The Edmonton Oilers dropped a 4-1 decision on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, to extend their current losing streak to four games. The Oilers started well, with Leon Draisaitl opening the scoring on a power play goal.
But that was it for the Oilers on Tuesday night. They failed to get anything going, eventually being outshot 36-24. In the third, when the Oilers could have pushed to tie the game, they managed just five shots on goal. That was that.
So, the Oilers’ current skid is becoming a cause for concern. I initially dismissed the back-to-back losses over the weekend as a blip on the radar screen. But now, it seems there could be something more brewing beneath the surface.
Are we seeing an Edmonton Oilers team that just isn’t competing hard enough? Is it that opponents have figured out more effective schemes to counteract the Oilers’ offense? Are the Oilers just playing better teams? Or is it all of the above?
According to StatMuse, the Oilers have been outscored 22-11 during the skid. The club is 0-4-0 and has been outshot 135-94. Those numbers reflect just how badly the Oilers have been outplayed in their recent skid.
The 5-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche came before the 4 Nations break. The game was close and the Oilers played to win. But where things get interesting is following the break. The Oilers lost 6-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers, then 7-3 to the Washington Capitals, and 4-1 to the Lightning.
Three losses to playoff teams. Only the Flyers are a non-playoff club, with Washington being the best team in the league this season.
What does that say about the Oilers? Was the loss to the Flyers the result of underestimating their opponent while being outplayed by other playoff-calibre clubs?
The power play could be the key to a turnaround for the Oilers
On the bright side, the Edmonton Oilers power play is 4-for-9 during the four-game slide. The power play went 2-for-4 against Colorado, 0-for-1 against the Flyers, 1-for-3 against the Capitals, and 1-for-1 against the Lightning.
Based on those numbers, the key for the Oilers is to leverage their legal power play to get back into games. But there’s one problem. Opponents know just how tough it is to play against that power play. So, their approach is to stay out of the penalty box.
Sounds simple, but it’s the best way to counteract the Oilers. It seems that Edmonton’s Achilles heel is not drawing enough penalties.
It’s like intentional walks in baseball. When a team knows that a batter can hit a home run in any at-bat, the easiest way to get around that player is to take the bat out of his hands.
That’s what opponents are doing with the Oilers. They are taking the bat out of the Oilers’ hands by not taking penalties.
It might sound ridiculous, but opponents are forcing the Oilers to beat them 5-on-5. That situation means the Oilers will need to become a tougher team to play against 5-on-5 in order to draw penalties and let the power play do its thing.
The Oilers will face another playoff team in the Florida Panthers on Thursday night. Here’s hoping the Oilers can get off the skids and back in the win column. Otherwise, more questions will continue to emerge.
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