Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic took a take a look at 20 questions dealing with the Edmonton Oilers after a 5-2 win on Tuesday over the Ottawa Senators. Off to a greater begin than final season, the Oilers have nonetheless struggled to search out consistency and look wherever near as efficient because the staff that went to Sport 7 of the Stanley Cup Ultimate. Not scoring as a lot as they’d like, inexplicably low capturing percentages for a few of the staff’s higher scorers, and a brutal penalty kill that appears to be discovering a little bit of a rhythm are only a few of the problems which have to fret administration.
Of the 20 questions listed by Nugent-Bowman, listed below are the three I imagine to be crucial:
What To Do With Jeff Skinner?
The scoring for the Oilers is slowly beginning to enhance and gamers like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman — each listed in Nugent-Bowman’s record — will come round. Nonetheless, Jeff Skinner‘s scenario is one other story. He’s getting photographs, however he’s seemingly within the doghouse with head coach Kris Knoblauch. For each sport that Knoblauch places Skinner ready to succeed and get going, he sends him again right down to the fourth line.
It is a participant the Oilers introduced in particularly to attain. They spent $3 million on him as a year-long rental and his struggles have lasted longer than anybody might have imagined. He has a no-movement clause so buying and selling him is probably going out of the query.
Skinner’s lack of tempo, physicality, and defensive effort are troubling. He hasn’t exceeded 12:19 of ice time in 5 of his final six video games.
Oilers’ Blue Line Is A Large Concern
Nugent-Bowman means that inconsistent goaltending has made the Oilers seem worse defensively than they’re, however there was a major step again from final season. The struggling penalty kill is a primary instance of how a lot the staff misses blueliners who might clear the zone or hassle areas, or defend with urgency.
So too, at five-on-five, they’ve allowed 2.34 objectives per 60 minutes, rating 14th within the NHL. The Oilers are getting manufacturing on offense from their prime defensemen, however the higher commerce can be having the forwards rating as usually as they need to and the defenders assist maintain the goals-against down.
The Oilers might want to add a defenseman, of that there isn’t a doubt. Who they add and the place they get that participant from stays to be seen.
Subsequent: Montgomery Firing Probably Results in Bruins Promoting Large Names in Trades
