The day before yesterday’s game, someone on Twitter asked if Edmonton’s recent stretch in February was a cause for concern. They cited stats in the comments section that were comparing their current play to what it was during their 16 straight wins. My take? There is no concern, at least not a massive one. I give my honest perspective on every game, positive or negative. But streaks like this happen for every team all the time. Our favorite team is no different from any other fan’s favorite team. After you go an entire month without a single loss, you have to expect some drop-off. No team wins or loses every game. If, in the next few weeks, the Oilers start repeating October and November, then yes, I will be concerned. If they fall back out of a Playoff spot, stay off social media for a while. But we’re not there yet, everybody chill.
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Are there better things I would’ve liked to see against Dallas? Absolutely. Their second periods continue to be awful, their penalty kill continues to get worse, and their powerplay is afraid to shoot the puck most of the time. But the good news is that both of their special teams still came up big and won them the game when they needed it the most. They killed off a Stars powerplay at the very beginning of the third period and then scored a powerplay goal of their own in Overtime. A 60 minute game is long, an 82 game regular season is long and a best 4 of 7 Playoff series is long. We need to remember all of that before our hockey emotions cloud our judgment. Something else to be happy about? Congrats to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for playing in his 852nd NHL game, surpassing Mark Messier for third all-time in games played for the Edmonton Oilers franchise behind only Ryan Smyth(971) and Kevin Lowe(1,037).
Today is Family Day in Canada. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy watching the Oilers with your families. The keys to the game are…
Keller Instinct: Clayton Keller is arguably the most underrated star in the NHL solely because of the team he plays for. While not on pace for the same 86 point season he had last year, he has almost been a point-per-game player. Unfortunately for Keller, he’s gone three straight games without a point. Seeing Arizona’s top player go quiet certainly doesn’t help a team get out of a huge slump.
Tired Hosts: The Coyotes are coming into the second half of a back-to-back, losing out yesterday against one of the best teams in the league on the road. They now travel back home to face, in their minds, a second goliath the day after. Can the Oilers take advantage of their jetlag?
Desperate Losers: Arizona has lost 9 straight games after putting themselves in the middle of a Playoff race. It’d be tough for any team returning to their own arena with that sort of streak. Imagine if the Coyotes were currently a Canadian market, how much more would be made of the scrutiny. Do you remember the time Oilers fans chanted, “We Want 10?” Today, Coyotes fans don’t want 10. At the same time, remember that this opponent once erased a 4-0 deficit to win a game earlier this season. The game is still played on the ice, not on paper.
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