EDMONTON -- Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft defended his team’s new defensive system on Wednesday, a day after dropping to 1-4-1 this season following a 7-4 loss at the Minnesota Wild.
Without captain Connor McDavid, who is out 1-2 weeks with an upper-body injury, the Oilers gave up five third-period goals in Minnesota for their third straight loss (0-2-1).
Edmonton, which implemented a new defensive system this season, has been outscored 27-17 through its first six games and is seventh in the Pacific Division.
“I would say the term for it, you guys in the media call it a ‘zone,’” Woodcroft said of the new system. "I would say it was popularized by a team that had the best record in the NHL last year in [the Boston Bruins], so a lot of similarities there. I think through training camp and through the first five games of the regular season, it had performed pretty well. I think through five games we gave up one defensive-zone goal.
“Last night, it wasn’t good enough. Part of that is on us, and part of that is a credit to the other team that did some unique things, some good things and their top players found a way to break it. But there are certainly some areas where we can be better in that coverage.”
Hosting the New York Rangers at Rogers Place on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN1, MSG), and then playing in the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic against the Calgary Flames at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TBS, MAX), the Oilers are trying to find answers for their slow start.
There was some debate in the media availability over what constitutes a defensive-zone goal. Edmonton lost its opening game of the season 8-1 at the Vancouver Canucks and were also thoroughly outplayed in a 4-1 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 19.
A number of goals conceded in those games came off breakdowns in front of the Oilers net, but Woodcroft would not concede calling those defensive-zone goals. He said he does not consider goals resulting from turnovers, on the rush, or special teams, defensive-zone goals.
According to Woodcroft, the system is not to blame.
“I think it is a different system, it’s a system that was embraced by everybody in our organization as an area we wanted to go to,” Woodcroft said. “Through five games in the regular season we gave up one goal in that coverage, in the defensive zone. Yesterday we gave up a few, certainly we can be better, but for me, anytime you’re working through a new way of doing things there’s growing pains. Through five games we gave up one goal.”
Edmonton is expected to be without McDavid against the Rangers, who defeated the Calgary Flames 3-1 in the second of a five-game road trip Tuesday. The Rangers opened their longest road trip of the season with a 4-1 win against the Seattle Kraken this past Saturday.
McDavid’s participation in the Heritage Classic, however, has not been ruled out as he works his way back from injury.
He sustained his injury in a 3-2 overtime loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday skating up the ice to join a rush. McDavid grabbed at his left side as he crossed the Winnipeg blue line, finished his shift and skated to the bench with 4:20 remaining in the third period. He sat on the bench for the remainder of the third and did not participate in the 3-on-3 overtime despite going out for a short skate prior to the session to gauge the injury.
“I saw him this morning briefly, I said hi. He seems to be in good spirits, but no medical update,” Woodcroft said. “I think with Connor, I would never want to put a timeline on him and his healing ability. He’s a pretty determined individual, and we’ll see how well he heals here.”
With McDavid, forward Leon Draisaitl -- the top two scorers in the NHL last season -- and the majority of its roster back, the Oilers were considered a Stanley Cup contender entering this season.
Things have not gone according to plan so far and concern is starting to set in among the Oilers’ fan base.
“I think things get magnified when your record is what our record is,” Woodcroft said. “If you’re sitting at 4-1 heading into last night’s game, you would chalk last night into one bad period. But it feels different when your record is what our record is right now.”
Woodcroft believes his team will respond to the early adversity and get the season back on track. The Oilers already trail the Vegas Golden Knights by 11 points in the division standings. The Golden Knights are off to a perfect 7-0-0 start.
“We can use that in different ways,” Woodcroft said. “We can get past the mad and be solutions-based or problem-solving based. Or we can wallow in ‘woe is us.’ I think our players understand where we’re at. We have to take a step, but talk is cheap, we have to show it.”
