While several observers have mentioned the name of Ottawa Senators head coach DJ Smith with regard to a possible firing, there is a risk that that of Edmonton Oilers pilot Jay Woodcroft will become more common in rumors of this type.
The presence of the San Jose Sharks in the basement of the overall standings is not surprising, but that of Connor McDavid’s team in second-to-last place is even more so. The Alberta team delivered another miserable performance on Monday, suffering a crushing 6-2 loss to the Canucks in Vancouver. Consequently, it posted a poor record of 2-8-1 and was undoubtedly the disappointment of the start of the National Hockey League (NHL) season.
• Also read: Auston Matthews now has more goals than the Sharks!
• Also read: Senators: Patrick Roy was the choice of a group of investors
• Also read: Connor McDavid is honestly tired of losing
To say that everything is bad for the Oilers is certainly an understatement, and the third period was a good example as McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were both penalized for rough conduct, while the second of them also received a disciplinary penalty. Then Woodcroft was thrown out of the game for arguing too violently with the referees. In short, the atmosphere is grim both on the ice and in the locker room. And for the coach, a defeat on Thursday against the woeful Sharks – still winless – could mean the death knell.
“At the end of the day, I have to get better,” he admitted to Sportsnet. I don’t think I overstepped the boundaries [avec les officiels]but sometimes you need to deliver a message or ask a question, and the reception may be different than you expected.”
Once again, McDavid expressed his dismay at the end of an evening to forget and tried to find some positive elements.
“I think we did a lot of good things in the first third. Then we played catch-up hockey again,” he told NHL.com.
“At the moment, no matter what we do, we are behind after the first half. However, we had good starts in the last 2-3 games,” added defender Mattias Ekholm, who scored on Monday.
It is too late?
If Edmonton just wants to make the playoffs, they need about 90 points, which requires about 40-45 wins. The slope to overcome is steep, but the players seem to have the confidence to take on the challenge.
“There’s a lot of hockey to play. However, every team is good, so it’s not easy to get eight wins in a row or have a similar winning streak. “The weather is really going to be a factor,” fullback Brett Kulak told the Edmonton Journal.
To achieve their goals, the Oilers will need to rely on more compelling goaltenders. In Vancouver, Stuart Skinner surrendered six times in 36 shots. His 3.99 targets-against average and .856 efficiency percentage are largely inadequate.
“It’s hard to accept because the boys work hard. I think we took 18 shots in the first seven minutes. It is very impressive and [Thatcher] Demko has done a lot of work. But this is the man I have to defeat. I have to outwork the other goalkeeper and I couldn’t do that here,” he reflected.