Strome’s latest goal drought stretches to a dozen games
Ryan Strome keeps looking at the stats sheet and seeing zeros.
It’s unpleasant reading, of course, when you’ve gone 12 straight games without a goal — with his last one Dec. 23 against Montreal — and you have just one assist on Dec. 27 in Winnipeg over that time. He’s also had a nine-game drought this season without a goal, so it’s tough sledding.
He has seven goals and 18 points, and knows the Oilers need secondary scoring.
“We’ve had guys like Nuge (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) score a bunch of goals (16) this year and Leon (Draisaitl) has done his thing. It’s another weapon. When I’ve been playing with J.J. (Jujhar Khaira), we’ve been in the other team’s zone the whole game and can’t score. We know we have to pitch in there,” he said.
Every time ex-Oilers forward Jordan Eberle scores in Long Island, Strome’s struggles here get magnified, of course.
“It is what it is. We’re not even in a playoff spot … that’s what players would look at, but certainly you want to come in (after the trade) and produce. That’s the nature of competitiveness,” he said.
He’s had some time on rightwing on the top two lines, but he’s playing third-line centre now.
“When you’re playing with Connor (McDavid) or Leon, it’s a privilege. But to take control of your line is fun too. The centreman drives the ship. Playing with J.J. the way he protects the puck, he’s one of my favourite guys,” he said. “Sometimes in the past, it’s (a drought) because I’m not playing well but I think I’m doing some good things and hope to get rewarded. I’ve had tons of chances. Last two games, I arguably could have two goals both games. I’m working hard. “I scored a bunch in practice today, which sounds stupid to a lot of people but to me that’s a bit of a confidence thing. When you’re scoring, you’re riding the wave. When you’re not, you have to find a way.”
As a junior, he was used to scoring 35 goals a year.
In scoring droughts, players have to simplify where they shoot, too. Quit trying to pick corners.
“Yeah,” said Strome. “First thing Coff (Paul Coffey) said to me was, ‘Shoot it and try to hit the goalie in the head because you’re not that good. You’ll miss him.’”
WISH COME TRUE
With all the doom and gloom around the Oilers’ playoff hopes, they got a jolt of reality Wednesday when half a dozen Make-a-Wish kids were out on the ice in orange jerseys, taking breakaways on goalies Cam Talbot and Al Montoya.
It was fun, heart-warming stuff to see the kids.
“For us to be part of a happy day for them, maybe a lasting memory, that’s awesome. Six kids there, the more the merrier,” said Letestu, who has three children of his own and knows how they want to be Oilers.
Montoya made a couple of inadvertent save son the break away challenge.
“He was hot,” joked Letestu.
WHEN IT RAINS ...
Letestu is part of the home-ice penalty-kill struggles that saw them bottom out against Buffalo, where the Sabres connected on the first three tries and only ate up 2:07 doing so. Buffalo got their three on a Jack Eichel screened 40-footer, a Sam Reinhart deflection and Ryan O’Rielly put-away from the slot.
“It’s not like one part of the game is breaking down. The first one, I thought we played it well. Maybe we get a block but it’s tipped in,” said Letestu. “Once you give up a goal, it’s like we get into a shell where we’re hoping we won’t get