Edmonton Oilers Playoff Thoughts: Round 1, Game 4

It’s always nicer to write these after a win when everyone’s happier.

Calvin Pickard got the start in Game 3, and I’m not too picky about how he played. The only goal out of 4 that I completely blame him for was the 4^th one. The Oilers had just tied the game 3-3, and then the Kings regained their lead 9 seconds later. An opposing player poking the puck on a breakaway with one hand as a last second desperation move, while being pursued by a defender, has no business going five-hole and into the net. That’s probably the worst goal allowed in this series so far, and it’s from the Edmonton goalie who’s actually playing better hockey than the other Edmonton goalie. But aside from that, Pickard did what was asked of him. He made key saves that Stuart Skinner struggled to make more of in the first two games. Yesterday, the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast tweeted the “strong possibility” of Skinner starting this game. Although you can see tweets from people you don’t even follow, I’m not subscribed to that podcast, so I don’t know for sure how much merit their information has. I don’t know what their history with hockey news is. I do know that the winning goalie usually deserves a start more than the losing goalie. I feel bad for how Stu’s season has gone, I really do. But until Pickard plays a truly irredeemable game, the net should be his right now. If the Oilers get out of this series and we see the Dallas Series, Stu, later on, great. But those first two games, and Pickard acting as the hero again, have shown us the Vancouver Series Stu instead. Reward the guy who helped get you a crucial win. It’s nothing personal, it’s strictly business.

Evander Kane had a really big game as well, and needed less time than Connor Brown did last year to get his offense going. There needed to be not one, but two reviews for the 4-4 tying goal he scored. The first is to check for any distinct kicking motion, and the second is to check for any goaltender interference. He kicked the puck towards Darcy Kuemper, but then got his stick on it before it crossed the goal line. There was absolutely no visual evidence of him interfering with Kuemper, other than Anze Kopitar gently pushing him in that direction. It was an odd choice by Los Angeles head coach Jim Hiller to make that coach’s challenge for the second review. Seeing it fail put the Oilers on a powerplay that only took them 10 seconds to score with. It was a beautiful play by both Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard. Bouchard became the first Oilers defenseman to score 2 PP goals in a single Playoff game. You mean Paul Coffey didn’t do that? Really? As much flak as we give him for his odd defensive gaffes, and it is warranted, I never understand why some fans would be content with seeing him traded. He’s now second in Playoff Points Per Game, behind only the great Bobby Orr. You don’t give up on a player like that, you just don’t. If you do, you have to spend so many years looking for another one. Why go through that unnecessarily?

As I stated in my Game 3 preview, just one win before going back to LA isn’t helpful enough. Now only being down 2-1, you can either tie the series and attempt to take a lead in Game 5 against the league’s best home record, or Game 5 will have to be a Do-Or-Die game on the road against the league’s best home team. Your choice, which option will we be given? The keys to the game are…

Edmonton Oilers Thoughts

Sticks Off: Edmonton didn’t blow a 2-0 lead in Game 3 because they took their foot off the gas. They blew it because both of LA’s first two goals deflected off the sticks of Oilers players. I’d hate to criticize the best player in the world, but Connor McDavid was the first one, and Mattias Janmark was the second one. Putting your stick on the ice in front of a shot works sometimes, but goalies hate it most times. You can’t tell players not to try defending, but do it in a way that wouldn’t be a self-inflicted wound.

Special Teams: Before Game 3, the Oilers were 0/5 on the powerplay and 6/10 on the penalty kill. On Friday night, they still let in both of LA’s PP opportunities but made up for it with the 2 PP goals by Bouchard. They’ll need to continue their resurgence with the man advantage while strengthening how they shut down the other side’s man advantage.

Control Yourself: I talked about the good part of Kane’s game, but now I have to talk about the bad part. In both games that he’s been back for, he did a Benoit Pouliot impression (remember him) and took penalties a lengthy distance away from his team’s net. In his post-game interview, he stated the need to be better on the PK, yet he’s also the guy taking bad penalties. I don’t want him to take the swagger and toughness out of his skillset; he just needs to pick his spots.