Edmonton Oilers try to find solutions for their many problems
Since the 2010-11 National Hockey Season began in October, no team has experienced more problems than the Edmonton Oilers. In their first 22 games of the season, the struggling Oilers
have posted a record of 6-12-4 along with 16 points.
Before the season began, many hockey experts predicted that Oilers would have a good season, especially with the arrival of their three highly-touted rookies, Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle,
and Magnus Paajarvi. However, the rookies have not delivered the desired results so far, and neither have the majority of the players on Edmonton’s roster.
Ask any of the Oilers what they think the primary reason for their slump is, and you’ll be sure to get a different answer from each one.
“I think it’s just a matter of our turnovers,” Hall, the first overall draft pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, told
Canoe.ca. “We have shifts where we just don’t seem determined to get the puck in (deep), and that’s going to cost you, especially against a team like San Jose, they really use those odd-man rushes to their advantage.”
Forward Sam Gagner says that the Oliers’ woes can also be attributed to the team’s severe lack of intensity on the ice, and the many other small things that can often interfere with the
flow of the game.
“I think that’s one of the struggles of adjusting to the NHL game, there’s lulls in games,” Gagner said. “There’s TV time outs, there’s power plays and penalties that ruin the flow a little
and it’s something you’re not used to coming out of junior or anywhere.
“For me, in my first year, it was hard to adjust to that. As a group in here we need to find a way to do it. We need to make sure we’re intense and stay focused on the job no matter what
the situation is.”
The Oilers are coming off of a 4-3 home ice loss to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday 27 November. Down 4-1, the Oilers tried to mount a comeback, but ended up falling short of that goal.
“It’s the kind of thing that’s been hurting us psychologically, when things go like that they really eat us up,” said Oilers associate coach Ralph Krueger.
“There’s something different about our group and the reaction to the goal against early, and the second period and the 4-1 deficit. It makes you feel that something special happened in
the group that we can use in the future.”
The Oilers’ next opponents will be the Montreal Canadiens, who they’ll face on Wednesday 1 December.
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