3 Takeaways from Oilers’ lackluster 4-1 loss to Flyers
By Paul Taylor
2) Too many mistakes
What’s worse than not putting in the level of work you expect of a hockey team? How about combining this with a multitude of sloppy plays and mental miscues.
It’s one thing to give up goals when the other team puts together a good sequence. However, it’s another matter altogether, when you’re guilty of contributing towards your own downfall and essentially screwing over your own goaltender.
Let’s start with Evan Bouchard, who’s just having a nightmare start to the 2023-24 campaign. Even being paired together again with Mattias Ekholm hasn’t helped galvanize the blue-liner.
Bouchard gave away the puck, which set up Cam Atkinson to score the Flyers’ second goal of the night. And he just wasn’t concentrating in the third period, when Atkinson flew past him on the breakaway, to essentially seal the game at 4-1.
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Don’t worry though, there was plenty of blame to go around on the night. For example, Brett Kulak got turned inside out on the Flyers’ first goal, while Ekholm’s reaction — or lack thereof — on the second goal, was evidence that he’s still finding his way back.
In addition, Darnell Nurse — similar to Bouchard — just seems to have regressed from where he was at last season. And the forwards are certainly not doing their part either. (More on this shortly.)
Woodcroft acknowledged the part the Oilers played in helping the Flyers’ scoring effort on the night. He said:
"“Well certainly we didn’t live up to what our standard of work ethic is tonight. I thought the goals against that we gave up tonight, three of them were off our stick. The first three were on our tape and we didn’t execute. There are plays which can be made that weren’t made. We have a standard that we play towards and we didn’t meet it tonight.”"