McDavid, Draisaitl held scoreless, PP woes pile, and more: 3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers were shut out 3-0 by Montreal Canadiens
The Edmonton Oilers were shut out 3-0 by the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Monday night. It was a second loss in a row for the Oilers during their Atlantic Division road trip.
Brendan Gallagher, Kaiden Guhle and Jake Evans scored to give the Habs the win. Samuel Montembeault was brilliant, making 30 saves for his second shutout of the season.
Let’s take a look at the three reasons why the Edmonton Oilers couldn't solve the Montreal Canadiens puzzle on Monday night.
Three reasons why the Edmonton Oilers were shut out by the Montreal Canadiens
#3 Oilers waste solid outing by Pickard
Calvin Pickard got a start in place of Stuart Skinner who took a loss on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Pickard was great, giving up two goals on 24 shots. He did everything he had to do to keep the Edmonton Oilers in the game, but they couldn't generate any offense to support Pickard, who has been solid for the Oilers this season.
The Oilers cannot afford to continue wasting great performances from their netminders by failing to score. An outing like Pickard’s should have been enough for an offense like the Oilers’ to pull out a win.
#2 Edmonton's power play is a stinker again
The Edmonton Oilers went 0-for-3 on the power play. The Oilers sit 22nd in the league with a 17.4% power play rate. The power play rate is concerning, party when looking at the talent on the Oilers’ power play units.
Moreover, the Oilers couldn't score on the Habs with the man advantage. The Habs have a respectable 81% penalty kill rate, good for 13th in the league.
The Oilers must figure out a way to get their power play going. When looking at how close Monday night’s game was, the Oilers could have turned the game around with a power play goal, particularly in the first period when the Oilers got two of three chances.
#1 McDavid, Draisaitl kept off the scoresheet
The Montreal Canadiens did a great job of keeping Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl off the scoresheet. Monday night's effort marked the sixth time the Habs have kept both superstars off the scoresheet. Only the Calgary Flames have managed the same more times.
Between them, McDavid and Draisaitl have three shots on goal. McDavid mustered one shot in over 22 minutes of ice time, while Draisaitl managed two in nearly over 21 minutes. Moreover, McDavid finished the game a minus-2, with Draisaitl ending a minus-3.
It’s also worth pointing out that the depth scoring just wasn’t there. The other three lines were unable to generate much offense. The most dangerous player for the Oilers was Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who managed five shots on goal but had nothing to show for it on the scoresheet.
The Oilers will have little time to regroup, as they take on the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night in the second of back-to-back games.