The Edmonton Oilers’ latest loss had all the familiar warning signs of a team stretched thin. They hung around, they competed, and they never really let the game get away from them - but Utah Mammoth still walked out with a 4-2 win, and the gap came down to depth.
Mike Babcock didn’t hide what the night felt like behind the bench. The Oilers are forcing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl into staggering minutes because the roster around them is so banged up, and the coach knows it’s not a long-term answer. “I look at it every night and go, ‘What the heck am I doing?’”
He went a step further when explaining the workload. “I’m also trying to survive right now,” he said, pointing directly at the injury situation as the reason the heavy usage keeps happening.
Edmonton was missing Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Matt Savoie, Jason Dickinson, Colton Dach and Jake Walman, and that absence showed up in the scoring depth. The plan, as Babcock described it, has effectively turned into leaning hard on McDavid, Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard for major minutes.
Other coaches may have built that kind of workload in on purpose. Babcock would rather not, but his options are limited.
Even so, he didn’t think the Oilers were a mess for most of Thursday’s game. Edmonton never held a lead, but it stayed in range until Utah’s empty-net goal put the result away. The first period was especially tight, even with Edmonton getting only three shots, and Babcock said his team managed to contain Utah in a low-event game.
The coach’s issues were specific. He didn’t like the first and third goals against, and he called the third one a “freebie.”
He also took aim at a bench minor, saying the team “grabbed a guy’s head by our bench.” Strip those moments out, and he didn’t view the outing as a disaster.
“I liked a lot about this game,” he said. “I like that everyone competed and dug in.
It was a hard, tight-checking game.” McDavid sounded much the same after the final horn.
“I thought we competed and put in a good effort,” the captain said. He also made clear the Oilers aren’t interested in using injuries as cover.
“We expect to win every night, no matter who is on the lineup.”
Babcock said he is trying to make the best of the situation by learning who can handle the moment and who can’t. “We’re seeing who can play and who can’t,” he said.
For now, the goal is to keep games within reach until help arrives. That may mean enduring some rough stretches, and Babcock admitted the team is feeling that lack of depth “... right now we’re not as deep, and I thought that showed tonight.”
The Oilers get Utah again on Saturday, with Hyman a possibility to return if he’s cleared. Nugent-Hopkins was skating, and Babcock said Dickinson’s injury was not ankle related, which left a few reporters puzzled after the game. His status should be clearer by Saturday morning.
In Other News...
Oilers Roster Shuffle Leaves One Big Lineup Question Unanswered
The Oilers kept busy with their roster before facing the Utah Mammoth, activating Colton Dach off injured reserve and getting Jake Walman back in the lineup. Edmonton also brought up Josh Samanski on an emergency basis, then moved him right back to Bakersfield, a reminder of how quickly the depth chart can shift when injuries start to stack up.
What still hangs over the group is the middle of the lineup, where Jason Dickinsons status remains up in the air. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is expected to make his season debut late next week, which should help stabilize things, but for now Edmonton is still sorting through who is available and how long it can keep patching the gaps. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Getting Healthier Again As Another Return Comes Into Focus
The Oilers keep getting healthier at a useful time, and the latest roster shuffle points in that direction. Edmonton activated forward Colton Dach from injured reserve and sent forward Josh Samanski back to the AHLs Bakersfield Condors, while defenseman Jake Walman and forward Zach Hyman are also set to play tonight. Dach had been out for three games, and Samanski returns to Bakersfield after a six-game stint with the big club.
There is still more help on the horizon for a team trying to stabilize its lineup. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jason Dickinson are both expected back during next weeks homestand, giving Edmonton a chance to add even more familiar pieces in short order. For a club looking to settle into a healthier rhythm, the coming days could matter as much as the players already cleared to return. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face An Immediate Forward Puzzle With A Key Return Near
The forward group is about to get a familiar piece back, and it arrives at a time when the Oilers need to sort out how their top two centers are going to be supported. Zach Hyman is expected back for the road game in Salt Lake City, giving Edmonton a chance to reshuffle a lineup that has had to keep moving pieces around while waiting for one of its most reliable finishers to rejoin the mix.
Leon Draisaitls usage is the first obvious question, with one possible look putting him between Ike Howard and Kasperi Kapanen while Hyman and Vasily Podkolzin ride with Connor McDavid. The Oilers have reason to believe those combinations could make sense based on how certain players have fit with Draisaitl before, but the real test will be whether the return of Hyman helps settle things quickly or simply gives the coaching staff another set of tough decisions. [Read more 🡒]