Edmonton did something that not many people expected them to do at the start of the 2016-17 season. The team swept the Calgary Flames, a club many believe is playoff bound this season, in a two-game set to open thing up. Many people, myself included, were hoping to split that set and then take care of business against Buffalo and Carolina before the first real tough stretch of the season hit.
The Oilers record is currently 2-1, which is exactly where I had them pegged at this point. The only difference is, they dropped a game against a banged up Buffalo team that was winnable. Not only did the Oilers lose that game, they got absolutely clobbered by the Sabres last night.
Buffalo, to me at least, is a strong young team that is absolutely going in the right direction. Last night, however, the Sabres were banged up and opening a lengthy road trip. That’s a game that a playoff team would have won on home ice, so I’m slightly frustrated about the final result. To me, Sunday night was a missed opportunity for Edmonton to grab the bull by it’s horns to start the season.
That all said, the club had a bad night and those will happen during the course of a season. You aren’t going to win every game, and you are going to look very poor some nights. Last night was one of those games for the Oilers. The key is, in my mind, to make sure that it is just one game.
In years past, that loss last night would have spiraled out of control for the Oilers. What do I mean? A blowout loss in recent years usually meant the start of a lengthy losing streak for the hockey club. It was that inability to stop the bleeding, among many other things, that sunk Edmonton’s seasons over the years.
Tuesday night against Carolina, a winless Hurricanes team might I add, it is vital for Edmonton to avoid that kind of streak setting in. I’d even call this the first true test of the 2016-17 season.
Sunday Was Bad:
But it wasn’t THAT bad. Look, the Oilers actually created a ton of chances offensively but couldn’t seem to cash anything in. There were plenty of missed chances and, quite frankly, plenty that were stopped by Robin Lehner. As bad of a night as Cam Talbot had, Lehner was the exact opposite in the Buffalo net.
Defensively, the Oilers made some key mistakes against. I noticed Oscar Klefbom is a really bad way, especially on the first goal. Darnell Nurse didn’t inspire much confidence on Ryan O’Reilly’s first marker of the night, while Adam Larsson was also caught watching at times. I thought it was a weak night by the defense sans Sekera and Russell.
Which brings us to Talbot. I’m a fan of Cam Talbot’s, I think he has the talent to be Edmonton’s number one goaltender and I think you can make the playoffs with him in the net.
That said, last night was a terrible performance. The goal from center ice was a back breaker, and there were at least two other goals that had no business going in. Three bad goals allowed, in this day and age, is essentially a death sentence in the NHL. He needs to be better against Carolina.
Overall, I thought the Oilers actually had more scoring chances, and dangerous ones at that, than Buffalo did. Watching the game, I didn’t feel like the Oilers were playing horrible hockey, I just felt like every single mistake they made ended up in the back of the net and Buffalo came ready to go from puck drop.
Onto The Next One:
When Milan Lucic signed with the Oilers back in July, one of the things he mentioned was changing the culture in Edmonton and adding a swagger to this hockey team. We’ve seen that ‘swagger’ on display twice already this season. When Edmonton surrendered two shorthanded goals to give up a 3-1 lead in the season opener, I thought the game was over. The Oilers actually responded well and won that game.
Same thing in Calgary on Friday night. After a disastrous first period, the Oilers battled back and found a way to win a divisional game on the road. That was unheard of in past seasons. Tuesday night is another chance to show that the Oilers are a new hockey team.
I know it’s the hot topic right now, but I really do like the decision by both players and the coaching staff to switch the mandated off-day from Monday to Wednesday. Some people may think it is a case of Todd McLellan and his staff pressuring the players, but I read it as the Oilers leadership group owning a tough night and wanting to correct it ASAP. In the last ten years, I haven’t seen this hockey team own up to a loss like that once.
If the Oilers are able to turn the page quickly and win on Tuesday night, it will be another sign that maybe this team actually is heading in the right direction. Instead of the usual three-to-five game losing streak, if the Oilers can beat Carolina and regain momentum, it will show that this is a mentally tougher team than the ones we have grown accustomed to seeing.
It won’t make the season, but tomorrow night could go a long way towards proving that this team is turning north. Everyone in the NHL has bad nights and every team is going to lose hockey games. The key is moving onto the next one and not letting one loss bleed into a string.
October is a key month for the Oilers, and tomorrow night is an early test of this team’s mental make up. The Carolina Hurricanes represent one of the first big challenges for Edmonton this season.
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