In the third period when Edmonton was still within striking distance of tying the game, Connor McDavid was in on the forecheck and appeared to go down hard in the corner. Surprisingly McDavid was given the penalty, and Rogers Place erupted in chants against the refs. And of course shortly after, the Hawks scored on the powerplay to put the game away.
On his way out of the penalty box, McDavud was clearly laying into the referees about what seemed to be a controversial call. The referee rightly didn't give McDavid much time for the complaint, and it was clear sign of frustration for the Oilers captain.
It's another disappointing result to lose against a rebuilding team for the Edmonton Oilers, but they still have time to turn it around before they're plagued by another slow start. Connor McDavid and the Oilers did try a more relaxed approach to training camp this year, and some Oilers reporters are claiming it could have a disastrous effect if they have to climb back up the standings like they did last year. The Oilers historic 16 game winning streak pulled them back into contention last year, and it'll be a lot to ask them to do it again.
There's a few signs of frustration beginning to leak through from the Oilers, and a real fear from fans and media of avoiding the 2-9-1 start they had last season. A game against the Chicago Blackhawks should've been a good opportunity to bounce backs but now they'll have to punt the effort to tonight. The Oilers will be facing the Battle of Alberta tonight against a Flames team that's had a hot start to the year - hopefully Edmonton and McDavid can find a way to get their first win on the board.
POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 13 | 74 ANSWERS Connor McDavid Gives an Earful to Referees After Costly and Controversial Penalty Do you think the Oilers will have another slow start this year? | ||
Yes, it's a trend | 52 | 70.3 % |
No, they'll wake up before it's bad | 21 | 28.4 % |
See Results | 1 | 1.4 % |
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