The Oilers came to Montreal with the wind in their sails. Nine straight wins have put them back in the Western Conference playoffs. Additionally, a win against the Canadian would allow them to record a team mark.
Let's say in mid-November, when the team had a 3-9-1 record, some were scratching their heads.
This unacceptable performance for a team full of talent got head coach Jay Woodcroft and his assistant Dave Manson the door. Since then, things have been going at full speed. Under Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers are 19-6-0.
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“We have confidence now. And we trust each other. Before we doubted our teammate. “We were afraid that our teammate wouldn't do his job, so we cheated to do it,” said Vincent Desharnais, explaining this turn of events. Whether we lose 2-0 or lead 2-0, we play the same way.”
It's still a strange situation considering the Oilers didn't make any major changes to their roster in the offseason.
“We were very frustrated because even though we knew it wasn't working, we didn't have an answer. “But we worked hard and the chemistry on the ice was right,” emphasized the Laval defender. But on the ice we got mad at each other.”
Calm and relaxed
Desharnais claims that the coaching change has had a positive impact on this somewhat toxic atmosphere. The fact that Knoblauch and Paul Coffey, who were hired as assistants, showed calmer temperaments meant that everyone's hormones calmed down.
“He also brought a lot of positive things into the team atmosphere. He gave us confidence again. He told us to calm down that we would make the playoffs. That we had to approach the games individually. It was good for everyone.”
However, the Quebec defender refuses to blame his predecessors.
“After the discharge we had a team meeting. We spoke face to face. We told ourselves it was no one's fault except the 23 players in the locker room. Neither the coach's fault, nor the manager's fault, nor the goalkeeper's. We had to find a solution together.”
“Jay and Dave did an excellent job. When they arrived two years ago, the team was lost. They created the structure we currently have.”