Edmonton Oilers Thoughts: Finals, Game 4

The penalty minute count for Game 3 between both teams was 140, the 4th highest number ever in a Finals game. The Edmonton Oilers were also shorthanded 11 times, which is the most in a Finals game. In fact, you should go to the penalty box just for reading this article. Granted, the 114 PIM that got all of the attention were taken at a time when the game was already out of reach and everybody just decided to go bat crap crazy. But hey, it all makes for fun trivia questions.

That was a really emotional loss for the Oilers. They tried deflecting that from the media by saying it’s just how important the games are right now. That’s fair, but you could still tell that they lost it a little. I specifically remember a moment when Connor Brown kept trying to punch Niko Mikkola and yelled at him. Mikkola just looked down and chuckled. Brown’s efforts didn’t come with the same swagger as Jake Walman laughing in Tomas Nosek’s side profile in Game 1. Every fanbase is going to say their team gets worse treatment from the referees, but the four minor penalties that Edmonton took were terrible. Three of them were in the offensive zone, and one was for Too Many Men. Yes, I know about the missed Too Many Men call against Florida in Game 2. But when Kris Knoblauch made a subtle jab about it, that reminded me a bit of Pete DeBoer in Round 3. Don’t try to start something with the people who give out the penalties. Corey Perry repeating his head duck mocking from the Dallas series didn’t do anything for me, either. As I said in my Game 3 preview, there’s a difference between playing with emotion and being emotional.

The Oilers weren’t scheduled to have a practice or media day yesterday, but word got out and they were practicing at a different rink. It’s unfortunate that their privacy was taken away, but I like that they did it. They took an ugly loss to heart and used it as motivation to work harder before the next game. Connor McDavid said to the media after Game 3, “I don’t think our best has shown up all series long, but it’s coming.” It’s not a Messier-esque guarantee, but it’s an interesting thing to promise. Monday night was bad, but it wasn’t the series clincher. Edmonton won Games 4 and 6 last year by scores of 8-1 and 5-1. Who won in 7? It wasn’t our team. A series isn’t decided on goal differential. It’s still only 2-1, we can all agree that it’s miles better than being down 3-0 again. Go tie the series, and then we’re left with a best 2 out of 3 tilt. The keys to the game are…

Edmonton Oilers Thoughts

Look On The Brightside: A 6-1 final score was obviously good for the winning team. However, 3/11 on the man advantage isn’t the most attractive stat. The Oilers, who’ve had penalty kill troubles, killed off eight power plays. If they spent less time needing to defend, it would’ve been a closer game. Just clean up smaller instances, and we won’t talk or type about another blowout loss.

Changes: While I don’t always agree with Knoblauch on lineup decisions, I respect that he never likes to change it when they win. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But with two straight losses, the second not looking good, he should probably fix it. I would expect one or two changes, switch a line or a pairing. They should also make minor changes to their play. Passes from McDavid to Leon Draisaitl on the power play were predictable in Game 3. I miss seeing Bouch-bombs, and Evan Bouchard shouldn’t be afraid to fire them more at this time of the year. But he also made a nice hesitating play on a one-man advantage to set up the lone Game 3 goal. Get creative, give the Panthers more strategies to worry about.

Mr. Game 4: That has become Stuart Skinner’s nickname. In career Game 4s, he has a 6-1 record with a .949 SV% and 1.26 GAA. There was chatter on social media as to whether they should start Calvin Pickard for this game, and being 6-0 in these Playoffs is certainly tempting. But the Oilers already used Pickard as a way to ease Skinner back in. He had a below-average game on Monday; that much is true. But this is someone you drafted and developed into a starter’s position, rushed or not. If the franchise is pegging him as the #1 goalie for a longer period of time, you have to trust him in situations like tonight and for the rest of the series. He usually has a pretty decent history with bounce-back games. How do you know he can handle it if you don’t let him try? Mr. Game 4 had better be ready for the most important Game 4 of his career thus far.