Is there a ‘statement win’ to fill the hole in the Edmonton Oilers game: 9 things

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After the Edmonton Oilers won 4-3 at MSG on Saturday, the flight home from New York City was definitely a comfortable one.

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Was the lesson of how they fell behind the last thing this club learned? Is the solution you found in 20 minutes reproducible?

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More for this week…

9 things

9. The Edmonton Oilers owners were at Madison Square Garden for Saturday’s game.no doubt Katz I was relieved by how the game ended rather than how it started.

8. The Oilers took the first minor penalty of the game on Saturday. In my book, that happens when a team thinks too much and stops skating. Keep moving your feet and those stick violations will start to melt away.

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7. Leon dry cite He scored yet another power play goal on Saturday, the winner of the game.His 101 power in his NHL career in the regular season his plays his goals scored his Draisaitl joined Wayne Gretzky, Ryan Smith, Glenn Anderson When Yari Kuri On the short but elite Oilers “Century” list. Let me remind you that we are literally looking at history…

6. Saturday’s game was awesome Dylan Holloway A young NHL career. Holloway felt he was on the ice much longer than 8:04. A big reason for that is that he played a key role in his 3-1, 3-2 and (apparently) 3-3 goals. It was a pleasure for the boy to record his NHL scoring for the first time. The better news is that he’s starting to look like the player he was supposed to be.

Five. Warren Fogel I fell awkwardly in front of my bench with 7:20 remaining in the third.^rd period. on the radio, Bob Stauffer I figured it “looked like a back problem.” Foegele did not return. Tyler Benson Originally, he was to be the starting line-up for Bakersfield, several time zones away, before that sequence. Benson was eventually scratched. Expect him to be LTIR (conditioning assignment) and activated in Edmonton by game time on Tuesday.

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4. If the offensive player doesn’t score, it affects the whole game. That tends to be especially true for young players.And we’ve seen it in spades Evan BouchardLook: I don’t think Bouchard will Rod LangwayBut if he’s not producing, Bouchard’s defense alone isn’t enough for him to be a good NHL D-man. And when the pack isn’t in, the resulting lack of confidence is reflected on the other side as well. .

3. I was talking with my friend after the Rangers game. They were looking back at their performance. Evan Bouchard, Dylan Holloway When Ryan McLeodOne thing all three had in common was that it was the simple play that went a long way towards winning. please think about it: Connor McDavid When Leon dry cite It’s easy to think you should do what they do too. But that would be wrong. This is the best league in the world and they are the best players. you are not them So instead of overthinking, double-clutching, double-pumping and holding back, play simple and let your natural talent shine. Good lesson.

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2. Jay Woodcroft We played a very good match on Saturday. In The Cult of Hockey, we never rated coaches because much of the game is out of their hands. After all, they don’t tie up their skates. But I have seen (among other things) his three decisions that are essential to victory. Ryan McLeod–Dylan Holloway–Warren Fogel With the Oilers best line, a timeout was called before the game, deciding a power play. Draisaitl and McDavid had already been on the ice for some time when the penalties were assessed. A timeout gave them a useful breather before both scored the winning goal.

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1. Earlier this season I wrote a cult column in hockey titled “The 3 Biggest Holes for the 2022-23 Edmonton Oilers to Steer”. You can find the article hereThe three are “team toughness”, “goaltending” and “defense”. And with 21 games played for him, it’s fair to say that these observations proved all too prophetic.

– during goaltending, Jack Campbell There have been some good moments, but overall he’s off to a much slower start than any player or club could have expected. cannot be achieved with %.It wasn’t dire as a backup though Stuart Skinner 2.78/.921, which is a little better than expected.

-Team Toughness reveals roster composition Evander Kane I collapsed from that freak wrist injury. Last year, like Kane, Zach Cassian, Duncan Keith and even Chris Russell When Josh Archibald All were “difficult to play against”.i expect Ken Holland You’re kicking tires with cap-friendly targets. This could help get a lot of that back into the lineup, sooner or later.

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-Finally, defense. In my eyes, that was the biggest reason for the club’s slow start at the quarter pole. We’ve seen forwards’ errors as well as pucks that goalkeepers need to stop.But only a decent Blueliner by this point in the season Cody Cesi When Darnell Nursein that order. Tyson Barry Some of his errors were noticeable, but generally fine. but, Brett Clack The contract has not yet been completed.Before the 20th match, both Evan Bouchard Also Philip Broberg It came close to what the club expected and even needed (as the GM said in a pre-season interview). Ryan Murray As expected… 7D. no more. The Oilers usually score enough to win. A bigger challenge is preventing them.

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But Madison Square Garden’s comeback didn’t just recover two points for what could have been the worst trip to New York. It also gives the club an opportunity to move forward from the results as a ‘statement game’ in all three of his areas I detailed above. Campbell is better in New York State. Bouchard began to appear. And while the Rangers weren’t the best team to judge it, the club wasn’t pushed out in New York. something to build.

But as for the “statement game”, it only matters if you follow up on the results. And if the Oilers don’t, Ken Holland has a few holes to patch before the playoffs slide out of reach.

Find me at @KurtLeavins on Twitter, LeafinsOnHockey on Instagram and KurtLeavins@mstdn.social on Mastodon.

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