Ryan McLeod #71, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images) /
The past few weeks the Edmonton Oilers have not been able to catch a break. They have lost five straight games including contests against the Kraken and Kings, two divisional rivals. There are a handful of players that need to step up for the team but first let’s talk about the five losses.
The Oilers are a better team than what they are showing on the ice. I think everyone expected them to drop off from their great play to begin the season, but falling as far as they have as of late was definitely not expected. Losing five straight games is not good for their position in the standings, and is going to take some time to build back up momentum. The only issue is their next matchup is against the Maple Leafs, which is going to be another tough game.
At the root of the issues the past few games has to be their lack of offence. Edmonton has scored three goals just once in the last five games, something they did pretty much every night up until this losing streak. In the previous 21 games prior to this losing streak, they only scored two or less five times. The offence has definitely hit a rough patch.
One of the biggest reasons for the losing streak has to be the lack of power play success as of late. Power plays hit rough patches as the season goes on and teams figure out their plan. For the Oilers that is evident in their last five games as they have gone 3/18 in their last five games on the man advantage.
This seems to be a team issue, the Oilers are just not getting that top-end scoring right now. McDavid has just a goal and Leon Draisaitl has three in their past five games. Let’s go over five players that need to step up to get the team back in the win column.
Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
1. Kailer Yamamoto
Kailer Yamamoto has played in all of the Oilers’ last five games. He is averaging 14:26 minutes of ice time a night, not that bad of a total for a third-line forward at this time. Even though he is playing some top minutes with some great players he has no shots on goal in the last five games, for a team trying to generate offence they need their players at least shooting the puck.
Right now Yamamoto is still on a line with Nugent-Hopkins and Draisaitl, but that is probably going to have to be shaken up as this is just not working right now. The past five games have shown how much the team has relied on its power play and they need to find other ways to score goals.
Bumping down Yamamoto to the bottom six to play alongside Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod might open things up for him offencively considering he wouldn’t be on a line with one of the best offencive players in the world getting all the top defenders against him in Draisaitl.
The next player on this list is also one of Yamamoto’s linemates, can you guess who?
2. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has a goal and three assists in the last five games, but looking at just the five on five numbers it is just a goal and an assist in the last five. Nugent-Hopkins does have eight shots on goal at five on five but the Oilers need him doing more.
The long-time Oilers forward has just three goals on the year yet he is averaging 20:50 minutes of ice time a night, for a forward taking up that much ice time with linemates like Leon Draisaitl, he needs to be scoring more goals.
I do not think there is any better way to put it than this, Nugent-Hopkins needs to start taking better shots. So far in the last five games, those eight five on five shots on goal have resulted in just one rebound created. The Oilers need to start getting scrappy in front of the net creating second or third scoring opportunities and that starts with him shooting the puck in better positions to create rebounds for his linemates.
3. Ryan McLeod
Ryan McLeod is doing a lot for the Oilers and that is worth mentioning right now. In the last five games, he is second in face-off wins with 25 in the last five at even strength. That number is behind only Leon Draisaitl who has 31 five-on-five face-off wins. The only issue for McLeod is he is not scoring enough goals and he is coughing up the puck a bit too much.
Tyson Barrie and McLeod lead the team with six giveaways at even strength in the past five games. That is not a stat anyone wants to lead in right now. McLeod has also been hit eight times and that is a theme in the bottom six as Foegele has been hit ten times.
McLeod has some size at 6’2″, I think the 22-year-old forward is still trying to get used to the NHL game. Most of his issues can be solved by being smarter with the puck and shooting more when given the opportunity. He has four shots on goal in the last five games and has 14 shots on the season, if he were to shoot more he is going to create some offence for the team which is all the team really needs from him at this time.
Bumping Kailer Yamamoto to his line alongside Warren Foegele gives the team a really good third line that can hopefully generate some offence and energy for the team, it also gives Zack Kassian a chance to play in the top six, which brings me to another top-six forward that needs to step up.
4. Zach Hyman
Hyman has not been up to a lot the past five games. He has an assist to his name and even though he has been relatively strong away from the puck generating nine hits and drawing two penalties, the team needs more from the big offseason signing.
Hyman was brought in to play with Connor McDavid one of the best players ever, yet in the past five games, McDavid has hit a bump in the road and has not been up to a lot. In part, he needs his linemates to help spark a little more offence.
Hyman has 11 goals on the season which is the third-best total on the team, but the team needs more from the forward. The goals are important, but for Hyman, I think what he needs to do is work on his play setting up his linemates. Despite playing with McDavid, Hyman is eighth on the team in assists, the forward needs to be better at setting up his linemates for goals.
The top six needs all the help they can get, which brings me to the last of the five players that needs to step up.
5. Warren Foegele
Warren Foegele was traded to the Edmonton Oilers this offseason for defenceman Ethan Bear. Bear made his return to Edmonton during the last game for the Carolina Hurricanes and it was great to see him back in Edmonton.
I think a lot of fans are always going to generally disagree with the trade that sent Bear to Carolina. The only way Foegele is going to win some fans over on the deal is by playing well on the ice and helping to fix the bottom six for the team.
Foegele has unexpected goals for of just 35.71 percent this season. His line has been on the ice for 18 goals against compared to just ten goals for. The forward has two goals and six assists on the season, but one of those goals was on the power play.
For the team to succeed, Foegele needs to be the driving force of the third line. I think his line should consist of McLeod and Yamamoto. They would have some skill and speed in their lineup and would be a great fit to play against some of the other team’s weaker defencive pairings.
The Oilers getting back in the win column might be led by Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl scoring two or three goals in the game, or it might be a power-play goal or two that makes the difference, but for the team to have success long term, it needs to be a third line getting hot that gets the team in the win column. Hopefully, their next game against the Toronto Maple Leafs is when things click for the Oilers.
