EDMONTON — Edmonton Oilers clinched first place in the Pacific Division, playing (and losing) their first game of the second half of the season on Saturday against Philadelphia.
At the same time, they have yet to win three games in a row this season and their goal difference sits at minus-4.
So, there are a few ways to look at the Oilers' season so far.
They made it through the National Hockey League's toughest stretch before Christmas, playing the entire Eastern Conference road schedule with more road games than any other team. The Oilers got off to their usual terrible start after four rounds last spring/summer and traded their No. 1 goaltender, but they're still tied for first in the Pacific with a much easier second-half schedule ahead.
“We started off really slow. I think that was expected,” head coach Chris Knoblauch said. “We played a lot better in December, gaining momentum. We're in a pretty good situation, but we have a lot of room to grow.
“Our offensive game is about what it should be. We're scoring goals, creating enough chances. But there's a lot of improvements that need to be made defensively, whether it's off the rush, penalties or zone coverage. Anything that can be done to limit our goals.”
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Since the Christmas break, the Oilers have lost three times and were completely outplayed in a game that was won and stolen by the goaltender. Calvin Pickard in Winnipeg. Edmonton is the fourth-worst defensive team in the NHL, averaging 3.36 goals per game.
This is why the Oilers can't win three games in a row.
“You want to be able to string three, four, five (games together) and have big winning streaks every now and then throughout the season,” said center Adam Henrique, who is posting a whopping 34 goalless games in the second half. “We haven’t been able to find a way to get there yet, but I have confidence in this group.”
Record: 20-16-6 (T-1st in division, T-13th in NHL)
Goals per game: 3.31 (sixth in NHL)
Goals per game: 3.36 (29th in NHL)
Power play: 33.6% (first in NHL)
Penalty Kills: 79.3% (19th in NHL)
On a veteran team with few newcomers in key roles, there aren't many surprises. Jack Roslovic This might fit the bill: a surprise free-agent acquisition during training camp who fits in nicely on the right side of Leon Draisaitl.
Roszlovich's consistency, which has not been a strong point of his career to date, has been the most pleasant surprise for the Oilers. He is tied for third on the team with 12 goals and 20 points in just 29 games played. He was very good on a one-year deal.
Mangiapane has already asked to be sent off as he failed to find the right performance, scoring just 11 points and a team-worst minus-17 in the first half. He, like Frederic, has been a healthy player off and on lately, and it's possible he lost his teammates due to his desire to move on. Not the guy you want to fight when he's gone for Christmas.
Then there's Frederic, who signed an eight-year contract in July and has three points in 41 games. This contract could be the worst of Stan Bowman's career if Frederic doesn't find support.
Right now he looks slow and inefficient – nothing he does is worth thinking about: one more time and we'll have a player here.
Big question for the second half
Which goalie will start in Game 1 of the playoffs?
Bowman made a big deal by bringing in Stuart Skinner as his replacement. Tristan Jarrybut Jarry quickly suffered a lower-body injury and has not been seen since December 18 in Boston. He doesn't even train with the team yet.
Earlier, Bowman had cunningly scored on a recovering ball. Connor Ingramand after transferring from AHL Bakersfield, Ingram gave the Oilers three quality starts in four games. Meanwhile, backup Calvin Pickard returned to the ring with a strong performance, although he is the backup player here and not the number one.
So, can Jarry stay healthy, give the Oilers a better caliber of goalies than Skinner, and turn Bowman into a genius? Or will the ex-Penguin, who has played just 17 games this season, remain injured forever?
A lot needs to change if the Oilers are going to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals.
