The Edmonton Oilers fan base isn't feeling very good right now, and those vibes were only made worse on Thursday night in Seattle. Despite facing a Kraken team all but out of playoff contention, Kris Knoblauch's team suffered a demoralising 6-1 thrashing which highlighted all of their foibles.
Yes, we entirely appreciate that any team without their two best players and starting goalie would not be as good, but that excuse only goes so far. The reality is that even with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitil in the lineup the Oilers have been too inconsistent this season, while Stuart Skinner quite simply hasn't been good enough when he has been available.
In any event, the Oilers were embarrassed at Climate Pledge Arena by a teams whose number they were used to having, as the Kraken put on one of their best performances of a disappointing season. The key peiod was the middle frame, which saw the home team hammer the visitors with five goals to put the game out of reach with 20 minutes still to play.
Calvin Pickard can't answer the call for the Oilers
There had been some suggestion throughout the season that Calvin Pickard deserved more opportunities to start between the pipes. Well, this didn't turn out too well on Thursday night, as he was pulled following 40 minutes after allowing the aforementioned five goals on 29 shots.
This is not to say it was all on Pickard by any stretch of the imagination, but in a game where the Oilers needed their goalie to bail them out, he couldn't answer the call. Once again, questions have been raised about why Stan Bowman didn't do more to bring in a quality netminder prior to the Mar. 7 trade deadline, at a position which has struggled all season in Edmonton.
At least Oliver Rodrigue made his long awaited NHL debut and gave a good account of himself. He stopped seven of the eight shots he faced during the third period, and in fairness there was nothing he could do about the goal he allowed.
Pickard will still likely get the majority of the action during Skinner's absence, but Rodrigue showed why there is so much hope for him, even if his AHL form lacking has been lacking this season after two excellent campaigns. As per Jamie Umbach of NHL.com, Knoblauch said:
"He made a lot of big saves. He looked engaged, the rebound control was good and his agility made for some really big saves, so it was nice to see. It would've been nice to see him have an easy period, but he was tested with some big ones. It was nice to see that he can do it."
Little else for Oilers fans to cheer about
The only other real positive for the Oilers, was Zach Hyman scoring his 27th goal of the 2024-25 season. He started off this campaign with just three goals in the first two months, but since then has looked more like the player who notched a career-high 54 last season.
At the same time, Hyman is all about team success and he was under no illusion as to where it went wrong versus the Kraken. As per Mark Spector of Sportsnet, he said:
"We just stopped working, made too many mistakes, and they capitalized on a bunch of them. If we're not working, especially with the guys (they have) out of the lineup, we don't have a chance. So we just let our game slip a little bit there, and then they took advantage."
Of particular concern in all of this, is the Oilers' continuing to slide down the standings. At one point genuinely challenging for top spot in the Western Conference, they are now two points behind the Los Angeles Kings for home ice in their potential first round playoff matchup, and having played one game more.
Of course at this stage all that matters is qualifying for the playoffs full stop, which while still likely, is not guaranteed. The Oilers do at least still have McDavid and Draisaitl to come back, although when is unclear at this point, for a team which also faced the Kraken without Mattias Ekholm, their defensive leader and heartbeat.
Overall, there is still hope and belief by an Oilers team which on their day can beat anybody. However, you can't help the feeling that this is an incomplete roster even when everyone is available, and doesn't compare to the one which went to the Stanley Cup Final last season.
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