3 Takeaways From Oilers’ 6-3 loss to Hurricanes

The Edmonton Oilers played for the first time on a Friday night (March 6), losing 6-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes at Rogers Place. The Oilers have struggled, losing six of their last eight games, and nothing looks to be changing any time soon. The trade deadline is behind us, so this is the team for the rest of the season, and their defensive structure is still lacking.

The Hurricanes got goals from Shayne Gostisbehere, Nikolaj Ehlers, Jordan Martinook, Jackson Blake (2), and Jordan Staal. Meanwhile, Zach Hyman (2) and Vasily Podkolzin scored for the Oilers.

This was another lacklustre effort, as the Oilers have allowed at least four goals in 10 of their last 12 games, dating back to Jan. 22. That is unacceptable, and they won’t win many games needing to score five goals per game. That’s not a winning formula. Their defensive effort has been putrid, and if they want any success down the stretch, that must improve immediately. With that said, here are three takeaways from another disappointing loss.

Dach, Dickinson, & Murphy Made Oilers Debut

The trade deadline brought three new faces to the Oilers’ lineup. Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy, and Colton Dach made their Oilers debut after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in a pair of deals. Dickinson had the best game out of the three.

Dickinson spoke about his role before the game. “My favourite thing about what I do is seeing the frustration and the will to win come out of guys on the other side.” That quote should get Oilers fans excited. They haven’t had a defensively minded third-line centre like this in many years. He knows his role and plays it well.

He finished the game with two hits and one blocked shot in 12:43 of ice time with a plus-1 rating. He was one of only two Oilers with a plus rating, with the other being linemate Kasperi Kapanen. He also led the Oilers in penalty kill minutes among forwards with 2:36. The newest acquisition helped Edmonton go a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

Unfortunately, the other two acquisitions had underwhelming games. Dach had two hits and was a minus-3 in only 9:32 of ice time. Murphy had one hit and three blocked shots but was a minus-2 in his 20:32 of ice time. Hopefully, Murphy can settle in because this needs him to lock down defensively. That’s why the Oilers acquired him. It’s only one game, so let’s reserve judgment until we get a larger sample size.

Jarry Was Better Than the Numbers Suggest

Tristan Jarry allowed five goals on 31 shots for an .839 save percentage (SV%). While those numbers aren’t good, they don’t tell the whole story. He stopped a breakaway in the first five minutes, then allowed two goals in 46 seconds on the first six shots. Then, he allowed a quick goal 1:37 into the second period on a shot he needed to save. However, after that, he settled in. He kept Edmonton in the game in the second period, stopping 17 of 18 shots in the middle frame while his team got dominated.