:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47528579/usa-today-8816836.0.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/3544257/oilers3.jpg)
|
@ |
|
| 3-6-0, 6 points, .66 p/g | Ranks | 5-2-1, 11 points, 1.375 p/g |
| Western Conference - 11th | Western Conference - 6th | |
| 24th | P/G | 8th |
| 14th | ST | 16th |
| 27th | S/G | 24th |
| 23rd | Goal | 20th |
Pointless
The Oilers drop a hearbreaker to the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 3-2. I snuck parts of this game while at a wedding reception (on a Sunday, no less) via Gamecenter, and in typical Oilers fashion, the club didn't make it easy on themselves. Still, there were some positives of note: the 67-97-10 line is the best that this team has. Benoit Pouliot scored his second goal of the season after grabbing hold of a puck that McDavid threw in front of the net. Taylor Hall scored a PPG late in the third periodto tie the game up at 2. The Kings drew a thin penalty late in the third, Tanner Pearson scored LA's go-ahead goal, and that's how it would finish.
Connor McDavid sure thought he had the game-tying goal in the dying seconds of the third, but the NHL didn't quite come to that conclusion. Heads up, NHL: the Oilers are plenty good at ruling themselves out of the playoff race by the middle of November. We don't need any additional help.
Let's go to the tape.
The Oilers are saying
"He's an important piece now and for our potential success going forward...We'd like to see him healthy as soon and back as quickly as possible"
That's Oilers coach Todd McLellan on the loss of Justin Schultz in Edmonton's 3-2 loss to the Kings on Sunday.
Justin Schultz was limited to under eleven minutes of ice time on Sunday. He was limited due to what I can only sum up as an illness, and will be kept from the lineup tonight. He's listed as day-to-day on the injury report. Schultz has one assist in nine games the season.
The opponents are saying
"I need to be better...That wasn't good enough."
Source
- This is Edmonton's tenth game of the season. A win tonight will give eight points in ten games, which isn't too good. They got clobbered against the Capitals, but I struggle to think of very many blowouts so far. That's an improvement, hey? Sort of?. The defence is exposed for what it is, and I don't doubt that the McDavid factor has made this year more tolerable to watch, but I've had a bit more fun watching this year's Oilers up to this point.
- "HEAVY" - Griffin Reinhart has been sent to the IR with that "undisclosed injury" that took place a few games ago, and the Oilers have called up Darnell Nurse from the Condors. Be ready, kid.
- Cam Talbot (2-4, .917 SV% / 2.35 GAA) will likely get the nod for the Oilers tonight, while Devan Dubnyk 5-2, .909 SV% / 2.27 GAA) was first off the ice for the Wild in today's practice. Dubnyk's got this wacky thing going on with his knee. Apparently, it's not big enough of a deal to keep him out of the lineup, but this is something I'd probably be quite concerned with if my team dumped a whole tonne of money into a goaltender for the next four years.
- WHAT WORKS - 67-97-10 is still the best thing going for this club. The Oilers have 21 total goals so far this year, and 67-97-10 has combined for 9-13-22 over that time. Stick with it.
- NOT SO MUCH - Jordan Eberle needs to get back here and in a hurry. The rotating cast of characters on line one just isn't cutting the mustard. Rob Klinkhammer did have a goal in Edmonton's 7-4 loss against the Capitals, but he was limited to under nine minutes of ice. He was on for nearly double that amount against Los Angeles, but he's way better looking on the fourth line instead of number one.
- ETC - A fourth line of Anton Slepyshev / Mark Letestu / Iiro Pakarinen will have a go today. I like the way it looks on paper.
- For the Oilers, Griffin Reinhart (undisclosed - IR), Jordan Eberle (shoulder) and Matt Hendricks (foot) will be unavailable. For the Wild, Tyler Graovac (groin - IR) will be out.