The Edmonton Oilers can’t seem to find consistency and string wins together, as they lost 5-4 to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 28). This snapped the Oilers’ seven-game winning streak against San Jose.
There were nine different goal scorers in this one. The Sharks got goals from Macklin Celebrini, Michael Misa, Barclay Goodrow, Alexander Wennberg, and Shakir Mukhamadullin, while Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Trent Frederic, and Jake Walman scored for Edmonton.
This was another game that got away. This was a frustrating loss against a divisional opponent, and that’s unacceptable. Here are five takeaways from this disappointing defeat.
Oilers Had an Awful Start
The Oilers were unaware that they had an afternoon game because they didn’t show up in the first period. They were unbelievably sloppy, turning the puck over constantly, and they had zero urgency. They were quickly down 2-0, being outshot 11-5 within the first 10 minutes.
The Oilers had an early power play, but the Sharks had more opportunities on their penalty kill. There were multiple odd-man rushes against because of poor puck management, resulting in turnovers.
Related: Oilers Have Mishandled Their Goaltending Situation
Both early goals were the result of mental mistakes. Connor Ingram lost his stick, and as he went out to get it, Celebrini entered the zone and scored on the empty net. Ingram chose a horrendous time to collect his discarded stick. Then, he failed to cover the puck in the crease after Walman tried to shovel it to him. The Sharks were able to jam it loose and bury it. Walman should’ve had more urgency and cleared the puck out of danger. After that sequence, Ingram made some big saves in the second period before falling apart in the third.
San Jose was hungrier on loose pucks and won important battles. Edmonton had a horrendous start. They were down 3-1 after the opening frame and were outshot 14-9. They weren’t ready to play, and their attention to detail was lacklustre.
Darnell Nurse & Jake Walman Struggled Defensively
The Oilers’ second defence pair of Walman and Darnell Nurse struggled defensively, most notably Nurse. At least Walman contributed offensively with a bullet slap shot to beat Yaroslav Askarov, tying the game at four. However, their defensive play must improve, especially if they’re going to play as much as they do.
Nurse finished the game with one shot, one hit, and two blocked shots in 21:37 of ice time. He was also on the ice with under three minutes remaining, trailing by one. There’s zero accountability when it comes to Nurse. He makes awful decisions constantly. Yet somehow, he still led the team in 5-on-5 ice time with 19:31, and his partner, Walman, was not far behind in second. The veteran blueliner was a turnover machine in this one.
The Oilers desperately need a right-shot defenceman at the trade deadline, because you can’t go into the playoffs with this duo as your second pair. It’s time to split them up because that pairing clearly isn’t working.
Matt Savoie Continues to Produce
It’s all starting to come together for Matt Savoie. He plays the right way and is finally being rewarded for his efforts. The youngster had an incredible California road trip, recording six points in three games. He has also become an important penalty killer for this group.
Savoie does all the little things right that often go unnoticed. He made a smart play when the team was hemmed in the defensive zone. The 22-year-old took his time and flipped the puck high out of the zone to get a line change. Other players would panic and turn the puck over under pressure, but Savoie was calm and made a great play. Some veterans on this team should take notes and learn from him.
Trent Frederic Finally Broke Through
Frederic has played his best hockey as an Oiler since the Olympic break. He was noticeable in all three games on the road trip and finally snapped his 35-game goalless drought. He went to the front of the net and received a great pass from Savoie before beating the netminder five-hole.
This is the Frederic that we need to see for the rest of the season. He was physical and was going to the right areas. He finished the game with two shots, five hits, and one blocked shot in 12:38 of ice time. He was also a plus-1, the only player with a plus rating. He’s slowly finding his game.
Oilers’ Comeback Fell Short
The Oilers battled back in the third period, tying the game multiple times. Unfortunately, after they tied it, the Sharks quickly responded. Edmonton had a late-game power play but couldn’t find the equalizer despite a flurry of chances. Draisaitl hit the crossbar off a cross-seam one-timer, Connor McDavid walked in and was denied, and with one second remaining, Bouchard was stopped by Askarov at the buzzer.
The Oilers needed better results on this California road trip. They only won one out of the three games, and that’s not good enough if they want to maintain pace in the tight Pacific Division. Keep following The Hockey Writers for all your NHL content throughout the season.
