EDMONTON — Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft defended his team’s new defensive system on Wednesday, a day after dropping to 1-4-1 this season following a 7-4 loss at the Minnesota Wild.
Without captain Connor McDavid, who is out 1-2 weeks with an upper-body injury, the Oilers gave up five third-period goals in Minnesota for their third straight loss (0-2-1).
Edmonton, which implemented a new defensive system this season, has been outscored 27-17 through its first six games and is seventh in the Pacific Division.
“I would say the term for it, you guys in the media call it a ‘zone,’” Woodcroft said of the new system. “I would say it was popularized by a team that had the best record in the NHL last year in [the Boston Bruins], so a lot of similarities there. I think through training camp and through the first five games of the regular season, it had performed pretty well. I think through five games we gave up one defensive-zone goal.
“Last night, it wasn’t good enough. Part of that is on us, and part of that is a credit to the other team that did some unique things, some good things and their top players found a way to break it. But there are certainly some areas where we can be better in that coverage.”
Hosting the New York Rangers at Rogers Place on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN1, MSG), and then playing in the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic against the Calgary Flames at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TBS, MAX), the Oilers are trying to find answers for their slow start.
There was some debate in the media availability over what constitutes a defensive-zone goal. Edmonton lost its opening game of the season 8-1 at the Vancouver Canucks and were also thoroughly outplayed in a 4-1 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 19.
A number of goals conceded in those games came off breakdowns in front of the Oilers net, but Woodcroft would not concede calling those defensive-zone goals. He said he does not consider goals resulting from turnovers, on the rush, or special teams, defensive-zone goals.
According to Woodcroft, the system is not to blame.
“I think it is a different system, it’s a system that was embraced by everybody in our organization as an area we wanted to go to,” Woodcroft said. “Through five games in the regular season we gave up one goal in that coverage, in the defensive zone. Yesterday we gave up a few, certainly we can be better, but for me, anytime you’re working through a new way of doing things there’s growing pains. Through five games we gave up one goal.”
Edmonton is expected to be without McDavid against the Rangers, who defeated the Calgary Flames 3-1 in the second of a five-game road trip Tuesday. The Rangers opened their longest road trip of the season with a 4-1 win against the Seattle Kraken this past Saturday.
McDavid’s participation in the Heritage Classic, however, has not been ruled out as he works his way back from injury.
He sustained his injury in a 3-2 overtime loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday skating up the ice to join a rush. McDavid grabbed at his left side as he crossed the Winnipeg blue line, finished his shift and skated to the bench with 4:20 remaining in the third period. He sat on the bench for the remainder of the third and did not participate in the 3-on-3 overtime despite going out for a short skate prior to the session to gauge the injury.
“I saw him this morning briefly, I said hi. He seems to be in good spirits, but no medical update,” Woodcroft said. “I think with Connor, I would never want to put a timeline on him and his healing ability. He’s a pretty determined individual, and we’ll see how well he heals here.”
With McDavid, forward Leon Draisaitl — the top two scorers in the NHL last season — and the majority of its roster back, the Oilers were considered a Stanley Cup contender entering this season.
Things have not gone according to plan so far and concern is starting to set in among the Oilers’ fan base.
“I think things get magnified when your record is what our record is,” Woodcroft said. “If you’re sitting at 4-1 heading into last night’s game, you would chalk last night into one bad period. But it feels different when your record is what our record is right now.”
Woodcroft believes his team will respond to the early adversity and get the season back on track. The Oilers already trail the Vegas Golden Knights by 11 points in the division standings. The Golden Knights are off to a perfect 7-0-0 start.
“We can use that in different ways,” Woodcroft said. “We can get past the mad and be solutions-based or problem-solving based. Or we can wallow in ‘woe is us.’ I think our players understand where we’re at. We have to take a step, but talk is cheap, we have to show it.”
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 1 Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe while regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.
It will be the first career start for Manning, a second year freshman. He relieved Ewers in the second quarter last week against UTSA, and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a 56-7 Texas victory.
Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.
Ewers missed several games over the previous two seasons with shoulder and sternum injuries.
The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time since 2008 and Saturday’s matchup with the Warhawks is Texas’ last game before the program starts its first SEC schedule against Mississippi State on Sept. 28.
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