Skinner Earns Shutout, Desharnais Talk, and the Core Oilers
The Oilers have a chance to close out the series in Game 5.
Welcome to the THW Edmonton Oilers Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Oilers writers.
The Edmonton Oilers can close out the series with the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday in Game 5. They’re feeling good coming off a hard-fought 1-0 win where Stuart Skinner secured a shutout. The core is playing well, but so is the depth, including defenseman Vincent Desharnais, who may be in line for a long-term deal.
Enjoy today’s edition.
Oilers Shut Out Kings 1-0 in Game 4, Grab 3-1 Series Lead
April 29, 2024 by Edgar Chaput
After three matches during which one or both sides scored a flurry of goals, the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings engaged in a vintage, tightly contested, defensive battle on Sunday in Game 4. In theory, the result probably should have favored L.A. given Edmonton’s propensity to go for goals, but it was the Oilers who earned a narrow 1-0 victory. With that, Connor McDavid and company fly back home with a 3-1 series lead in their pocket and a chance to finish their opponents off in Game 5.
Ex-Oilers Coach Shuns Team’s Playoff Games After Rough Exit
April 30, 2024 by Jim Parsons
It won’t be long before former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft lands on his feet again and is an NHL bench boss. It seems like every other day there is news throughout the league that a coach has been fired, the latest being Dave Hakstol of the Seattle Kraken. Woodcroft was and is a good coach who got caught up in a tailspin for the Oilers early in the 2023-24 season. To many, he was a scapegoat and was fired, even though he had a lot left to give.
Rumored Long-Term Deal for Desharnais Makes Sense for Oilers
April 29, 2024 by Jim Parsons
Reports that the Edmonton Oilers like Vincent Desharnais are not new. Dating back to when the team gave him a shot out of the AHL versus trading for a more established defenseman, he’s not let them down and has exceeded expectations. Reports had surfaced that the Oilers and Desharnais’ camp had already engaged in contract talks — which were put on hold when the playoffs began. An update on those reports suggests the deal might be a long-term one.
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Oilers’ Skinner Silences Doubts With Great Play in Wins vs. Kings
April 30, 2024 by Brian Swane
After the first two games of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoff series between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, no Oilers player was under more pressure than Stuart Skinner. And in Games 3 and 4, no Oilers player stepped up more than Skinner.
Oilers Are Better Built for a Deep Playoff Run Than in Years Past
April 30, 2024 by Michael Golden
The 2023–24 edition of the Edmonton Oilers give off a different energy than years past. They are the oldest team in the NHL, and their veteran maturity and playoff experience show on the ice. They have learned through past failures what is required to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs: a team-wide commitment to defence. Their composure as a group is evident in the way they defend, and that’s the most significant difference with this season’s Oiler team.
Maple Leafs’ and Oilers’ Core Comparisons Can Finally Stop
April 28, 2024 by Jim Parsons
Neither series is over, but following a Game 4 disaster and infighting among the Toronto Maple Leafs’s top stars, it’s going to be next to impossible for the Leafs to fight back in their series with the Boston Bruins. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are up 2-1 in their series on the Los Angeles Kings with Game 4 on Sunday night and a chance to take a 3-1 series lead. Likely long before either game, comparisons between the Leafs’ elite and the Oilers’ top stars probably should have stopped. However, these two series should wake anyone clinging to hope that Toronto’s stars were anywhere close.