“Character cannot develop in peace and quiet. Only through the experience of trial and suffering can the spirit be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved.” – Helen Keller
If it takes ordeal to reveal the true heart of a champion, the Edmonton Oilers group is exactly where it needs to be. They can blame the referees or come up with a million excuses Why do they find themselves down 2-1 to the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But they have no one else to blame but themselves.
They let the success of the final month of the regular season get to their heads. They’ve lost their focus and mojo against a strong Kings team, and they’d better dig deep or they’ll find themselves out looking for what’s left of the playoffs.
Penalties cost the oilers
There is a remedy to staying out of the box even if you feel the referees are against you. It’s called smart and component play. And unfortunately for Oilers fans, there are only a handful of Oilers players who keep their composure through the first three games of the best-of-seven opening round series. Brett Kulak is one, while Derek Ryan, Warren Voegeli and Ryan McLeod all play well despite a lack of success on the hit list. Meanwhile, the Oilers’ top six offensive tackles are teetering and playing erratically. They have to stop letting players like Drew Doughty, the Kings’ starting linebacker, get in over their heads. Easier said than done.
Will Connor McDavid step up and become the champ again?
Conor McDavid came out of a small slump in Games 1 and 2 with two big goals in Game 3. However, he didn’t single-handedly take over the series like many expected of him. Part of the reason is to check Philippe Danault and Doughty’s presence in defence. Doughty, who was injured in the first round against the Oilers last season, is back to his old sexy self. But can he keep up the pace?
In the first round of last year’s series, McDavid took the Bull by the horns in Games 6 and 7 and literally wanted the Oilers to win. Will he take charge of the series this year starting with Game 4? Personally, I wouldn’t bet on it.
Skinner gets better as the series goes on
Anytime a goalkeeper can stop a 2-on-0 breakaway, you have to think that’s a good night. And Stewart Skinner gave the Oilers a powerhouse touchdown in Game 3, his best of the series to date. He looks more level-headed, and seems to have taken the jitters out of starting the playoffs at home in Games 1 and 2. For now, it would be fair to say Skinner has been good, but not as good as Kings goalkeeper Jonas Korbesalo. The Oilers need Skinner to build on his performance in Game 3 and shut the door the rest of the way.
Were the players so relaxed and so confident to start the playoffs?
When you get to the playoffs at any level of hockey, you need to stop looking back, and stay focused on what lies ahead. Unfortunately, a few Oilers didn’t seem to get the memo. They faced a bit of adversity in the regular season, but it wasn’t like they were going to scratch and qualify for the postseason.
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Forwards like Ryan Nugent Hopkins, Evander Kane and Zack Hyman will have to step up their game as of now if the Oilers are to have any chance at all of advancing to the second round. Several times in this series, they appeared nervous, as the puck bounced off their bats–a far cry from how flashy and confident they were in the regular season (from “Tychkowski: The fear is real, the Edmonton Oilers might lose this thing,” Edmonton Journal, 4/22/ 23).
Perhaps it’s the Kings who deserve credit for shutting out the Oilers’ top six? Todd McClellan is an excellent coach, and he proved it again in the first round. If the Oilers are going to have any chance of winning this series, they need Nugent-Hopkins, Kane, and Heyman to really ramp up their games.
So what does an oiler need to do in order to progress?
I think they need to get away from all the distractions that the Stanley Cup Playoffs bring and enjoy some group bonding in Southern California. Maybe head to San Diego or Tijuana and remove the cobwebs of negativity. Just don’t get involved in any trouble.
Related: Oilers vs. Kings is going to be an epic playoff game
Whatever the Oilers do in their time together in LA, they need to refocus and remind themselves that their biggest opponent is really themselves. If they can beat that, then they can beat the kings. This is the kind of adversity that can make a champion. If the Oilers can somehow survive the Kings in the first round and advance to the second round, this may be exactly the adversity they need to take them to the promised land.