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Milan Lucic & 6 other Edmonton Oilers who must pick it up pronto for team to start winning

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Game Day 21: Oilers vs Blues

When the Edmonton Oilers and the St. Louis Blues last met last week, the Blues smoked the Oilers so decisively that Oilers coach Todd McLellan was at last persuaded to change up his lines. McLellan finally broke up the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl combo, which had been stale for many weeks.

St. Louis took over that game in the second period, outchancing the Oilers 13-to-4. It was down and depressing night for Oilers fans, proof that this current team is in trouble even as it generally is able to hang tight in most games.

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The Oilers have outshot and outchanced their opponents about half the time, so this is a team that’s close to success. But Edmonton keeps shooting itself in the foot with bad line combos, bad special teams, bad goaltending, bad penalties and bad defensive breakdowns. 

McLellan has finally taken a bold strategic move in breaking up McDavid and Draisaitl, but there are a number of players who need to pick it up if Edmonton has any hope of turning things around at this point. Here are seven players in particular who must step up:

  1. Cam Talbot. Last year Talbot’s save percentage was .919. This year it’s .903. The few extra goals he’s let in, particularly the weak ones early in the game, have been a major issue.
  2. Eric Gryba. His puck-moving is just plain bad right now and even in a third-pairing role he’s leaking scoring chances against at the defensive end. Likely time for a stint in the AHL or at least the pressbox. The team needs to pick up another third-pairing d-man. Indeed, this need has been around for many months now. 
  3. Milan Lucic. Needs to raise his intensity and his focus. Not close to getting the job done at even strength. Has been lazy on a few backchecks that have resulted in goals against. Far too often the play dies on his stick in the offensive end. If he can’t find chemistry with Leon Draisaitl on the second line, he should see his minutes limited.
  4. Oscar Klefbom. In 2015-16 when Mark Fayne was so leaky on defence he got sent to the minors, he made 96 major mistakes on Grade A scoring chances against in 1007 even strength minutes, 1.4 per game. This year Klefbom has made 33 such mistakes in 340 even strength minutes, 1.5 per game. Ouch! Klefbom is a far, far, far superior puckmover to Fayne, so he’s in no danger of being sent to the AHL, but his gaffes on defence are a major reason the Oilers have struggled. He likely needs time in a third-pairing role to get his game back to where it was at the end of 2017. 
  5. Mark Letestu. The coach trusts him with all kinds of special teams playing time, but he’s given up too many cross-seam passes on the penalty kill and has yet to find his range as a shooter on the power play. At even strength he’s a mediocre fourth line centre. On a team that needs more speed, he’s an obvious candidate to sit out.
  6. Ryan Strome. He’s been OK on defence but has yet to find offensive chemistry with any other forward. Needs to get his feet moving and take the body to involve himself more in games. 
  7. Kris Russell. He’s been barely adequate, so much so that his coach has bumped him down to a third pairing role, which doesn’t align with his new $4 million per contract. His lack of aggression in moving the puck is limiting him greatly.

At the Cult

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