The Edmonton Oilers’ modest two-game win streak got here to an finish on Saturday (Oct. 19) at American Airways Heart, the place they have been defeated 4-1 by the Dallas Stars in a rematch of the 2024 Western Convention Ultimate.
Matt Duchene scored twice for Dallas, which additionally obtained objectives from Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. Leon Draisaitl was the one Oilers participant to place the puck behind Stars netminder Jake Oettinger.
The sport was scoreless for practically 40 minutes earlier than Duchene beat Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner for a power-play aim with simply 26 seconds remaining within the second interval. Edmonton didn’t get on the board till 17:38 of the third interval when Draisaitl potted his team-leading third aim of the season.
Edmonton outshot Dallas 31-24, together with 17-4 over the primary half-hour of the sport. The Stars transformed their solely power-play alternative, whereas the Oilers went 0-for-2 with the person benefit.
With the loss, Edmonton’s report drops to 2-4-0 in 2024-25. The Oilers had received their earlier two video games, in opposition to the Philadelphia Flyers at residence on Tuesday (Oct. 15) and the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Enviornment on Thursday (Oct. 17).
Skinner Is Not on Prime of His Sport But
Skinner didn’t have a horrible outing by any means, however he was the second-best of the 2 goalies on this recreation. The 25-year-old would undoubtedly prefer to have again Duchene’s ice-breaker aim at 19:34 of the second interval. Hintz received a draw to the precise of the Edmonton internet and fed the puck again to Duchene, who beat Skinner clear with a wrist shot from the excessive slot to provide Dallas the sport’s first aim.
The rating remained 1-0 till the ultimate minutes of the sport, when Duchene and Hintz scored 70 seconds aside, at 12:06 and 13:16 of the third interval. After Draisaitl’s aim pulled Edmonton inside 3-1, Robertson scored in an empty internet.
Skinner is now 1-3-0 and has allowed not less than three objectives in all 4 of his begins this season. His objectives in opposition to common (GAA) of 4.03 and save share (SV%) of .851 are nicely beneath customary for Edmonton’s No.1 netminder.
It needs to be famous that Skinner additionally struggled out of the gates final season. He was 1-5-1 with a 3.87 GAA and .854 SV% by his first eight appearances of 2023-24, earlier than going 35-11-4 with a 2.43 GAA and .913 SV% the remainder of the way in which.
Oilers’ Particular Groups Are a Huge Drawback
By way of six video games, the Oilers have been outscored 24-12. Their aim differential of minus-12 is the second worst within the NHL, forward of solely the Predators.
Particular groups are largely in charge for that hideous margin, as Edmonton has transformed simply one among 15 power-play alternatives whereas killing off solely 11 of 20 energy performs for the opposition. The Oilers have the league’s lowest penalty-kill share (55.0%) and its third-lowest power-play share (6.7%).
To grasp how essential particular groups are to Edmonton’s success, contemplate the next numbers from the 2024 playoffs, when the Oilers made a run all the way in which to Sport 7 of the Stanley Cup Ultimate:
Over 25 video games, Edmonton scored 22 power-play objectives and three short-handed objectives, whereas permitting 4 power-play objectives and nil short-handed objectives, giving the Oilers a differential of plus-21 on particular groups. In all different conditions, the Oilers merely broke even, scoring 61 objectives and permitting 61 objectives.
Whereas unbelievable offensive abilities like Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid amongst others are within the Oilers’ arsenal, there’s little question their energy play will get on monitor. Edmonton’s penalty kill, nonetheless, is trigger for actual concern, and it’s honest to surprise how a lot the Oilers are lacking the likes of offseason departures Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais, Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod, all of who logged vital time on the penalty-kill in 2023-24.
Breakthrough Is Coming for Hyman
With solely 12 objectives in six video games, the dearth of offence is clearly a team-wide situation for the Oilers. Virtually each participant’s level manufacturing is beneath expectations, so it’s unfair to single anybody out specifically. However if you rating 54 objectives one season and begin the following season going pointless by six video games, you’re going to return below hearth.
Thus, Zach Hyman is the poster baby for Edmonton’s early-season struggles. After failing to register both a aim or an help in opposition to the Stars, the veteran winger has now gone six straight video games with no level, his longest such drought in a single season since going seven straight video games with no aim or an help on the finish of 2016-17 with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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Oilers followers needs to be inspired by Hyman’s play, nonetheless. Saturday’s recreation was the second in a row that he was a continuing presence across the opposing internet, resembling the participant who completed with the third-most objectives within the NHL in 2023-24. He led all Oilers forwards with 4 photographs and had one other 4 photographs missed.
After firing simply 5 photographs on aim over Edmonton’s first 4 video games, Hyman has now totalled 9 photographs on aim from the final two video games. He began the season with a minus-4 ranking within the first three video games however has a ranking of plus-3 within the three video games since. If Hyman continues to play like this, it received’t be lengthy earlier than the primary aim comes. As soon as he lastly breaks the seal, many objectives might observe.
Hyman’s subsequent probability to get off the schneid comes Tuesday (Oct. 22), when the Oilers host the Carolina Hurricanes at Rogers Place.
