3 Takeaways as Oilers secure comeback OT win versus Kraken
Key points from the dramatic 4-3 victory against the Kraken, as the Oilers now find themselves on their first three-game winning streak of the season.
Don’t look now, but the Edmonton Oilers are on a roll. They made it three wins in a row on Wednesday night, with the victory over the Kraken doubling as their second straight at Rogers Place, where they’d started the season 0-4-1.
In one of the more intriguing what-if scenarios, you have to wonder if the Oilers still would have won these past two games with Jay Woodcroft in charge? Certainly, the Islanders and Kraken are not exactly among the elite so far in 2023-24.
Regardless, two wins are two wins and the Oilers now get to go on their four-game road trip with a spring in their step. Here are some of the key takeaways from the 4-3 overtime win versus the Kraken:
1) Some much-needed mental fortitude
One of the biggest issues for the Oilers this season, has been their mental fragility. At the first sign of any type of adversity, more often than not they seemed to fall apart.
A recent prime example of this, was the 6-2 loss in Vancouver. The Oilers were dominating the Canucks during the first period, with a 19-2 advantage in shots on goal and a 1-0 lead.
However, as soon as the home side tied the game at 1-1, the Oilers just wilted. In the span of just 3:22 they allowed three goals and it was 3-1 to the Canucks after one, with the game all but over.
Now fast forward to Wednesday night at home to the Kraken. We’re just past the halfway point of the third period and the Oilers are trailing 3-1, looking second-best for the majority of the game.
The Kraken seemed in complete control, getting to the puck faster, working harder and just generally outplaying their host. Suddenly though, the Oilers turned it on and came storming back.
Evander Kane’s first goal pulled the Oilers to within 3-2 with 6:32 remaining and they became galvanised. However, it looked like they were going to come up short, still down a goal inside the final minute.
However, Kane struck again with just 46 ticks left on the clock, to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Kraken were demoralised and the Oilers took advantage, as Kane secured the win in the extra period with his third goal, which was also a natural hat-trick.
Postgame, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch was well aware of what a win like this could do for the psyche of the team. Speaking to the media, he said:
“The more things that you work through and fight through and have success when it’s all done, it’s just great for team building. Then the next time things are in a difficult situation, they know they can handle it. They know they can do this.”
2) Still plenty to work on
This is undoubtedly a feel-good win, the type of comeback victory the team just wasn’t capable of earlier in the season. However, this doesn’t change the reality that the Oilers still have plenty of work to do, if they are to indeed challenge for the playoffs.
As already mentioned, the home side were second-best for the majority of the night. On certain levels, this is extremely alarming.
Despite coming off a big win versus the Islanders, despite playing for a new coach, the team just didn’t have a good energy in Wednesday’s game against the Kraken. How can the players allow this to happen?
In fact, if the Kraken’s lead had held up, this would have fed into the narrative that the players were the problem rather than Woodcroft. And on that point, we will still assert that he didn’t suddenly become a bad coach overnight.
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Regardless, the reality is the Oilers just weren’t showing enough hustle and commitment. They were lackadaisical, with no focus and playing too carelessly with the puck.
The second period was the worst of the night in this respect, which is interesting given that Connor McDavid gave the hosts a 1-0 lead at the 5:21 mark. However, instead of this lifting the team, it seemed to have the opposite effect.
The Kraken tied the game within two minutes and went on to take a 3-1 advantage into the second intermission. If it wasn’t for Stuart Skinner having his fourth consecutive strong start, it would have been even worse.
Knoblauch acknowledged the poor play of the players, rather than trying to sweep it under the rug (ice). He said:
“I saw a team relax and make a lot of mistakes after we made it 1-0. The last 12 minutes of the second period was almost rock bottom in my opinion. I didn’t think we played well at all.”
3) Key players starting to raise their game
There are those who will contest McDavid still doesn’t look quite like his old self. In some respects, this is right.
However, at the same time you can’t ignore that the Oilers captain seems to (finally) be trending in the right direction. While appreciating 13 points in 13 games is average when you’re the best player in the world, he has now scored in two consecutive contests, after enduring a career-worst tying eight-game goal drought.
Similarly, Leon Draisaitl appears to be over his own recent productivity struggles, with six combined points in his past two games. He now has a team-leading 21 points and is just five back of top spot in the NHL.
Arguably most encouraging of all though, is the return to form of Kane. Finally, he looks like the player who impressed during his first season in Edmonton.
In fairness to the 2009 fourth overall draft pick he’s been on a roll for a bit now, after a poor start saw him produce just one point in his first five games. Since then he has 10 points in 14 games, with him overall fighting — quite literally at times — to keep the team going while his superstar teammates struggled.
Along these lines, we’d be remiss if we didn’t also acknowledge the offensive contributions of Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard. Like Kane, they have stepped in and made up for the respective struggles at times for McDavid and Draisaitl.
Of course the Oilers still have some way to get anywhere close to last season’s scoring rate, when they lead the entire NHL. However, at least they’re beginning to look more like themselves.
Certainly Kane is encouraged by what he’s seen of late. Speaking to the media postgame, he said:
“The last couple games, we’ve had big third periods and that propelled us to wins. I think we’re starting to find our groove here a little bit.”
Quote of the day
Kane discussing the Oilers’ attempt to turn things around entering the third period. He said:
“We talked about it in the second intermission – we’ve got to create some energy, we’ve got to flick the switch. I thought we did a pretty good job.”
Next. Never a dull moment as Oilers make flurry of moves. dark
Overall, despite the win improving the Oilers’ record to 5-9-1, they remain six points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. For all the feel-good vibes emanating around the place right now, the upcoming four-game road trip will prove crucial in determining if this team really is back.