NFL
By: Greg Rector
Edmonton Oilers fans are in rinse-and-repeat mode yet again as the Stanley Cup playoffs approach. Undoubtedly, there is no more dangerous pair than Connor McDavid and Leon Drasaitl in the NHL. I watched those great offensive juggernauts Oilers teams of the eighties. While McDavid and Draisaitl can compare to the storied Edmonton Oilers legends of that era, they have yet to prove it in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Play Defense Please
These Oilers are dangerous offensively, especially on the power play, and yet on far too many nights, they cannot stop opponents when it matters most. The Stanley Cup Oilers learned that lesson in their first effort in a Stanley Cup final and returned the next season to shut down the mighty New York Islanders to win the first of five Stanley Cups. This era of the Edmonton Oilers has not learned that lesson.
Now the likes of Coffey, Gregg, and Huddy are not a part of this team, obviously, but the mindset they employed must happen now as well for Darnell Nurse and his cohorts on the blue line. The same has to hold for the forwards from the top line through the fourth-line grinders and muckers. When the regular season ends, it’s time to put away satisfying the fantasy hockey fans. Flip your mindset; you don’t need to win 5-1 with four power-play goals. You need to be ready for one-goal games many, often in overtime.
Take your opponent’s weapons and attack them. Force these teams out of any comfort zone. This hasn’t happened with this era’s Edmonton Oilers. Until it does, I cannot make them a legitimate threat to bring Lord Stanley home for the first time in 33 years.
Edmonton Oilers Outlook
Until I see that commitment from the Edmonton Oilers to play a nastier tougher brand of hockey in the playoffs, the same old story of getting by a round or two remains my outlook for the Edmonton Oilers. I’ve watched this unfold time and again in the McDavid era. It’s not all on him, though. The rest of this roster must step up and have a playoff mindset. Goals get you into the playoffs. Stopping them wins you Stanley Cups. It’s that simple, and I don’t trust this group to stay focused on doing all the little things that eventual Stanley Cup champions do to win the hardest trophy in sports to attain. If they do make that commitment, then it’s possible they go past Western Conference finals, but since I haven’t seen that from this team, I can only stay with another close but no cigar outcome.
