The Edmonton Oilers did not have the sort of Opening Night they would have wanted. And head coach Mike Babcock didn’t sugarcoat it.
The Oilers rallied after falling behind 5-2 to the Vancouver Canucks early in the third period. Vasily Podkolzin’s second goal of the night sent the game to overtime, but it was in OT when Paul Cotter capped off the Canucks’ first win of the season, 6-5.
The loss also unhinged Babock.
Following the game, the veteran coach did not mince any words, making it clear the team had to be better.
“Our part is to play way better. That was ridiculous.”
There was no need for the Stanley Cup-winning coach to make an ornate speech. He encapsulated what the situation meant for the club moving forward. Mike Babcock made it clear that things have to change as the season moves on.
“I don’t think, I thought for one second this was going to be easy. But tonight was an indication that we have serious work to do. And so, we’re going to just going to have a look at it tomorrow and show the players and clear it up. But playing like that, you know, we started fine, but playing like that, and getting away from what we’re supposed to do is unacceptable for us. So, we got to set a better a better standard for ourselves.”
There is no question that Oilers Nation will be demanding answers across the board.
Tristan Jarry Suddenly Gives the Oilers Another Concern
The Oilers already had questions surrounding their goaltending coming into the season.
Now they have even more.
Jarry allowed six goals on 23 shots against Vancouver, and several of those goals were particularly damaging. Jonathan Lekkerimäki’s third-period goal slipped through him, while Max Sasson’s goal also beat him through the five-hole.
Babcock didn’t completely throw his goaltender under the bus, but he acknowledged that Jarry has to be better.
Jarry himself essentially said the same thing.
“There was some moments in the game where I could have done a better job,” he said after the loss.
That is a problem for the Oilers because this was supposed to be an opportunity for Jarry to reset after a difficult first season in Edmonton.
Babcock had praised his preseason work, and Jarry entered the opener having stopped 40 of 42 shots across five preseason periods.
Then the regular season arrived.
The Oilers scored five goals and Evan Bouchard produced five points, yet Edmonton still couldn’t win.
That puts even more attention on Jarry.
Edmonton Needs to Give Mike Babcock Some Time
As ugly as the opening-night performance was, it would be foolish for the Oilers to panic after 60 minutes.
This is a new coaching staff implementing a new system.
Babcock’s preseason was shortened to just four games, and although Edmonton went 4-0 while allowing only five goals, the regular-season opener exposed how much work remains.
The Oilers repeatedly abandoned the structure Babcock wants.
They turned the puck over, made poor decisions and gave Vancouver too many odd-man opportunities. Babcock specifically pointed to those issues afterward, saying Edmonton became a team that was “chasing the game.”
That is exactly what he was hired to prevent.
Still, learning a new system takes time. Players have to stop thinking about where they are supposed to be and start reacting instinctively. Leon Draisaitl acknowledged before the opener that Edmonton was still working out the kinks and that the system would become more natural with time.
So there is no reason for the Oilers to hit the panic button.
There is, however, a reason to pay close attention.
The runway isn’t particularly long for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. The Oilers can’t spend two months figuring out how to play the way Babcock wants.
Opening Night was only one game.
But it was a highly concerning one.
Oilers Mike Babcock Doesn’t Sugarcoat Opening-Night Loss