As of late, the depth of the Edmonton Oilers lineup has shown up in a big way, especially in the past two games. The Edmonton Oilers clinched a playoff berth on Friday night against the Colorado Avalanche with a 6-2 win with depth scoring from Evander Kane and Corey Perry. In the final Battle of Alberta of the season, the Edmonton Oilers won a tough game 4-2 over the Calgary Flames, with goals from Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and most notably Connor Brown. The 3rd and 4th lines of the Oilers have been drawing penalties and executing key shifts that swing momentum in games, said Derek Ryan (Forward) in the post-game press conference after the win against the Flames. The bottom lines for the Oilers are scrappy and great at wearing teams down, especially the 4th line of Carrick-Ryan-Brown.
On the defensive side, Mattias Ekholm has been a fantastic addition to the Oilers and has appeared on the scoring sheet recently. He also has a +/- of 41, which is near the top of the NHL. The defensive game has been solid as of late (except the 5-0 shutout in Dallas) and will be key come playoff time with low-scoring/hard-checking games. Also, Vincent Desharnais has been stellar over the past month and is a nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy for exemplifying perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Desharnais is a tough customer who stands at 6’7′ and will be an integral piece come playoff time due to the physical nature of playoff games. If the Oilers limit their turnovers in the back end and play consistent complete games, they will have a chance at the cup.
Edmonton has the star power on the top two lines and is dangerous on the power play, but another looming question is whether the goaltending will be enough in the playoffs. Stuart Skinner has one year of playoff experience under his belt after last year’s heartbreaking series loss to the Vegas Golden Nights, and he won 34 games during the regular season with a save percentage of 0.906. Many have confidence in Skinner to buckle down in the playoffs, but he cannot start every game, especially if the Oilers make a deep run. The backup goaltender, Calvin Pickard, will have to answer the bell come playoff time, which leaves many skeptical of his capabilities. Calvin Pickard is a seasoned veteran with 12 wins this season with a 0.913 save percentage and has proven his capabilities as the backup. The success of the goaltenders, especially Pickard, will be decided by the defensive play and number of turnovers each game. Overall, McDavid’s “Cup or Bust” statement can become a reality this upcoming June if contributions from the entire lineup occur.
Awesome news. Go oilers all the way with my favorite player Darnell Nurse!
Awesome news! Go oilers all the way with my favorite players Darnell Nurse and Evander Kane!