Mike Babcock rips Oilers after wild opening night loss, but the numbers tell a strange story
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Mike Babcock called the Oilers' opening night effort ridiculous after a 6-5 overtime loss to the Canucks, and the numbers tell a strange story.
Mike Babcock's first night behind the Edmonton Oilers bench did not go the way anyone at Rogers Place drew it up.
The Oilers dropped a 6-5 overtime decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, and the new head coach didn't dress it up afterward.
He called the performance ridiculous, plain and simple.
"That was ridiculous."
- Mike Babcock
- Mike Babcock
Edmonton did storm back, to be fair.
They trailed 5-2 early in the third period before Vasily Podkolzin scored his second of the night late to force overtime.
Then Paul Cotter ended it for Vancouver.
Evan Bouchard did everything he could, finishing with a hat trick and five points.
Losing after a night like that is the kind of thing that makes a coach pace the room.
Babcock wants aggression
The message coming in was pretty clear.
He wants his team hunting the puck, and he says there's no such thing as too much aggression.
That belief is going to get tested quickly.
David Staples tracked all six goals against and came away with a blunt takeaway.
Edmonton was over-aggressive and out of position every single time.
The numbers tell a strange story
Here's the odd part. The Oilers actually won the chance battle by a wide margin.
By Staples' count, they had 20 Grade A shots to Vancouver's nine, and 13 of the most dangerous looks to the Canucks' five.
Edmonton also outshot Vancouver 37-23 overall.
So the pressure is producing offence.
The problem is what it leaves behind.
Every time the puck went the other way, the Canucks found space, and Tristan Jarry didn't get much help.
The Oilers head to Vancouver on Thursday for the rematch, which gives Babcock a short window to find the line between aggressive and reckless.
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