Oilers lose to motivated Mammoth in possible playoff preview

As it turns out, in a game the Edmonton Oilers led for all but 11 seconds, they were lucky to escape Salt Lake City with a point in a 6-5 overtime loss.

Did the Oilers hold leads of 3-1, 4-3 and (with seven minutes to play) 5-4? Yes they did.

Bur were they absolutely on their heels, pinned in their defensive zone for most of the third period, while the Utah Mammoth possessed the puck in Edmonton’s zone? You bet they were.

“We obviously gave up too many chances,” said defenceman Darnell Nurse. “When you’re trying to score six to win a game, it’s tough to get that done. So defensively, we can definitely up the details in our own zone.”

Two days after Connor McDavid talked about playing low-event hockey against the offensively talented Mammoth, this game was anything but, with the Mammoth logging 12 high danger chances to Edmonton’s eight.

In what could be a preview of a riveting Round 1 matchup between these teams, it was Utah that controlled the pace in the third period, while Edmonton was hanging on for dear life.

The good news? The Oilers managed to score five times with both Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman out of the lineup, and they received depth goals from Colton Dach and Curtis Lazar.

“It was nice to see the offence was there. We had the goals, but just too many chances against,” lamented head coach Kris Knoblauch, whose team just couldn’t break the puck out of their own zone with any consistency. “So many problems tonight started with just not being able to get the puck up ice and having to spend time in the defensive zone.

“If we get those breakouts, we’re out of the zone. We’re also not tired and getting run down in our zone. For me, that’s the starting point.”

The point leaves Edmonton exactly where they were when the night began: tied atop the Pacific and holding the tie-breaker, but with Vegas now, not Anaheim. With four games to play, the Pacific is wide open, with Anaheim losing 5-0 at home to Nashville Tuesday, while Vegas beat the moribund Vancouver Canucks 2-1, surrendering just 11 shots on goal.

Mammoth Opportunity

The franchise shift to Utah from Arizona has been one of Gary Bettman’s great recoveries. After Bettman held his faith in a series of bad owners who left unpaid bills scattered across the desert, Utah owner Ryan Smith is as solid as solid can be in Salt Lake City — and his up-and-coming hockey team looks to be no different.

The Mammoth have become an exciting offensive machine, scoring six or more goals in each of their last four games. They’ve posted an 8-1-1 road record since March 1.

Slight problem though — Utah dragged a 1-5-1 home record since March 1 into Edmonton’s visit, and the Mammoth play five of their final six games at the Delta Center as they cling to a wild card spot and this franchise’s first playoff berth since the 2020 bubble.

If the Mammoth can qualify for the post-season this spring — they control their own destiny and have the first wild card spot all but wrapped up out West —  it will be just the second time in 13 years that this franchise played past Game 82, after a lot of bad years in the Arizona desert.

McFeelin’ It

How good was Connor McDavid on a Tuesday night in Salt Lake City? Oh boy…

He walked through the whole Mammoth penalty kill for this goal, a work of art for his 44th of the season.

After Nikita Kucherov pulled one point ahead in the Art Ross race earlier in the evening, McDavid had 1-1-2 in Salt Lake City. The Oilers captain has had at least two points in each of the six games he’s played against Utah.

In fact, McDavid leads the NHL in more than just points, ranking first in rush chances, slot passes, controlled entries and end-to-end rushes. Whether or not he wins his fourth Hart Trophy will be up to the voters from the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, and that award is very much open for interpretation.

But there’s no doubt who the best player in the game is, year in year out.