Edmonton Oilers Trend Guarantees A Win In Their Next Game

The Oilers seem to be plagued by a slow start yet again this year, losing their first three games and two of them to lesser opponents. However, Oilers analyst Jonathan Willis has pointed to a trend that should give fans confidence for tomorrow night against the Flyers: Edmonton has never lost 4 straight games under Coach Knoblauch.

Not only that, but under Coach Knoblauch, every time the Oilers have lost three straight games they've responded with extended winning streaks. In late December, the Oilers began one historic 16 game win streak that really erased the brutal 2-9-1 start they had that year.

Thats a sign of hope that the Oilers can turn it around, but this year's team is entirely different. The defence group is much weaker so far, and the special teams haven't been a strength of the team at all this year. If the defence improves and the penalty kill gets going, the Oilers will start to get rolling again - they'll need more than just Connor McDavid scoring to win a cup.

It's clearly a concern that the Oilers are seeming to be plagued by these slow starts. Some reporters have noted that their easy going approach to preseason may have cause them not to be as prepared as other teams before the regular season.

Tomorrow night at home, the Oilers will have another prime opportunity against a weaker Philadelphia Flyers team to get their first win of the season. They've had an easier schedule to begin the season, but after tomorrow, they'll embark on their first road trip to face a stretch of tough playoff team. It won't get easier from here on out, so the Oilers better wake up and get a win.