I genuinely feel bad for Oilers fans who had to work on Friday afternoon. Their win against the Capitals was the best and most complete game they’ve played so far this season, and it’s not because it was a 5-0 final score. Some people like to throw in the term “statement game” a lot. Some games do prematurely feel that way until the team you cheer for loses again. But it was Edmonton’s leadership core making a statement on Friday. It was reported that Leon Draisaitl messaged the team’s top powerplay unit the night before their game against Carolina to work on their PP. In this game, it went 3/4. He and Connor McDavid both pointed to the bench after he scored one of the PP goals. He was pointing to Connor Brown, who apparently came up with the move used by the top PP when he played in Junior. Making it more impressive is that they got under the skin of Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and John Carlson, forcing them to take bad penalties and making them pay with the man advantage that we all know and love. Washington won five straight games before Friday, and the Oilers, with all their struggles and frustrations, managed to rattle them and make them lose their cool. It was also Stuart Skinner’s third career shutout with 25 saves. Here’s hoping a game like that will boost the sophomore goalie’s confidence.
Draisaitl’s post-game interview was his first time speaking to the media at all since the coaching change. He doesn’t handle interviews very well when his team is going through a big slump. If he spoke to them while being pissy, he may’ve crippled a guy. It was nice to see a smile on his face for a change. After the game, he said this quote, which I believe speaks many volumes.
“We have a lot of guys in here that care a lot. Sometimes, that’s a little misunderstood towards the outside, which is unfortunate. We care a lot; we want to win in here.”
McDavid and Draisaitl are not good actors, and I mean that with respect. Every time the Oilers go through a rough patch, hockey fans on social media will post screenshots of them without context, creating a baseless narrative that they want to leave Edmonton. You can make drinking games out of every screenshot you see. Interestingly enough, fans choose not to post screenshots when they smile. It’s okay for pro athletes to not like losing; you should want your players to care. But since Connor and Leon are the two faces of the franchise, of course, they’re going to wear it more than their teammates. They understand that, but they don’t hate the Edmonton Oilers. What they and the rest of the team have to do now up until April is play like they hate losing. Draisaitl was also asked about the team’s powerplay.
“Some people might say we can only score on the PP, but they don’t have our PP.”
Good. That’s the sort of swagger we want to see from the Blue and Orange. Teams don’t win every game, but if the Oilers express the same level of confidence they had against Washington, they should win more than lose. It was the sort of game that their fans waited two months for. Bring the positive end of a bad road trip into this two-game homestand. The keys to the game are…
Misery Loves Company: The Ducks are an exciting young team, no doubt. Just imagine if Trevor Zegras was having a better start than a measly two points before his injury. But after a pretty hot start to the season, they’ve lost five games in a row, being outscored 22-9 in that stretch. They want to get back in the win column consistently, just like Edmonton. The Oilers need to play with desperation themselves and have the visitors feel even more what it’s like to be in the same boat as our team.
Respect The Goalies: John Gibson is currently sporting a .914 SV% in 13 games with Anaheim. He’s been a good goalie for the last decade, but playing behind a rebuilding team doesn’t help his case. There’s also Lukas Dostal, whose stats don’t look as good as Gibson’s but who also beat Edmonton with a 46-save performance around this time last season. Given Edmonton’s history against backup goalies, and with that 0-5-1 record when putting up 40 shots, should we be nervous about possibly facing Dostal again?
Respect OUR Goalies: The Ducks are 27th in goals for this season. It should be easy to defend against them, right? Well, we also thought the game against the Hurricanes would be even because they don’t have great goaltending either, and look how that turned out. Play some responsible defense and bail out whoever starts in net for you so you don’t make it easy for them to break out of their scoring funk.
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Amen. Keep going oilers. Keep lifting that glory up to God and you will continue to win. As a hockey player I understand what negativity can do to a player. I was a powerful skater and a physical presence on the ice through my minor hockey career and even played some junior and cihl, but I could never break free of the chains that my own team put on me. I didn’t understand when I was younger what was happening. Or why. I just knew it hurt. So in my pain that was caused by friends and family I withdrew and fell into the rut of addiction. I spent 16years trying to understand what had happened. All I wanted was to be accepted and loved. My own father left me when I was 5-7. I’ve never had the connection with him I wanted. My step dad Winston Leary come into my life and got me into martial arts and hockey. In hockey I learned teamwork. What it means to work together. Even though my team mates didn’t support me and bullied me relentlessly it made me stronger. It made me who I am today. My coach Ray Sturney taught me about the game as a teenager. I lost my temper once in the ice against the kitimat ice demons 18 years ago after a player ran out goalie a couple times. It was the only time I ever dropped my gloves. I left the game because I didn’t remember what happened. I just remember putting them back on and skating of the ice. I let them win. I let what they had said about me consume my thoughts and it crippled me. People are literally dying for lack of encouragement and a kind word spoken out of love. You as players can understand at the level you are playing. It dosent feel good when the fans that are supposed to support you and lift you up tear you down. Through adversity we discover just how strong we are. I found God later in life. Through the adversity I experienced he taught me my worth. I came back to the game last season. The Sumer before I played I was so over weight I could not even put my own socks on. I had given up on life. Walking as a shell. A father trying to hold on a little bit longer for his children. My wife has been the biggest supporter. I spent a whole summer walking and went to tryouts at 285lbs. I made the team in commitment alone. My first game i felt weak. So I went into the gym and started lifting. Every time I was benched I lifted harder. I felt my team and coaches didn’t believe in me. Just like I had experienced years ago. They still saw me as the over weight kid they bullied growing up. Or team has players from the whl. Kihl and some guys that played overseas pro. I sat all 10 games I played with them. Getting the odd shift here or there cold. They threw me to the wolves. So I made myself strong. When I finally got out there I knew I had to do something for them to pay attention. So when I got a shift I hit someone. I almost killed him. He ended up with pulled ligaments in his shoulder. A broken jaw and orbital bone. I had my ankle broken in the scrum that happened after. Was given a penalty for charging and a match. Got indefinitely suspended from the cihl. The player I hit tried to sue the team, the league and the arena. After I made contact with him his own team mate hit him from behind in the way down. No one put him in c spine. They lifted him up. Dropped him. And practically dragged him of the ice. I didn’t know i hurt him that bad. It made me feel sick. Remainder me of what I did years ago before I quit. This season I didn’t want anything to do with hockey after the way it was handled. Somehow God granted me the courage and strength to keep going. I’m skating again this year. Weather on not I’m allowed to play cihl is still being decided. I’ve lost over 30lbs since last season. I’m living proof that with the right people friends and family (team) supporting you. You can do anything. You can accomplish what everyone else says is impossible. You can be a winner. Together you are strong. Divided you fall. Fans are part of that team. Your coaches and players are the soldiers in the trenches next to you. Your fighting for your family’s future. Your fighting for your fans. They look up to you. A lot of people are inspired by what you do and stand for. Through the rough times we are shown what true strength is. Family is everything. Say hi to “the Great one for me”. Wayne knows what teamwork and family can accomplish. He’s done it for Edmonton in the past. Now it’s your turn to become the future. Win or loose. Do it together and give the glory to God. Do this and you will never be defeated! Peace and love brothers. Amen.