Oilers Captain Connor McDavid Sends Message to Teammates After Another Tough Loss

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Graham Montgomery
October 14, 2024 (6:20 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers dropped to 0-3 after a loss to the Calgary Flames last night, prompting Connor McDavid to call out his teammates.

The Oilers have gotten off to a rough start to the season, dropping three in a row by a combined score of 15-3. They kicked the season off with a 6-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets and following that up with a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, who are expected to be one of the worst teams in the NHL this season.

After those two games, most fans probably were expecting the team to show up for last night's contest against the Calgary Flames, but once again the team flopped, dropping the game by a score of 4-1. Oilers players showed a lot of frustration in that one, including Stuart Skinner, who shamelessly flopped trying to draw a slashing call on Mikael Backlund.

Typically speaking, players do not react so dramatically to such a soft stick play when they are doing well. This is an indication that the Oilers are growing increasingly frustrated with their start, especially considering the fact that they are coming off a Stanley Cup finals appearance. Now Connor McDavid is starting to speak up, telling it how it is to his teammates. That being said, he made no excuses for his own play either.

"We are getting beat in a lot of battles. We're getting beat in a lot of different ways. Puck play has been bad all over. Guys fumbling it and not handling passes, (passes) in the air, passes behind guys It's just not good enough in terms of the puck play. When you are not clean with the puck it's tough to get the offence. Ultimately it hasn't been good enough. Up and down the lineup, myself first and foremost. Everybody could be better and everybody will be better."

The Oilers roster is largely the same as last season but there have been some notable additions including Jeff Skinner and Victor Arvidsson. Furthermore, defenseman Travis Dermott made the team off of a PTO in training camp. So far though, the team looks quite similar to the one that started last season off tied for the worst team in the league. It is still early, but it would be rather incredible for the team to repeat their feat last season, going from last place to a Stanley Cup finals run. That being said, most fans still expect the team to be contenders this season, so hopefully they will turn things around soon.