It was 11 months ago when Kris Knoblauch was brought in to coach the beleaguered Edmonton Oilers, who were near the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 3-9-1 record.
The team had endured a shocking start to the season. Frustration was at a high, confidence was at a low. But, the team recovered from that start, roared into the playoffs, won the Western Conference, and got within a game of winning the Stanley Cup.
Fast forward to this season, and the Oilers are enduring another miserable October. They’ve started off a season-opening homestand with three straight losses and have been outscored 15-3.
So, does Knoblauch see any similarities between last year’s Oilers team and this year’s?
“When I got here, one of the things I noticed, obviously, was the frustration,” he said after the Oilers’ 4-1 loss Sunday to the rival Calgary Flames.
“It’s only three games in. But that frustration, definitely it’s there — but not at the point that it was when I came here.
“But obviously we have to correct what’s going on right now.”
The offence has sputtered, despite having the likes of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, who are usually at the top of the NHL scoring charts.
The Oilers have scored just two even-strength goals. And the power play, led by McDavid and Drasaitl, has just one goal in three games, with only five chances.
There is one word that consistently crept into what Knoblauch and his players said about the team’s play so far this season: “Disconnected.”
“We’re getting beat in a lot of battles, we’re getting beat in a lot of different ways,” said McDavid. “The puck play has been bad all over. Guys have been fumbling it, guys not handling it. Passes in the air, passes behind guys, it’s just not good enough in terms of the puck play.”
“Obviously, we have to play with more desperation,” said Knoblauch. “When you had a season like we did last year, coming back, and the expectations being really high, I don’t think there’s enough desperation — this game is about playing with desperation, but, right now, we’re lacking that.”
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The Oilers penalty kill gave up just four short-handed goals in two months of playoff hockey this past spring. However, they surrendered five power-play markers in the first two games this season.
Player turnover can be partly to blame for those woes. Forwards Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele took regular turns on that almost unstoppable penalty kill of the previous spring. In the off-season, McLeod was traded to Buffalo and Foegele signed with Los Angeles.
Defenceman Cody Ceci was traded to San Jose, and rearguard Vincent Desharnais signed with Vancouver in the off-season. Those players also played roles in short-handed situations.
Yes, the Oilers have added forwards Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, who should add scoring prowess to the second line. But, in losing Foegele, McLeod and forward Dylan Holloway (to St. Louis), the Oilers have lost foot speed. They’re also the oldest team in the NHL, the only squad in the league with an average age over 30.
“Sometimes, I think there can be a bit of an adjustment with new faces,” said veteran forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the team’s short-handed about-face. “But I don’t think it’s the new guys or personnel — it’s about getting back to what makes our penalty kill tick.
“I think maybe we’re a little hesitant with our routes. Later in the season, it’s just so natural — it’s kind of finding it, again.”
Knoblauch said that some of the issues can be addressed through practice, but the hectic schedule to start the season gives the team no real time for those needed sessions. The Oilers played Saturday and Sunday, have a mandated off-day Monday, host the Flyers Tuesday and then are in Nashville Thursday and in Dallas next this coming Saturday for a matinee.
McDavid is sure, however, that the team can find its way out of it once more.
“We’re not quitters in here, we never have been,” said McDavid. “Losing three in a row off the bat is not ideal, but it’s nothing we can’t work our way out of.”