Oilers depth steps up big in series opener comeback win

Although things looked dicey, the Edmonton Oilers were able to rally back to win the series opener at home against the Anaheim Ducks 4-3.

This win is owed in large part to the Oilers secondary contributors, specifically Kasperi Kapanen and Jason Dickinson. They were the only two players on the team that scored a goal, both finishing the night with two apiece.

To give an idea of how much the depth stepped up, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman pointed out, it was the first win of the entire Oilers season that Connor McDavid failed to register a point in.

Oilers depth shines in series opener

As mentioned before both Kapanen and Dickinson were the lone goal scorers for the Oilers but there were contributions from other depth pieces. Vasily Podkolzin finished the night with two apples, so did defenceman Jake Walman. Although it seems silly to call a $7 million defenceman 'depth' he finished the game logging only 15:01 minutes on the night.

In addition to these four players having two-point nights, Leon Draisaitl was able to step up big with two assists, both coming on goals from linemate Kapanen. His presence coming off long term injured reserve is a big help for the Oilers as they try to make another run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Goaltender Connor Ingram looked steady in net, despite a second period that saw him allow three unanswered goals, wiping away the Oilers 2-0 lead and forcing a comeback from down 3-2 entering the third period.

Oilers will need to keep their foot on the gas

Luckily, we are talking about a victory or right now, the narrative would be much worse for Edmonton. The team coughed up a lead, allowing three unanswered goals and were able to just barely come out on top.

Had the Oilers lost this game, we would be talking about their lack of killer instinct and how they are prone to coughing up leads. This would be a real issue for a team that hopes to make yet another Stanley Cup Finals run.

Next game, although it seems obvious, the Oilers will need to keep pushing and lock it down better but this is the risk when facing a team like the Ducks, who boast plenty of talented players of their own. Both of these clubs have struggled defensively at times this season but both have had very little producing offence.

Using evolving-hockey.com the Ducks ranked 29th in goals against and 11th in goals for at 5-on-5 meanwhile the Oilers ranked 26th and 14th in the same metrics. They are both highly talented offensive teams that struggle in keeping the puck out of their own net. This could cause a goaltending showdown, something that the Oilers may not want to engage in with how shaky their crease has been.

Between the high flying offence and the strong goaltender, the Ducks are one of the teams the Oilers were hoping to not face and this game is a good example of why that is.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow