Despite being in a 2-2 series with the Los Angeles Kings, the Edmonton Oilers must improve their penalty kill. In the postseason, games are won and lost on the strength of your special team’s units. The Kings have gone 7 for 16 in the postseason. That has left the Oilers’ shorthanded units in trouble. You cannot win games in the playoffs without a penalty kill. Allowing the Kings to score that frequently has left the Oilers chasing the game.
Edmonton’s defensive issues have been documented, but shorthanded concerns have left the Oilers behind the eight ball several times during this series. When it comes to stopping the Kings, if they cannot slow down that powerplay, the lives of the former WHA franchise will become harder. The Kings will pose problems anyway, regardless of whether the Oilers can slow down their man advantage or not. Still, the Oilers must address this specific concern before they face elimination.
Ekholm’s Absence
The biggest reason for these struggles is undeniably Mattias Ekholm‘s absence. He has not played in any of the four games to this point, which has allowed the series to become more end-to-end than either team would like. Both groups want to control the play, but that is made drastically easier for the Kings without the Oilers’ Swedish defenseman. Edmonton needs someone to replace Ekholm’s defensive job moving forward.
It is not a requirement that it be one of the higher-end talents on the back end, but someone needs to find their way to a solid defensive game and become a rock the Oilers can build around until Ekholm is healthy enough to get into the Oilers lineup. That will not be easy for whoever attempts it, but that is what this team needs. They cannot rely on their high-end talent to pull games from the fire like they have done to level the series. You really begin to understand Darnell Nurse’s value to the club this time of year. Playoffs, net front, you want Nurse out there mucking it up.
Goaltending Overlaps
Your most important penalty killer shorthanded needs to be your goaltender, and for Edmonton, the goaltending has been disastrous. You cannot expect to kill penalties with a team save percentage of .854. That’s how to exit the playoffs quickly, and it’s becoming abundantly clear that the Kings just have to get pucks on the net to run the scoreboard up, which is made easier on the power play.
Edmonton needs the two between the pipes to be better. If that duo cannot figure it out tonight ahead of game five, the Oilers could be coming back to Rogers Place with their backs to the wall and staring down elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s time for the Oilers’ special teams, especially the Oilers penalty kill, to begin pulling their weight in this series. If they cannot wake up tonight, the Oilers will fight for their lives later this week.
Main Photo Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
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