EDMONTON — The question I’ve heard most often over the past month has been this one: “Are the Edmonton Oilers for real?”
And my standard answer was, “They’ve got 10 of 15 games in November on the road, against a lot of good teams. Ask me on December 1st.”
Well, after a 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday — their third straight defeat — Edmonton’s record over its past eight games falls to 2-5-1. They awake Monday morning in first place in the Pacific, but nobody around this organization is kidding themselves that they are an elite NHL club right now.
“That confidence and swagger that we had in the first eight games kinda got away from us. We haven’t had it in the last eight games,” said Milan Lucic, the big left-winger who came to Edmonton to play alongside Connor McDavid, but was replaced there by Pat Maroon a few games ago.
On Sunday, McDavid lost his right-winger too, as head coach Todd McLellan dropped Jordan Eberle off the line in favour of one Tyler Pitlick. After the game the coach made it clear that Eberle has much ground to gain if he is to make McLellan’s standard.
“Based on tonight, Ebs wouldn’t get a passing grade in my books. Or else he would have stayed there (on McDavid’s wing),” McLellan said. “You earn your keep, and Ebs didn’t earn it tonight in my mind.”
In fact, after matching up pretty well against the Rangers — everywhere but on the scoreboard — there are as many questions as answers in the Big E these days, as the Oilers head back out on the road to defend their Pacific status in Anaheim, Los Angeles and Dallas.
How many questions? Let us count the ways:
• What is up with the fact Edmonton has, in five of its last seven games, allowed a goal before the two minute mark of the game? On Sunday it was Lucic who had a front-row seat to Michael Grabner’s ninth of the season.
“That’s on no one but the players. That’s on all of us, not being ready to go,” said Lucic, who simply skated along next to Grabner but failed to make note of his potential danger until Grabner retrieved a rebound and fired it home. “When you’re playing catch-up hockey that’s where you find yourself 2-5-1 in the last eight games.”
In the NHL, the team that scores the first goal wins roughly 70 per cent of the time. Edmonton has scored first in six of 16 games.
• Speaking of Lucic, when McLellan dropped him off of McDavid’s wing, it was hoped he would fight his way back on to the top line. He’s got one goal and two points in his last eight games, and though he showed some life last night, there is already fear in this town over the seven-year, $42-million deal he signed on July 1.
“We’re confident in here that we have the group to flip this around,” said his former linemate Eberle. “I think it’s important we stick together here in these tough times.”
• The question heading into training camp was how McLellan would deal with all of his depth at centre, between McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Today, McDavid has watched both of his wingers get replaced, Nugent-Hopkins doesn’t have an even-strength goal yet and Draisaitl’s minus-6 ranks dead last on the team (tied with Eberle).
“Not a lot of secondary chances,” said McLellan, when asked about the dearth of scoring. “Tip-ins, deflections seem to be going wide, instead of to the pads. Not a lot of secondary, scrambly stuff. The goaltender is probably a little bit too comfortable, so we’re going to have to work on that.”
• While we’re asking these questions, what the heck is up with Grabner? He looks like Mike Gartner out there. After seasons of 12, 8 and 9 goals, he has 10 already in just 16 games (two versus Edmonton). He looked fabulous in games at Calgary and Edmonton this weekend.
So Edmonton’s record falls to 9-6-1 — still good, but they just played one of the best teams in the NHL twice and the Rangers won both times in regulation. The Oilers have lost three straight, and even though we suspect they can get out of this funk, until they prove to themselves — and their fans — that it can be done, it’s all fairy dust, to an extent.
“We’re a team. We’ve got to stick together,” said Maroon, who is slowly becoming a leader in this room. “Listen, it’s a long year. We’re going to go through times like this. We’ve gotta keep grinding, and stick together. We can’t come in here and mope around. We’ve got to make sure each and every guy in here is having fun.”
But first place… It’s been so long that Edmonton has been good, folks here are worried that it might all be a mirage. Can you blame them?
“Look, it’s not the end of the world. It’s a long year,” counselled Maroon. “We’re only 16 games in. We just need the team to be going. And not just one line. All four lines, six D and our goaltender.
“It’s a hard league. No one said this league was easy.”
