Sid Seixeiro makes bold Connor McDavid statement after Oilers' defensive collapse
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Oilers held on to beat Vancouver 9-7 Thursday after leading 8-2, but the defensive mess has Connor McDavid frustrated.
The Edmonton Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 9-7 on Thursday night, but nobody in that room was celebrating.
Edmonton led 8-2, then watched Vancouver climb within two goals in the third period before holding on.
Connor McDavid had five points, Leon Draisaitl had three, and rookie Owen Michaels scored his first NHL goal.
Evan Bouchard has seven points through two games, and Vasily Podkolzin scored twice.
The win followed a 6-5 overtime loss in Tuesday's opener, so Edmonton has three of a possible four points.
Sid Seixeiro did not sugarcoat it.
He called the defensive play a mess and warned that McDavid's patience will run out soon.
Edmonton is giving up too much
Through two games, the Oilers have scored 14 goals and allowed 13.
That is a wild way to start, and it will not hold up over an 84-game season.
The scoring is not the concern with this group, which makes every soft shift in its own zone stand out more.
Zach Hyman also did not travel to Vancouver, so the lineup was thin up front.
Coach Mike Babcock liked the first period and a half but not the rest.
He wants Edmonton to play a full game instead of half of one.
McDavid wants a cleaner game
McDavid was not handing out congratulations either.
He said offense has never been the problem, that the Oilers must tighten up around their own net, and that the strong 40 minutes should be the blueprint.
Edmonton can outscore almost anyone with McDavid and Draisaitl, but leads like that should never get so tight.
If the goals against keep piling up, Seixeiro's warning could start looking like a forecast.
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