December 2, 2022 by Kirk Morris

Is it time to be panicking yet? Worried about the Edmonton Oilers goaltending? There is some substantial cause for concern from Thursday nights duel with the Minnesota Wild in the Twin Cities.

There was no heroic comeback like in certain games past, either. Half of the game, the good guys actually played decent to exceptional, applying forecheck pressure to Minnesota when it was needed. However, when it counted most, headlined by one of the most explosive offensive machines in Kirill Kaprizov, the Wild simply taken over the last half of the game and really didn’t look back-resulting in a 5-3 loss and ending a three-game winning streak for the Oilers on Thursday.

Call Outs:

Jack Campbell. It’s time to really have some concern about the Oilers’ big money purchase in net. The five-year, $5 million per year contract is not looking good so far, and it is showing in Campbell’s wafer thin confidence. On Thursday night, once again, it had seemed that when the team needed a save to buoy them through a bad spell of play in their own defensive end, it just didn’t happen. Campbell tends to channel his inner Mike Smith and play smaller than he actually is; and furthermore, tends to “swim” a lot when he is covering on a lateral play. The Orange and Blue are seriously in big trouble if Soup doesn’t turn it around soon.

The defence as a whole. This also is a re-occuring theme here as well. You can’t lay the performance entirely at Campbell’s feet either…missed assignments, puck watching, and not clamping down and taking out the trash in front of the net-the Edmonton Oilers have to be better on the defensive side of the puck, especially in front of the goaltender.

Standouts:

Connor McDavid & Leon Draisaitl. The Dynamic Duo once again shone for the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday in the first half of the game. The two never seem to be out of place, especially on the power play. The only alarming note here is the amount they are playing on ice each game, but they both seem to be in good shape even toward the end of games, fatigue-wise.

Shout Outs:

Klim Kostin. The newest edition from the Dmitry Samorukov trade finally tallied his first goal for the Oilers with 3.3 seconds left in the game. He was also shot out of a cannon in the first period and was extremely fast when he had puck possession through the neutral zone and transitioning into the Minnesota Wild end of the ice.

James Hamblin. The young stalwart from Edmonton nearly got his first goal in NHL versus the Wild, plus his defensive play was also very noticeable at times. Hopefully the 23-year-old will shine in upcoming games and finally pot one.

Next game: Oilers vs. Montreal at home on Saturday, 5 pm MST start.