The Edmonton Oilers have hit another two-game skid.
Though they have generally done well to avoid dropping too many points in a row, the Oilers are once again in a position where they need to turn things around. The Anaheim Ducks put them back in such a position, handing them a 5-4 defeat in what was the first of a four-game homestand for the Oilers.
How did the Oilers get to this point? Let's talk about it.
Can we talk about the first period?
I'll defer on discussing the rule book in favor of a formal clarification on the hit on Connor McDavid by Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson.
But Twitter was not having it with regard to the refereeing.
Helleson ran McDavid into Ducks goaltender Laurent Brossoit's right goalpost, and it took a while for the Oilers' captain to get up; he left the game to recover from the hit. No penalty was called on the hit, and after McDavid and Helleson exchanged words, Vasily Podkolzin fought the latter and picked up a five-minute penalty and a game misconduct in the process. The fact Helleson got nothing on the hit seems to be where the controversy comes from.
Though the Ducks scored on the ensuing five-minute power play, continuing what has been a red-hot run of form for their special teams unit, the Oilers' backing of their captain didn't hurt their place in the hockey game. The crowd cheered anytime an Oiler levelled a hit on a Ducks player, while Kasperi Kapanen took on Pavel Mintyukov in what was one of many fights to take place on Thursday.
The Oilers ultimately got their revenge late in the first period when Alex Formenton drew a penalty on Jackson LaCombe during a late breakaway attempt. Evan Bouchard converted the power play opportunity off assists from McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who was honored before the game for overtaking Kevin Lowe for the most regular-season games played in the club's history.
Two chances from steals act as a foundation for competitive contest
Did the Ducks' hockey sticks have a Buffalo chicken dinner before taking the ice?
If so, why wasn't I invited?
While the scoresheet might not suggest that took place, McDavid certainly made the case; he had not just one, but two scoring chances come from stolen pucks. The second of those chances saw him take the puck before it could get to defenseman Tristan Luneau and put it in the back of the net off a rebound.
His two chances were representative of what was a decent night for the Oilers in terms of the fast-break and zone entries. Both of those were one of many that either helped the Oilers score or create sustained zone presence with the goal of wearing out the Ducks' advantage in the game.
Given that this was one of Edmonton's better games in terms of creating scoring chances, one has to credit the downhill play of McDavid when analyzing this contest.
The Oilers' penalty kill is legit, but the penalties themselves are part of the problem
Edmonton's penalty kill was part of the reason they were in the contest for so long. They got a goal on a second-period penalty kill (the same one where McDavid scored on a breakaway) and neutralized five of Anaheim's power play opportunities.
But the Oilers took way too many penalties, and it ultimately broke their penalty kill's ability to reel Anaheim in. By game's end, the Oilers conceded seven of the 13 total power plays in the hockey game; Anaheim converted on a pair of them.
The Podkolzin call can be set aside, but this isn't the first time Edmonton's given up so many costly penalties. And they've come back to haunt the Oilers; even with Thursday's performance in mind, the Oilers are not close to being a top penalty-killing unit. They entered the game tied for 21st in the entire league in that metric, and their 73.9% penalty kill percentage was almost 17% off that of the New York Rangers, who are the top team in that regard.
And the penalty kill could easily become the point of emphasis in the short-term. The offense continues to record 3+ goal games and has scored four times in four of their last five games. At the same time, save for Thursday, the goaltending has been serviceable and has only really been held back by injuries and the Vancouver Canucks (more on them later).
For now, it's safe to say that, for better or for worse, Thursday's game against the Ducks showcased Edmonton's penalty kill.
Oilers need to capitalize on early-game momentum
From the hit on McDavid to just past the midway point of the hockey game, the momentum was firmly on Edmonton's side. They were completing checks, matching Anaheim's sometimes-excessive physicality, and creating a considerable amount of offense from it. In fact, the late-period power play that came from Formenton's high-speed opportunity represented the third such opportunity in four regulation frames; the Oilers had two late-period power plays on Tuesday against the Devils.
The Oilers did well to use the former call to tie the game against the Ducks before taking the lead early in the second. But the Oilers couldn't convert the early-game momentum into a sustained effort; they were kept at arms length for the majority of the game save for a late-game push to get within one goal and ultimately come close to tying the game at five.
Had the Oilers continued their early-game push, they could have walked away with yet another point. Instead, they will sport an 11-3-3 record as they continue their homestand.
Quick note
No matter whether Kapanen remains in Edmonton going forward or opts to test free agency, he could be in for a pay raise.
He now has 10 points in his first 17 games of the season, which has him on pace for a 50-point season. Kapanen has only passed the 40-point threshold once in his career; he recorded 44 points during his 2018-19 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
His current cap hit is equal to $2.6 million; if he can remain on a 50-point trajectory, he could be in for an AAV that puts him beyond at least $3.5 million.
What's next?
The Oilers will continue their latest homestand on Saturday when they take on the Canucks, who have gone 1-13-1 since starting the season 2-1-0. The latter stretch did include two competitive outings with the Oilers; though the Oilers lead the season series by a point (1-0-1 vs 1-1-0), they will have to be careful and not fall victim to what could easily be a trap game. The third meeting of the season between the Oilers and the Canucks will take place at 9:00 p.m. Alberta Time.
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