Edmonton Oilers Power Play Sputters In 3-2 Loss To Av’s

It really isn’t that hard to dissect what stood between the Edmonton Oilers and a point or two, against the Colorado Avalanche Sunday night: Special Teams. The Av’s were able to execute on the man advantage and the Oilers (to say the least) were not.

I could stop there, really, as that was the crux of it. However…

9 Things:

9. It had become inevitable, but with the regulation loss tonight, the Edmonton Oilers were officially eliminated from the playoff picture, and have now missed the post-season for 10 consecutive seasons. Count ’em…10.

8. It was a shame that the Av’s scored right at the end of that power play in the 2nd Period. The Oilers had done an admirable job battling through that PK, including a terrific sliding block high in the zone by a stick-less Iiro Pakarinen.

7. This MAY have been a different game, if Darnell Nurse is able to score on that brilliant set-up by Connor McDavid. But Nurse was hand-cuffed just enough (surprised to get it?), that he hesitated for just a heart-beat too long, before drilling into Patrick Maroon‘s back-side, instead of into the back of the Colorado net.

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6. The pairing of Griffin Reinhart and Jordan Oesterle were again tonight the Edmonton Oilers best. That really shouldn’t be, but the numbers don’t lie: Oesterle had a Corsi of 56% and transported the puck well. Reinhart finished at 52% and got the “3rd assist” on the Hendricks goal, after a really aggressive pinch.

5. When you watch the Edmonton Oilers on the attack, there is one thing they really miss: A serious right-handed scoring threat past Jordan Eberle. It’s one of the reasons why I don’t think Eberle will be dealt this summer. Remember, all 3 of those good, young Oilers centers are left-handed shots.

4. Zack Kassian got the short-end of one call tonight, and the puck ended up in the Edmonton Oilers net on the resulting power play. That was the blemish on an otherwise fine night for the power forward. He led the club with 7 hits, several of them of the crushing variety, and on the 1st Oilers goal he earned as assist doing what so many of his teammates failed to do tonight…get the puck to the net.

3. This was an important result for the Edmonton Oilers organization, in that Laurent Brossoit was able to prove that he had it in him to bounce back from a shaky start, previously, and give his team a chance to win. Had some rebound issues, but battled through them, & had no real chance on the 3 that got past him. This team has too much to accomplish in the off-season without having to go out and get a new back-up goaltender as well. I don’t think they’ll have to.

2. Connor McDavid hit the score-sheet again tonight, on the late tally by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. But that hardly tells the tale of this night. The Kid was just spectacular in that 1st Period, but no one…not the other players he set up or on his own individual efforts…could cash. He could easily have had 3 or 4 points after 20 minutes. Instead, the Edmonton Oilers went into the dressing room scoreless, and by the time one of McDavid’s teammates WAS able to convert…it was too late.

1. The Power Play was flat-out terrible. And while sure, a “real” quarterback on the blue-line would help, that is not what cost the man advantage tonight. Instead, they lacked the willingness to get the puck to the net quick enough or often enough, and they seemingly refused to simplify (as they did against St. Louis), when the “prettier” plays were not working out for them. If I were to really break down the game tape, Laurent Brossoit may have led the PP in puck possession, as he was seemingly retrieving it from behind his own net, all night long.

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I’m a little frustrated with the guys, but don’t get mad at games like these. Like the coaching staff, I find each game fascinating, now, a clue as to what we may see when the 2016-17 season debuts. This set of players is an audition mode, with their Coach and General Manager and tonight…they failed to pass it.

They’ll have to try again Tuesday, in a place that has NOT been good this franchise, over the last few years…

Arizona.