Some people contend that it’s never a terrible idea to pack your bags and take a flight somewhere warm during an Edmonton winter, especially one as mild as the one we’ve been lucky enough to have this year.
It’s also not even debatable if you’re a young millionaire who doesn’t have to return to work until Sunday of next week.
Article text Here we go. Beach or clunker.
However, it doesn’t seem like the best time to be enjoying the weather and nine days off while the Edmonton Oilers are in the midst of a 16-game winning streak.
Imagine playing the best round of golf of your life, only to have it cut short after 16 holes due to a weather delay.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch stated, “Anytime you’re winning games you don’t want a break but I think a lot of the guys are a little banged up and need that rest.” The team’s current winning run began after the Christmas break.
We had been winning two straight games, were playing well, and weren’t exactly in the mood for a five-day break.After winning three games in California, they returned and haven’t lost since.
“Now is a great time to start over,” Knoblauch stated. Many of the guys had injuries. We’ll make use of the time for purposeful exercises. We’ve been working so hard. They are aware of the trend. It is wise, in my opinion, to take a break and return for the second part.
The Oilers were winning 4-1 over Nashville on Saturday when they shut it down. Everything was going well for them. They have a 37-for-38 record when it comes to killing penalties, have given up two goals or fewer in a franchise-high 14 games in a row, have seen Stuart Skinner go 19-2 in his last 21, have seen their power play pick up steam, have seen timely goals from their depth scoring, added Corey Perry and Dylan Holloway, and have outscored their opponents 30-7 in the third period of their last 16 games.
Even better, you can recite a lengthy list of developments for the Oilers without even bringing up the work being done by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
McDavid, who has scored seven points in his past two games, stated, “I think what makes it special is that it’s been everybody.” “Everyone has been pulling on the rope together. It’s been the entire gang, not just one or two guys. Everyone has been tugging on the rope. We’ve demonstrated throughout this period of time that this is what outstanding groups accomplish.
Although the Oilers had a lot of games they could have won split out equally in January, they are not the third team in NHL history to have had a favorable schedule. Strength of schedule is a real issue. If a team played the San Jose Sharks at home for 16 straight games, they wouldn’t go 16-0.
They have also defeated clubs in the top half of the league, including Vegas, Toronto, Winnipeg, Carolina, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, Nashville, and the New York Rangers, going 24-3 over their last 27 games. It is therefore a poor argument to tear apart Edmonton’s run at an NHL record 17 games.
The Oilers knew they were better than that when they were drowning at 5-12-1 following a 6-3 loss to Carolina in late November.”I knew we were a good team, but that’s more than fifty percent right there when you’re lacking confidence,” Draisaitl remarked. “It’s difficult to recover from, but we’ve clearly found it and are just trying to carry on right now.”
However, they intend to resume it in Vegas on February 6. That is a long time to sit around praying the moss doesn’t grow in a league where there is no such thing as two days off in a row.
The other viewpoint holds that this is a big picture issue with ideal timing. A winning streak during the regular season is wonderful, but it is meaningless. Only the 1981–1982 New York Islanders were crowned champions among the four prior teams to win 15 games or more in a row.
As awesome as it would be, this isn’t about being 17 or 18 for the whole time. This year’s goal is to take home the Cup. Not coming near. avoiding a knock on the door. Here and now, it’s about bringing home a sixth Stanley Cup in Edmonton.
The Oilers’ readiness for February and March is crucial as that’s when the schedule starts to bite back sharply.
Stuart Skinner remarked, “We still have a long way to go.” “We have three months until the real bullets start flying at us.
