineup was Derek Ryan. This year? You have Arvidsson, Kapanen, Skinner, and Savoie who could all realistically come in if the team needed a different look. They have so many quality options now and that just wasn’t the case last year.
Baggedmilk:
I think it’s both. In years past, if you wanted to pull a guy like Viktor Arvidsson out of the lineup — is he hurt? — you’d have Derek Ryan sliding into his spot instead of Kasperi Kapanen.
May 14, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) shakes hands with Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) after the Oilers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 1-0 during an overtime period, completing a 4-1 series win during game five of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
2) Mitch asks – Ignoring the obvious difference in the results for a second, what was the biggest difference from the first two games we got from Stuart Skinner against L.A. to the last two we got from him against Vegas?
Jason Gregor:
The team wasn’t an absolute tire fire defensively like there were the two games in LA. That helped, but Skinner also made some big saves, especially the Barbashev breakaway early in Game 4. You could almost see how that save gave him confidence and after that every save he made look rather easy. He just looked in control.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
He looked so calm in the last two games against Vegas. He wasn’t flopping around, he wasn’t struggling with simple scoring chances. He was so composed. That’s the difference.
Baggedmilk:
I’m going to default to Devan Dubnyk from the latest Ask Dubey on this one:
There weren’t a lot of shots his way, but he did everything he could when they were coming. And I think on top of that, one of the most important things for his game, when you’re watching and fans see it, people watching the TV see it, guaranteed.His teammates see it is just him being comfortable and confident in the net, and that’s all in his movements. So when the puck isn’t just moving around, when it’s down around the net, when the shots come, recover all these movements in and around his crease, the team can feel that, the fans can feel that and he just looks more balanced, more comfortable, more confident in the net.
What else is there to add?
May 8, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman (96) celebrates with team mates after scoring a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period of game two of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
3) Oilers fan in Van asks – Can someone please explain what is happening with the Oilers’ power play?
Jason Gregor:
Overall, it is 25%, however it was 9% v. Vegas. The main issue is their unwillingness to shoot. In the Vegas series the first unit had a total of 18 shots in 21 minutes of PP time together. Not good enough. Vegas let them have the perimeter and the Oilers passed it around without shooting.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
Struggling to find a good secondary pitch is how I’d explain it. If the Leon one-timer isn’t there, then they can’t generate anything that’s all that dangerous. In the past, they’ve had that. Right now, they don’t. They have to get more creative and show other teams that they need to defend different looks
Baggedmilk:
The thing that sticks out to me is that they’re not getting nearly enough shots on net. It’s like they’re always looking for the perfect play before instead of trying to create some chaos sometimes. The other angle is that L.A. and Vegas both blocked a tonne of shots.
Jun 21, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) during the first period against the Florida Panthers in game six of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
4) Dale asks – Kris Knoblauch suggested that Mattias Ekholm may be available later in the third round, but who would you take out of the lineup if he’s able to go?
Jason Gregor:
For his first few games, I’d take out a forward like Dallas did and go 11-7. They can let him get back up to speed for a few games like Miro Heiskanen did. He’s coming off a groin injury, and I’d want to have six other D-men dressed in case of emergency.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
We’ll see how the first two games go. I think Stecher is the easy answer, but if Stecher and Nurse keep playing well together and Ekholm needs to be kept in a third pairing role for his first few games back, then I think there’s a case for Klingerg to come out.
Baggedmilk:
I wonder if Knoblauch might go 11-7 for a game or two when Ekholm gets back? That way, the coaches would be able to shelter him a little bit while he tries to get caught back up to game speed. As for who comes out, in that scenario, it might be a guy like Kasperi Kapenen or maybe even Trent Frederic. We shall see.
Apr 6, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) scores a goal in the 2nd period against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena. The goal is the 895th of Ovechkin’s career, breaking the NHL all-time career goals record previously held by Wayne Gretzky.at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
5) Ben asks – The second round of this year’s playoffs has been a mixed bag, and I’m wondering what everyone thinks was the biggest surprise from the quarter finals, be that team, player, or otherwise?
Jason Gregor:
I was surprised at how utterly boring the Carolina/Washington series was. It was painful to watch. Also, I was surprised Toronto lost. They usually come up big in Game 7s.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
I’ll say the Oilers winning without their star players being dominant is a big surprise. Other than that, it was pretty predictable from a league perspective. The Oilers were the only team to win their series as a betting odds underdog.
Baggedmilk:
I’m going to go with Washington. I didn’t see Carolina walking through them as easily as they did, and I also didn’t see Washington’s offence disappearing the way it did.
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