They are second in their division and third in the whole league as I’m typing this. They went undefeated in a three-game road trip and had four straight wins, heading into a three-game homestand. Hard to complain when you have those things, right? But come on, this is the Edmonton Oilers we’re talking about. If there aren’t still online debates from the fan base anyway, what sport are we even watching? In the four games that Stuart Skinner has started, as well as the minutes he played in relief of Jack Campbell in game 2, he leads the league in SV% with .955 and is second in GAA with 1.59.
Conversely, Campbell has his stats looking ghastly in comparison, which was fine for Halloween but not during hockey games. .888 SV% and 3.88 GAA, not the ideal start for a goaltender whose now making $5M a year for five years. Oilers fans, and people who just keep tabs on the Oilers, are concerned. But HOW concerned should we be? Campbell already had the reputation of being a slow starter, and we are still at the start of the season. His team has only played nine games. They’ve only finished one month of NHL hockey. I mentioned this in last week’s article, but had it not been for Campbell’s performance in game 2, he may have exactly a .900 SV% or just slightly under. There were also two goals against Chicago last week that I pin on him, but also hard to blame the goalie when both teams play nearly half a game, killing penalties. It’s also true that the team in front hasn’t been good enough defensively and needs to allow fewer shots on net. Needing to face 35+ on a game-by-game basis will exhaust any goalie. Stats don’t show it, but Campbell has made key saves at key times that almost forgive the number of goals allowed. I’m not panicking… yet. But their offense can only mask these problems for so long. If you can win games when one goalie is allowing four or five goals a night and when another goalie is allowing just one or two goals a night, then it’s only a matter of time before the -four or five goals- netminder finds his groove. I think most fans will still take this year’s goaltending over what they’ve seen the last few years. But for now, yes, Skinner has taken the starter’s role, albeit early. This week’s opponents are…
Tuesday, November 1st at 7 pm VS Nashville Predators
Speaking of defense, here’s a team that has always been blueline darlings for the longest time. Last season, Roman Josi nearly recorded the first 100-point season by a defenseman since Brian Leetch in 1992. They made their blueline steadier with the addition of Ryan McDonagh in the offseason. And were it not for Jussi Saros’ injury just before the start of last year’s playoffs, you can’t believe they would’ve still been swept in round one. They’d still most likely lose to the Cup winning Avalanche anyway, but not a 4-0 series. Edmonton must come prepared to break through this defense while cleaning up theirs.
Thursday, November 3rd at 7 pm VS New Jersey Devils
Historically, they are the kings of boring hockey games. But a lot of young talent up front has come up in their ranks in the last couple of years. Jesper Bratt is building on his 73 point season last year, along with their centremen and former first overall picks Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. There is also their 2022 free agent signing, Ondrej Palat. And Dougie Hamilton, who is expected to lead their offense from the backend, is having a nifty start with 7 points in his first 8 games. If this franchise can get the goaltending sorted out, may we grow accustomed to a different brand of Devils hockey than in years past?
Saturday, November 5th at 2 pm VS Dallas Stars
Watching Jake Oettinger almost steal round one in last year’s playoffs plays a part in why Oilers fans kept screaming about Skinner’s lack of playing time last year. Properly developing homegrown talent at key positions is an ingredient for long-term success. Oettinger left his game Saturday night with a lower body, and I don’t know if he’ll be out for this game a week from now. If he isn’t, then a fun netminding duel this would turn out to be.
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