The Oilers' scoring woes continued on Thursday in a 5-3 loss to Minnesota.
The Oilers' scoring woes continued on Thursday in a 5-3 loss to Minnesota.
The Edmonton Oilers seemed unable to score once again on Thursday night.
Their season-long scoring slump has moved from worrying to outright concerning, with disastrous right around the corner. They didn't do themselves any favours on Thursday night, losing 5-3 to the Minnesota Wild in a game where none of their three goals could be called "normal".
Leon Draisaitl got the game started early with one of the strangest goals you'll see all year, when a slow breakout pass managed to sneak its way past two Oilers and two Wild before Marc-Andre Fleury completely whiffed on it in his crease. Somehow, it was 1-0 Oilers just 27 seconds in.
The Oilers' luck didn't couldn't stay, however. The Wild piled on five goals, including three in the second period and two from Frederick Gaudreau, while the Oilers could only muster a Corey Perry wraparound that deflected off Wild captain Jared Spurgeon's skate and a very late marker from Jeff Skinner that bounced off Wild defender Jake Middleton.
While the Oilers' defensive play was lacking -- five goals against is never good -- the team clearly had trouble generating any offence, fitting into the trend they've established over the first quarter of the season. It seems every shift has included a player passing with an open shooting lane or making one too many moves.
For head coach Kris Knoblauch, it's more of a mental problem than anything structural.
"We obviously have incredibly skilled players who can make those plays," he told the media after the game. "And when you're playing with those guys and you see them doing it, sometimes players get mistaken identity and try that extra play."
It was delivered frankly and innocuously, but it reads as a damning indictment of the team's depth players. Too much flash and not enough substance, especially from players who need to provide substance to pull their weight.
Corey Perry agreed, saying post-game that the Oilers were "too cute" on Thursday night. There seems to be general agreement that the team needs to simplify, because what they're trying just isn't working.
You can worry about the shoddy defensive play, you can worry about the nearly league-worst goaltending, but the biggest, reddest warning flag for the Oilers is that they're just not scoring. With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the fold, this is a team that should be able to outscore their problems. If they can't, they have no one to blame but themselves.
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