Hot Links: Friday, February 7

Morning, folks!

Another morose morning after another poor performance saw the Oilers fall to third in the pathetic Pacific last night.

After what looked like a promising occasion with Sam Gagner and Connor McDavid staking them to an early two-goal lead, the Oilers collapsed into themselves like a dying star and conceded five straight goals before finally adding a consolation marker through Ethan Bear — a wonderful goal I might add — in the third before conceding a sixth. Not one Oiler covered themselves in glory last night.

Tyler Benson made his NHL debut in his hometown last night, a dream come true for any player. At times he looked capable, while in other moments the occasion looked to be a bit big for him. He came out ahead in 5v5 CF% but was buried in 5v5 SC% and xG%. Oh well, not one Oiler looked up for it after the Oilers’ second goal, so he’s hardly alone on that island.

Mikko Koskinen returned to the net and looked rusty, conceding two goals in all three periods.

Kailer Yamamoto was again among the brightest Oilers forwards, and the guys at The Athletic took a deeper dive into his game and what’s made him successful so far this season.

Buzzwords like emotionless feature in many of the game recaps this morning, and while perhaps that can explain part of it, I think it bears remembering that the Oilers are still very much a middling team, and that when things don’t break their way they can look bad against a team worse than they are.

Zack Kassian played the bulk of last night’s game away from Connor McDavid, which does not bode well for his pricey extension that demands he play with McDavid to provide any value whatsoever. Nice work, Ken.

Edmonton will have a day to assess the damage and formulate a plan to turn this mini-skid around before playing host to the Nashville Predators on Saturday. See you then.

From Us

Oilers Falter Against Sharks; Lose 6-3 (Copper and Blue)

GAME THREAD: Edmonton Oilers vs. San Jose Sharks (Copper and Blue)

Hot Links: Thursday, February 6 (Copper and Blue)

Oilers’ Fast Start Goes For Naught After Sharks Battle Back To Steal Victory (CBC)

Tyler Benson Makes Long-Awaited Debut With Hometown Oilers (Sun)

From Elsewhere

Hard Nose The Highway (Lowetide)

Morning Report: Oilers Vs. Sharks (6 February) (Oilersnation)

‘Emotionless’ Oilers Fail To Show Contender’s Grit In Loss To Sharks (Sportsnet)

Oilers’ Tyler Benson ‘Really Excited’ For NHL Debut After String Of Injuries (Sportsnet)

For Money

The Video Room: How Oilers’ Kailer Yamamoto Overcomes His Small Stature To Make Dynamic Plays (Athletic)

‘Emotionless’ Oilers Fail Yet Again To Match Passion From A Week Ago (Athletic)

15 Potential Trade Targets For The Oilers Before The 2020 Deadline (Athletic)