Five questions heading into the Oilers’ five-game homestand

He’s also thrown 14 hits, has 11 PIM, and while he’s averaging 8:28 a night, he’s tilting the ice in the Oilers’ favour — holding a 6-1 edge in high-danger chances, 9-5 in scoring chances, and a 73.9 expected-goals-for percentage when he’s out there, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The Ottawa, ON native understands his role: create chaos, hit everything that moves, and, if the opportunity presents itself, punch someone in the face. It remains to be seen if he’ll stick with the big club long term, but at this point, how do you take him out? Clattenburg looks built for the physical spotlight and seems like the type who feeds off the frenzy from the fans. And with the next five games at Rogers Place, the Clattenburg train could rocket into bullet-train territory.

Will the Oilers Play Better on a More Consistent Basis in Front of Their Netminder?

As mentioned, the Oilers were served a beatdown by the Stars on Nov. 25 in that 8–3 loss, only to follow it up with one of their most complete games of the season in a 4–0 win over the Kraken. Last game, they had each other’s backs, battled for one another, and their special teams were outstanding, killing all six penalties, including a 5-on-3, and going a perfect two-for-two on the power play after scoring just two PP goals in their previous nine games.

Most importantly, for the most part, they played smart, defensive hockey. Stuart Skinner posted a shutout against the Kraken, but the team in front of him made it easy — clearing the front of the net, paying attention to defensive details, and not gifting Grade-A chances, which was textbook Oilers hockey when they’re playing up to their potential.

But is that the game where we can finally say they’ve turned the page? At this point, I feel like a broken record saying that, so let’s just go with this — I hope so. And with a five-game homestand ahead, where the Oilers typically play better at Rogers Place, this might be the stretch where they finally start stringing together consecutive wins.

Is the Oilers’ Pack Mentality Here to Stay?

Despite inconsistent play this season, the Oilers’ pack mentality is slowly becoming a more regular part of their game.

Against the Kraken, Darnell Nurse took a big hit from Mason Marchment and Adam Henrique, stepped in to defend his teammate, and by the end of the first period, Marchment — who had been extended offers all game to drop the gloves but didn’t — had words with the Oilers bench. And wouldn’t you know it, some of the Oilers’ toughest customers, Trent Frederic, Vasily Podkolzin, Nurse and Clattenburg, were right there to fire words back at him.

From there, the game got heated, with Clattenburg dropping the mitts with Gaudreau, as mentioned, and shortly after, Alec Regula fought Tye Kartye for his first fight as an Oiler.

In a postgame interview, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was asked about the extracurricular activity that took place in the game. He responded, “It started with one hit that should’ve been called. We’re going to stand up for each other.” He added, “Obviously, we’re going to stand up for each other and make sure they know when something like that happens, it’s not just going to go away.”

It’s great to see the Oilers having each other’s backs, and this comes after Podkolzin, who fought Peyton Krebs on Nov. 17, said after the game, “No one can play against our leaders like that. The whole team will protect them for sure.” Three nights later, Nurse took on 6-foot-9, 242-pound Curtis Douglas after he laid a heavy hit on Jake Walman.

Edmonton’s finally figuring out they don’t need Corey Perry on the team in order to stick up for each other. Add Clattenburg into the mix, who is like a caged dog foaming at the mouth to get in on the physical action, and it’s like he gives his teammates extra inches of confidence. Nevertheless, they’ll need to bring that pack mentality again if things get chippy in the rematch against the Kraken on Dec. 4.

Who Steps Up to Replace Jack Roslovic’s Offence?

Jack Roslovic got hurt when he blocked a shot against Dallas on Nov. 25, and he’ll be out of the lineup for at least the next couple of weeks due to an undisclosed injury, which is a huge blow for the Oilers. The red-hot forward had 14 points in his last 13 games, including back-to-back OT winners on the recent seven-game road trip. Moreover, when Nugent-Hopkins was out for nine games, Roslovic stepped up as the third go-to offensive player up front, behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

With Roslovic out for the five-game homestand, Edmonton will need someone to step up and replace his offence. It might take a contribution-by-committee effort, but the obvious choice is Nugent-Hopkins, who put up two points (1G, 1A) in his return against the Kraken and picked up where he left off before being sidelined with an injury. Also, Zach Hyman’s first goal of the season against the Kraken could be just what he needed to get his offence rolling. That said, if Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman can heat up during the homestand, by the time Roslovic returns, after needing a couple of games to get his legs under him, the Oilers’ top nine could be looking mighty potent by mid-December.

Will the Oilers’ Goaltender Trade Rumours Quiet Down on the Homestand?

After the Oilers were beaten 8–3 by the Stars — with Stuart Skinner getting pulled after giving up four goals on eight shots, and Calvin Pickard allowing the same in relief — Oil Country was furious and shook their fists at the netminders.

The team played poorly in front of their goaltenders, but at the same time, the men between the pipes couldn’t make the big saves to help weather the storm. As a result, fingers were pointed at ‘Stu’ and ‘Picks,’ and talk of a change in net began to stir.

Names like Jordan Binnington and Tristan Jarry were thrown out as possible replacements in net for the Oilers. Yet, before the game against the Kraken, I mentioned in a piece that a shake-up in goal was indeed needed, but perhaps sending Pickard down to the AHL and calling up Connor Ingram should be the first warning shot to shock the Oilers’ system. I felt at that point, other teams knew the Oilers were desperate, and the asking price to trade for a goaltender would likely have been high.

Fast forward to the game against the Kraken, and just like the inconsistent up-and-down trend we’ve seen all season, Skinner went from a low to a huge high of posting a .500 save percentage against Dallas to pitching a shutout against Seattle. Later in the day, Zach Laing wrote on Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman comments that Skinner has not requested a trade and that Edmonton won’t be making any panic or lateral moves, saying:

“And what I can tell is that Edmonton’s position has not changed at all. They are not going to do it just to do it. They are not going to do what they believe is a lateral move. They would rather make no move than what they think would be a bad move or a panic move or a move just to do it.”

From Friedman’s statement, it doesn’t appear that GM Stan Bowman is in any rush to make panic moves in net, which makes sense, because he’s paid the big bucks to stay calm in these situations. That said, this homestand feels crucial for testing Bowman’s urgency to shake things up in net.

I’d imagine that when the schedule was set at the start of the season, given the gruelling road trips the Oilers had, this five-game homestand was circled on the calendar as the time for the team to start stringing consecutive wins together. And given how they generally play better at Rogers Place, my guess is they could go 4–1 in this stretch, which would practically silence the trade talks in net.

But if they slip at home, get your engines ready, because the goaltender shake-up chatter will certainly be cranked up to the max.