Oilers’ weakness exposed ahead of the postseason!

When the 2019-20 NHL season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans in Edmonton were livid. They maintained it was their team’s time to shine, finally taking part in the playoffs after missing the chance to compete in the previous two seasons. 

The Oilers are back on track to compete in the postseason, facing the Chicago Blackhawks in a best of 5 series to kick off the playoff tournament, hockey, NHL analyst and team insider Mark Spectors believes the Oilers have a massive weakness to go all the way. 

In his latest article on Sportsnet, Spectors points out that the Oilers have a weakness in the between the pipes, which could send them straight to elimination in the first phase of the 24-team tournament. 

Spectors, and most of us, believe head coach Dave Tippett will trust Mike Smith to start off in net, however, the 38-year-old goalie does not have great playoff experience. This will surely play against the Oilers as the Hawks themselves had tons of playoff experience to count on. 

Spectors explains that “Smith led Mikko Koskinen in games played (39 to 38), in starts (37 to 34) and in wins (19 to 18), while Koskinen’s edge in goals against (2.75 to 2.95) and save percentage (.917 to .902) belie the fact that Koskinen can be a productive NHL netminder if not over-used.”

However, he puts it quite simply: Smith “is simply not going to be the horse you ride through multiple rounds of playoff hockey.”

“The Oilers resided at or near the top of the Pacific for most of a season because Tippett had an uncanny ability to know when it was time to ride one of his ‘tenders, and when it was time to make a change. Only eight goalies in the NHL played in 35 games and had a GAA of 2.75 or better and a save percentage higher than .916. Koskinen was one of those.”

They are two ways we can look at this : the Oilers have two goalies that can carry the ball, but they also need to be on top of their game if they want fans in Edmonton to enjoy a long playoff run. 

If Smith and Koskinen can close the door in between the pipes, it might be an area that will need improvement in the offseason…