Bad news, good news
Oilers look for bright spots
When the well-played losses continue to mount and a starcrossed hockey team wonders when its luck will ever change, searching for positives is almost as important as searching for goals.
After every good thing that happens on any given night, they are asked if that’s the thing that can reverse their fortunes and get them on a winning track again.
So we were asking it again Tuesday, when the Connor McDavid-less Edmonton Oilers fought back twice from third period deficits, tying it with 11 seconds left in regulation, to salvage a point from what looked like a lost cause against the Arizona Coyotes.
With six teams between Edmonton and a playoff spot, and their captain sick in bed, this one had crushing and convincing defeat written all over it.
Instead, the Oilers showed impressive resilience and determination for a team that most doubters believe has nothing to play for.
A very well-played loss indeed. “This is now six of seven games where we’ve played awfully well and we have to build off of that,” said head coach Ken Hitchcock. “Coming back and tying the game gave us some juice, there was good spirit (in practice) today and I know we’re going to work tomorrow and that’s all you can ask. The guys have to pour everything in and you hope it turns.”
They say you can tell when a team is about to come out of a losing streak when it starts leaving the rink knowing it deserved a better fate.
That’s been the case a lot lately for the Oilers, who are 1-8-3 in their last 12.
They had third-period leads against Philadelphia, Montreal and Chicago coming out of the break, they out-shot Carolina 41-27, they were neck-and-neck with Pittsburgh and the New York Islanders in the third period, and they out-shot Arizona 22-10 in the third period and overtime, only to lose them all.
“We’re getting closer and closer to the results,” said Leon Draisaitl.
“We’ve played four really, really good games in a row and could have won all four games, we just didn’t score enough. This was a
We’re getting closer and closer to the results. We’ve played four really, really good games in a row and could have won all four games.
step in the right direction and we’ll have to keep building and building and see how it goes.”
So that ferocious third period and overtime against Arizona, is that the thing?
“It was a determined effort again,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “We have to take some positive out of that game. We have to be able to take that into Thursday, Saturday and then a big road trip.
“We need to string some together, we know that. The last few games, we worked hard and played well, we just haven’t been able to come out with two points in any of the four. We have to keep pushing. There’s not going to be any shortage of work ethic for the rest of the year from us.”
Forget about the playoffs. That’s a subject that doesn’t need to be revisited until the Oilers are sitting in ninth or 10th, two or three points out. For right now, it’s just about having something to show for those 60 minutes a night.
“We just have to find anything to get some positive momentum,” said newly reacquired Sam Gagner. “Hopefully, battling back to get a point is that for us.
“We fought and found a way to salvage a point. Down the stretch we’re going to have games where we don’t deserve to win and we do. We just have to keep fighting for points and you never know what’s going to happen at the end of the day.”
It’s not going to get easier. Not with the division-leading Islanders rolling into town Thursday. Not with the intensity ramping up all over the NHL and strong teams about to get even stronger at the deadline.
But if the Oilers want to go on that roll they’ve been talking about, this is where they will have to do it.
“There’s no team any night that’s going to feel sorry for you or give you two points,” said Zack Kassian. “It’s a hard league. We’re finding that out right now. We’re playing good, but we’re not getting the results and this time of year, you need results.
“We feel we’re improving. We feel if we win these next two home games it puts us in a good spot. There are definitely no team pulling away in that last wild card spot. We’re confident we can go on a run here, it’s just a matter of doing it.”