The first ten minutes of the 2023-24 NHL season for the Edmonton Oilers reminded me a lot of the final ten minutes of their loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in their final game of the 2022-23 season. The team didn’t seem focused, at least focused enough to win. In the first period of the 2023-24 season opener against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 11, the Oilers were trying to be too fancy and make the perfect play, rather than just drive hard to the net. That’s all on the mental side of the game. They paid the price by getting humiliated by the Canucks 8-1.
They hardly even tested Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko, who had to leave the ice late in the game because he was so sick from the flu he was vomiting in his mask. I watched the entire season-opening game in disbelief. The Oilers might say the right things to the media, but here they were making the same mistakes they’ve made over and over for so many years in a row now.
Oilers Have To Improve the Mental Side of Their Game in 2023-24
Talent wise the Oilers are definitely close to the top of the heap in the NHL. When you have a team boasting Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Zach Hyman and Evander Kane, just to name a few, you have a lot of star power. But what if it’s in the Oilers’ minds that they think they’re good and don’t have to go out on a nightly basis and work their tails off to win? That’s almost what it looked like against the Canucks, and sure the Oilers were missing their best defenceman in Mattias Ekholm, but I’m not sure he would’ve helped too much on opening night.
The Oilers’ lack of focus goes back to the way they were playing against the Golden Knights when they went down in six games this past spring. Specifically when Draisaitl skated towards Golden Knights defenceman Alex Pietrangelo to try and intimidate him by faking a wicked slash, you knew Draisaitl’s focus was lost. Instead of complaining or trying to seek some sort of support within the public eye, maybe just focus on winning and don’t let your opponents get inside your head. Every team that’s won a Stanley Cup will tell you that it takes a certain mentality to win, and the Oilers have a full season ahead of them to find it and play like a champion. Otherwise, there’s going to be more soul-searching going on in Oil Country.
Oilers Goaltenders Can’t Be Left to Fend for Themselves
You have to feel for Oilers goaltender Jack Campbell. He spent the offseason working on both the physical and mental parts of his game, and for the most part, he was left to fend for himself. The Oilers talked about improving overall team defence in the offseason, and it looked like it was all talk and no action on the first night of the 2023-24 season.
Related: Should the Oilers Be Worried About Jack Campbell Already?
It’s hard to blame Campbell or his replacement Stuart Skinner, when they were often left helpless in front of their crease. Hopefully, Campbell will be able to rebound, reset in his next game, and carry on the strong play he showed in the preseason when he was the Oilers’ best player.
Don’t Blame the Coaches
You have to give credit to the Canucks and their head coach Rick Tocchet who had his troops ready to go from the opening whistle on. In Oil Country, it’s easy to blame the coaches for bad games and bad stretches. But it’s hard to blame Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft. He’s not the one who is out there on the ice. Woodcroft and his coaching team have proven to be a smart and capable coaching staff. One of their biggest challenges will be to work on the mentality of the team and help get them sharp and focused as the season progresses. Game 1 obviously proved you can’t win on talent or on paper.
But It’s Early in the Season
There were a lot of excuses floating around after the Oct. 11 loss, and some assurances that the Oilers would be better. Which they will. In fact, the Oilers could go on a prolonged winning streak, and leave the first game as a distant memory. However, some of the same issues that have hounded the franchise for years could come back to bite them if they don’t address them and improve the mental side of the game as the season goes along.
You couldn’t have a bigger wake-up call than an 8-1 shellacking on opening night. Sure the Oilers will get better, they have too much talent and it’s a long and winding road to the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, if they continue to show signs like they did in the playoffs against Vegas that they’re heads are not in the game, Oilers fans could be in for another disappointing season full of what-ifs.
