Hitchcock trying to make Oilers playoff believers
Edmonton players looked like they were buying what their coach was selling, doing everything but getting a victory against Flyers
Did it bring back belief? If there was one thing Ken Hitchcock wanted to sell for his reboot of the Edmonton Oilers for the 32-game stretch drive to a playoff position, it is belief.
“I’m trying to change the belief system. I’m trying to elevate the belief system,” he said.
The fan base had lost belief during the week before the all-star break. The organization lost any remaining belief they had in general manager Peter Chiarelli, who was fired. And it looked like the players, who had bought in and immediately produced a 9-2-2 roll for Hitchcock before they lost No. 1 defenceman Oscar Klefbom, looked like they’d lost belief, too.
For a while Saturday in Philadelphia, it looked like Hitch had done it and restored belief. And maybe he has.
For a significant stretch to start the first game after the break, it looked like Hitch had brought them back to life. And maybe he has.
You have to consider what’s involved here.
If there was a game where it looked like it might be a hard sell, this was it. And you can’t help but wonder what the belief meter reads with the 5-4 overtime loss to the Flyers.
Was there was enough in there to use as a building block for belief going forward?
The Oilers were coming back from a 10-day break on a three-game losing streak. Waiting for them was a team on a six-game winning streak, including three since the break.
After a big buildup about the potential return of Klefbom — who helped the Oilers go 17-12-2 when he was playing — the team discovered his return would be delayed until at least Tuesday at home against Chicago.
It’s hard to sell belief with a penalty kill that gives up four power-play goals in five attempts. But that’s what did them in Saturday. The penalty kill reeked. It was as bad as it has been all season and it has been rancid recently.
While there was one bogus call, there was no excuse for the stick penalties caused by players pulling the parachute on the hard-to-the-puck skating they’d displayed earlier.
Cam Talbot played well in net and made a series of saves in the last dozen seconds that at least preserved a loser point in the standings that moved them, for a few hours at least, to within two points of a wildcard spot.
But you can’t win when you have a fire drill in front of you in penalty kill situations. And your goalie has to be your best
I’m trying to change the belief system. I’m trying to elevate the belief system.” Oilers’ coach Ken Hitchcock
penalty killer.
Once again the Oilers goaltender wasn’t, although his defencemen should probably be wearing it more than the can’t-win-for-losing Talbot who ended up with a .872 save percentage despite stopping 34 of 39 shots in the game.
Hitchcock observed at the pair of practices before leaving Edmonton that teams returning from the break against up-and-running outfits faded badly in the third period.
It was a shame, really.
The Oilers appeared to have the complete and total buy in that Hitchcock was selling.
Despite going down 1-0 on the second shot on goal of the game, Edmonton played as if it was possessed.
Hitchcock preached playing the game in the offensive end with an emphasis on winning the little races to the puck and maintaining position and pressure.
The Oilers outshot the Flyers 16-2 in the first 12 minutes and had a 35-18 advantage when the wheels fell off in the third period. Edmonton was outshot 21-9 the rest of the way.
Hitchcock convinced his leadership group there was hope if they gave forwards not named Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins a real opportunity to participate, as he put it. The Big Three bought in and even contributed to the plan.
Five-on-five, it worked.
The Oilers won 4-0. Ty Rattie ended a 21-game scoring streak. Zack Kassian scored. And any thoughts that McDavid not being able to be successful on a helicopter line evaporated with the desire and determination he showed, particularly when he scored his 30th goal of the season despite three Flyers draped all over him. He became the first Oiler to produce 30 goals in 50 games in 30 years and made it his 22nd multiple-point game of the season.
When you are in a playoff scramble, even one involving seven teams for two wild-card spots, the key is to park your last game and move on to the next one by the time your plane lands in the next city.
That’s Montreal for Sunday’s game against the Canadiens as Mikko Koskinen gets the net.
The good news here is it is on to the next game and not back to the drawing board.