Are you frustrated yet Oilers fans? It’s been an interesting first four games of the season, with Edmonton coming out with a less than spectacular 1-3 record. There have been a lot of things to roll your eyes at, but there have also been a lot of things to view as positives. That being said, it’s a results driven business, and the results aren’t there just yet. On top of that, the Oilers are about to embark on a six game road trip that could very well end up being a death march.
It’s been an interesting start for the Oilers. They held in there well against Winnipeg and Montreal, while getting absolutely crushed by Vancouver and taking a gift collapse from New Jersey. Most will make the argument that with a bounce here or there the Oilers could be 3-1, and arguably should be 2-2. Unfortunately, that isn’t how the game is played, and the Oil are 1-3.
There have been some positives, and I’ll full on admit that to you. The Oilers, for the first time in a long time, are out-shooting their opponents. The shot differential has been a HUGE issue for this team, but the Oilers have won the shot clock battle three out of four games so far, with the one loss coming in the game they got crushed in against the Canucks.
The Oilers corsi number this season has been much better as well. To this point in the season the Oilers are around a 50% corsi team, in fact they are 49.8% to be exact. That’s better than teams like Toronto, who is off to a pretty good start to the season. Corsi is a very useful advanced stat, and usually indicates future success. The hope is that trend applies here.
The Oilers are also, in theory, a more aggressive team this year, and they are being coached that way. It hasn’t shown consistently on the ice to this point, but the Oilers are being coached to be a more aggressive squad that doesn’t take their foot off the gas. We see Dallas Eakins riding the big horses much more here, and we see him shorten his bench when the going gets tough, something Ralph Krueger and Tom Renney rarely did, if ever.
That said, things still have been frustrating for the Oilers, and will not be getting easier any time soon. No matter what, with good there comes bad, and for the Oilers there is bad to go with the good points that I listed above.
The Oilers are 1-3, and still haven’t found a way to win games. I don’t expect this team to win 60 games, I don’t, but asking them to win about 43 and fight for the playoffs shouldn’t be out of the question, especially considering how far into this rebuild they are. I know, it’s four games, the season is VERY young. I acknowledge that and agree with that point.
That said, the Oilers found a way to blow opening night, got run off the ice by a team they have to be able to compete with, barely escaped New Jersey (They shouldn’t have) and broke down at key times last night to find a way to lose to Montreal.
Winning the advanced stat and shot battles are nice, but let’s be honest, wins and loses are what this team needs. Moral victories can only lead you so far. While I value things like shot differential, corsi and possession numbers (I think you have to), it’s only part of the battle being fought out there.
The Oilers lack any real finish right now. They are trying way too hard to make the pretty play, trying to make the sports center top ten, rather than putting pucks in the net. Far too often we see this team trying to make the prefect pass, make the extra pass that doesn’t need to go, and waiting on the perfect shooting attempt. That doesn’t work at this level. Garbage goals are good goals, remember that.
Last night, we saw Montreal score two ugly goals, and win the game. You don’t see the good teams trying to force the pretty play all the time. Look at Boston, LA, Chicago, those teams score anyway they can. The Oilers have to be better at putting that puck in the net. Shouldn’t be hard with their talent.
The puck possession game hasn’t been great either in my mind to this point, and it’s almost like the Oilers are playing lost out there. Part of me attributes this to learning yet another new system, but at the same time these are the same issues that plagued the Oilers last year and the years before. That’s not a good sign.
The bottom six really needs help. I know the fourth line hasn’t been scored on yet, but they are getting badly out-chanced to the point where I have to close my eyes when they are out there. It’s a matter of time before they cost this team. Ryan Smyth hasn’t been much better either, and that’s just sad to see.
The team finally got some good goaltending last night, but they need that more consistently. It hasn’t been up to the level that it needs to be at this point, and looking at the upcoming opponents it could get ugly if the goalies don’t turn it around. Hopefully DD’s performance last night is a sign of things to come. Yes, I thought he bounced back quite well against Montreal.
The Oilers need to find ways to win these close hockey games, and need to find ways to do it quick. You can’t make the playoffs in October, but you can certainly miss them. The Oilers, at 1-3, are about to have their first true test of the season, and if they fail, things could be over quite quickly in Edmonton.
The Oilers next six games are all on the road, all against playoff teams from last year, and all on the east coast. It starts tomorrow night in Toronto, then moves on to Washington on Monday and Pittsburgh on Tuesday. They’ll head to NY to take on the Islanders on Thursday, then head to Ottawa next Saturday before closing it out in Montreal.
That’s six tough games that could all be loses for the Oilers (I doubt they lose all six, but you get my point). If they don’t figure it out quick and turn this thing around, the Oilers six game road trip could turn into a six game death march that puts the Oilers in a hole that they won’t recover from.
I know, it’s October, but ten games in could turn out to be very ugly for this Edmonton team and put them in a bad, bad spot. I hope I’m wrong, it’s time the Oilers gave us all something to cheer about, but I’m prepared for the worst. These next six games could be the season for this team, and that’s not an exaggeration. It’s already crunch time for the Oilers, are you frustrated yet Oilers fans?
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