The Edmonton Oilers’ awful season opener against the Nashville Predators ended in a 5-2 loss at Rogers Place on Saturday afternoon.The Oilers now have a 2-7-1 record. In five games at Rogers Place, they have not prevailed.
The best way to move ahead when you’re down on your knees or in a rut is to remain together, Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft told the reporters following the defeat. “We know that right now, we need to win on the defensive end of the field rather than the offensive end.”Midway during the first power play, Edmonton seized the lead. The point shot by Darnell Nurse ricocheted off the post, struck Kevin Lankinen, the Predators’ goalkeeper, and sprayed across the goal line. After barely 25 seconds, Filip Forsberg tied the score with a wrap-around victory over Jack Campbell.
Like the rest of us, Jack is dressed in the same jersey. Woodcroft remarked, “I felt the group underperformed as a whole.Zach Hyman stated, “We know what’s putting us in this position and we know how good we can be.” “We just need to go out there and fix it; there is no magic pill.”Twenty-three seconds into the second quarter, Ryan O’Reilly scored a rebound to give Nashville a 2-1 lead. Three minutes later, he scored again, this time on a power play assist from Forsberg.
The shift after a goal, the shift to start a period, the shift to start a game—those are crucial moments that we discuss frequently, and the coach talks about them as well, but we have to actually execute them,” Hyman remarked following the defeat.That does not bode well for our team. Whether you score the goal or give it up, the shift that follows is crucial, according to Woodcroft.
With an Oilers man advantage, Hyman scored his fourth goal by blocking Evan Bouchard’s slap shot. With 4:45 remaining in the second, Tommy Novak scored a goal on a breakaway to give the Predators a 4-2 lead.In the third, O’Reilly finished up the hat trick off a scramble in front.Since October 20, 2018, the Predators had not defeated the Oilers in regulation time in twelve games.
On Monday night (630 CHED, Face-off Show at 6:30 p.m., game at 8 p.m.), the Oilers will play in Vancouver.