The Edmonton Oilers had a quick one-game stoppage in Seattle, beating the Kraken 4-0 in a Saturday matinee at Climate Pledge Arena. The Oilers improved their record to 11-10-5. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins returned to the lineup after a nine-match absence through injuries, while Jake Walman, Kasperi Kapanen and Jack Roslovic remained sidelined with injuries.
The Oilers got goals from Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid, with all four players finishing the game with multi-point performances. Edmonton’s top players were their best players. Here are three takeaways from this latest victory.
The Oilers special teams were the difference
Edmonton’s special teams were perfect, going 2-for-2 on the power play and 6-for-6 on the penalty kill. They were undisciplined in the first period, taking four minor penalties, including diverting an extended 5-on-3 opportunity. Then, in the middle frame, Draisaitl elbowed Mason Marchment in the head for another unnecessary and undisciplined penalty. However, it didn’t come back to bite them, and they were able to kill it unscathed. A good penalty kill can lead to a momentum boost, and the Kraken were unable to capitalize on the momentum of the man advantage, while Edmonton maintained this due to their successful penalty kill.
Related: Skinner leads Oilers to 4-0 shutout victory over Kraken
Although they had limited power plays, they made the most of them. Their five-man unit from the past three seasons was finally reunited for the first time this season. The Oilers desperately missed Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman together on that unit, and they made an immediate impact. Nugent-Hopkins won a board battle and grabbed the puck to keep the game alive. The puck eventually landed on Evan Bouchard’s stick, who found Nugent-Hopkins for the goal.
Then, in Hyman fashion, he stood in front of the blue paint, and the puck ricocheted off his skate into the net for his first goal since returning from injury. Their power play was clicking, and they need that to continue.
Stuart Skinner was perfect
Goaltender Stuart Skinner allowed four goals on eight shots before being pulled in his last appearance against the Dallas Stars on November 25, leading to speculation about his future with Edmonton and whether he would be traded. To make matters worse, the Oilers had three days off between games, causing rumors and speculation to swirl. There were no games to report, so the goalkeeping situation was a subject of discussion. It reached the point where media member Jim Matheson told Skinner that the fans want a new goalkeeper after Thursday’s training (Nov. 27), and asked if that was painful to hear.
However, Skinner didn’t let that sound affect him while he was locked up. He stopped all 26 shots he faced for his second shutout of the campaign and ninth of his career. Seattle had 13 high-risk chances in all situations, and 2.88 expected goals ahead, but the Edmonton netminder was up to the task. He was calm, composed and had excellent rebound control, unlike his last start. In their previous meeting, Seattle scored all their goals on strange rushes. However, Edmonton limited those opportunities here.
The defensive breakdowns were infrequent, and that helped their netminder. Good defensive coverage will lead to better goaltending. They were not chaotic in the defensive zone and managed to avoid the front of the net. Skinner was able to see most of the shots he faced, and he made the saves.
Oil companies were sloppy
The Oilers aren’t known for dropping the gloves; they only have three fighting majors heading into this match, but they added two more in this match, bringing their season total to five. Connor Clattenburg got things started against Frederick Gaudreau at the 12:24 mark of the third period. Then Alec Regula fought Tye Kartye less than three minutes later. In the final few minutes, Darnell Nurse wanted to fight Marchment, but he didn’t engage the Oilers’ blueliner, leading to foul play from both players for 10 minutes.
One of the biggest criticisms of this team is their lack of strength and resistance, so it was good to see that in this match. The main reason Clattenburg was drafted was to add strength and energy to this group, and he succeeded. He already has one goal, one fight and fourteen hits to his name in his first three games.
The Oilers begin a five-game homestand against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, December 2, before hosting the Kraken in a rematch on Thursday, December 4. Keep following The hockey writers for all your NHL content throughout the season.
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