3 least impressive Edmonton Oilers players from 4-2 loss to New York Islanders ft.

NHL: Edmonton Oilers at New York Islanders - Source: Imagn
3 least impressive Edmonton Oilers players from 4-2 loss to New York Islanders ft. - Source: Imagn

The Edmonton Oilers suffered their first regulation loss this season, dropping a 4-2 decision to the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Thursday night.

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Islanders’ center Bo Horvat notched a hat trick in the win, with Mathew Barzal adding the other tally. Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins replied for the Oilers.

The game was 2-2 after 40 minutes. But then, the Isles pulled away with a power play goal from Horvat late in the period, and then an empty-netter with about 10 seconds to go.

David Rittich stopped 31 shots for the Islanders. Meanwhile, Stuart Skinner made 21 saves in the losing effort.

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So, here’s a look at the three least impressive Edmonton Oilers players from their loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

3 least impressive Edmonton Oilers players from loss to New York Islanders

#3 Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid didn’t have his best night against the Islanders. He registered one assist in over 25 minutes of ice time across 23 shifts. While he had five shots on goal, he could generate enough offense 5v5. The Islanders managed to shut him down for the bulk of the night, except for the power play goal Draisaitl scored in the first period.

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#2 Stuart Skinner

Stuart Skinner didn’t face a ton of shots on Thursday night. While he didn’t have a bad game for the Edmonton Oilers, he didn’t make the timely saves he needed to keep his team in the game.

Horvat’s shorthanded goal was the best example. Had he bailed his teammates out, the Oilers would have entered the third period with the lead. Instead, it was a tie game heading into the third.

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In the third period, the Isles capitalized on a poor penalty kill. Here’s a look at Horvat’s second of the night:

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While the Oilers failed to prevent Horvat’s shot, Skinner could have made the save just by being in the right position. He wasn’t, and Horvat’s shot flew right past him for the game-winner.

#1 Evan Bouchard

The Edmonton Oilers' top blueliner had a bit of a rough night against the Islanders. He skated in over 24 minutes across 24 shifts, but ended up a minus-3 despite having three shots on goal.

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In particular, his role in Bo Horvat’s shorthanded goal added insult to injury. Here’s a look at the goal:

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The play started with an errant pass from Connor McDavid to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The pass got picked off with JG Pageau shoveling the puck to Horvat. Meanwhile, Bouchard was out of position and unable to catch up to Horvat.

The goal was particularly bad as the Oilers were up 2-1 at the time. The Isles ended up scoring three unanswered goals to take the game.

Bouchard also committed a terrible turnover on Barzal’s goal. Bouchard, again, was unable to catch up and prevent Barzal from scoring.

The Oilers will be back in action on Saturday night as they take on the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan
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