Maroon’s woes symptomatic of entire team’s effort
Oilers forward getting plenty of shots, but no goals in his last seven games
After being denied not once, not twice, but four times in the last minute of the second period Sunday night, Patrick Maroon did what many would like to do: he broke his stick in half.
Considering today’s NHL stick costs about $300 apiece, it’s an expensive but necessary reaction to his frustration.
Maroon is the poster boy for the Oilers’ scoring woes.
He fired seven shots on Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby in Sunday’s 2-1 shootout loss and another four went wide. He directed seven shots on New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist Saturday in their 4-2 defeat.
Maroon had 18 shots on the Oilers’ four-game road trip, but didn’t have a goal to show for his efforts.
It’s symptomatic of the team’s season-long effort to score.
This isn’t two games or four or even eight. We’re into the 17th game now and the Oilers have 38 goals, 29 of them at even strength.
No team has a worse goals-toshots ratio — they average 36 shots a game — which is a big reason why they’re 6-9-2.
On the road, the Oilers have scored 14 goals in eight games, but three of those (Connor McDavid against the Islanders, Leon Draisaitl in New Jersey and Mark Letestu in Chicago) came in overtime. So 11 goals in regulation time in eight games. It’s amazing they win at all away from Rogers Place.
Maroon hasn’t scored in seven games. McDavid has two goals, but there was the one 3-on-3 goal and one on the power play against the Rangers, so nothing 5-on-5. Draisaitl, the other member of the No. 1 line, has three even-strength goals in the same time frame.
“The last two games, I’ve had 20 attempts on the net,” said Maroon, who couldn’t believe it when Holtby stoned him from just outside the blue paint over and over again late in the middle period. “I’m getting there, I’m protecting the puck along the wall. I don’t know if I have to bear down, but I’m in a slump right now after I scored four in five.
“You have to tip your cap sometimes, but damn, I have to score on those.”
Maroon had a rousing first-period fight with Tom Wilson, which got him energized.
Both threw some wild, hard punches for about a minute while the linesmen stood back.
“I needed it. I needed to be physical and that’s the side of me that has to be there … the energy to hopefully get the guys going,” said Maroon, who has fought more than 40 times in the NHL, but had never faced Wilson, who takes on all comers.
“I don’t want to be just a topline guy. I want to bring a physical presence. I used to fight all the time, it’s part of my game.”
Maroon can’t fathom how the Oilers keep firing blanks.
“Right now, we’re struggling. We definitely have to find a way to win two at home (against Vegas and St. Louis), then go back on the road (for five games),” said Maroon. “We’re not out of it yet. We’re not out of it if we can win the two home games.
“I actually thought we had a really good road trip. We’d have liked six points out of eight, but I thought we played good defensively.
“The fans should be happy with our games on the road, we just have to find a way to make it hard for teams coming to Edmonton. Last year, that was our upside.
“We’re not close to being out of it. If we win the two at home, we’re almost .500.”
The last two games, I’ve had 20 attempts ... You have to tip your cap sometimes, but damn, I have to score on those.