Oilers Defensive Struggles: Murphy Arrives as Team Seeks Consistency
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers are navigating a perplexing stretch of hockey, one defined by offensive fireworks and defensive fragility. A recent 8-1 rout of the Los Angeles Kings offered a glimpse of their offensive potential, fueled by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but it also underscored a troubling trend: a significant decline in defensive performance that has plagued the team over the last 10 games.
The Oilers have scored a league-leading 44 goals in their last 10 contests, yet simultaneously conceded a league-worst 46. This dichotomy has resulted in a 4-6 record during that span, a stark contrast to the 25 games prior, where they allowed only 64 goals and boasted the third-best goals-against-per-game average at 2.56. The shift has been abrupt and, according to those within the organization, largely unexplained by injuries or a particularly challenging schedule.
“They didn’t suffer key injuries. They didn’t have a tough schedule,” Oilers GM Stan Bowman stated recently. “They just decided they’d rather play run-and-gun, fly the zone, build poor decisions with the puck, and the goalies couldn’t make timely stops.” The team’s struggles appear to stem from a willingness to prioritize offensive creativity over defensive responsibility, a tendency that has left them vulnerable.
The issue isn’t necessarily a lack of experience. While youth is present – Matt Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin, and Josh Samanski are all under 25 – they are arguably among the most defensively responsible forwards on the roster. The problem, it seems, is a collective lapse in focus and discipline.
Statistical analysis supports this assessment. According to In Goal Magazine’s Kevin Woodley, the Oilers are currently 32nd in the NHL in high-danger chances against off the rush, 30th in overall high-danger chances against, and near the bottom in high-danger chances against on the penalty kill. “I understand the goalies have to play better, they do, but when the team tightens up, it will be easier to play goal,” Woodley explained.
Bowman acknowledged this systemic issue, stating, “We haven’t played well defensively as a team. I think it’s a number of factors, all of them contributing. It’s goaltending, defence and forwards. I think the biggest challenge for our group is we don’t put ourselves in a great spot often in games. We score a ton of goals and I think that’s great. If you think back to the early part of our season, we weren’t scoring much, but I think we’ve swung the pendulum probably too far one way where we’re pushing to try to make things happen. In the process of doing that, we put ourselves in really bad spots.”
The Oilers attempted to address this defensive vulnerability with the acquisition of Connor Murphy from the Chicago Blackhawks. Murphy’s scouting report emphasizes his defensive acumen: a willingness to block shots, a physical presence, and a commitment to protecting teammates. “The Oilers don’t need more puck movers,” Bowman noted. “They can score with any team in the league. They need to defend better and yesterday, I outlined what I’ve seen from my team recently.”
This isn’t a novel pattern for the Oilers. They’ve demonstrated the ability to tighten defensively, as evidenced by their performance during the 2023-2024 season and in stretches of last year’s playoff run. Under Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers led the NHL in points with 97, were second in goals-for-per-game at 3.72, and fifth in goals-against-per-game at 2.68. They proved they could balance offensive firepower with defensive solidity.
However, that consistency has been elusive. Last year’s playoff journey was a rollercoaster. While they initially struggled defensively against Los Angeles, allowing 24 goals in six games, they tightened up considerably against Vegas (10 goals in five games) and Dallas (11 goals in five games). But in the Stanley Cup Final, they reverted to their defensive woes, conceding 28 goals in six games.
This season has mirrored that inconsistency. After a shaky October and November (30th in goals-against-per-game at 3.58), they improved dramatically, ranking third best in the league at 2.56 over their next 26 games. But then, they fell back into their traditional habits, allowing a league-worst 4.60 goals against in their last 10 games.
Bowman believes the key to unlocking consistent defensive play lies in a mental shift. “It’s not a lack of knowledge on how to play winning hockey. You can’t get to the Stanley Cup final two years in a row if you don’t play a winning brand. We definitely can do it; we just haven’t done it frequently enough this season. I think that’s part of sports, though. I mean, there’s variability in performance.”
He continued, “It’s not going to be by adding magical new players. It’s going to be the approach that we capture as a team, understanding that going through a whole period without getting a lot of scoring chances is okay if you don’t give up a lot. I think that’s what happens in playoff hockey. Our team has shown the maturity to play that way when the games matter the most, I think right now we haven’t been dialled in enough and committed enough to play that way, and that’s what’s causing us a problem.”
