Edmonton Oilers Need to Get Back to a Defence-First Mindset – The Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

Someone threw a chicken or a duck onto the ice in the third period of the Anaheim Ducks’ 6-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. It felt like a metaphor for how the Oilers were playing — like chickens with their heads cut off, especially in their own zone. The Oilers looked bewildered at times, and you had to wonder what happened to that disciplined team that played so well defensively since coming back from the Winter Olympic break.

Oilers Gripping Their Sticks Too Tight

Veteran Sportswriter Cam Tait, of Sports 1440 in Edmonton, may have summed the Oilers current state of mind best, “I know a heavy room when I see one. I felt it yesterday morning.” He went on to add, “The Edmonton Oilers are lost right now… They gave up six goals in nine periods of hockey… Things fell apart. The defence broke down.”

Quenneville and Woodcroft Have the Oilers on their Heels

Even though the best-of-seven first-round series is tied 1-1, you have to believe that Anaheim can feel the momentum as they head back to the Honda Center for Game 3 on Friday, April 24. Part of that is a result of talent Anaheim head coach Joel Quenneville and assistant coach Jay Woodcroft have devised a plan that has the Oilers searching for answers. The Ducks are clogging up the neutral zone and not letting Edmonton’s forwards gain any momentum. Meanwhile, Oilers forwards are getting lost up ice and not playing sound defensive hockey.

Ingram Not Getting Much Help

Watching Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram play down the stretch, you could see a goalie playing with confidence. However, after the first two games against Anaheim, it’s hard not to see a netminder scrambling for his life at times. The Oilers have been experiencing too many defensive breakdowns in front of him.

The defence and forwards are not playing like they did before the Olympics and have lost the defence-first mindset. If Ingram and the Oilers defence don’t get their swagger back soon, they’re going to find themselves on the golf course rather than on course for a Stanley Cup championship.

Bouchard Needs to Step Up His Game

One of the hottest topics in the past few weeks has been whether Oilers’ defenceman Evan Bouchard should be in consideration for the James Norris Memorial Trophy for the best defenceman in the NHL. Right now, he’s not looking anywhere near his capable self. He’s been outplayed by the Ducks’ young defensive phenom Jackson LaCombe and needs to find his game in Anaheim or the young Ducks will soon be moving on to the next series.

Jake Walman – A Bright Spot on the Oilers’ Blue Line

It seems like Oilers defenseman Jake Walman got the memo that the playoffs started on April 20. After having an up-and-down regular season, partly due to injury, Walman has been playing as well as he did in last year’s postseason. He was clearly the best Oilers defenceman on the ice in Game 1, and continued his strong play into Game 2. The Oilers have to hope that players such as Darnell Nurse, Mattias Ekholm, and Bouchard can quickly improve their games.

Oilers Mindset Needs to Be Defence-First

There was a lot of optimism in Edmonton when the Oilers were winding up the regular season. They were playing a more disciplined, defensive style of game and winning games. You have to wonder what happened once the playoffs hit, because it seems like the defensive-first mentality has been completely lost.

The pressure is on Edmonton’s coaching staff, led by head coach Kris Knoblauch and assistant coach Paul Coffey, to get the Oilers back on track, especially defensively. The team is experienced and plays well on the road. If you’re an Oilers fan, you have to believe they will find their game and get back to playing strong, defensively-sound, playoff-style hockey.