A win, my kingdom for a win. My kingdom for saves, my kingdom for defense, and my kingdom for offense. Of all the low points in the first 12 games of the season, Thursday night’s loss to the San Jose Sharks was the lowest. At least San Jose already recorded their first win before beating the Oilers, so it doesn’t have to be as embarrassing. But it still is. Mentally, I thought it was always going to be a lose-lose situation. If Edmonton broke their losing streak, we would’ve said, “It’s only because they played the Sharks.” But since they lost, we’re all saying, “They just lost to the Sharks LOL.” Stuart Skinner made some big saves during the game, but Mackenzie Blackwood made more because he’s a backup goalie, and those all play like Vezina winners whenever they play against the Oilers. I’ve defended Darnell Nurse against his detractors, but his losing the puck at his blueline to cause the 2v1 leading to the 3-1 goal for San Jose didn’t need to happen. Instead of spinning away while trying to stay onside, shoot the puck at the net or near it when you receive it. Even Connor McDavid was the victim of a casual giveaway that almost resulted in a shorthanded goal. I feared he was coming back a bit too early from injury during the Heritage Classic. I wish I’d been wrong because he plays like he’s still hurt. When Edmonton made it 3-2 late, it was one of those usual times when they give fans false hope for a comeback. You’d think that getting a powerplay in the last two minutes would turn everything around, given this team’s history with the man advantage. But even that part of their game feels broken now; everything in Edmonton is broken.
Not that I blame Skinner for the loss, but it may have meant more to play Calvin Pickard after calling him up to replace Jack Campbell. A fresh face never hurt anybody. Speaking of Campbell, did you happen to see some of his first AHL game? Aye, Yai Yai, just when you think it couldn’t get more abysmal for the poor guy. That second goal he allowed is worse than his bad moments in an Oilers uniform, and that is saying a lot. Remember in my last article when I said the Bakersfield Condors have the best goaltending in the American Hockey League? That’s going to change relatively fast. I wanted to keep giving Soup the benefit of the doubt this year; I really did. I wanted to believe he could rebound from last season and that his performance in Game 4 against the Kings last Playoffs would be enough to boost his confidence before the season started. But alas, it hasn’t. He’s still the same cold Soup that signed a five year deal paying him $5M per year. He’s a very nice guy, it’s hard not to like him. But he gets his confidence shot down very easily after a bad game or two. It’s a toxic trait for any athlete to have, especially a goalie. The Oilers do need to find a replacement for him, and maybe that will help Skinner motivate his play as well. But who is that Oilers target going to be? Is his current team going to trade him? And does he even want to play in Edmonton?
Despite the social media arguments amongst Oilers fans, there is one thing that most fans are all united on. It’s that they do not blame Jay Woodcroft for the disaster, and neither do I. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is playing in his 13th NHL season. If Jay gets fired, the new guy will be RNH’s ninth coach… NINTH! Maybe tenth if you count Craig MacTavish as the interim coach for a very limited time in 2014/2015. How many coaching changes does a team need before the players learn to hold themselves accountable for their play or before the GM gets a goalie who they’re not afraid to play in front of? I’ve been reading that the team will decide on his future after this game. I’d heard more than once that he started the season trying to implement the same 1-1-3 defensive system that helped the Golden Knights knock them out of Round 2 last season. As you can see, this idea has not worked. But to pin that as partially why the Oilers have struggled? I don’t buy it simply because they’re used to turning themselves on and off during the season. There are things I would’ve done differently than Woodcroft, but it’s not the same as when Dallas Eakins tried to teach swarm defense. If Woody does end up staying, Edmonton will have to take a page out of the Florida Panthers from last year. It’s similar to the St. Louis Blues, except they didn’t fire their coach. The season is still very young, but the boys need to start playing like it’s not over yet. But if you think it’s over, at least you can stop watching. You don’t have to sit through every ugly loss and then write about them.
Before the game starts, take some time to reflect on today being Remembrance Day. Or before you go to bed, just as long as you give yourself that time; lest we forget. The keys to the game are…
Former Teammates: I first want to wish Jordan Eberle a speedy recovery. His leg got cut in practice, and he will miss time. But reports also say he’s lucky the injury isn’t more serious. Justin Schultz, Adam Larsson, Kailer Yamamoto, and Devon Shore are the other ex-Oilers. The Kraken are only one point out of a Wild Card, and those four guys will be more fired up to be in that spot by beating their former team.
Collective Effort: Like the Oilers, the Kraken are held back by goaltending. Not as much, but they’ve only allowed one less goal than Edmonton. The difference that Seattle has against our team is they can mask that flaw with scoring by committee. It’s why they made the Playoffs last season, even though their goalies were much worse. They don’t have superstars to always rely on for miracles, they play and win as a team. Last season, Edmonton had more secondary scoring than some narratives may’ve suggested. But it hasn’t started out that way this season. It doesn’t help that McDavid and Draisaitl are slumping, too.
Bring It For Jay: Jay Woodcroft’s future with the Oilers organization is up in the air. Get a win for him. If he stays after this weekend, show management why you still trust him and want him to stick around. Don’t play to purposely get him fired, play to help keep his job.
