Latest news with #DecadeofDarkness
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Dear Canadians: Here are eight reasons to hop on the Edmonton Oilers bandwagon
It's not easy for hockey fans to hop on another team's bandwagon. Hockey is a pious sport, rooted in tradition and fealty. Fickle fandom, like you might see in the NBA or the NFL, is anathema to the spirit of the game. Indeed, as an Edmonton transplant raised to be Loyal to the Oil™, I found it nearly impossible to root for the Maple Leafs when I moved to the Big Smoke, even as my team suffered through a Decade of Darkness™.
Vancouver Sun
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
With Edmonton Oilers going downhill fast, can the series be saved?
Article content Well, it didn't get any better in Game 2. Article content It got worse. A lot worse. Article content A night that was supposed to mark the return to form of the high-flying, playoff-proven Edmonton Oilers deteriorated into the same keys to defeat that buried them in Game 1. Article content It starts with a penalty kill that is being eaten alive (five goals on L.A.'s first nine power plays). Plus defensive breakdowns and mistakes that look straight out of the Decade of Darkness play book. Then goaltending that isn't delivering the big save when they need it. And finally dead hands from the goal scorers. Article content Article content Basically everything that could go wrong in a 6-2 kick in the groin went wrong Wednesday in Los Angeles. Offence, defence, goaltending, power play and penalty kill, the Oilers were let down by all of it and now they're in big, big trouble. Article content Article content And the Kings, after being eliminated by Edmonton three years in a row, can smell blood and see the frustration. All teams want to win a playoff series, but this one has been burning in L.A.'s gut for three years. Article content 'There is hunger on their side, of course, you can sense that, but it's not anything we're not able to match,' sighed Leon Draisaitl, after one of the most humbling defeats he's ever had to explain. 'We just have to find it and we have to find it quick. We have to start playing here. Obviously it hasn't been good enough.' Article content Being down 2-0 in a series after giving up 12 goals against in two games is something nobody expected from an Oilers team that was supposed to be preparing all year for this moment. Article content For them to come unglued like this is deeply concerning and the stats back it up — teams that fall behind 2-0 on the road have an 11 per cent chance of coming back to win the series. And unless we see a vastly different Oilers team on Friday in Edmonton, you can cut that number down to zero. Article content Article content 'We're not happy with the position we're in at all,' said defenceman Darnell Nurse. 'But this group has been through a lot, we know what it takes and how much we have to step up in the next game.' Article content Article content The objective coming in was to keep the Kings to two or fewer goals against given that Los Angeles is a remarkable 43-0-2 when scoring three or more goals in a game this year. Article content So giving up six a night is pretty much the equivalent of tying a brick to your ankle and jumping off a bridge. Article content 'You don't have much chance of winning,' said head coach Kris Knoblauch, who didn't get a big game from anyone Wednesday. 'Especially against a team that's very good defensively and doesn't give up many goals against.' Article content Even Edmonton's big guns were invisible. Putting Connor McDavid and Draisaitl together and playing the heck out of them was supposed to be Edmonton's nuclear weapon, but it blew up in their face. While Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe combined for three goals and five assists in the win, McDavid and Draisaitl combined for one point in the loss.
Ottawa Citizen
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
With Edmonton Oilers going downhill fast, can the series be saved?
