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It was after their Game 3 collapse — a loss that pretty much ended the series — when Connor McDavid reflected on how it was that the Edmonton Oilers managed to blow a three-goal, third-period lead.
“Lots goes wrong, I guess,” said the Oilers captain.
The same thing can be said in regards to how Edmonton managed to lose four straight games to Winnipeg.
A lot went wrong for the Oilers in this series. McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were no-shows in Games 1 and 2. Their goaltender, who had been their saving grace for most of the regular season, forget how to stop the puck in Games 3 and 4. And whether it was a lack of discipline or an ability to play playoff hockey, the team could not hold onto a lead.
Add it all up and it’s another summer of disappointment for the game’s best player.
Here are five reasons why the Jets — and not the Oilers — are advancing to the second round:
THEIR BEST PLAYERS WERE NOT THE BEST PLAYERS
Based on their stats, it might not have looked as though Connor McDavid (four points in four games) and Leon Draisaitl (five points) had a bad series. But compared to what they did in the regular season, both players significantly underperformed.
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McDavid, who had a 21-point lead as the NHL’s top scorer, is tied for 22nd in playoff scoring. He went from averaging 2.4 points per game against Winnipeg in the regular season to just one point per game in the playoffs. The runner-up for the Rocket Richard Trophy scored once.
Both McDavid and Draisaitl went without a point in Games 1 and 2. And though they combined for three goals and nine points in Games 3 and 4, they still finished with fewer goals and points than Mark Scheifele (two goals and five points) and Blake Wheeler (two goals and five points) had combined for.
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THEY LACKED SECONDARY SCORING
With McDavid and Draisaitl unable to find the back of the net with the same level of consistency — and with both playing on the same line — even more pressure was put on Edmonton’s third and fourth lines to try and contribute.
It was a familiar problem for a team that has relied so heavily on its top-2 players. And as we have seen before, there was no solution.
Winnipeg’s defence contributed two goals and three others came from the bottom-two lines, including the Game 2 winner from Dominic Toninato, who was an injury replacement. Edmonton, meanwhile, received one even-strength goal from its bottom-two lines and none from its defence.
THE GOALTENDING MATCHUP
Age might have been just a number for 39-year-old Mike Smith in the regular season. But in the playoffs, the extra workload seemed to catch up to him.
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It didn’t help, of course, that Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck regained his Vezina Trophy-winning form from a year ago. For some reason, Smith couldn’t match that level of goaltending.
In each game, Hellebuyck was the better goalie. In each game, he was the difference.
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Smith had been more than fine in Games 1 and 2, where he combined to allow three goals. But it was his performance in Games 3 and 4 that really sunk the Oilers.
With their backs against the wall, Game 3 was the one where Edmonton needed Smith to hold the fort — especially after the team built a 4-1 lead in the third period. Instead, it was Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck who shut the door as Smith gave up four straight goals in one of the worst choke jobs in NHL history.
Game 4 was a similar situation, with Smith allowing four goals on 43 shots for another overtime loss.
End of the day, the stats told the real story: Hellebuyck had a 1.60 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage, while Smith had a 2.40 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
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THEY DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO PLAY PLAYOFF HOCKEY
It was after Game 1 when Paul Maurice observed that “It looked the way playoff hockey is supposed to look.”
It was another way of saying that the game was a defensive, hard-hitting, grinding battle. That it was boring. It was a style that the Jets desperately needed to play in order to limit the high-flying Oilers’ offence. And it was one that they played perfectly.
A lot of questions are going to be raised when you get swept in the first round. But if there’s anything that the Oilers should take from this defeat is that they are not built to win a Stanley Cup.
They have the skill and the difference-makers to win in the regular season. But the playoffs are more than just about skill. You need players to sacrifice, to hit, to block shots, to win the little battles. It’s not just about taking a lead. It’s also about knowing how to hold onto a lead.
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The Oilers, who blew a three-goal lead in Game 3 and then had Ethan Bear cough up the puck for a goal while protecting a one-goal lead in Game 4, still don’t know how to do that.
A LACK OF DISCIPLINE
Josh Archibald received a one-game suspension — and a ton of criticism — for his senseless clipping penalty that sparked the Jets’ comeback in Game 3.
Some blamed him for not only costing Edmonton the game, but also the series.
The reality is that he was not the only Oilers player who lacked discipline. Edmonton put Winnipeg on the power play 10 times in four games. Against a team that ranks third in the playoffs with a 30% success rate, it was 10 times too many.
mtraikos@postmedia.com
twitter.com/Michael_Traikos
TRAIKOS: Five reasons why Oilers were swept by Jets in first round - Toronto Sun
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