Edmonton Oilers: 3 keys to evening up the series in Game 2

Go with Koskinen Moving Forward

The Edmonton Oilers were very quiet about their goalie situation leading up to Game 1. They had two viable options in Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen. Despite Smith’s struggles before the hiatus, Dave Tippett went with his veteran. Maybe it was because of his postseason success. Perhaps he felt Smith would give the Oilers the best chance to win.

Whatever the reason was, Tippett made the wrong choice on Saturday. Smith allowed five goals in just over 26 minutes. Meanwhile, Koskinen allowed one goal in just over 30 minutes. While it’s true the Blackhawks weren’t pushing as hard with Koskinen in net, he clearly looked superior to Smith.

It’s odd Tippett didn’t go with Koskinen from the get-go. After all, Koskinen was much better during the regular season than Smith. He also proved he can handle being the starting goalie. Before the hiatus, Koskinen was playing at an incredible level. Tippett made a bold decision to go with Smith, but it was also an extremely wrong decision.

Of course, if the Oilers play as poorly as they did on Saturday, it might not matter who’s in goal. But if Edmonton cleans up their defense and plays better, Koskinen should be able to give them a serious chance to come back in this series.