In tune: Edmonton Oilers take down red-hot St. Louis Blues in fight for playoff spot

If you had a bit of anxiety looking at the Edmonton Oilers’ starting line-up against the St. Louis Blues, know that you are not alone. The Oilers have been bitten by an injury bug as of late and tonight was no exception. While they were happy to welcome their captain back, the home team was missing the likes of Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Stuart Skinner and Leon Draisaitl.

Despite that, the Oilers were not intending to fold in any shape, way or form, including to a team that has won 12 of their last 13 games. After finding themselves down 1–0 early in the game, the Oilers would go on to give up two consecutive one-goal leads before Connor Brown finally put the Oilers ahead with 20.4 seconds to go for a 4–3 victory. What were our takeaways in this one? Let’s dive in.

Secondary scoring stepping-up

Vasily Podkolzin, Connor Brown, and Viktor Arvidsson. If you predicted that these would be the Oilers’ scorers tonight, you are a believer in the Oilers’ secondary scoring. Powered by Connor McDavid and his three assist night, the secondary capitalized on their captain’s performance which included a Connor Brown marker with 20 seconds left in the game.

Oilers’ depth chart behind McDavid and Draisaitl is truly a capable group that is made up of players who have no shortage of experience in putting the puck in the back of the net. While their performance has been up and down at times this season, to see the trio of Oilers’ goal scorers tonight do what they did is not a surprise and with the playoff seeding still in play, look to the secondary to do a large brunt of the heavy lifting.

The Jekyll and Hyde of Oilers’ defence

While the Oilers were able to walk away with a win in this one, their defensive play remains unpredictable. There is no denying that Darnell Nurse made a phenomenal defensive play at the end of the game that allowed Connor Brown to get the game-winning goal. However, the hearts of the Oilers faithful likely skipped a beat or two while watching their team give up clean looks to their opponents throughout the contest.

This is certainly not the first time that the Oilers’ have done so this season and not the first time that I have talked about their defensive woes. Sure, the Oilers’ blue line was missing some of its’ top talent in Ekholm and Walman and playing with only five defencemen is a challenge. But regardless of who is on the ice, these clean looks and opportunities that the Oilers’ opponents are becoming accustomed to getting must stop if the Oilers want to have a fighting chance against some of the league’s top talent in the playoffs.

Identity formation

The Oilers season has certainly been a roller coaster. From a slow start, to tremendous months of December and January and the February slump, the fanbase has really been through it all. Is there really a positive to be found in all of this? Well, I am here to tell you that there is.

Despite their hardships throughout the season, the Oilers have shown themselves as a team that should never be counted out. Whether it is playing the red, hot Blues or nearly completing a comeback against the Dallas Stars two weeks ago without McDavid or Draisaitl, the guys in Copper and Blue continue to prove that they are a resilient bunch.

While he likely predicted the Oilers to be doing better in the standings when he made his preseason statement about the team and identity, Draisaitl certainly must be happy with the team’s current identity as a group that refuses to quit.

What’s next for the Oilers?

The Oilers continue their quest to clinch a playoff spot and will have the opportunity to do so on Friday with a regulation win when they face the San Jose Sharks. With four games remaining, one of which includes the Los Angeles Kings, the Oilers are still very much in play for a first round home advantage.