The Edmonton Oilers are being mocked on social media and posted by critics.
The reigning champion team continues to lose, and stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl suffer major disappointments.
– They’re not a garbage team, but they play like garbage, says expert Mike Johnson on NHL Network.
The Edmonton Oilers lost 6-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh.
It was the third straight loss for the team that was supposed to be a Stanley Cup contender.
– Connor McDavid scores some points and creates offensive opportunities, but defensively it is not good enough. Connor McDavid and Leo Draisaitl will never score 250 points together. He can say they need to improve and he’s right, but it starts with him and Leo Draisaitl. “They’re playing 24-25 minutes, and they’ve got to get better without the puck,” Mike Johnson says.
“It may be gone by Christmas.”
With eleven points in 18 games, only the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks are worse in the league.
– They have two weeks left until the end of the season, and they have a difficult schedule ahead of them. They might be gone by Christmas. It’s shocking, it’s a failure. Mike Johnson says players are neglectful and don’t seem to care.
The Edmonton Oilers have already fired head coach Jay Woodcroft and replaced him with Kris Knoblauch.
-Players are very worried about making mistakes. It paralyzes and hinders us. We don’t play on our instincts. “We really need to get away from this,” says Chris Knoblauch.
Failure numbers from the stars
Within 5:30 of the first period, the Edmonton Oilers collapsed, falling to 0-4 with 15 minutes to play in the game.
– It was a terrible start. We didn’t have the power, and they had more speed. They continued at a high pace. “We couldn’t handle the pressure at all and they took their chances,” says star player Evander Kane.
Connor McDavid had one assist, but was down three in the stats.
Leon Draisaitl had an assist, but was down four in the stats.
23 shots on goal touched the team minimum this season.
Connor McDavid won one of nine draws and had one shot on target.
Mattias Ekholm scored a goal in a numerical disadvantage for the Edmonton Oilers.
Jesper Fast scored the 1-0 goal for the Carolina Hurricanes.
