The Edmonton Oilers are 7-0-0 against the Ottawa Senators this season, but the Senators are no pushover. Ottawa recently doubled up the Montreal Canadiens, the team Edmonton cannot solve, 6-3. They’ve also all but killed the Calgary Flames, and been pesky against both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets.
The Oilers have had success against the Senators this season, but they know it won’t be handed to them over the next 24 hours. Edmonton is fully prepared for two very difficult games in the Canadian capital.
“The games have gone different ways but if you watch them play now, they’re a hard-working team. It’s going to be a tough game for us,” Head Coach Dave Tippett said Tuesday after practice. “Really tough. We go into every game and we plan to try to win. You recognize your opponent, whether it’s Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg or Ottawa, whoever it is.”
Edmonton hasn’t just had success against the Senators this season. They have feasted on the non-playoff teams in the North Division, and as a result sit in a great position when it comes to their playoff chances. Still, the opponent doesn’t matter to Tippett and the Oilers. They know, on any given night, that any team can beat another team. These points are too valuable to not be ready to roll.
“You go in, you try to have a plan to try to win,” Tippett continued. “You got to go in and play well, doesn’t matter who you’re playing. If you don’t play well, you’re not going to win. If you play well, you give yourself a chance. That’s what we’ll be talking about tomorrow.”
The Oilers will also be talking about the tough lesson learned on Monday night, when they didn’t play well in the final 20 minutes and as a result dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Canadiens. They need to play well for the full 60 minutes, not just the second period as has been the case too often lately. Do that, and they’ll prove victorious in Ottawa yet again.
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