Losing Streak Continues As Oilers Lose Fifth Straight Game
By Jim Lynch
The Edmonton Oilers are struggling to find the back of the net and win games right now, as they currently are riding a five-game losing streak. Let’s talk about the latest loss for the Oilers this time at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
The Carolina Hurricanes are heading in a different direction than the struggling Oilers. While Edmonton continues to struggle to win games and find the back of the net Carolina is riding a four-game win streak. Yesterday was also the return of Ethan Bear, former Oilers winger traded to the Hurricanes this past offseason.
It was great to see Bear back in Edmonton. After he shared his struggles after the postseason last year I think all Oilers fans are rooting for him as he continues to succeed with the Hurricanes. While the trade is still widely debated amongst fans I think it will work out for both sides in the end.
Edmonton needs some more depth goals right now. Their bottom six has been missing for the past few weeks as they go on this five-game losing skid, and with their next matchup being against the Maple Leafs who knows when a win will be in sight. Edmonton has looked like a different team the past few weeks.
The Edmonton Oilers have only scored a single goal in a game three times this season, and those three times have been on this current losing streak. They have been outscoring their opponents by two or three goals all season long, but these past five games have been the real eye-opener for the team.
While I think most would like to be able to blame the players missing from the lineups with injuries, but I do not even think that is the reason the losses are piling up because it is the offense that has been struggling not the defense.
Edmonton needs to start scoring more goals. In their past five games, they have only scored at least three goals once, something they had done pretty consistently for the first 20 games of the season.
It is going to take the entire team playing better to snap the Oilers out of the losing streak. While it wasn’t time to panic a few days ago, I think the Oilers have to be close to hitting the panic button now.