Some cracks are beginning to surface in the Edmonton Oilers. Predictably so, we might add — unless you thought their 7-1 start was going to lead to a walkaway Presidents’ Trophy win.
Clearly Edmonton is a much improved team from years past — a fact borne out Thursday evening in New York, when they battled the Metropolitan Division-leading Rangers (8-3-0) to the final moments of a 5-3 loss.
The game was tied until Rick Nash potted the winner with 1:21 to play, followed seconds later by J.T. Miller’s empty-net goal.
There surely was a point, or perhaps two, there for the taking. The Oilers were simply not poised enough to stop the Rangers from claiming those points instead.
“It does stink,” Pat Maroon, who had a goal off a two-on-one with the emerging Jesse Puljujarvi, told reporters in New York. “We let this one slip away tonight. It’s a (lousy) feeling.”
Of course, the Rangers might beg to differ.
In a game New York did not lead until Nash’s goal with 81 seconds to play, the Oilers either frittered away three one-goal leads, or the Rangers were too stubborn to be held down. It just depends on what dressing room you were getting your quotes from after the game.
“We made a mistake a couple times around our net,” Oilers head coach Todd McLellan told the press. “Second or third opportunities cost us the night. Lesson learned.”
Even though the Oilers built their 7-1 start around some stout defensive efforts like a 3-1 win over St. Louis and a 4-1 beating of Washington, there is still much evidence here of a team that has spent so many years losing that not all the players know how to handle a lead.
On this night, McLellan’s top pairing let him down, with Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson not even approaching the level of defensive play needed to thwart the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Larsson lost his man in the slot on the second Rangers goal, scored one for Edmonton, and then seconds later had complete control of the puck in his own end but couldn’t execute a breakout. The ensuing turnover led to the 3-3 tying goal, a deft redirection by Jesper Fast that left Talbot hopeless.
“You never give them anything,” said McLellan. “But we made enough mistakes for them to capitalize.”
The Rangers were more than worthy victors, a very good club that forced the best out of Talbot. But somehow, New York’s best-earned chances were saved, and the ones that got past him were bonus chances that New York had not been forced to earn.
It is those goals that get mostly eliminated from the resumes of good teams — a sure sign that Edmonton has much work to do.
Defensive zone coverage, consistency in their execution, and a proper level of compete every night still dog this 7-3-1 team. You know, the same things that 90 per cent of the NHL is dealing with, to varying degrees.
They’ve now lost three straight, and two straight to begin a road trip that was going to teach us something about whether or not this fast-starting club was for real.
The answer? They’re real enough, but still at the point in their evolution where the playoffs will be an uncertain goal until some time into April, we suspect.
