The Edmonton Oilers are in a tailspin to begin the 2023-24 NHL season and things hit rock bottom on Thursday with a 3-2 loss to the lowly San Jose Sharks. The defeat moved Edmonton into a tie with San Jose for last place in the entire NHL, as both clubs sit with five points on the year.
After entering the season with Stanley Cup aspirations, nothing has been going right for the 2-9-1 Oilers. As a result, the playoffs are already starting to look like a long shot.
Following the loss to the Sharks, superstar Leon Draisaitl revealed the club is low on self-belief at the moment.
“Obviously, there is not too many guys in this room that have confidence right now. I’m part of that group, so we just have to keep trying to get better every day,” Draisaitl said before firing one of his trademark quips back at a reporter.
Draisaitl is one of the NHL’s truly elite players, leading the league in goals over the past five seasons. He’s scored just once in the last nine games and has five tallies on the season.
Fellow superstar and reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid also hasn’t looked like himself, though he missed time with an upper-body injury last month and could still be feeling some of the effects. McDavid has two goals and 10 points through 10 games.
The Oilers’ biggest problem on the ice has been their goaltending, which ranks last in the league with a cumulative .860 save percentage. Edmonton recently waived Jack Campbell, who struggled in his first game with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors on Thursday.
Stuart Skinner hasn’t been any better, with an .854 save percentage and 3.87 goals-against average in eight games. Calvin Pickard was recalled from the AHL to replace Campbell, but he has a very limited track record at the NHL level.
Head coach Jay Woodcroft is firmly on the hot seat but insisted after Thursday’s game that he wasn’t concerned about his job security.
“I worry about taking care of my daily business and my daily process and making sure that I give my players something to focus on and concentrate on,” Woodcroft said. “No one’s happy with where we’re at. We all own it. We can be better and that’s where my focus is.”
Edmonton’s next chance to turn things around and gain some confidence comes Saturday in a road contest against the Seattle Kraken.
