Connor McDavid answers questions about another slow start to a season for the Edmonton Oilers. It’s no surprise considering the importance he placed on his team coming out of the gate with a strong opening. Frustrated with both the record and his own lack of scoring, McDavid told the media after a loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon: “Obviously our whole team is a little bit out of sync.”
McDavid offered a blunt assessment of the Oilers’ early-season woes, directly pointing to a lack of cohesion within the roster. “There’s not a lot of flow in our game. We’re not connected enough, even on the power play.” Perhaps he was most disappointed by the team’s failure to learn from past mistakes. “We didn’t find a way to win or get better today,” he said. “Maybe the second part is more important than the first. The results are important, but I didn’t like that we didn’t seem to be getting better.”
Despite outscoring New Jersey 30-23 and controlling puck possession, Edmonton was undone by costly mistakes. It was the second straight game in which the Oilers seemingly gave their opponent the victory. They’ve given up two shorthanded goals in two games, their man advantage was 0-for-3, and the Stars are once again trying to put the puck in the net.
Oilers and McDavid must find a way to turn the tide
The captain’s comments come just weeks after he signed a team-friendly two-year extension worth $25 million, signaling his commitment to keeping the Oilers competitive. Yet the team has looked anything but championship caliber through its first five games, sitting at 2-2-1.
They’ve had one strong stretch against the Calgary Flames and one strong outing against the Vancouver Canucks. In addition, the team looked disjointed and struggled on offense. McDavid hasn’t scored any goals this season and fans just can’t understand why he isn’t shooting the puck. After saying he wanted to become more of a scorer, his tendency to overpass has seeped into the lineup. The Oilers don’t make easy plays.
Analytically, Edmonton maintains a strong five-on-five shot share, but ranks near the bottom in terms of expected goals. This is a sign that they are content to play on the perimeter without enough dangerous looks at the net. That means getting into the tough areas, getting to the net and making life harder for the opposing goalkeeper. McDavid said: “Everyone can be simpler. Get more pucks to the net, get more bodies to the net. All cliches are cliches because they work.”
Maybe he should start taking his own advice more.
As the Oilers continue their road trip in Detroit on Sunday, McDavid has a chance to lead by example. Make the simple game. Stop being cute and try to win a game with the highlight dynamic skill everyone already knows they have. Just get two points.
Next: Major wingers press pause on contract talks, rumors swirl around oil companies
#Connor #McDavid #points #flaws #oil #companies #doesnt #follow #advice