You're not going to win icing two AHL pairings and a meh 2nd pairing. Especially when both Nurse and Larrsson are completely off their games. It makes drawing conculsions from these games hard, as such an obvious flaw is going to make everyone look bad.
Teams know to forecheck hard on the Oil's defence, and have their defence stand up on the forwards. Thus the puck is always being tossed around like a grenade, and it's leading to sloppy ungly, and predictable turnovers, as the teams completely unable to build any speed.
I know I said I wouldn't go after the forwards, but I don't understand why Caggs always falls up... He's a dump player who often hurts the team more than he helps. His only redeeming quality is chasing the puck, but even then it's noramlly a turnover right after he gets it. Rieder's also beyond hopeless in the offensive zone, but I at least trust him defensively. I know Spooner's uneventful, but having him in the lineup lets you keep Khaira on the wing on a higher line, where he's far more useful than the Drake.
On that note, I though Khaira and Yamamoto both looked good. They were some of the few that tracked and controlled the puck well in my eyes.
Can we please move Caggs and Benning for a TVR or Pysyk-type return? Please?
Draisaitl-McDavid-Rattie/Yama
Khaira-RNH-Pulju
Lucic-Brodziak-Kassian
Rieder-Spooner-Rattie/Yama
Russell-Larsson
Nurse-Pysyk
Jones-Gravel
That at least gets you to a point where you can survive until Klefbom and Sekera are also back.