Godawful start results in 6-3 Oilers loss to Canes

Whatever can go wrong will go wrong…and did.

That was the Edmonton Oilers in Carolina Wednesday night, from pretty the opening faceoff until they came out for the 3^rd.

Speaking of “regrettable”, the officiating in this one (while it had zero meaningful bearing on the outcome) was brutal.

Here’s the tale of the tape…

Edmonton Oilers Player Grades

STUART SKINNER. 2. Victim of a wild double-deflection on the 1-0 and then again on a 2-on-1 break for the 2-0. Was also on the bad end of a weak play and a 3^rd deflection although Skinner lost his post on the 3-0. But the 4-0 he needed to have, coming from both some width and distance. And that is when he got the hook (at 5:14) in favor of Calvin Pickard. On a night when the pre-game commentary was that Skinner needed to turn in a quality start, he did not come close to that bar. But he also did not have much help.

CALVIN PICKARD. 6. Pickard was left to his own devices on the 5-1. Good glove save on Brett Pesce as the latter moved in off the point. Got a bit lucky on a hit post with the net wide open. But then made a few good saves down the stretch to give his team a chance to claw back into it. The best of those was just an excellent toe stop off Kotkaniemi late in the 3^rd. Stopped 13 of 14. Hard to ask much more from a guy who hasn’t even been in the NHL in 2 years. Calvin Pickard currently leads the Oilers in SV% (.891).

CONNOR McDAVID. 4. Thought the officials missed an obvious trip behind the Carolina net on the play that turned into the 4-0. Guilty of puck watching on the 5-1. Fed Draisaitl for a scoring chance late in the 2^nd. Won a battle against Burns and set up Hyman for the 5-3. Handed a soft-as-butter interference call after a missed slash at the other end. Ended the night -3.

WARREN FOEGELE. 4. Beat the puck square during the first half of the game. Drew the PP on the 4-1. A hard rush led to a 2^nd Period shot. An assist on the 5-2. Blocked shot late in the 2^nd.

DARNELL NURSE. 4. A late arrival to the game. A puck came off the crossbar in warmup and struck him, forcing repairs but also a significant cleanup of his bloodied uniform. Set up Kane for a dangerous chance deep into the 3^rd. Was not great but I give him some benefit of doubt considering how the night started out for him.

RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 5. Good back-check in the 2^nd. At he showed some emotion as he tracked down Orlov after the latter had flattened Hyman with a questionable hit. Was penalized for his efforts but in a 5-1 game that is a penalty you’ll take. Very good 3^rd Period backcheck. Secondary assist on the 5-3. Was decent, showed a pulse.

ZACH HYMAN. 7. Fine effort to eliminate a 3-on-2 in the 1^st Period but took a penalty in the process, which his mates killed off. Managed to roof his own rebound on a fine pass from Draisaitl on the 4-1. Hit a post with his own rebound in the 3^rd. The, steered home a pass from McDaid after a fine effort by 97 deep in the Canes zone. Drew a call late but the Oilers could not capitalize. 5 shots, 5 more shot attempts. The “best” Oiler in a team effort that fell well short.

MATTIAS EKHOLM. 5. An awful turnover on the 2-0 exacerbated by the fact that an Oilers forward failed to fall back as Ekholm rushed the puck. Had failed to clear the zone with time and space a couple shifts prior. Charged hard to the net and chipped home the 5-2 shorty. But then another turnover late in the 2^nd. Enjoyed a decent flow of play (5v5 CF 20-14, 59%) and a share of HIgh Dangers (8-4 5v5) But not sure the fancy stats paint an entirely accurate picture of his performance.

EVAN BOUCHARD. 5. A well-timed pinch led to a good shot. Then a very fine “top-to-bottom” pass to Draisaitl who slid it across to Hyman for the 4-1. An O-zone turnover forced him into a slashing call, in order to break up an odd-man rush. A 3^rd Period shot off a McDavid pass. Did quote a few good things with the puck, reasonably limited the damage on defence.

RYAN McLEOD. 5. A hard charge toward the net on the PK led directly to the Ekholm 5-2 goal. A lot of his skating early in the game was on the perimeter. He had a bigger impact on the game when he turned “inside” more.

DEREK RYAN. 5. Good defensive stick on the 1^st Period PK. Another fine play along the wall on a 2^nd Period kill. Set up McLeod for a good chance in the 3^rd, then same shift could not bury on a set-up from Foegele. One of the few Oilers to turn in a full 60-minute effort.

CODY CECI. 5. Broke even in High Dangers For/Against 5v5 (4-4). Probably the best Oilers D-man on a tough night, and to be fair to Ceci…he has arguably been their steadiest defender all year.

VINCENT DESHARNAIS. 4. Walked badly on the 4-1. Teamed up with Ryan for a good 2^nd Period kill. Blocked shot on the PK. 3^rd Period turnover after repeated efforts to punch the puck out of the zone. 3^rd Period shot block.

PHILIP BROBERG. 3. Got knocked off the puck behind his own goal line and then when he did manage to retrieve the puck he banked it off a forward skate and right to a Hurricane on the 3-0. Showed precious little elsewhere.

JAMES HAMBLIN. 4. 3^rd Period shot, albeit on a play where he could not hit the open net a second earlier. Not especially impactful past that.

CONNOR BROWN. 4. An uncharacteristic defensive error by him on the 2-0 as he slid too deep to cover on the Ekholm turnover. A decent chance off a Draisaitl setup in the 3^rd.

Edmonton falls to 5-12-1, 11 points. Washington is next.