Article content Well, it didn't get any better in Game 2. Article content Article content It got worse. A lot worse. Article content A night that was supposed to mark the return to form of the high-flying, playoff-proven Edmonton Oilers deteriorated into the same keys to defeat that buried them in Game 1. Article content It starts with a penalty kill that is being eaten alive (five goals on L.A.'s first nine power plays). Plus defensive breakdowns and mistakes that look straight out of the Decade of Darkness play book. Then goaltending that isn't delivering the big save when they need it. And finally dead hands from the goal scorers. Article content Article content Basically everything that could go wrong in a 6-2 kick in the groin went wrong Wednesday in Los Angeles. Offence, defence, goaltending, power play and penalty kill, the Oilers were let down by all of it and now they're in big, big trouble. Article content Article content And the Kings, after being eliminated by Edmonton three years in a row, can smell blood and see the frustration. All teams want to win a playoff series, but this one has been burning in L.A.'s gut for three years. Article content 'There is hunger on their side, of course, you can sense that, but it's not anything we're not able to match,' sighed Leon Draisaitl, after one of the most humbling defeats he's ever had to explain. 'We just have to find it and we have to find it quick. We have to start playing here. Obviously it hasn't been good enough.' Article content Being down 2-0 in a series after giving up 12 goals against in two games is something nobody expected from an Oilers team that was supposed to be preparing all year for this moment. Article content For them to come unglued like this is deeply concerning and the stats back it up — teams that fall behind 2-0 on the road have an 11 per cent chance of coming back to win the series. And unless we see a vastly different Oilers team on Friday in Edmonton, you can cut that number down to zero. Article content Article content 'We're not happy with the position we're in at all,' said defenceman Darnell Nurse. 'But this group has been through a lot, we know what it takes and how much we have to step up in the next game.' Article content Article content The objective coming in was to keep the Kings to two or fewer goals against given that Los Angeles is a remarkable 43-0-2 when scoring three or more goals in a game this year. Article content So giving up six a night is pretty much the equivalent of tying a brick to your ankle and jumping off a bridge. Article content 'You don't have much chance of winning,' said head coach Kris Knoblauch, who didn't get a big game from anyone Wednesday. 'Especially against a team that's very good defensively and doesn't give up many goals against.' Article content Even Edmonton's big guns were invisible. Putting Connor McDavid and Draisaitl together and playing the heck out of them was supposed to be Edmonton's nuclear weapon, but it blew up in their face. While Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe combined for three goals and five assists in the win, McDavid and Draisaitl combined for one point in the loss.
Calgary Herald
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
With Edmonton Oilers going downhill fast, can the series be saved?
Article content Well, it didn't get any better in Game 2. Article content Article content It got worse. A lot worse. Article content A night that was supposed to mark the return to form of the high-flying, playoff-proven Edmonton Oilers deteriorated into the same keys to defeat that buried them in Game 1. Article content It starts with a penalty kill that is being eaten alive (five goals on L.A.'s first nine power plays). Plus defensive breakdowns and mistakes that look straight out of the Decade of Darkness play book. Then goaltending that isn't delivering the big save when they need it. And finally dead hands from the goal scorers. Article content Article content Basically everything that could go wrong in a 6-2 kick in the groin went wrong Wednesday in Los Angeles. Offence, defence, goaltending, power play and penalty kill, the Oilers were let down by all of it and now they're in big, big trouble. Article content Article content And the Kings, after being eliminated by Edmonton three years in a row, can smell blood and see the frustration. All teams want to win a playoff series, but this one has been burning in L.A.'s gut for three years. Article content 'There is hunger on their side, of course, you can sense that, but it's not anything we're not able to match,' sighed Leon Draisaitl, after one of the most humbling defeats he's ever had to explain. 'We just have to find it and we have to find it quick. We have to start playing here. Obviously it hasn't been good enough.' Being down 2-0 in a series after giving up 12 goals against in two games is something nobody expected from an Oilers team that was supposed to be preparing all year for this moment. Article content For them to come unglued like this is deeply concerning and the stats back it up — teams that fall behind 2-0 on the road have an 11 per cent chance of coming back to win the series. And unless we see a vastly different Oilers team on Friday in Edmonton, you can cut that number down to zero. Article content Article content 'We're not happy with the position we're in at all,' said defenceman Darnell Nurse. 'But this group has been through a lot, we know what it takes and how much we have to step up in the next game.' Article content Article content The objective coming in was to keep the Kings to two or fewer goals against given that Los Angeles is a remarkable 43-0-2 when scoring three or more goals in a game this year. Article content So giving up six a night is pretty much the equivalent of tying a brick to your ankle and jumping off a bridge. Article content 'You don't have much chance of winning,' said head coach Kris Knoblauch, who didn't get a big game from anyone Wednesday. 'Especially against a team that's very good defensively and doesn't give up many goals against.' Article content Even Edmonton's big guns were invisible. Putting Connor McDavid and Draisaitl together and playing the heck out of them was supposed to be Edmonton's nuclear weapon, but it blew up in their face. While Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe combined for three goals and five assists in the win, McDavid and Draisaitl combined for one point in the loss.
