Saturday, January 30, 2010

For Heavens Sakes, What Is Wrong With the Oilers?


As my first official post on Oilers Jambalaya, I will discuss what all Oilers fans have been scratching their heads about since the end of November: the struggles, and why they are happening.

First of all, the struggle is obvious. Being able to finish the job. Countless times over the past few months have the Oilers had the lead (sometimes by multiple goals), or have been tied in the third period. But hey, they've got the lead, so who cares? They're just going to sit back and let the goalies do all the work because they have definitely won the game already. That is what seems to be the mentality right now. Prime examples of this were one, against the very offensive minded Washington Capitals, and two, against THE DEFENDING STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS Pittsburgh Penguins. The Oilers, if I'm not mistaken, had shut out, and shut down Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, and had a 2-0 lead up until the third period. But hey, they're going to win, because they have the lead. Except, not. They lost. And the same thing happened against PIT.

So, why is this happening? We have many excuses, with the injuries and etc. But, quite frankly, I do not know. and I don't think anyone knows for sure; heck, I don't even think the players know! But, I mean someone could assume what the problem is, they are just giving up in the third. That's it. Plain and simple. Not to mention, they haven't received the best effort in goal, IMO. Injuries are not an excuse to lose 12 games in a row. But, it depends on what you think. If any fans want to believe that injuries are the true problem to this disaster, that's fine. For all those who want answers, I guess what I am trying to say is they are few, if not none. But, if the Oilers snap this skid tonight against the Flames, their fans are going to be very angry, and that's how we like it ;)

GOILERS!

-Nick-

5 comments:

  1. Good first post Nick.

    Once again, welcome to Oilers Jambalaya.

    You are completely right. The Oilers would be in the top 8 right now if they didn't blow so many games. I'm curious what the actual numbers are on games blown by the Oilers this season. There was the two games you mentioned, the two games against the fLames at the start of the season and I'm sure there is at least another 7-10 games that I can't think of off the top off my head. That's a lot of wins and a lot of points gone to waste.

    The Oilers could have been contenders rather than bottom feeders this year. But that's not the case.

    GOILERS!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can some what agree with this to a point however the Oilers are 9-2-2 when leading after the second period. They are 4-24 when trailing after 2. I think the biggest problem is they fail to get going early, get an early lead and shut it down for the game or they give up a weak goal and collapse. Yes there have been a few games they have lead (Vancouver game recently was another) but they never play a full 60 minutes. Hell they don't even play 30 minutes many nights. Too many players that don't care to be embarrassed.

    ReplyDelete
  3. They seem to have a problem scoring goals too. Like Martin said, 4-24 when down after 2 is a horrible stat. Not very many comebacks all year. One bad goal against and they crumble.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Martin: Wow! That's a shocking stat. Glad you stopped by. 4-24 is pretty bad. I'm not sure if the Oilers have even played a full 60 minute game this year.

    I like your blog Martin. I added it to the list on the right. Thanks for stopping by.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 4-24, holy shit! Besides that glaring stat, it could be that the Oilers schedule sucks. I mean how many times has a team come to Rexall and played the night before in Van., Cal., or Colo. It's got to be hard to beat a tired team, right? lol All kidding a side, I don't think anyone really knows what the hell is wrong with us, besides a combination of injuries, illnesses, small forwards, soft defense, rookie goalies, overpaid vets and under utilized skill. Besides all of that everything is just peachy. Good post Nick.

    ReplyDelete

Keep it nice, keep it civil. GOILERS!


Two Guys & Hockey Talk NHL News (CLICK PIC FOR LINK)

The Faithful Followers

Oilers Jambalaya is in no way, shape or form associated with the Edmonton Oilers or the Bakersfield Condors. This is a fans blog for fans. We happen to love those teams, so we write about them.