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.”