Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

To quote the mothers with Gene Principe on the Oilers road trip, “Mamma Mia.”

Edmonton has usually been dominant against the Ducks, beating them in 7 straight games. The powerplay merchants started making a comeback throughout December. But their even strength showing on Sunday afternoon left a sour taste. There were moments in Anaheim where I didn’t think they were as bad. However, falling asleep in the latter half of the second period, after just restoring a 2 goal lead, is something our team should look back on later in the season and feel that they let one slip away. This wasn’t like the San Jose game, where the opposing goalie stood on his head. The team with lower expectations showed up to play,y and the one with higher expectations didn’t.

Jeff Skinner was a healthy scratch for the first time this season, and I welcome a trade scenario. I didn’t believe that was possible in an earlier article, but it should be. Why is he still on this team if he keeps getting Yakupov-ed? Kris Knoblauch doesn’t like him enough to give him more minutes, top 6 minutes. He said one way Jeff Skinner could find his way into the top 6 is if injuries happen. Then there was that opportunity when Viktor Arvidsson or Evander Kane was still out. The excitement we all felt when he signed with us in the summer has vaporized. But he also has a No Movement Clause. As long as he’s finally on a team that can get him his first Playoff appearance, does he feel willing to keep playing a dud regular season? Or will he think enough is enough and just want to play for a coaching staff that’ll use him the way he’s supposed to be used?

From Anaheim’s perspective, a younger team that’s still in a rebuild/maturing phase can be proud of their game on Sunday and learn from it. From Edmonton’s perspective, the oldest roster in the league and a big Cup contender, watching their bad habits again wasn’t shocking; just a complete letdown. Their mothers should’ve been allowed in the locker room and given them some discipline. Let’s at least end 2024 on a more positive result. The keys to the game are…

Edmonton Oilers Thoughts

Alert: The last time the Oilers played Utah on November 29^th, they were coming off a week-long break, and while they still won in overtime, they looked pretty sloppy. Fast-forward a month later, coming off the Christmas break, and they play a sloppy back-to-back weekend. The Hockey Club sits only 4 points out of a Wild Card spot as I’m typing this. Don’t treat them the way you treated Anaheim.

Road Downers: Utah recently had a 4 game homestand and lost all 4 of those games. The first 2 of them were before Christmas Eve, and three of the losses were in regulation. They started their 4 game road trip with a loss in Seattle last night. They have post-holiday struggles, too. With the Oilers coming back from a below-average road trip and wanting to get back on track in front of their fans, the visitors want to try winning without the noise around them.

Keller Instinct: Clayton Keller started the season with modest production and a couple of stand-out games. December has been his best month thus far, with 15 points in 11 games and on pace for the second 80+ point season of his career. In 22 career games against Edmonton, he has 5 goals and 9 assists. Will his productive December increase those point totals?