EDMONTON, AB – Home is where the start is.
The Oilers officially kick off their NHL regular season at Rogers Place tomorrow against the Vancouver Canucks in the first game of a six-game homestand to start the year. Fresh off the rigors of Training Camp, the extended stay in Edmonton provides the team with the perfect opportunity to come out swinging to start the season.
“It’s a big homestand, obviously starting six at home, 9-of-12 overall, that’s a big month for us no doubt,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “We’re up for the challenge and looking forward to that.”
“We’re excited to get it going for real,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “Obviously you need a good start, in this league it’s so important and we know that. We’re going to come out flying.”
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The Oilers blazed out of the gates last year with a 9-1 start to the season. The team’s results began to lag in the middle of the campaign, leading to the eventual installation of Jay Woodcroft as the team’s head coach – a move which quickly reversed the Oilers fortunes. Despite the eventual turnaround under Woodcroft, had the Oilers not started the way they did, the playoffs and the eventual trip to the Western Conference Final may never have happened.
The Oilers enter this year with boatloads of roster and coaching staff continuity, which they hope will help contribute to a fast start. Head Coach Jay Woodcroft had a full offseason and training camp to implement his style of game on the Oilers roster and the expectation is that the team carries on with the results they had closer to the end of last season.
“This is what I feel most comfortable doing, in making sure that you’re helping your team get ready for the rigors of an 82-game schedule,” Woodcroft said, “I feel like I’m in the spot I’m supposed to be.” to be in. I’m pleased with the amount of work we put in during the preseason and now it’s about opening the game and letting the players go.”
The Oilers are now going on eight months with Woodcroft at the helm of the hockey club and his stamp has been placed on this team. Edmonton’s Captain expects that the system Woodcroft has the team playing will be evident on opening night.
“He’s definitely come in and put his touch on the team, he did it in February last year and he’s done it here in camp,” McDavid said. “He wants a quick game, a fast pace game, he wants our D to be involved and I think you’ll see that.”
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The start to the season is more than just piling on the points early on, it’s about establishing a style of game conducive to success later on in the season. Wednesday night will be the Oilers first chance to set the tone for what they are aiming to be a lengthy campaign.
“The hockey you see in October isn’t the hockey you see in May and June. There is certainly a growth that happens throughout the year,” McDavid said. “I think the teams that get to their game the fastest are the most successful early on. The teams that bring that energy and intensity to October are the ones that get off to the best start. We have to be one of those teams.”
The hockey most associated with those May and June games is a more defensive style of game. The Oilers have long had a reputation as an offensively inclined hockey club, finishing seventh in the NHL in goals last year and being led by two of the league’s top offensive players. However, under Woodcroft they were able to cut their goals against down by half-a-goal per game. Tomorrow night will be an opportunity to start out on the right foot when it comes to the team’s newly found defensive prowess.
“For us, I like where our mindset is at as a group – especially led by our top players. With our commitment to working back to our own end, I thought we took great strides last year in that regard,” Woodcroft said. “I think there are some things we can continue to fine-tune or refine in the defensive end. That’s something we’re going to work on earnestly through the 82-game schedule. We put a lot of good work in over the last month. or so, and now it’s time to take the test.