There are no guarantees in pro sports, no matter how much of a sure thing they seem.
The Toronto Blue Jays hitting a sac fly with one out instead of two to win the World Series?
Nope.
The Montreal Alouettes punching it in from the one yard-line instead of fumbling away the Grey Cup?
Not happening.
The ever early embattled Edmonton Oilers getting just what the doctor ordered by laying the boots to a Buffalo Sabres sitting dead last in the Eastern Conference to cement a turnaround after another blasé start to the season?
Fat chance. The way things are going, it’s a good thing they didn’t lose 9-1. (Oh, sorry. Too soon?)
Though it could be argued losing 5-1 to the bottom feeders is every bit as bad as getting stomped 9-1 by the league-leading Colorado Avalanche.
Instead of grabbing the opportunity by the, uh, horns and squeezing until the Sabres were singing soprano, the Oilers frittered away a glorious opportunity to claim their fourth win in five games following a three-game losing skid that looked like it could have been rock bottom.
Wishful thinking, it turns out, as the Oilers look more like a team simply circling the bowl instead of rebounding upward.
A team smack dab in the middle of a grueling seven-game road swing through the Eastern Conference in 11 days (Thanks, Olympic Games) played just like a team smack dab in the middle of a grueling seven-game road swing through the Eastern Conference in 11 days.
And they still have three games in four days to go before they can finally return home, beginning with the Washington Capitals on Wednesday (5 p.m., Sportsnet). Sure, the Caps are third from the bottom of the Eastern standings, and appear ripe for the picking. But that seems to mean little to an Oilers squad severely lacking in confidence, if not competence at times.
And here at the quarter mark of the season, there are no excuses for a team supposedly gearing up to make a third straight run at the Stanley Cup.
It is no longer early in the season. This kind of result against that kind of opponent is not easily laugh-off-able knowing full well the turnaround lies right around the corner. This is the time when the Oilers are supposed to be pushing the pedal to the metal and tearing up the standings, not running out of gas just as the hitchhiker’s hook reaches the door handle and horror ensues.
Did nobody in that dressing room get the memo the Sabres would be starting (quickly checks roster) Colten Ellis in net so they could respond with a collective, “Who?” Like the rest of us?
No-name goalies on a bottom-feeding opponent couldn’t have made for more of a feast for an Oilers lineup hungry for multi-point results. Instead, they take on even more water by giving up five and sinking lower. They are now tied for 29th place with 70 goals-against. In 20 games.
And with a goal differential of minus-8 so far, this isn’t an Oilers team that can rely on simply outscoring its mistakes right now.
Has there been too much roster change?
Has this team simply played too much hockey over the past two deep playoff runs to have anything left in the tank?
Did the drama of Connor McDavid waiting all off-season and throughout training camp before putting pen to paper on a contract extension shake the Oilers’ foundation to the core?
OK, maybe not. But something’s wrong. And this team had better start asking itself the right question and coming up with some answers. Fast.
But it’s not all bad news.
Two points missed in the standings is two points missed, regardless of the difference on the scoreboard. And it’s not like this road trip is against divisional opponents where the losses mean a four-point swing.
They are 2-2 on this road trip, and have a realistic chance of coming out of it with more wins than losses.
They are 9-7-4 through the first quarter of the season, which gives them a .550 win percentage and 22 points, which puts them in a five-way tie for sixth place in the Western Conference and fourth in the Pacific Division.
This thing is far from over.
And they could still go on their usual November-December push once they get a chance to regroup at home base.
Sure, the optics of it all aren’t the best right now. There have been a couple of embarrassing losses, but hardly devastating ones when it comes to the big picture. Let’s not forget they’ve also managed to win big games against the Montreal Canadiens and Utah Mammoth, both of whom were leading the league when they arrived at Rogers Place. So, they have the tools.
What the Oilers are lacking is consistency. Both from game to game and within the games themselves.
And chances are they’re not going to find any more of that on the road.
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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