National Post (National Edition)
For top-heavy Oilers, the more stars the better
McDavid, Draisaitl need more support from rest of roster
They are on a two-game winning streak and their top-2 scorers are running away with the Art Ross Trophy, putting up as many points as Wayne Gretzky used to back when goalies wore as much equipment as today's defencemen.
So what's not to like about the Edmonton Oilers?
Well, basically, the same things we didn't like about them last year — or the year before, or the year before that.
On one hand, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have combined for 43 points in 11 games, a ridiculous pace that could see them each end up with more than 100 points in 56 games. On the other hand, if they're not producing, then no one else is.
Edmonton defeated the Ottawa Senators 8-5 on Sunday in a game where McDavid (one goal and five assists) and Draisaitl (six assists) played a role in seven of the team's eight goals. One night earlier, they were on the ice for all four of the team's goals in a 4-3 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In the past seven games, McDavid has five goals and 17 points. Draisaitl has six goals and 16 points during that same span. Together, they have picked up at least a point on 24 of Edmonton's last 28 goals.
That's 85 per cent of the offence coming from two players.
It's a familiar narrative for a team that still hasn't figured out how to surround their most gifted offensive stars with secondary support. But it's a narrative that head coach Dave Tippett doesn't see a problem with.
According to Tippett, it's fine if McDavid and Draisaitl are the only ones ending up on the scoresheet every night — just as long as everyone else on the team is keeping their opponent off the scoresheet.
“It's about winning. It's about winning, right?” said Tippett. “I'm way more concerned about keeping the puck out of our net and defending right and there's a lot of that — that the bottom part of the lineup has a lot of say in. You take a player like (Josh) Archibald, he's a great penalty killer. We need players like that, too.
“So the balance isn't all about scoring all the time. It's about winning. And that's what we're trying to do around here. Connor and Leon have to do their part, both offensively and defensively. But to win, you have to be able to defend and have people that do different roles other than just score.
“The perception of our team in the media might be those guys get all the headlines, but we're trying to build a good team that can be competitive and win in the playoffs.”
A balanced offence is something that most coaches strive for. The days of top-six and bottom-six when referring to the forward lines is all but over. You need all four lines to contribute, especially in a condensed 56-game season when teams are basically playing every other night.
But you tell any coach in the NHL that he can have two players who are averaging two points per game and he'd probably tell you that he'll take it and figure out the rest. Except, in the past, the Oilers haven't figured anything out beyond trying to get McDavid and Draisaitl on the ice as much as possible.
The duo, 1-2 in scoring last season, combined for 207 points, but Edmonton still lost its qualification series to Chicago. In 2019, McDavid and Draisaitl combined for 221 points and missed the playoffs. A year earlier, they had 178 points and missed out.
This year, McDavid and Draisaitl are on pace for a combined 218 points. And that's in a 56-game season.
But unless the Oilers have figured out a way to play McDavid and Draisaitl for the entire game — or to rig the schedule so that they play the Senators more than 10 times — we probably can guess how this will end.
As many points as McDavid and Draisaitl have put up, the Oilers are still in fifth place in the North Division with a 5-6-0 record. They wouldn't be in a playoff spot if the season ended today. Based on point percentages, they wouldn't even be ahead of the sixth-place Calgary Flames.
Part of Edmonton's problem been preventing goals. Only eight goalies have a worse goals-against average than Mikko Koskinen. Then again, with a defence that leaves much to be desired, no one has faced more shots this year than the Oilers goalie.
The other problem concerns the team's forward depth.
Most observers were expecting that the combined even-strength output from Kyle Turris, James Neal and Zack Kassian would be more than three goals in 11 games.
As for the fourth line, they haven't contributed anything, unless you count the times when McDavid was double-shifted and picked up assists on Archibald's two goals this year.
“They're starting to come,” Tippett said of the secondary scoring. “I think we're starting to see a little more of it.”
Until then, Edmonton's strategy is the same as it's always been.
“Get him the puck,” defenceman Tyson Barrie said of McDavid, “and hopefully get an assist on it.”