The numbers are ugly for the Edmonton Oilers over their last 15 games.
Their record is 4-10-1. They’ve been outscored 56-33. Goal prevention has been a priority for the Oilers this season, and it’s been sorely lacking during this swoon.
“I would say our whole group still has a lot to learn there. I think we’ve made strides with it. We’ve talked long and hard about it, but there’s still more work to be done,” head coach Dave Tippett said.
“There’s not much science to it. You just have to do whatever you can to keep it out of your net,” centre Leon Draisaitl said. “Sometimes it’s individual mistakes. Sometimes it’s team play. Sometimes it’s a bad bounce. It seems to happen too much to us. That’s something we have to fix.”
It’s been a particularly difficult time for Draisaitl. He has just three even strength points in this miserable 15-game segment and is -24.
“For defending you have to give up offence sometimes. I think we have to learn that. I have to learn that. It’s something I can do a better job of,” said Draisaitl.
“It’s been a struggle for him. He’s guy who has to continue to work it,” Tippett said.
“It’s not hard because we want to win. Connor (McDavid) and I, we’re here to win. We want to play offensively because that’s what we’re supposed to do. That’s our job as much as defending,” said Draisaitl, who added he’s working on taking some of the risk out of his game.
While a lot of focus has been on defensive play, the Oilers aren’t exactly tearing it up offensively. Tippett believes the defensive struggles also lead to mishaps on the attack.
“We’re not getting enough attempts to do it. It’s defending well in our zone, making good plays out of our own zone, making good plays in the neutral zone to get you to the offensive zone,” said Tippett. “We haven’t got there enough, so we think we have to do something really special when we get there. The really special turns into sometimes disasters.”
Tippett is hopeful Josh Archibald will be able to play in the Oilers next game Tuesday against the New York Rangers. He took a puck to the knee Friday against Calgary.
Markus Granlund and Brandon Manning have been placed on waivers. Tippett said call-ups from Bakersfield will be decided on after the Condors game Saturday night.
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