Defensive issues persist as Edmonton Oilers fall 5-3 to Wild

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The Edmonton Oilers fell 5-3 to Minnesota Thursday in a game that was close on the scoreboard for quite a while…

…but if you watched the game, then you will know that it never really was that tight. The Wild were the superior team for 50+ minutes if not more.

And while the Minnesota attack gave the depleted and overmatched Oilers blue line one fit after another all night long, the Edmonton Power Play continued to struggle.

Here is the tale of the tape…

STUART SKINNER. 4. Did not look great early. Two got by him in the first, but the initial one was (correctly) ruled offside after a Coach’s Challenge. The second was also disallowed after Matt Boldy had shoved Skinner into the net. Got a tiny piece of a Devin Shore shot that then rang off he post. Strong save on Middleton late in the opening frame. Good initial save on the 2-1 sequence but it was the rebound from the un-covered man that beat him. Left entirely to his own devices early in the third and produced a big stop on Johansson. The 3-2, 4-2 and 5-2 were all defensive breakdowns in front of him.

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CONNOR McDAVID. 5. Drew an easy assist on the 1-0. Dangerous chance off an Ekholm pass. Could not chip home a rebound later in the first. Took an Ekholm pass and split the D, but Fleury made a fine diving stop. Slick pass to Podkolzin for a dangerous chance. A couple chances in tight to start the third. Led the club in 5v5 CF at 28-14, 67%. One of the few Oilers that looked decent. But the Power Play sputtered again.

LEON DRAISAITL. 5. Scored what will probably be the luckiest goal he will ever score in the NHL, a dump-in that got bouncing and weaving, eventually eluding a flailing Marc-Andre Fleury for the 1-0. Blocked shot. Part of the problem up the wall on the 1-1. Solid backcheck on Boldy to open the second. Tried to thread a pass through to a hard charging Podkolzin but a Wild stick intervened just in time. A shot & a band attempt first shift of the third. I thought he was hooked in the O-zone ahead of the 5-2 goal. One-timer with the net empty. Led the club in shots with four. 65% on draws.

VASILY PODKOLZIN. 5. First period O-zone penalty when he tripped up Brodin on the forecheck. Nearly set free by Draisaitl on a second period sortie. Did corral a McDavid pass but could not find twine. Hard one-timer late in the second from a nice Buchard feed. Strong possession numbers and love his hustle. But at some point, he needs to score.

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EVAN BOUCHARD. 3. Rough evening. Turnover led to an odd man rush in the other direction. Did not do near enough to move the screen from in front of his goaltender on the 1-1. Nice pass to Podkolzin for a hard one-timer later in the second. Found a couple sets of shinpads on the third period PP. Eventually displaced on the man advantage by Ekholm. Four giveaways.

MATTIAS EKHOLM. 5. Pass to McDavid for a good chance mid-way through the first. Unable to corral a puck along the wall on the 1-1. Fed 97 for a breakaway but was foiled. Spectacular stick prevented an empty-net goal. The fancy stats do not look good, but Ekholm spent a lot of the night covering for his partner.

RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 4. Smart stick on a first frame PK. Had the puck in the high slot in the second but did not get a shot away. No assist but a key role in the 5-3 goal. 58% on draws.

JEFF SKINNER. 4. Late second period hit. Let his check pass him along thew wall on the 5-2. Scored the 5-3 by going to the net with the other Skinner pulled at the opposite end. One hopes that spurs his confidence.

KASPERI KAPANEN. 5. Solid second period forecheck. Drew a third period PP with a hard play at the attacking blue line. Then, drew another in the third by keeping his feet moving. Four hits. Solid debut.

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BRETT KULAK. 5. A gritty physical play in front of his own net enabled Janmark to gain a clear on the PK. Could not get a stick on the cross-ice pass that led to the 4-2. Caught up on the 5-2. A rare night on the losing end of HDSC’s.

TY EMBERSON. 4. Strong defensive play on an oncoming rush by Lauko early in the first. Backed in a bit on the 4-2 but did have his man as the puck slid in. Solid stuff on Trenin in the third. Lone man back on the 5-2. HDSC’s 5v5 1-4.

ADAM HENRIQUE. 4. Flat footed in the neutral zone and as a result could not get back with his man (the shooter) on the 4-2. Second assist on the 5-3.

MATTIAS JANMARK. 5. Fine clear on the PK after a strong play by Kulak in front.

CONNOR BROWN. 4. Good clear on the PK. Effective 3^rd period forecheck. Then a backcheck helped disrupt a 3-on-1. Three hits. But not much doing with the puck.

JOSH BROWN. 4. Solid defensive stuff on Boldy part-way through the second. Shot block on the PK. One of numerous Oilers who would not clear on the 3-2. High Dangers 5v5 1-4.

TROY STECHER. 3. Struggled. Puck like a hot potato on his stick on the 3-2 goal. And another nasty turnover the very next shift. Third period shot. Like his effort, but he is being asked to take on more than he can comfortably manage.

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DEREK RYAN. 5. Faceoff win on the 2-2. 57% on the dot. A solid enough 10+ minutes.

DRAKE CAGGIULA. 5. Physical play in front on the 2-2 will not earn him an assist but the goal is probably not scored without it. Heavy, mid-ice hit levelled Kaprizov, but the Wild did not care for and Caggiula ended up taking a fight for his trouble. Primary contact was not high nor low, although there was incidental knee contact. I agreed with the no-call. Three hits in all.

COREY PERRY. 6. Pick up a puck in the corner, beat his check to the other side of the net and bounced it in off a defender for the 2-2. Swung a puck just wide on the third period PP. Primary assist on the 5-3 with a hard pay in the low slot. This team’s Fourth line winger is on pace for 16 goals.

The Oilers season record goes to 10-9-2, 22 points, Fourth in the Pacific.

Now on Threads @kleavins. Also, find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at [email protected]. This article is not AI generated.

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