The standings at the halfway point are no surprise to the EdmontonOilers who are a middle of the road, fringe playoff contender — which is better than they’ve been at the halfway point in many a season past. (By EdmontonOilers)
would be in the Top 15 among NHL starters with a saves percentage of .912 at the halfway point, he’d have done cartwheels. Koskinen was a major question mark, and by and large, he has given the Oilers more than enough goaltending on a nightly basis, while Mike Smith’s game has been much more up and down — from a .931 saves percentage up until Nov. 3, to an .856 sv% ever since.
Together, they’ve given the Oilers the opportunity to succeed. Unlike a Frederik Andersen in Toronto however, when the Oilers leave their goalies entirely unattended, they have not been of the calibre to steal points. As a tandem, these two get some credit for the excellent penalty killing numbers, and Koskinen, in particular, has helped make this position one that isn’t being talked about in Edmonton much this season — which is a good thing.
In Edmonton, however, he’s on pace for a 12-goal improvement on goals against and just 21 on goal differential. That’s how endemic the defensive issues are here, and with two forwards averaging more than a minute per shift — and often playing the entire two-minutes of powerplay time — oftentimes the defensive game of his stars is a bigger deal than the rest of the group.
In Tippett’s defence, he needs more players who can help before he starts taking time away from McDavid and Draisaitl. This team needs a third-line centre and, say, two Middle 6 wingers before you can look at the coach and say he’s not getting the most out of his lineup. In the end, Tippet has his team in playoff contention at midseason, something very few Oilers coaches have done of late.
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