EDMONTON — The coaching “bump” ended with a thud, as a tired-looking Edmonton Oilers team sleepwalking through their fifth game in seven nights was shown around the rink by the Minnesota Wild in a 7-3 rout.
The Wild scored just 2:49 in. It was 3-0 at 6:17.
Mike Smith, under siege behind an Oilers club that sleepwalked through the opening 20 minutes, got the hook at 4-0, at the 13:38 mark. It’s the sixth time in his last nine starts that Smith has allowed at least two goals in the opposition’s first six shots.
“You can’t pin that on Mike or Mikko (Koskinen) in any way,” head coach Jay Woodcroft said. “The amount of odd number of rushes in the first period alone was probably more than we’ve given up in the last five games.
“We took our lumps today against a good hockey team,” he declared. “And we’re gonna learn from it.”
On a cold, snowy Sunday in February, Woodcroft notched that inevitable first “L” of his NHL coaching career, and the Oilers — who had won five straight under Woodcroft and were 10-2-1 in their past 13 — were stripping off their gear following a loss in which they were barely present.
“Of course, we’ve been playing a lot of games. No question,” said Leon Draisaitl. “But I think every team goes through this. We don’t want to use this as an excuse.”
It’s not an excuse. It’s a reason.
Every season, there are games like this one that arises. Edmonton had won five straight and was on the second of back to backs, while the Wild were rested and playing guilty, having allowed six goals in two straight losses coming in. This was one where you should have bet the college fund on Minnesota, the NHL team that has enjoyed more success than any other while playing in Edmonton since 2010-11, now 17-3.
Do we think this was just one of those nights?
“I am very positive that it’s just one of those nights,” said Draisaitl. “We’ve played five really, really good games in a row. We know we’re a good team when we play the right way. And when we play it our way.”
Hey, we’re not going to beat up a team that has climbed right back into the thick of the Pacific and were at the end of a five-game week. Edmonton’s game was very strong in beating Winnipeg 4-2 on Saturday, and frankly, they just didn’t have their heads in this one.
The structure we’ve seen under Woodcroft disappeared Sunday. Whether or not they win in Tampa on Wednesday, we would be willing to bet the Oilers find that structure again.
“For me,” began Woodcroft, “what I believe is that when you find yourself in situations like this, that’s why you have a structure in place. It protects the individuals during tough circumstances.”
Edmonton built their 5-0 run under the new coach with some important wins against Divisional foes — the three California teams, plus wins over Winnipeg and the New York Islanders. But it was fair to point out that likely none of those teams will qualify for the NHL playoffs, and the true test began with this Sunday game against the Wild, the second-best team in the West by points percentage.
And so, this lopsided loss opens a four-game stretch against Minnesota, Tampa, Florida and Carolina — all situated among the NHL’s Top 7 in win percentage. The Oilers fly out Monday morning on a five-game roadie, hoping to grab three points against the Lightning, Panthers and Hurricanes, and then make some hay in Philadelphia and Chicago before coming home to a stretch of six of seven games at Rogers Place.
And when they return to Edmonton for a Saturday night tilt against the Montreal Canadiens on March 5, it is expected that capacity limits will be lifted and we’ll have 18,500 folks in the stands.
Embarking on their most difficult road trip of the season, if the Oilers can return with six or seven points and somewhere within striking distance of the red-hot Calgary Flames, that Hockey Night in Canada game could be one to remember.
“It’s gonna be a tough, tough road trip,” Draisaitl said. “It’s a long one against really good hockey teams in this league, but we’re a really good team too. We obviously didn’t have our best tonight, but we’re going to regroup and look to have a successful road trip.”
