Oilers At Mammoth And The Possible Standings Implications

The Edmonton Oilers are seven games into the season, and tonight's game against the Utah Mammoth, believe it or not, actually matters for the Western Conference standings. 

Utah currently sits first in the Central Division and second in the West, while Edmonton is second in the Pacific and third in the conference. Due to the Oilers first regulation loss of the season, the Mammoth already took two points from the them on Thursday, and another win would give them four points at Edmonton's expense in just three days.

Thursday's 4-2 loss was Edmonton's first regulation defeat of the season, dropping its record to 5-1-1. Although the Oilers were missing Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Colton Dach, Jake Walmans, and Matt Savoie, that's a pretty respectable start.

However, Utah is a pretty good team, and Edmonton has stuggled to score outside of those currently playing in the top-three.

Connor McDavid played 25:52 on Thursday, Leon Draisaitl logged 23 minutes, and Evan Bouchard played 27:03. Mike Babcock admitted afterward that he'd been relying too heavily on his best players, although with three important forwards injured, he doesn't have many options.

"We needed our big boys, obviously. I played them too much," Babcock said. "It has to stop. I look at it every night and go, 'What the heck am I doing?'"

The Oilers have been getting excellent production from McDavid and Draisaitl, but their bottom nine forwards have struggled over the last two games. Utah took advantage of that on Thursday while Edmonton struggled to generate enough offence to tie the game.

"The good thing for us is we're getting to see everyone in the organization. We're seeing who can play and who can't," Babcock said. "(Utah) has got a deep team, and we're going to have a deep team too. But right now we're not as deep, and I thought that showed tonight."

The good news is, Walman, Hyman, and Dach are back in tonight, and that should round out the top-six.

Edmonton has been playing well defensively under Babcock, and its goaltending has been encouraging through seven games. Devon Levi suffered his first loss Thursday despite another solid performance, while Tristan Jarry is expected to start tonight in Salt Lake City.

The Oilers' biggest concern remains their lack of secondary scoring, particularly against a Utah team capable of producing throughout its lineup.

McDavid acknowledged that Edmonton had opportunities to tie Thursday's game, although special teams ultimately made the difference.

"It was a tight-checking game — both teams really dug in. I thought it was a great game all around," McDavid said. "Two good teams that were working and checking, and it came down to special teams. They found a way to get a couple and we didn't."

Saturday also matters because these teams could eventually be competing for home-ice advantage in the playoffs. Edmonton and Utah play in different divisions, but both have started the season near the top of the Western Conference. It's a long way away, but the old saying goes, points earned today don't have to be fought for tomorrow.

A couple of points might not seem particularly important in October, although we've seen how close the standings can get by the end of the season. If Edmonton finishes just behind Utah in April, losing both games of this home-and-home series could become pretty frustrating.

The Oilers have had a good start despite their injuries, and there's no reason to be concerned about one regulation loss. However, tonight is an opportunity to respond against a team they'll likely be competing with throughout the season.

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