EDMONTON — A step forward was exactly what was required by an Edmonton Oilers team that’s been backing up of late. Wins, they’re good at any time of year, and Edmonton had come out of the Christmas break at 1-3.
But the fact that the Oilers looked the best they’ve been in the new year with both Trent Frederic and Andrew Mangiapane listed as healthy scratches, cheering their team on from the dressing room in street clothes, well, that said something else altogether.
“Yeah, things haven’t worked out. Not that it’s over,” head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the morning skate, leaving any possible door open for those two players to become part of the process again. “They haven’t played as we’ve expected. There’s more for them to give us.”
Frederic signed an eight-year deal this summer, and has responded with three points in 41 games. Mangiapane inked a two-year free agent deal on July 1, and has underperformed mightily.
The fact that both were deemed healthy scratches on the same night — both have taken turns in the press box at times this season — was a stark reminder of just how poorly GM Stan Bowman’s two major free-agent signings have gone so far.
The Oilers got depth goals from Kasperi Kapanen and Curtis Lazar in their 6-2 win over Nashville on Tuesday, a rare night this season when the depth scoring has delivered. Alongside a hat trick from Connor McDavid, it was all too much for a Predators team at the end of a six-game road trip.
“Overall it was a pretty solid 60. Every line was going, every D pair and (Connor Ingram) in goal made some huge saves to keep us in it and keep us going,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who notched his 500th career assist on McDavid’s hat-trick goal.
“(That just means) I’ve had a lot of really good players to pass the puck to. I’ve obviously been here a long time (993 games) and played on some great teams with some great players.
“It just kind of shows the calibre of players I’ve played with.”
None better than McDavid, who is on a legendary tear right now — a 16-game points streak in which he’s scored 17 goals and 39 points.
McDavid scored on the power play, on a penalty shot, and at even strength.
“Right now he’s attacking. Every chance he has, he’s taking it to the net,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “Whether he is shooting it or beating guys and taking it there … It feels like there is always another level that somehow he gets to.
“We’re trying to keep up, (Zach Hyman) and myself. It’s not always easy.”
McDavid is simply unstoppable with the Winter Olympics on the horizon, and certainly there isn’t an NHL coach who knows how to blunt his attack.
“I wish we knew,” said Preds coach Andrew Brunette. “I think every team in the league is probably thinking the same thing. The penalty-shot goal was a little bit self-inflicted, but he’s an extremely dangerous player as we all know. If I knew how to stop him, I’d stop him.”
Lazar played like a guy who will stay in the lineup — particularly with centre Adam Henrique leaving the game injured after just two shifts — banging home a rebound to make it 3-0.
“I told (McDavid) after I scored that goal that I’m going for the Molson Cup this month, don’t take it personally,” Lazar joked.
And Kapanen was excellent in his return from injury, an important depth player during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last season. He will get the time to find his game, you can be sure of that.
“At times you could notice that I haven’t played in two and a half months,” said Kapanen, who had a goal and an assist. “But all in all, I thought it was not a bad effort.”
It’s only one game, and lineup spots are sure to open up again for Frederic and Mangiapane. But it’s hard to say that either veteran was missed on Tuesday, as the Oilers jumped all over Nashville in the second period and won going away.
As the game wore on, the line of Ike Howard, Jack Roslovic and Matt Savoie — who replaced Henrique at centre — found its footing. It’s unlikely that Howard is coming out of the lineup, either.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who can play in the bottom six, and right now we’re just wanting more from those (two) guys. It’s a little bit of a reset for those two,” Knoblauch said.
OIL SPILLS — This was the 20th consecutive game for Edmonton where the team that scored first won the game. The Oilers are 18-1-3 when scoring first … McDavid’s penalty-shot goal was the first at Rogers Place for an Oilers since Leon Draisaitl in 2018 … Draisaitl scored the fifth Oilers goal, just his second even-strength goal since Dec. 1. He’s at 60 points, after a three -point night (1-2-3) … Edmonton is 15-2-2 in its last 19 versus Nashville.
