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SAN JOSE, CA – “We still have confidence in our group,” forward Sam Gagner said.

“We’ve just got to go out and show it.”

There isn’t a single coach, player or staff member in the Oilers locker room that had the club pegged for a 2-8-1 start to their season, but there’s also no one who believes that their record through 11 games defines them or inhibits their ability to turn their fortunes around.

However, that ‘unshakable belief’ in the resolve and resiliency of the group isn’t dampening the feeling of urgency it feels toward getting back to playing the right way and stacking up points in the Pacific Division standings.

That opportunity arrives on Thursday night with the second of a three-game divisional road trip at SAP Center against a Sharks team coming off their first win of the season against Philadelphia earlier in the week.

“It's one thing to talk about it, but I do feel like we have a belief in here that we can dig ourselves out of this hole,” Gagner said. “It just happens one day at a time. You have to keep building. Different guys have been through different stretches like this throughout their careers, and if you let it get to you, it just makes the hole even deeper. So I think you just keep pushing forward; keep trying to build.”

“Certainly there's been grounds for optimism in our game, but I think one thing, when your record is what ours is right now, you also have to have a realistic view of where you're at and where your game's at,” Head Coach Jay Woodcroft added. “I do think we have a very strong belief in our group, but your walk and talk have to match."

“There have been some grounds for optimism, but when we talk to our team, we do it with candour. We're very candid about where we're at, what needs to improve, and we get an opportunity to do that tonight versus a team in San Jose that's going to work very hard and push us in certain ways.”

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      Sam speaks with the media prior to facing the Sharks on Thursday

      Different teams go through adversity at different times, and the Oilers have experienced their fair share head-on here in the opening 11 games of the 2023-24 campaign.

      The Blue & Orange will be hoping that these early-season growing pains are coming at the right time to help set themselves on the right trajectory for the rest of the regular season, beginning Thursday versus the Sharks who've allowed 55 goals against through 12 games this season – tied for the most goals allowed through 12 games since the 1993-94 Ottawa Senators.

      “I think we're just learning how to battle through adversity. I think that's an important thing,” Dylan Holloway said. “You see it a lot of times with teams that play so well throughout the regular season and don't really go through much adversity. Then, playoffs come and adversity comes and they can't handle it. I think a positive you can take away is we've dealt with adversity so far to start, and once we get rolling, we'll know how that feels and we'll know how to counter it.”

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          Dylan talks with the media before Thursday's game in San Jose

          For Holloway, adversity comes in many forms as he adjusts to the NHL level while being an important piece of Edmonton’s roster and its collective work to correct some of their early-season struggles.

          “It's a lot of learning,” he said. “Obviously it's the best league in the world and guys are so experienced. You're playing against veteran guys that have been in the league for 10-plus years, so they know the way and you kind of just got to learn from it. 

          “I think the biggest thing for me is just trying to make an impact, whether that's physically using my skating, getting to the net, or getting shots on net. Ideally, I'd like to contribute offensively too, and I think that'll come. I think we just got to keep working on my game and bearing on my chances.”

          The 22-year-old is coming off arguably his best game as an Edmonton Oiler in Vancouver on Monday, said Woodcroft, and will play alongside Leon Draisaitl and Warren Foegele on the second line in a balanced lineup for the Blue & Orange that puts the onus on every player to help produce.

          “I know he didn't score, but I thought he did a lot of good things. He was all over the chances,” Woodcroft said of Holloway. “Now it's on him to build on that and for him to play with Draisaitl. I think there are some natural gifts there that those two can work off with each other.”