They also explained that Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin is the only Oilers player who is throwing hits which is a bad sign as hits are a crucial part of the game.
The solution for this issue would be the return of Evander Kane who is currently recovering from major surgery which was held in the early days of the season. They feel that his return would give the Oilers a resurgence in physical play and help force the team to be reckoned with.
These sentiments were echoed by Ryan Rishaug and Jason Strudwick on their podcast who have expressed the lack of sticking up for their teammates especially after major hits that need to be responded to as Evan Bouchard receiving a dirty hit from Wild forward Ryan Hartman.
Winners of their last four games, the Oilers, have seemed to have found a groove and have settled some of the inconsistency that was plaguing them all season. They have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games and are now 3rd in the Pacific Division.
The team is still struggling to find balanced scoring as the goals drop significantly after Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl as Zach Hyman holds the third most at 7. With much work to be done, head coach Kris Knoblauch and his staff will have their work cut out for them as this issue needs to be addressed.
The Oilers will be at home to face off against Jack Eichel and Vegas Golden Knights. The game will be at Rogers Place on December 14th and game time will be 4:00pm eastern.
POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 13 | 141 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers Rank Last Place in NHL Stat, Showing a New Identity For The Team Do you think Evander Kane will gain back his game this season ? | ||
Yes | 106 | 75.2 % |
No | 35 | 24.8 % |
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