NHL insider goes after Oilers live on air after shutout loss to Wild
Photo credit: Edit from St. Albert Gazette
The Oilers failed to score a goal vs. the Wild, and that prompted NHL insider Craig Button to lay into the team and how they are unable to compete with elite teams.
Jesper Wallstedt made 33 saves for his fourth shutout in six starts, and the Minnesota Wild extended their point streak to 12 with a 1-0 win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Tuesday.
What Jesper Wallstedt leads the NHL in
Wallstedt, who went 6-0-0 in November, now leads the NHL with four shutouts this season. Half of his 10 wins have come in shutouts. This adds further salt to the wound of the Oilers deciding to pass up on drafting him.
The lone goal came from Jonas Brodin at 13:11 of the first period, a one-timer from the blue line off a Nico Sturm face-off win. The Wild improved to 15-7-5 and are 10-0-2 in the streak.
For Edmonton, Stuart Skinner stopped 23 shots but had no control in preventing the Wild's shutout.
The Oilers, 11-11-5, had won two of their previous three, including a 4-0 throttling of the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
Zach Hyman had the best chance for Edmonton in the second period, guiding a backhand towards Wallstedt, only for the pad stop to keep the puck out.
Even with Skinner and Edmonton's best players giving it their all, criticism from NHL insider Craig Button suggested the Oilers simply can't keep up with the Western Conference's best as presently constructed.
"They're not at that level."
- Craig Button
- Craig Button
Why Craig Button believes the Oilers are not an elite team
Button doesn't believe they're at an elite level, indicating deficiencies on defense and with secondary scoring.
Minnesota also credited goalie Filip Gustavsson for providing solid depth in the net during the streak.
The loss means Edmonton is still feeling growing pressure to find consistency on both ends of the ice as they push to regain a foothold in the Western Conference standings.
Previously on HockeyLatest
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 3 | 121 ANSWERS NHL insider goes after Oilers live on air after shutout loss to Wild Do you consider the Oilers as an "elite" team this year? | ||
| Yes | 16 | 13.2 % |
| No | 105 | 86.8 % |
| List of polls | ||