Oilers Playing Dangerous Game, Leaning Too Hard on a Bad Habit

The Edmonton Oilers have long built their identity on big runs, playoff pushes, and never being out of a season because they have the two best players in the world. They are the kind of team that finds its stride when the calendar flips, and typically after a kick in the teeth that wakes them up and provides obvious evidence that what they’re doing isn’t good enough.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl haven’t given each other “the look” yet, but one has to wonder when the Oilers will reach that point this season.

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Through the first stretch of games, Edmonton has put up some points in the standings, which might be masking some troubling patterns and stretches of really ppor play. Blown leads and inconsistent efforts over 60 minutes has become an issue and Tuesday’s 4–3 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars was just another example.

Edmonton jumped up to a 2-0 lead in just over seven minutes of play. They took another lead at 3–1, with just over 12 minutes to go in the third period. They controlled play for two periods… and then unraveled late. Just 24 hours ealier, the team did something similar with the St. Louis Blues, losing with 1:23 left in regulation.

Agains the Stars, the Oilers gave up another two-goal lead before losing in a shootout. It was the sixth time this year the Oilers have failed to close out a game they once commanded.

When Will The Oilers Stop Giving Points Away?

“We’re learning through these situations,” head coach Kris Knoblauch said postgame, “but we have to start finishing.” Alluding to the fact this team has new faces and younger players works up to a point. Now into November, that excuse doesn’t really fly.

Finishing — or failing to — has become Edmonton’s defining early-season issue. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl continue to produce, but their games aren’t perfect. Evan Bouchard is elite when he’s at the top of his game. He’s nowhere close right now. All are prone to making mistakes with the puck and turnovers are a part of their game of late. What separates them from the rest of the team is their elite ability to produce far more good than bad.

The rest of the team doesn’t have that luxury, but they often act as though they do.

That’s where reputation comes in. After two deep playoff runs, there’s a growing sense that the Oilers believe time is on their side — that a midseason slump can be patched later. When you have McDavid and Draisaitl, you’re never out of it, and many of the players on this team seem to believe that things will inevitably turn around.

In the past, that’s been the case. Maybe it will be again.

Unfortunately, in a Western Conference where the margins are razor thin, banking on a late surge when the team isn’t showing the kind of solid play that suggests wins will come while doing the right things, time is already running out. This is not to say that the Oilers can’t get hot, go on a run, and put any doubt to rest. However, there isn’t any real sign that they’re playing well enough to expect that happens anytime soon.

The Oilers giving points away and, while it’s no good panicking, their lack or urgency seems puzzling.

The Oilers’ challenge now isn’t proving they can play like contenders — everyone knows they can. What the Oilers need to show is that they have the desire to flip that switch now. There is truth to the idea that just getting into the playoffs is enough. After all, home ice advantage doesn’t mean what it used to and getting in gives a team like Edmonton a chance.

That said, coasting in and playing poor hockey on the way to a playoff spot is a recipe for distaster. If Edmonton doesn’t rediscover its killer instinct soon, they start to run the risk that bad habits will be harder to shake.

Next: “Raft of Transactions” Coming as D-Man Returns for Oilers