\u201cFifteen games in \u2026 we\u2019re in the meat of the season now,\u201d McDavid said. \u201cTwo games here, then we go on a long road trip, a lot of hockey, a lot on the road. It\u2019s time we get going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thus far, Edmonton has a record of 6-5-4, which is actually better than how the team has performed over the past couple of seasons. In 2023-24, the Oilers were 2-8-1 by Nov. 7, as the team\u2019s lackluster performance eventually led to the dismissal of Jay Woodcroft. This time last year, Edmonton was 6-7-1.<\/p>\n
That said, how the team has given up points and blown leads, McDavid admits that the Oilers need to address some issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve done it six times. We have to talk about it, something we have to figure out. That\u2019s an area we have to clean up.\u201d<\/p>\n
In each of the past two games, the Oilers have squandered 2-0 leads, falling to the bumbling St. Louis Blues<\/a>, before letting the Dallas Stars<\/a> come back and win in a shootout this past Tuesday. McDavid admits the starts have been solid, but the lack of finish is concerning.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re putting ourselves in good spots. We\u2019re not closing them out, something we\u2019re normally quite good at. That hasn\u2019t been the trend this year, something we have to figure out.\u201d<\/p>\n Cleaning up the team\u2019s game was McDavid\u2019s message for most of his availability on Friday, expressing that the Oilers need to start by simply doing the little things right, citing that the squad\u2019s flow has \u201cfelt disconnected,\u201d making things difficult for Edmonton<\/a> to play the way that makes them successful.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s been that way for a little bit,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have areas we have to clean up, we know what we\u2019re doing, we have to get back to it. We have to get on the forecheck, get some pucks back, get through the neutral zone, that\u2019s been a real problem for us, and we have to find a way to do a better job of it.\u201d<\/p>\n