Why Is Edmonton Oilers Sucking So Bad Again
No woe is us from Edmonton Oilers but the losses have to end and soon
Bottom line: They demand a win, no matter how it looks. And they can't just await to Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl
For the second directly day, as the Edmonton Oilers tried to figure out of a way to extricate themselves from a debilitating half dozen-week stretch where they're at present out of the playoff film, they worked on battle blazon stuff in practice Tuesday, which, of course, stretches the boundaries of brotherly love into brotherly shove.
But getting mad is what they need right now, with the powerhouse Florida Panthers coming to town, along with some saves in net, better punishment-killing, and maybe even scoring first on Sergei Bobrovsky, if he'south tending the visitors' cage.
Lesser line: They need a win, no matter how it looks. And they tin't simply look to Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl and say, "Get us three or four points, will ya?"
The team process has to kickoff before Florida centre Sasha Barkov goes confronting McDavid or Draisaitl on Thursday, earlier one of the NHL'southward best disturbers, Patric Hornqvist, parks himself in forepart of goalie Mikko Koskinen as he is wont to practise.
Certainly Darnell Nurse, the affiche boy for pushing back and pushing forward when things are going bad, is a firm believer in firm exercise habits finding their way into the games. And the Oilers, while they maybe have listened to the coaches, have to start taking this onto themselves. Their battle levels oasis't been expert enough.
If it doesn't get ameliorate, they will non get out of this death spiral of two wins in 14 games.
"Whether information technology'southward working out earlier practice, shooting on the goalies, then the morning time skate, it'south the habits. You demand to do those each and every day," Nurse said.
He has worked confronting McDavid in the boxing drills, smiling, if not whistling while they work.
"You accept to be at the top of your game at every 2nd of the battle, try to button him and make him uncomfortable and try to make him improve as well," said Nurse. "He pushes me to be amend and hopefully that mindset carries over."
There is a line you take to straddle in battle drills, of course. This is a teammate, not Florida'southward Jonathan Huberdeau.
"If they're in a vulnerable position, y'all know that. You lot know when to let up for a second in a battle drill," said Nurse, who, wearing an A on his jersey, is obviously charged with playing his 26 minutes a game, only likewise making sure the 'woe is us,' is kept to a minimum, off ice. The give-and-take wallow meliorate not exist heard by Nurse.
"We're all professionals hither and we've been through some type of stretch similar this, whether information technology'due south in junior or in the NHL. Dunc (Keith) won Cups in Chicago and went through stretches like this," said Nurse. 'There's a process to work out of it simply we haven't found that yet. But if we continue to push each other in practice every 24-hour interval, that'south how you lot get out of this. Y'all take adversity and grow from this."
Nurse has thought well-nigh it long and difficult and knows one affair has to change.
"When you boil all the things downwards, it'south keeping the puck out of your net," Nurse said of Edmonton'due south 3.34 goals-confronting average in 35 games, when it's a 3-2 league. "It'southward not all on the goaltenders, non on 1 area of the game, it'south everybody from the initial puck-driblet.
"Team defense is so of import, teams that are successful play such a stiff defensive game. We haven't washed that for our goaltenders or ourselves so nosotros can win games."
What you might also love is one veteran role player clearing his throat with an opening argument before speaking to the media and offer up this: "I'm sick to expiry of this, nosotros should be way better than our record. We suck right now."
And, then proverb, "OK, fire away with your questions."
Like the one-time Peter Finch line in the corking movie, Network, where his graphic symbol, Howard Beale, says, "I'one thousand mad as hell and I'yard not going to take this anymore."
Just that hasn't happened yet, although Nurse is always thoughtful and the ultimate standup guy.
Draisaitl was asked Tuesday if in that location was whatever one thing in his mind that had to get better to become his social club on the right path, simply he wasn't illuminating.
"Nosotros have to get better at everything," he said.
True enough. Would he like to expand on that?
"Nope."
Oilers double-decker Dave Tippett did, however.
He recognizes he has to balance the past and the present. He can't ignore all the losses, but information technology tin't exist like the Zamboni is parked on his players' shoulders today, either.
"When you're going skilful, y'all work on stuff, same when yous're struggling," he said. "We can really dig into the defensive office of our game. You lot guys have talked most being hard to play confronting. Well, that'south checking hard, we want to exist a tighter team.
"You accept to keep pounding away. I know the media likes us to wallow but you tin't wallow all the fourth dimension. We have to elevate each other out of this."
Email: jmatheson@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @jimmathesonnhl
Source: https://edmontonsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/edmonton-oilers/no-woe-is-us-from-edmonton-oilers-but-the-losses-have-to-end-and-soon
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