Yesterday the Edmonton Oilers held a players only meeting after practice. There are things that frustrate me regarding how Jay Woodcroft has dolled out minutes and set up the lines but at the end of the day it is the players on the ice that need to communicate better with each other, show up ready to play at puck drop, and clean up the dumb mistakes. It isn't Jay Woodcroft's coaching that forced Evan Bouchard to turn the puck over, or Darnell Nurse to stop defending his man in front of the net. I hope that it was a productive team conversation that puts everyone on the same page.
Regular reminder that I am not an insider. I am not a reporter connected to the team and I do not know what goes on in that locker-room. However from the outside, the appearance that I see is a team led by McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nurse where they are not held accountable for their mistakes while mostly everyone else is treated on a tier below them. I hope that is not the case but that is the perception. I do not think there is anyone in that room that will call Nurse or Draisaitl out for making a defensive error. McDavid as the captain needs to be there for every player on his team. He needs to be the one helping out Jesse Puljujarvi in practice, telling him where he wants him to be or calling out his best friends if they are not giving their best. Alternatively, guys like Foegele or Bouchard need to be able to feel like they can approach their captain and assistants with any grievances they have.
Does this team want to win a Cup? That is the main question that should have been asked in that meeting. Assuming the answer is yes than we should see a motivated team coming into the game tonight, prepared to lay their body on the line, protect their teammates in scrums and show like they actually care. If we see another lacklustre performance... I think we will have our answer.
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It seemed like Stuart Skinner was going to get the start tonight but now it is Jack Campbell that gets the nod. Campbell came in relief for Skinner against the Kraken and was perfect on all.... uhhhh, well 3 shots that he faced in the remaining 23 minutes he played. I do not put the blame on Skinner for that loss as it was a complete collapse by the team in front of him. Campbell is 1-2-1 in his last four starts, posting only one game above 0.900 in that time; a 0.906% against the Preds back on December 13th.
I wonder if Skinner is not 100% right now or if this is a result of the players meeting. If the team is going to prove they can play a tighter defensive game it is extra motivation to do so in front of your goalie that has been less than ideal.
Edmonton has lost their last 5 home games now. A team's own building typically should be a boost for a team but it's been the opposite for the Oil. Edmonton has an 11-6-1 record on the road while sporting a paltry 9-11-1 record at home. Give your fans something to cheer for.
The Islanders remain one of the stingier teams in the NHL, giving up the 8th fewest goals but remain a middling team in terms of their own offensive output. If the Islanders score an early goal or two they will put up the wall and make it highly difficult for Edmonton to get back into the game. The Oilers need that first goal so they can set the pace and force the Islanders to take more chances which Edmonton can in turn use to their advantage.
After not scoring a goal in his first 18 games (though registering 19 assists in that time), Mathew Barzal has gone on a tear with 5 goals in his last 4 games and is up to 10 goals on the season. Edmonton needs to focus their attention on that top line and keep Barzal out of the shooting lanes. It will be a tough test for the Nurse and Ceci pairing.
It sounds like the team talked the talk in a meeting yesterday but tonight they need to just shut up and start walking the walk. Edmonton needs to look motivated and like a real threat from the moment the puck drops and carry it through the game. Then they need to do it in the next game and the game after that until it becomes habit. These are professional hockey players competing at the highest stage and they shouldn't need to re-motivate themselves before every game. Get it done.
Thanks for reading.