After the Edmonton Oilers’ last game before the Olympic break, Leon Draisaitl sounded the alarm. The hope of immediate improvement after the games in Milan evaporated with the 5:6 defeat against the Anaheim Ducks. Connor McDavid jumped to his superstar colleague’s side a little late.
“We’re just conceding too many goals,” Leon Draisaitl said angrily before leaving for the Olympic Games: “We’re just not good enough. This league is too tough to cheat your way through the games and try to start winning streaks. You need everyone. We’re not as good as we were last season at the moment. We’re not even close to being as good. We have to understand that. It’s time for us to finally get going.”
The team from Alberta missed their first chance to turn what had been a mixed season so far into the right direction on Wednesday against the Ducks. The Oilers led twice at the Honda Center by two goals and went into the final third with a 4-2 lead, which they lost 4-1. Cutter Gauthier scored the winning goal with 74 seconds left to make it 6-5 for Anaheim.
Draisaitl’s criticism still resonates in Edmonton. “I see it the same way he does,” Connor McDavid jumped to the German’s side and once again called on his teammates: “It’s going to be a sprint in the final phase of the season. There are only a few weeks left and we’re not sure of anything yet. So we have to find a way to get going again after the break.”
Anaheim moved past the Oilers into second place with its third straight win in the Pacific Division and will host the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday (4 p.m.). It was the fourth defeat in a row for Edmonton. The team from Alberta will be visiting the Los Angeles Kings on Friday (4:30 a.m.).
