Playoff drought behind them, Oilers shift focus to task ahead

The Oilers edged the Kings 2-1 to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

X.

This morning in Edmonton that is the sweetest letter in the alphabet, the first in over 4,000 days that demarcation has appeared next to the Oilers name in the National Hockey League standings.

"The fans are excited, we’re excited," said captain Connor McDavid, whose team beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 Tuesday night to clinch their first post-season berth in 10 long years.

It was a hard-fought, grinding game with tons of contact and very few goals. Likely the brand of hockey that lies ahead in the post-season, right Connor?

"People keep asking me that," said McDavid, "but I’ve never played in the playoffs, so I can’t really say what that’s like. It definitely felt high-energy, high-intensity, but you can never really know what it feels like until you’re there."

This is the story of a failed rebuild, and a team that became a national laughing stock—none of it befitting a loyal, knowledgeable fan base that did nothing but support an inferior product for, oh, the last 25 years or so.

Only until general manager Peter Chiarelli arrived two seasons ago, the hockey gods granted McDavid to Edmonton, and head coach Todd McLellan began moulding a winning mentality did this project begin to sniff success.

"It’s kind of bittersweet that it’s taken this long, but it’s exciting. It’s what you play hockey for," said Jordan Eberle, the longest serving Oiler who has played 501 regular season games but is still a playoff virgin. "I love the way we handled the third. With them having a push, we still outshot them (14-11). It just shows the signs of a veteran team."

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the second eldest statesman, was seen crashing the net on Eric Gryba’s winning goal, a metaphor for how entitlement had to change to commitment if this project was going to go anywhere.

"We’ve had some tough years, but it’s all worth it right now," Nugent-Hopkins said. "For the guys that haven’t been there before, we need to step up. We know it’s a new level."

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On the same night the Detroit Red Wings were officially eliminated after 25 years of playoff appearances, the Oilers won their sixth straight home game—seven of eight overall—to qualify.

"We’ve found our rhythm here at home," said McDavid, who had a fluky goal that opened the scoring, as a pass caromed off a Kings skate and picked the top corner for his 89th point. "At the start (of the season) we kind of struggled, but we figured out how to play in our building and we’re looking good at home."

As far as figuring things out, no organization had a longer shopping list than this one after a 10-year playoff drought that ties the Florida Panthers (2000-01 to 2010-11, with a lockout year) for the longest streak of futility in NHL history.

The Oilers issues were equal opportunity: mental, physical, organizational, biological. The team McLellan took over didn’t know the first thing about success.

"First thing was coming in and trying to establish boundaries and a work ethic," the head coach began. "The second thing we tried to do was work on the mental part of the team, staying in games longer and not folding your hand. Then we tried to reduce the gap between goals for and goals against and while we were doing all of that we were changing (the roster)."

Now?

"They believe in each other," said McLellan, who took over a team with a goals differential of minus-85. In his second season, the Oilers lead the Pacific Division at plus-29.

That’s an incredible 114 goals to the good in two seasons.

The Kings, meanwhile, have lost twice in Edmonton in eight days—by scores of 2-0 and 2-1. They have scored one or less goals in 25 of their games this season, and have been shut out 10 times.

The Oilers scored two fluky ones Tuesday, sure. But they also had two called back—one on a blatant early whistle that even Darryl Sutter admitted, "We caught a break."

"First goal, (McDavid) goes to pass it and it goes top corner. He couldn’t have shot it any better," said L.A.’s Jeff Carter. "Their second one hit everybody on the ice and finds a way in. We just couldn’t get that next one."

The roles have reversed. Most would say it’s about time the Oilers made the playoffs.

"Believe it or not, 10 years later, that’s probably the easy job," said McLellan. "The task gets tougher."

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