Calling it a “sobering wake-up call,” Todd McLellan vowed to turn last night’s 5-2 preseason loss to Vancouver into a teachable moment for his young Oilers.
“We’ll use it, properly, and try to improve it,” the coach told reporters.
Now, to be fair, last night’s defeat was the first of the preseason for the Oilers. They won their first six, with a couple of shutouts to boot.
But it was the defensive breakdowns versus the Canucks that reminded everyone that Connor McDavid can’t solve everything for this team.
Not Anton Lander’s finest moment right there.
Nor was this a good moment for new defenseman Andrej Sekera:
And so this is what the Oilers did today:
McLellan talked about players needing to battle harder and play "inside the Canucks equipment". Battle drills today pic.twitter.com/FkxDDs72CP
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) October 2, 2015
McLellan is on a mission today. Battle drills, all over players for small details, really pushing the mood and pace at skate.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) October 2, 2015
Edmonton has a tough start to the regular season, opening on the road against St. Louis, Nashville and Dallas.
So temper those expectations, Oilers fans.
“If we think it’s all going to improve at once, we’re mistaken,” McLellan said. “It’s going to improve slowly.”