The Oilers’ defensive lapses have been remarkably sudden. After allowing 25 goals in five games in late November, they shut out Seattle and allowed only one goal to Minnesota, sparking a defensive turnaround. But that momentum was abruptly halted by a six-goal outburst from Pittsburgh on , triggering another defensive collapse.
As of today, , the Oilers hold the second Wildcard spot, but their position is precarious. They are four points ahead of San Jose, Los Angeles, and Nashville, all of whom have games in hand. However, they are only four points behind first-place Vegas in the Pacific Division. The stretch drive is underway, and a renewed commitment to defensive responsibility is paramount.
SNAPSHOTS…
— Connor Murphy won’t make his Oilers debut tonight. He arrives late this afternoon and isn’t expected to play. He will practice with his team before making his debut against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.
— “He will take a lot of stress off of the D-men playing a lot of minutes. Our issue has been defending five-on-five and he will help the penalty kill. I think his biggest improvement will be at five-on-five and not giving up as many chances. It will also help our pairs and give all the guys a great partner (lefty/righty),” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. He wouldn’t commit to whom Murphy would play with yet, but hinted it might depend on how things go tonight, as they will spot some new pairings.
— Bowman outlined how he thinks Josh Samanski can help the Oilers. “He’s a more of a lower-risk guy. I like his energy. He’s a bigger guy who is pretty smart about not putting himself in bad positions. He doesn’t take a lot of risks and maybe that’s why he’s not a bigger scorer, but he’s been an effective player in Bakersfield on an offensive line. When they put Howard, Samanski and Hutson together that line was really successful for a large stretch of the year and Samanski was a substantial part of that. I think he can play with good players and play offensively, but he understands the style of player he needs to be to be successful, and we would like to see if he can do it in the stretch run here.”
— The Oilers are considering adding a veteran third-line centre, but Boone Jenner and Charlie Coyle might not be available. Columbus won last night, and they host Nashville tonight and Florida on Thursday. The Blue Jackets are three points out of a playoff spot. If they defeat Nashville and Florida, it’s unlikely Don Waddell will opt to sell.
— Mattias Janmark is going to have shoulder surgery tomorrow. He’s likely done for the season.
LINEUPS…
RNH – McDavid – Hyman
Roslovic – Draisaitl – Savoie
Podkolzin – Samanski – Frederic
Lazar – Henrique – Kapanen
Walman– Bouchard
Nurse – Emberson
Ekholm – Stastney
Samanski wasn’t in Edmonton yesterday and the Oilers had an optional skate this morning, but he will star with Frederic and Podkolzin. The D pairs are based on how they practiced yesterday. Kris Knoblauch did say after practice that the D pairs would be different from the last game, so maybe he will start with those. The team is struggling, so why not switch it up to get their attention? Murphy will draw in on Friday so there will be a different look in that game regardless.
Connor Ingram gets his third consecutive start. He started his first three games with the Oilers but hasn’t started three in a row since December 27th. Tristan Jarry has yet to start three in a row for Edmonton and has started two in a row twice. Jarry needs to find his game. From my seat, he had a rough practice yesterday as he got scored on a lot, getting beat in multiple different spots. Goalie coach Peter Aubry is trying to help Jarry fine-tune his game while also rebuilding his confidence. Jarry will have had over a week between starts to work on making small adjustments. He has had very few solid starts since joining the Oilers.
Batherson – Stutzle – Giroux
Tkachuk – Cozens – Greig
Cousins – Pinto – Amadio
Halliday – Eller – Zetterlund
Sanderson – Zub
Chabot – Jensen
Kleven – Spence
Ullmark
The Oilers can’t take Ottawa lightly. If the Senators had even average goaltending, they’d comfortably be in a playoff spot. The Senators have allowed the fewest shots on goal at five-on-five but allowed the 13th most goals. However, since returning from his personal absence, Linus Ullmark has been much better.
TONIGHT…
GAME DAY PREDICTION: For the first time in 11 games, an Oilers game has fewer than seven total goals. Oilers win 4-2 with an empty-net goal.
OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: In his 28th game against Ottawa, McDavid picks up his 14th multi-point game.
NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Matt Savoie stays hot and extends his point streak to a career-best four games.