Oilers shouldn’t overreact to fluke qualifying round loss

For Oilers fans, it may be easy to be discouraged following their 3-2 loss to the Blackhawks and subsequent elimination from the playoffs on Friday. After years of mediocrity, it looked like they finally had a chance to make a run in 2020, only for it to end at the hands of the 12th seed Blackhawks in the qualifying round.

However, the Oilers showed a lot of promise throughout the season and shouldn’t look back on it as a failure. 2020 is just a weird year and they shouldn’t put too much stock in the end result.

The Oilers have a wealth of talented youngsters who will continue to improve with time. Players like Kailer Yamamoto, Darnell Nurse and Ethan Bear all saw success in 2020. The Oilers are building something very promising here.

It also looks like they have finally found their head coach. After going through eight coaches in the past 11 years, Tippett looks to be the man for the job.

The Oilers need to trust the process

The Oilers have two of the league’s top players in Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, who are still only 24 and 23 respectively. Draisaitl was outstanding this season, posting 110 points in 71 games, which will likely be enough for him to take home the Hart Trophy. McDavid was characteristically dominant, with 97 points in 64 games.

With those two on your roster, the Oilers should be making the playoffs every year. However, if they want to make a deep run, their defense and goaltending is going to need to improve.

It feels like we’ve been talking about the Oilers defensive struggles forever now. With all of their high lottery draft picks, they never went with a defenseman, and it has shown in recent years.

They are starting to turn the page on that narrative. This season, they finished 17th in goals against. It’s nothing to behold, but it’s an improvement from last season when they finished 25th in the NHL. With Nurse and Bear both under 25, the Oilers should see their defense continue to improve in the coming years. Oscar Klefbom is also turning into a bona fide top-tier defender.

In the end, it was goaltending that sealed their fate this season. Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith split time this season, which is not ideal for a team looking to make a deep run in the playoffs. After Smith gave up five goals in Game 1, Koskinen got the nod for the remainder of the series. Koskinen simply wasn’t good enough, which was a huge factor in their defeat.

This is the No. 1 issue for the Oilers. They will need to find a certified top goaltender if they want to be a serious Stanley Cup contender.

Overall, you can’t look at the Oilers season as a disappointment. While they wish it ended differently, the circumstances were extreme, especially for such a young team. In the end, it was their lack of experience which cost them, something that will only improve with time.