Edmonton Oilers: Officiating Handing Team Hardships

The Edmonton Oilers have found themselves in the midst of trouble over these last couple of games, and it has put them in a hole. Is one of the reasons to blame the officiating?

In the remaining seconds of Game 5, with the Oilers up 3-2, the Ducks scored with seconds left on a controversial play.

Despite Ryan Kesler’s interference with Cam Talbot, the referees called it a good goal and the call on the ice stood. The NHL explained that because Darnell Nurse checked Kesler into the net, there was no goaltender interference.

Look at the replay. Kesler grabs Talbot’s pad, stopping him from moving. In that sense, he was unable to stop the goal. The call on the ice likely should not have stood, but it did, and now, the Oilers find themselves down in this series, 3-2.

Edmonton Oilers

Here is the situation. The Oilers, though they’ve been in a tough spot with the officials, have not played to their best ability. The defence completely fell apart, and Edmonton was outshot and outplayed through the entire game. Talbot was a brick wall, but things went wrong in the midst of the pressure.

In another instance, the Ducks scored the overtime winner in Game 4 off of a washed-out icing (that was originally icing). This, of course, tied the series for Anaheim and put the Oilers in an awkward position. In Game 3, there was a controversial offside goal that was still deemed a good goal for Anaheim. Overall, it’s a tough place for the Oilers to be in, but they cannot blame the officials entirely for the series scenario.

The Oilers are not getting a full defensive effort from their forward lines, nor are the backend pairings really stable. Additionally, they allow the Ducks way too much space and let Anaheim walk all over them. In the end, it’s not a good spot for the Oilers, and now, their season hangs on Game 6.

If Edmonton wants to win, they will have to stand up, against all adversity, and raise the bar that they set to start the series.