Oilers' star takes responsibility for team's lack of scoring
Photo credit: Imagn Images
With the Edmonton Oilers in a three-game losing skid, reports reveal that Leon Draisaitl is taking it upon himself to give the team's offense the jump-start it needs to score more goals.
Head coach juggling lines after injury to yet another key player
The Oilers will likely have to continue their chemistry experiments because of Kapanen's injury. Though Knoblauch had no update on Kapanen's health status, the right winger was spotted limping and with a brace on his left knee.
- The Athletic
- The Athletic
It makes perfect sense that Leon Draisaitl would take responsibility for the team's goal scoring - it's what good leaders do, especially when a teammate goes down with injury. They hold themselves accountable and do what they must to be better.
«It's me that's certainly not feeling it right now,» Leon Draisaitl said. «The game changes when your top guys are feeling it, and they're seeing it, and they're creating offence. It changes the entire dynamic of the group...I just have to take a look in the mirror and figure out something to be better.»
In its last game against the Red Wings, Edmonton recorded a season-low 18 shots on goal, and drew only one penalty, usually an indication of a lack of urgency in its game.
And to Draisaitl's point of the top-players not scoring enough, it was a depth player Noah Philip that scored one, and the other by defenseman Brett Kulak.
«We're just not scoring enough,» Draisaitl said. «We're playing fine defensively. You're not going to win many games when you score one or two goals.»
Of course, injuries to some key players are partly to blame for the coach juggling his lines in order to find line-chemistry. It typically takes a team a good 20 games to establish it's line construction; injuries make the process even more difficult.
Key players on IR returning to lineup
According to reports, defenseman Jake Walman should be able to suit up for the first time on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators, while Zach Hyman won't play his first game until next month.
The most recent player to go on the IR is Kasperi Kapanen, who was injured early in the second period in the game versus the Red Wings.
«Kapanen's been playing really well and giving us a little more energy, a little more speed, getting in on the forecheck,» the coach said. «I've really liked his game, so hopefully it's not a long-term injury.»
Updates will be provided as they become available.
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