Oilers coach rips team's effort against Devils, explains win-streak failure
Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
During his interview following last night's 2-1 loss to the Devils, Oilers' coach Kris Knoblauch commented on his team's struggle to win three games in a row.
Oilers look for momentum in 2nd-half of season
We want to get some momentum and win a few games in a row. That's how you climb up the standings. We respond well after losses - but if we're going to be a really good team and move up the standings, we have to win consecutive games.
It could be numerous things, bad penalties, goaltending, poor defense - tonight, the first two periods we didn't show up.
- Coach Knoblauch
It could be numerous things, bad penalties, goaltending, poor defense - tonight, the first two periods we didn't show up.
- Coach Knoblauch
As the head coach pointed out in the video, the 2-1 loss to New Jersey could have been for many reasons, perhaps the biggest being the team's mind-set going into the game, that it would be easy.
Well, they learned it wasn't, not because the Devils were necessarily the better team, but because Edmonton lacked effort for most of the game.
Of course, the Oilers also deserve credit for how they've recovered since the early part of the season, when they were losing games regularly and leaking in all areas, including the standings - they had flirted with last place in the Pacific.
Yet, for the ninth time this season, the Edmonton Oilers had the opportunity to win a third-consecutive game.
The silver lining is they've won consecutive games nine times; that's 18 wins of a possible 27, not bad really.
Now, as coach Knoblauch alluded to above, the inability to win three in a row can be attributed to many factors, all of them just speculation.
For example, most of the goals this year have come from McDavid and Draisaitl, with others providing some secondary scoring of late. But it's the two stars that are relied upon, night in and night out.
So when the bottom-6 aren't contributing, goals can be hard to come by.
According to NHL Edge, Edmonton's bottom-6 account for only 31% of the team's goal share.
And when most of the losses following the 2-game win streaks were by one goal, that extra scoring makes all the difference.
Again, it's all just analysis. At the end of the day, the team needed to execute, and it didn't against New Jersey.
Also read on Edmonton Hockey Daily :
Oilers reveal major line changes at practice, Penguins make decision on Stuart Skinner
Oilers reveal major line changes at practice, Penguins make decision on Stuart Skinner
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 21|336 ANSWERS Oilers coach rips team's effort against Devils, explains win-streak failure Did the Oilers appear unprepared for the game versus the Devils last night? | ||
| yes | 288 | 85.7 % |
| no | 48 | 14.3 % |
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