Oilers seek 'much higher standard' of play after shutout loss to start season
They just weren't ready.
Just like last season, but given that the current edition of the Edmonton Oilers have new players throughout the lineup, not exactly.
The Oilers, Stanley Cup finalists in June, lost their National Hockey League season-opening game Wednesday night 6-0 to the visiting Winnipeg Jets.
A year ago, the eventual Western Conference champs lost their first game 8-1 on the road in Vancouver.
Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm isn't drawing parallels to last season's slow start, though, when the team went 3-9-1 before then-head coach Jay Woodcroft was fired.
The Oilers rebounded from their early-season woes, finished ninth overall with a 49-27-6 record and reached the Stanley Cup final, losing 2-1 in the decisive Game 7 to the Florida Panthers.
"I'm not looking back to last year much," Ekholm told media in the dressing room following the game at Rogers Place. "I think this group is completely new in that regard, and I think it's a completely new situation in that regard. ... It's more about our effort and what we have in here and our group in here.
"We know that we can get to a much higher standard and a much higher level than we did tonight."
Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner allowed five goals on 13 shots and was replaced halfway through the game by backup netminder Calvin Pickard.
Playing from behind against the reigning top NHL goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, and the league's top defensive team from 2023-24 made it "tough to rebound," Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the game, adding he thought his players' defensive effort was lacking.
"It wasn't our best night offensively, obviously, without the goals, but their goalie played well and we didn't finish any chances off," Knoblauch told media.
"That part wasn't horrendous, but some of the defensive stuff that we did was pretty bad, and I don't know if there were many mistakes, but the mistakes that we made were just not good enough."
Hellebuyck helped hold the prolific Oilers attack led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl off the scoresheet.
"The guys in front of me were just keeping everything outside, allowing me to see pucks, allowing me to feel it, clearing rebounds, clearing lanes," Hellebuyck said.
"They made my night really easy. Once in a while I made a big save, which allowed me to feel like a part of the team."
The Jets, who played the same 12 forwards Wednesday that played last year's opener, posted the fourth-best record in the NHL last season at 52-24-6 but lost their first-round playoff series in five games to the Colorado Avalanche.
"We've just got to continue to create chemistry and work at it," Draisaitl said after the game. "Sometimes that just takes a little bit of time."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Sparks fly as MPs question minister on pension implications of proposed election date change
Sparks flew at a parliamentary committee Thursday as MPs questioned Canada's democratic institutions minister about a widely opposed provision in electoral reform legislation that seeks to delay the next fixed election date by one week.
'There is no electricity': Canadian travellers in Cuba urge caution in hurricane's wake
Cuba's power grid was knocked out by Hurricane Rafael, which ripped across the country as a Category 3 storm. In western Cuba, it toppled buildings and pushed 50,000 people to find shelter elsewhere. Cubans were already enduring rolling blackouts due to energy shortages.
Three charged in One Direction singer Liam Payne's death
Three people have been charged in relation to One Direction singer Liam Payne's death in a fall from his Buenos Aires hotel balcony last month, Argentine authorities said on Thursday.
RCMP already 'on high alert' for potential wave of migrants after Trump election
Canada's federal police force has been preparing for months on a contingency plan for a potential massive influx of migrants across the border following Trump's promise of 'mass deportations' of millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
'There was no stopping this baby from coming': Woman gives birth while aboard Newfoundland ferry
A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.
Volkswagen models recalled for airbag safety precaution
Recall notices have been issued for some Volkswagen models from 2006 to 2019 for airbag safety issues.
Canmore wildlife and landscape defender Karsten Heuer dies peacefully at 56
Canmore conservationist Karsten Heuer, who was a biologist, park ranger, author and activist, has died.
America votes: How celebrities are reacting to Trump's decisive victory
Celebrities from Hulk Hogan to Ariana Grande are sharing their reactions to the U.S. election, which will see Donald Trump return to the White House.
3 Winnipeg police officers charged with breach of trust, theft
Three members of the Winnipeg Police Service have been charged with breach of trust, obstruction of justice and theft following a lengthy investigation