The Edmonton Oilers are a well-balanced team, but they need to address their weaknesses and start getting help from depth players on the roster.
After a brutal start to 2023-24, the Edmonton Oilers find themselves with only one win to date, from a squad which was determined to begin the season strong and play with poise.
The team has struggled in an unthinkable way, commonly not playing up to their offensive strengths and suffering from costly turnovers. This has hurt the team’s morale and impacted their individual games.
From what has been observed, it is quite frankly the skating ability the team lacks in the defensive end where they have struggled mainly, also impacting their ability to connect in the offensive zone.
In the defensive end, the team seems to not be playing the boards well or connecting with the players in the defending zone, when the opposing team’s offence is at work. The play that is killing the team most, is the triangle in front of the net from the face-off circles.
Where the Edmonton Oilers lack depth
This aspect is costing the team goals, some of which could have been avoided, but not helped by a current lack of confidence in the Oilers team. They need to be more aggressive towards the puck in the neutral zone and stick to the gameplan, which is to create turnovers in the neutral zone.
In addition, the Oilers’ strongest assets are their speed and ability to shuffle the puck, which have to be done more, especially in the offensive zone.
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This is a well-built team, but they have to play more of a polished game to win; they must be more poised and play a textbook game. This would improve the outlook and produce more wins in the record column.
The Oilers are structured to win consistently and the fact they are struggling, means they have to put the pressure on themselves to play harder, while showing more technicality in their respective games.
How can the Edmonton Oilers pull off the monkey on their back?
For Edmonton to win games, they need the depth they possess to be better and get the mid-range scorers to step up in Connor McDavid’s absence. Players like Zach Hyman and Connor Brown have to be among the top goal-scorers on the team, to compliment Leon Draisaitl.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will also have to step up his playmaking skills and broaden the depth the top-six lineup needs to play.
With a fast and, more appropriately, a well-balanced structured team, the Edmonton Oilers have to rediscover their identity with the heart they possess but are not currently playing with.