How different things feel from seven days ago. The Oilers were licking their wounds following an embarrassing 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs on the national stage. It was the club’s third straight loss to Toronto, a stretch that saw them get outscored 13-1. It was far from pretty.
Sine then? The Oilers are 3-0-0, and have beaten the Calgary Flames once and the Ottawa Senators twice. These are games the Oilers should be winning, and they are. Normally, these wins against a basement dweller like the Senators wouldn’t garner headlines. These wins are different, however.
The Oilers were thoroughly beaten by the Maple Leafs. It was the kind of stretch that can derail the season for a young team trying to build confidence and prove that they can compete. That didn’t happen for the Oilers, however. They battled, and have rebounded from three losses with three wins.
It’s a sign of maturity from the leadership group.
“It’s our job as the leadership group and collectively as a team to find our way out of it and go in the right direction,” Draisaitl said of the team’s mindset following the sweep at the hands of Toronto. “I thought our team did a great job of sticking with that in the Calgary game, and we’re back to 3-0 in the last three, so huge props to our group.”
The Oilers have a chance to keep the good times rolling in their next two games. On Friday night, they’ll be back at Rogers Place for the third and final meeting with the Senators in this miniseries. Then, on Saturday night, they’ll face another non-playoff opponent in the Vancouver Canucks. The Oilers, combined, are 9-1-0 in ten meetings with the Senators and Canucks this season.
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