Last year the Edmonton Oilers looked like a disinterested team. It was pretty clear that the head coach Craig MacTavish had lost the ear of his soldiers and the team went through the motion game after game ultimately missing the playoffs. As we all know, the end of Mactavish as the head coach followed after the season ended and not long after Pat Quinn was named bench boss of the Edmonton Oilers. The instant energy that the changing of coaches brought the Oilers and the City of Edmonton was unreal to be honest. For whatever reason the general fan felt that for some magical reason Quinn would be able to make everything that didn’t work well last season work well this season. In an ironic twist of fate the team, as far as players go stayed the same, aside from the goalie. It’s pretty unanimous that Khabibulin is an upgrade from Roloson however, so no one can make excuses for the new coach.
This is the same group of players MacTavish failed with and as the next 70 games play out I think it will become very clear if the Oilers struggles the past 3 years was a coaching problem or if the players themselves are the real issue. Last year the Oilers starter 4-0, they then went completely into the sewer. This years version of the team broke out of the gate with a 6-2-1 record, they now sit 7-6-1. They have been shut out in 3 of the last 4 hockey games, and blew two 4 goal leads in the teams only win in the last 4, that being against the Detroit Red Wings. In the misery of the last 4 games the disconcerting part is that some of the traits that we watched last season seem to be making there way to the surface once again. Playing only 20 minutes of desperate hockey, while sleep walking through the other 40. Players shying away for the tuff areas of the ice or not being willing to take a check to make a play. The special teams, especially the PP, have been totally noneffective. For a team that prides themselves on being great skaters, there seems to be more standing around and watching then smooth skating pressure on the puck.
So what’s the issue? The popular answer is that the the team is riddled with the flu and injuries to key players hasn’t helped. For the record, I hope that’s right as I would love this skid the Oilers are on to have an easy answer, but I don’t completely buy into the argument. A good team that’s sick doesn’t get shut out 3 games out of 4. Aside form an ever shifting 1st line that revolves around Penner and Hemsky, no other forward has been good enough the last 5 game, blueliners in Gilbert and Grebeshkov have been nothing short of fire drills in thier own end, and leaders the likes of Horcoff and Moreau have failed in most areas thus far. Quinn is the breath of fresh air the players wanted, if the team fails now, this time it’s on them.
Then again, this is just a damned opinion.
