GDB 12.0 Wrap Up: The Oilers reach a new low after losing the Toilet Bowl with San Jose
8 months ago
Where do you even go from here?
You know the drill. Edmonton battled a team, lost the game, and their record dropped even further. However, it was different this time, as they lost to the one-win San Jose Sharks by a score of 3-2.
The Oilers pushed late with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal with the goaltender pulled, but the lowest-scoring team in the league ultimately outscored them. The hope was that the Oilers would have that pivotal moment they’ve had in seasons prior, the most recent example being when they scored four goals in the third period to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a late November 2022 game. However, it wasn’t meant to be on Thursday.
If we were still in the decade of darkness, this would be great as a team below the Oilers picked up points, but nope, this is year nine of Connor McDavid.
THE WRAP UP IS PRESENTED BY BETWAY
As you may know, Jack Campbell was sent down to the American Hockey League, where he struggled in his first game. But the question is, would trading for a goaltender even make a difference? The only perceived elite goaltender on the market, Juuse Saros, looks like he won’t be moving anytime soon.
However, it’s hard to blame Stuart Skinner for any goals. The first was when the Oilers left a wide-open man in the slot. The second was an unfortunate bounce that landed on the stick of a Shark in the slot, and the third was on a two-on-one.
No, the Oilers’ issues run much more profound than goaltending, as they seemingly can’t defend a rush, and more importantly, their stars apparently can’t get on the board.
The worst part about it is the Oilers are frozen this season. It’s season nine of McDavid, so they should be making the playoffs, but they’ve had such a poor start that they can’t move their first-round pick if the unthinkable happens (McDavid asking for a trade).
This is the kind of game that gets staff axed, but is it Jay Woodcroft’s fault that the Oilers can’t stop a puck, can’t defender a rush, and can’t score? To me, it feels as if it’s the same problems they had when Peter Chiarelli was in charge, but alas, something has to be done.
Will the Oilers make the playoffs after a 2-9-1 start? You’d like to hope, but it’s already starting to feel as if their chances are getting slimmer and slimmer unless something drastic happens.
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