Oilers might have to settle for second place after loss to Canucks
The Edmonton Oilers dropped an all-important decision to the Vancouver Canucks in a 3-1 loss on Saturday night.
Edmonton came out of the gate guns blazing, jumping out to a 7-0 advantage on the shot clock in the game’s first five minutes. Yet, fatigue started to set in on the Connor McDavid-less Oilers and the Canucks’ relentless forecheck took form.
A Sam Lafferty goal in the last minute of the first period sucked the life out of a raucous Rogers Place crowd.
Sam Lafferty how are ya?! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/wpmkfCi5Wj
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 14, 2024
Pius Suter added some insurance in the second period and, although Evander Kane cut into the lead late in the second, the Oilers couldn’t find the equalizer past Casey DeSmith in the final frame.
Rematch fated
The loss means that the Oilers will most likely finish the season second in the Pacific Division. Of course, they could still catch the Canucks for the top spot, but that would require a great deal of luck down the stretch.
If things stay the way they are, the Oilers will enter the first round of the playoff playing against the LA Kings for the third straight season. This could allow the team to let their foot off the gas for the last few games of the season, but that isn’t the attitude that Edmonton wants to have.
“You can’t just lollygag your way into the playoffs,” Zach Hyman told reporters after the game. “Just getting ready for the playoffs.”
Edmonton has had a lot of success against the Kings this season, winning three of the four matchups this season and outscoring them by an 11-9 margin. As it was the previous two seasons, it should be a good one.
Fatigue setting in
If there was a word to describe exactly how the Oilers played tonight, it would be tired.
The team is currently going through one of the toughest parts of their schedule and have now played three games in four nights. It looked like Edmonton’s gas tank was nearing empty in the waning minutes of tonight’s loss.
“Definitely not ideal,” Warren Foegele admitted. “At the end of the day, we show up here with a smile on our face and we’re really fortunate to be in the NHL, there’s no excuses during the 82-game season and you just try to work hard…but yeah, certainly not ideal.
They will end the season doing the same thing next week with another back-to-back on the road in Arizona and Colorado.
Call up incoming?
With the Oilers’ playoff position likely solidified, it could give the team a chance to experiment with some call-ups from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
Dylan Holloway returned to the team last week and has been solid in his first three games back in the NHL. Head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters that the Oilers will be taking a closer look at one prospect in particular in this final stretch.
“I think it’s definitely an opportunity to give guys a rest if it’s needed,” Knoblauch said after the game. “[Defenceman Philip] Broberg will be somebody that we will consider.”
Broberg has been having a fantastic season with the Condors this year and will almost certainly be a part of the team’s black aces in the postseason.
The Oilers’ record now drops 48-25-6 on the season as they now drop to five points back of the Canucks for the division title. They still have three more games left on the schedule compared to Vancouver’s two, but it doesn’t appear as though there is a great path for the Oilers to claim that ever-elusive division crown.
Instead, they will get back to work on Monday to close out their home schedule with a game against the San Jose Sharks.
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