3 major takeaways from Edmonton Oilers' 6-3 loss in preseason game vs Calgary Flames 

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Sep 24, 2024 04:24 GMT

The Edmonton Oilers dropped the first of their two split-squad preseason games against the Calgary Flames 6-3 on Monday night.

The Oilers lined up several of their top players, including Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard. Calvin Pickard got the start in goal.

However, the star-studded lineup was not enough to beat Calgary. Matt Coronato scored a hat trick to lead the Flames to victory. Meanwhile, Hyman, McDavid and Noel Hoefenmayer added goals for the Oilers.

With the tough loss in the books for the Edmonton Oilers, here's a closer look at three major takeaways from Monday night’s split-squad tilt.

3 major takeaways from Edmonton Oilers' 6-3 preseason loss vs Calgary Flames

#3. Oilers’ effort just wasn’t there

While the Edmonton Oilers controlled the play for long stretches at a time, they were unable to generate enough high-danger chances to make the game close. In particular, the Oilers didn’t seem to win many puck battles along the board, settling for shots from predictable angles.

Furthermore, the Oilers failed to generate much offense beyond the two lines centered by McDavid and Draisaitl. Of course, the Oilers did not have their full lineup on the ice on Monday night. Nevertheless, the top-heavy lineup could not crack the Flames’ solid defensive scheme.

Ultimately, the overall effort just wasn’t there against a Flames’ lineup that did not have most of its regulars on the ice.

#2. Pickard had a dreadful game

While the Oilers outshot the Flames 47-26, Pickard gave up four goals on 15 shots. That sort of performance does not bode well for the Oilers as Pickard will be relied upon to backup Stuart Skinner. However, this significantly shaky outing may cast doubt on Pickard’s role as the Oilers’ backup.

As it stands, Olivier Rodrigue or Collin Delia may push Pickard for the backup job. However, Rodrigue did not have a good night in the Oilers’ other split-squad game, leaving the Oilers to wonder how their goaltending situation may unfold throughout the rest of training camp.

#1. Oilers overly relied on their top defense pairing

Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm played 28 and 26 minutes, respectively, on Monday night. The next highest blueliner, Hoefenmayer played tough for over 20 minutes. Every other blueliner played significantly less.

Again, the Oilers did not have their entire lineup on the ice on Monday night. However, the club must be careful with overusing its top pairing. While Bouchard and Ekholm have proven they can handle the workload, pushing Bouchard to roughly 30 minutes a night could end up backfiring on the Oilers late in the season.

Of course, it’s only preseason. But the Oilers coaching staff may want to reconsider deploying Bouchard and Ekholm this much every game.