The Edmonton Oilers’ 9-1 walloping at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche was by far the club’s worst outing of the season. The embarrassment wasn’t enough. It was the fact that it came on home ice that made it worse.
As insider Elliotte Friedman noted in the latest episode of the 32 Thought Podcast, the Avalanche wanted to “bury” the Oilers. Colorado’s intention was complete and utter annihilation.
Well, the Avalanche certainly achieved that. Colorado threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Oilers. Edmonton, meanwhile, had no answer. It wasn’t like the Avalanche pushed and the Oilers pushed back some more.
It wasn’t even a contest. While the game was relatively close in the first period, it completely got away from the Oilers in the second period. But the Avalanche didn’t let up. As Friedman stated, it was the last shift that sold him on the Avalanche’s desire to demolish the Oilers:
“I watched the last minute of Colorado-Edmonton, and the Avalanche absolutely wanted that tenth goal. They went hard after that tenth goal. They had a breakaway change, and then they got the puck back, and instead of ragging it or shooting it back down to their own end, and just lazily passing it around a couple of times, they kept on trying to shoot. They wanted to score. They were up 9-1, and they wanted to win by more.”
The game wasn’t about Colorado running up the score. It was about the Oilers simply hitting rock bottom. There was no push back, nothing. Edmonton packed it in and called it a night.
Opponents Lose Respect for the Oilers
Friedman’s admonition of the Oilers wasn’t limited to pointing out their lack of pushback. Friedman drilled down on how the Avalanche, like other Western Conference rivals, have merely lost respect for the Oilers.
Friedman stated:
“If I was Knoblauch, I’d be saying, ‘These guys have no respect for you.’”
The comment sums up the state of the Oilers as they stand. Entering Monday’s action, Edmonton sits second-last in the Pacific Division with 16 points. While they are just two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for second spot in the division, Edmonton’s 6-6-4 mark isn’t exactly the most encouraging.
The Oilers are not running away with anything this season. Opponents have found the weak chinks in the armor and are going after them. No one is going to let Connor McDavid and company off the hook this season.
Edmonton Needs to Turn Things Around Fast
Turning things around in Edmonton goes beyond goaltending. While the prevailing narrative around the Oilers had pinned the blame on goaltending, the issues go way beyond that. The club is not getting enough depth scoring. The defense has been dreadful. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been the only ones seemingly carrying the team.
While Jack Roslovic was a nice addition, players like Trent Frederic have been a bust. The Oilers still have plenty of runway to get back to respectability. But the clock is ticking. The Anaheim Ducks look to be running away with the Pacific Division. So, Edmonton’s road could be getting harder and harder as the season progresses.
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