A pair of struggling groups determined to vary their fortunes will hit the ice when the Edmonton Oilers play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.
Each the Oilers and Penguins are on a quest to rebound from disappointing extra-time setbacks of their final outing.
The Penguins arrive after surrendering a lead within the ultimate minute of regulation en path to a 4-3 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, whereas the Oilers wasted a two-goal third-period lead in a 3-2 time beyond regulation loss to the Carolina Hurricanes that very same night.
Edmonton, which got here into the season with excessive hopes after reaching Sport 7 of the Stanley Cup Ultimate, has solely two wins in seven video games and owns the third-worst aim differential within the NHL (minus-13).
Regardless of the struggles, the message is to stay calm. In spite of everything, it is a workforce that rebounded from a month-long skid final season earlier than altering its fortunes.
“I am utterly assured in our group,” defenseman Mattias Ekholm stated. “I do know it is early within the yr and it is a matter of working by it, and I wasn’t anticipating all people to be firing the place we left off or whatnot. It will take a bit of little bit of time, however I do like our workforce and I believe we’re heading in the right direction.”
The Oilers are surprisingly battling the man-advantage. Their vaunted energy play has scored solely twice this season (2-for-19) and is tied for twenty seventh within the league at 10.5 p.c, and personnel adjustments are being tried prior to now couple of practices.
“With the best way their season has gone, there’s been a variety of issues to handle: the ability play, the penalty kill, scoring objectives,” coach Kris Knoblauch stated. “(The facility play) was one factor that I did not anticipate that we have been going to have issues doing.”
The Penguins, who’re winless in three video games, have their very own issues, having opened a four-game highway journey with consecutive defeats. Nevertheless, that they had each probability to win in Calgary.
“Clearly there’s alternative to get higher, however I believe we have been a heck of so much higher than we have now been in latest video games,” ahead Bryan Rust stated. “We did not have large, huge breakdowns like we did within the final three or 4 video games, or no matter it was. So, I believe that we’re undoubtedly making strides.”
Although the Penguins wasted a pair of third-period leads, they held momentum for many of the conflict, particularly the third interval. They have been simply unable to seek out the insurance coverage aim whereas outshooting the Flames 38-25 by time beyond regulation, nor the successful tally within the shootout.
“We had that five-on-five mentality — go in there and outwork them, get the puck out of the nook — and we rating,” Rust stated. “I believe we wanted a bit of bit extra of that. It wasn’t there as constantly as we might have favored. … It is nonetheless a piece in progress, however I believe the intentions are there. I believe we’re attempting to play with a bit of bit extra tempo. We’re attempting to get issues moving into the appropriate route.”
That stated, the Penguins have a obtrusive challenge that should be addressed. No workforce has surrendered extra objectives than Pittsburgh, and regardless that goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic confirmed final sport that he will be the one who can solidify that place, he was unable to carry the fort to the ultimate buzzer.
“I obtained to do a greater job of staying on pucks and simply bailing us on the market,” Nedeljkovic stated. “I imply, it wasn’t a really tough shot (on Nazem Kadri’s late game-tying aim). It wasn’t a really onerous shot or a really well-placed shot. It was only a puck on web, so, not a lot else to it than that.”
–Discipline Degree Media
