Edmonton Oilers: 3 Ways They Can Save Their Season
The Edmonton Oilers have a talented roster. So why does their record not reflect that? Here are three things that need to happen for them to get better.
Last season, the Edmonton Oilers were not expected to go all that far. However, they proved everyone wrong when they made it to the second round of the 2017 Playoffs against the Anaheim Ducks.
That was after they had an also better-than-expected regular season. They finished second in the Pacific division with 103 points and made the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-2006 season.
This season, the Oilers have gotten off to a rocky start. With a 4-8-1 record, they are currently sitting at the second to last spot in their division. Here are three things that need to happen for them to turn it around.
1. Penalty Killing
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In a game against the Dallas Stars back in October, they gave up three power-play goals and weren’t able to score any of their own despite managing a win. This caused some panic for Edmonton regarding their penalty kill.
Since that wake-up call, they haven’t improved much. On the man-down situation, they’ll need to become more organized. A lot of power-play goals they give up are due to poor positioning.
Once they are able to stick to their system, they’ll get better. This will help them in the long run because killing penalties can be a big momentum booster.
2. Power Plays
It’s never a good thing when both of a team’s special teams aren’t doing well. Unfortunately, that’s the case here for the Oilers.
Their power play hasn’t been effective this season, and it’s hurting their chances of getting back in some games. While no team’s power play comes through every night, having a strong set-up is important to at least get shots to the net and apply some pressure.
Considering both of their special teams were better last season and their roster hasn’t changed too much, it shouldn’t be a major problem to be able to fix them. That’s the saving grace for this Oilers team in this department right now.
3. The Play of Cam Talbot
The Oilers are primarily an offense-based team. This isn’t to say that their defense is terrible because it isn’t. However, it does mean they could be playing a bit better if they want to help out their goaltender, Talbot.
Back in the 2015 offseason, the Oilers acquired Talbot from the New York Rangers. And he has been great for them since, leading them to the playoffs last year, a word that hadn’t been in their vocabulary for a long time.
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Talbot has a .905 SV%, which is less than his usual of about .921%. One of the ways the Oilers can get better is if he gets back to his usual self. Sometimes it takes goaltenders a few games to get back to their normal form, and hopefully for the Edmonton Oilers, the more Talbot plays, the better he will become.