(Edmonton) As the Edmonton Oilers prepare for another playoff run, they are looking at their toughest streak of the season to find strength.
Posted at 3:42 p.m.
“As much as we want our players to be perfect, our team to be perfect, there are learning moments in a season,” Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said. As a coaching staff, you want to capitalize on those moments. »
The Oilers have had a strong start to the 2021-22 season, winning nine of their first 10 games. The Edmonton squad, however, struggled in December and January with a 2-11-2 streak.
Heavy losses after the All-Star Game break spelled the death knell for head coach Dave Tippett, who was fired Feb. 10. Woodcroft replaced him and the Oilers went 26-9-3 under his tutelage.
Photo Bernard Brault, LA PRESSE archives
Oilers head coach Dave Tippett was fired on February 10, 2022
The new head coach has been good at identifying problems and finding solutions, according to forward Derek Ryan.
“I think we were looking for that earlier in the year when things weren’t going well. We just felt like we were being told to work better and harder,” Ryan explained. We were looking for answers and ‘Woody’ did a good job of finding them. »
This asset will serve the team during the playoffs, added Ryan.
“I believe that the series, it is necessary to adapt and change our tactics when the other team changes theirs, he analyzed. I believe Jay will be very good in that aspect because he’s shown it since he’s been here. »
The Oilers finished the season ranked second in the Pacific Division with a 49-27-6 record. They’ll have home-ice advantage against the Los Angeles Kings in a first-round matchup that begins Monday.
Game 2 is Wednesday in Edmonton before the series moves to Los Angeles. The Kings (44-27-11) finished third in the Pacific Division.
The two teams have met four times this season and the Oilers have won three meetings.
The Kings are a tight forechecking team that doesn’t give anything in transition. They look a bit like the Winnipeg Jets, which swept the Oilers in the first round of the playoffs last season, according to center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
“I think we grew as a team and learned from that. We found ways to get over that this year, he said. Obviously it’s going to be a tough and close series, but we have to find a way to get that extra goal and push a little bit harder. »
The Oilers and Kings haven’t met in the playoffs since 1992, when Wayne Gretzky still wore the Kings colors. The Edmonton troupe had triumphed in six games.
Kings head coach Todd McLellan knows more about the Oilers than many, as he coached the team from 2015 to November 2019. But he’s made it clear he doesn’t think about his personal connections with the Oilers, on the eve of the start of the series.
“I’m just happy that our group has the opportunity to gain this experience that we all need,” said McLellan. Only three players in uniform have significant playoff experience. This time of year can only improve our program and organization for the future. »
The Kings will be without star defenseman Drew Doughty, who underwent wrist surgery last month. They still went 7-4-1 in April and won five in a row towards the end of April.
The Oilers have won 11 of their 14 outings in April (11-2-1) and have had at least one point in their last 15 home games (14-0-1). Connor McDavid had a career-high 123 points to claim the Art-Ross Trophy.
“What he’s accomplished here with this season, I don’t think everyone recognizes because there’s almost a consensus that’s like, ‘Oh, it’s only McDavid who keep being McDavid,” Woodcroft insisted. He set a career high and he led our team. He is motivated to win. »