Fatigue from a gruelling cross-continental schedule? The predictable drop in efficiency that happens to everyone right before going a long holiday?
Maybe a little of both.
Or maybe the early warning signs of a hockey team that is going to need more help than we think at the NHL trade deadline?
We’re about to find out as the Edmonton Oilers return to work with a vengeance after a much-needed break for the 4 Nations Face-off.
After cooling their heels for 14 days, the Oilers hit the ice for five road games in eight days. Included in that mix are Washington, Florida, Carolina and Tampa, the first-, second-, third- and sixth-place teams in the Eastern Conference.
If that doesn’t tell you where you are as a team, nothing will.
So where are the Oilers? When we last saw the team it wasn’t exactly humming along at full speed. They were still winning more than they were losing, but just barely. The engine light was on, they were puffing smoke and you could see sparks coming from the bare rim where one of the flat tires used to be.
A team that had just gone 19-4-1 limped into the mid-season break at barely over .500 (5-4-1 in their last 10) with more than a few of those wins looking as ragged as wins can look.
They were digging early deficits, bleeding goals on the penalty kill, getting schooled by good teams and barely edging bad ones.
They needed a rest.
“We weren’t at our best the last couple of games before the break so hopefully it came at the right time and we can get back to attacking and playing the right way once we get going again,” said Leon Draisaitl, after returning to practice this week.
At 162 games since the start of last season, a short summer and some of the longest travel in the league, the Oilers logged more miles than anyone, so if any team needed an opportunity to catch its breath before the stretch drive, it’s them.
“As a team we all really needed it,” said goaltender Stuart Skinner, adding a short summer and a condensed schedule because of the 4 Nations combined to grind the team down.
“We’ve had some tough back-to-backs, some tough travel. On one trip we had a week where we were in a different time zone every place we went to. That stuff can take a toll on your body.
“So the timing of the break was really helpful. It gives you a nice reset mentally and physically. Coming in we’re all feeling really fresh, we have a really good attitude, it’s high energy.”
The hope is that Edmonton’s pre-break lull was just fatigue and human nature talking, that they’ll return to action as crisp and tight as can be in their back-to-back matinee games in Philadelphia Saturday and Washington Sunday.
It seems like a reasonable theory — the Oilers played a lot of hockey over the last year and it’s understandable that a mid-February game against Chicago, when you’ve got tickets booked for Cabo in less than a week, doesn’t move the internal needle.
“Whenever there is a break around the corner your game might slip a little bit,” reasoned Zach Hyman. “You try not to and everybody says the right things, but it’s human nature, there’s a break there.
Now, with the playoffs fast approaching, along with the March 7 trade deadline, it’s time to get serious.
“The last game was so long ago you don’t even think about it,” said Hyman. “You’re just thinking about getting ready for the next game, making sure that we’re all ready to play.
“For us, there are no more breaks, we have the last third of the season and we have to be playing our best hockey.”
Opening up with a bit of a softer opponent in Philadelphia should be a good way for the Oilers to knock the rust off, but the water gets deep in a hurry. The next four teams are no joke and if the Oilers play the way they did before the break it’s going to be a long trip.
“It’s an amazing way to start, get right back into it and play against some teams that know how to win,” said Skinner. “All those teams are in the same spot, working to get to a playoff spot where they can make it as easy as possible to go for a Stanley Cup run.
“It’s going to be a very competitive road trip and that’s the best way to start — jump in head first, play against some amazing teams and see where we’re at here.”
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