One aspect of Flames proved to be weakness of Oilers
Photo credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
In the Oilers' loss on Saturday night, the Calgary Flames showed precisely what has been missing from Edmonton's bottom part of the lineup this year - grit and physicality.
Oilers' GM Stan Bowman may want to take a page out of Calgary's script when deciding how to proceed at the trade-deadline.
Bottom-6 continues to lack work-ethic and aggression
Head to head, Calgary's 4th-line dominated Edmonton's in every respect, led by Adam Klapka, whose energy was apparent straight from the warmup, according to Insider Scott Oake.
Klapka continuously pressed the Oilers' defense, trapping the opposition and even contributing on the scoreboard. He finished the game with an assist, four hits, two PIM and a plus-three.
And he did this with only 10:49 of TOI.
In contrast, Oilers' Trent Frederic was invisible, who was signed this summer for 8-years at a cap hit of $3.85M and brought in to do precisely what Klapka has done for the Flames.
Yet, he wasn't the only Oiler to go unnoticed during the game. As has been the case all year, the 4th-line failed to make an impact, this time with the trio of Frederic, Jones and Janmark.
They finished the game with one shot between the three, and a total of three hits.
In a game where contributions can be made even without needing to score goals, their lack of work-ethic and physicality was evident.
If there is one glaring weakness in the Oilers' lineup this year, it's the lack of grit and push-back from the bottom-6. It's beginning to sound like a broken record; but game-in and game-out it's always the same futility.
It's impossible to overlook when the 3rd and 4th lines are not contributing, forcing the top-6 to compensate.
Eventually, this strategy will fail to secure wins, in particular in the post-season, when contributions are needed top to bottom.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 29 | 676 ANSWERS One aspect of Flames proved to be weakness of Oilers Is the Oilers' bottom-6 forwards hurting the team? | ||
| yes | 560 | 82.8 % |
| no | 116 | 17.2 % |
| List of polls | ||