Edmonton Oilers
Analyst: Coach Labels Oilers ‘Worst Thing You Can Call a Player’
The Edmonton Oilers were given a lable after a loss on Thursday that one analysts says is the worst thing you can call a player.
The Edmonton Oilers weren’t able to pull out a win on Thursday night in a 5-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Part of the problem was a bad first period and some lackluster play at points throughout the game, where Edmonton tried to overskill the game and failed to work hard enough to compete with a grittier, heavier Blue Jackets club willing to get greasy, blue-collar goals.
“Just around our net. I thought we were a little too soft around the net, whether they were deflecting pucks or getting inside of us, multiple goals like that,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. He explained the team didn’t do a good enough job of making it harder to get inside position. “Too often they were left alone in front of the net, with Picks by himself.” That was evident on a handful of goals against. On the first, Evan Bouchard let Mathieu Olivier get inside position. On the second, both Bouchard and Connor McDavid didn’t outbattle Charlie Coyle in front of the net. Trent Frederic got outworked along the wall on the fourth goal and Jake Walman wasn’t quick enough on the Adam Fantilli goal. On the second Olivier goal, Darnell Nurse, Walman, and Leon Draisaitl failed to collapse on Olivier in front.
The “too soft comment” set former NHL player and Got Yer’ Back podcast co-host Rob Brown off.
“I hate using the word, and I know you do too, Struds. You never, ever want to call someone soft. That is the worst thing you can ever be called in hockey. But Kris Knoblauch used that word tonight. .. that says a lot about the way the Oilers have played of late defensively.”
The idea that being soft is the worst thing you can be called is arguable. That said, it’s not a moniker any player wants to have. It questions your toughness, your compete level, and your willingness to battle — the core traits that define respect in the game. In other words, skill can be developed, mistakes can be fixed, but once you’re labeled soft, it’s a label you have to work extremely hard to shake.
Oilers Continue To Struggle… Are They Too Soft?
The Oilers have struggled this season to play consistent hockey. One of the things that has been pointed to by critics is their lack of compete for a full 60 minutes. On Thursday night, Edmonton let the Columbus Blue Jackets take a 5-2 lead on the heels of trying to overhandle the puck on bad ice, be too skilled while the Blue Jackets outworked them, and make plays that aren’t there. Instead of pushing back and being harder to play against, the Oilers pushed, but ultimately failed to make their comeback.
Knoblauch wasn’t wrong that the Oilers left Pickard out to dry. At the same time, some of the responsibility for the loss on Thursday should fall on the netminder. He’s now got an .800 save percentage. Pickard hasn’t been good enough and wasn’t good enough in the loss.
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