But before those three Oilers suit up for their respective countries, let\u2019s dive into some Oilers thoughts: reflecting on Draisaitl\u2019s fiery postgame interview, Kasperi Kapanen\u2019s momentum, the Oilers\u2019 PK woes, Andrew Mangiapane\u2019s recent play, and Tristan Jarry\u2019s accountability.<\/p>\n
Draisaitl\u2019s fired-up interview highlights his leadership and commitment to the teamThe soon-to-be Olympian Leon Draisaitl wasn\u2019t holding back after the Oilers\u2019 4\u20133 loss to the Calgary Flames<\/a> last game. On a night when the Oilers centerman scored two goals, he was fired up during his post-game interview, in a way that some would say sounded like he was calling some people out.He spoke about his team giving up chances, his netminder needing to make saves, and even mentioned the coaches in his fired-up speech. When discussing his netminder, Tristan Jarry, he said, \u201cWe can make it easier on him, and I\u2019m sure he can be a little bit better, too.\u201d He added, \u201cI think there are saves our goalies need to make at some point.\u201d He also mentioned<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not consistent enough, and this league\u2019s too hard to just lollygag through games and try to get winning streaks going.\u201d He added, \u201cYou need everybody. It starts with the coaches \u2014 like, everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n He also stated that the leaders, including himself, need to be better too.<\/p>\n Leon Draisaitl wants goaltending and team defence to improve after the Oilers gave up 16 goals on their three-game losing streak \ud83d\ude2c<\/p>\n (via: @EdmontonOilers<\/a>) <\/p>\n Saying that the goaltenders need to make some saves and mentioning the coaches in his fiery speech speaks volumes about the current state of the team. Whether anything comes of it remains to be seen, but zeroing in on the comments itself and the fire behind it \u2014 I absolutely loved it.<\/p>\n Why did I love it? Because it shows his heart is all in for this team and just how much he cares. It was almost like he was struggling for words or holding back deeper things he wanted to say. Above all, for a guy who was recently named a flag bearer for Germany<\/a> at the Olympic opening ceremony, and who is soon heading off to a once-in-a-lifetime, best-on-best tournament that hasn\u2019t featured NHL players since 2014, his mind easily could have already been there.It would\u2019ve been easy for him to give a prototypical interview and say, \u201cNot our night \u2014 we\u2019ll work on it when we get back.\u201d Instead, he stood there and expressed his emotions, wearing his heart on his sleeve because he gives a damn. Some may not like Draisaitl doing that, but to me, that\u2019s a leader. And once again, it\u2019s a reminder of how lucky Oilers fans are to be in this era, with both him and Connor McDavid<\/a> leading the team.Hopefully, Draisaitl\u2019s candid postgame interview gives the people he referred to something to reflect on and work on over the next couple of weeks. As for the soon-to-be Olympian, all fired up after the Oilers\u2019 poor performance, that could be good for Team Germany \u2014 they might be getting that \u201cpissy<\/a>\u201d version of him who usually rises to the occasion.Can Kapanen keep his momentum going after the Olympic break?One of the most consistent forwards heading into the Olympic break was Kasperi Kapanen. In back-to-back games leading up to the break, he scored the tying goal,<\/a> only for it to be erased in both losses.I recently picked the brain of Vasily Podkolzin\u2019s skills coach, Ned Lukacevic,<\/a> on what he sees in Kapanen\u2019s game this season. He alluded that the forward may have relied too much on skill throughout his career without putting in the hard work, but now he\u2019s doing both. The hard work and effort show, as he\u2019s thrown 10 hits over the last five games while flashing his skill, tallying three points in that span.<\/p>\n Kasperi Kapanen ties the game!<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcf9: Sportsnet <\/p>\n Hopefully, the Olympic break doesn\u2019t derail Kapanen\u2019s momentum. He\u2019s been a very solid option in the top six and one the team can count on when he\u2019s in the lineup, as his 52-point pace over a full season shows. That said, I feel he\u2019ll pick up right where he left off, because each time he\u2019s been out of the lineup due to injury this season, it\u2019s almost like he hasn\u2019t missed a beat<\/a>, coming back like he was shot out of a cannon, each time.A change that could improve the Oilers\u2019 penalty kill<\/p>\n The Oilers have given up nine power-play goals in their last five games on 14 attempts, which is quite abysmal. They need to work on the attention-to-detail stuff over the break \u2014 one obvious area being to cut down on shorthanded breakaways, like the goals they gave up against the Wild and the Flames.<\/p>\n The unit needs to be better and has taken a hit ever since Adam Henrique<\/a>, a key member of the PK, went down with an injury on Jan. 7. Since then, Mattias Janmark (six goals against) and Matt Savoie (five goals against) have been the forwards who have been scored on the most during that time frame.<\/p>\n The Oilers will certainly work on the X\u2019s and O\u2019s of the PK while the Olympics are on, but if I were to make a change coming back, I\u2019d increase Vasily Podkolzin\u2019s minutes on the PK.<\/p>\n Podkolzin has played the fifth-most minutes among forwards since Henrique went down with an injury. His skills coach, Lukacevic, recently praised his PK work<\/a>, noting that he breaks up a lot of plays because he\u2019s so good with his stick. Moreover, he\u2019s second on the team in blocks with 28, behind Henrique. Call me old school, but I think that\u2019s an element missing on the PK \u2014 someone willing to throw their body on the line the way former Oiler Matt Hendricks<\/a> used to.Oilers could use that first-period Mangiapane we saw against TorontoBefore the season started, I outlined what a successful season would look like for Mangiapane<\/a>, mentioning that he needs to play his tenacious style with a touch of pest. When he played with the Flames, he was a thorn in the Oilers\u2019 side with how pest-like he played, but for some odd reason, that part of his game has been M.I.A. for most of the season.Yet, against the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>, after being out of the lineup for ten days, it seemed like Mangiapane played like a man possessed in that first period. He was making plays, stirring things up, snowed Anthony Stolarz, started scrums and created a breakaway opportunity for himself.Perhaps his motivation for that game was in the form of \u201ctake me on the plane back with you, Toronto,\u201d with recent trade rumours circling<\/a>. But whatever the case, despite a turnover that got him sat for a period, that motivated Mangiapane carried his momentum into the next game against the Flames, where he rattled off a good shot for a Grade-A scoring chance in the first period.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, the Oilers could use that type of pest-like, inspired play \u2014 the kind they thought they\u2019d be getting more of when they signed him. If he keeps that up after the Olympic break, they very well might hang onto him, because that Mangiapane, could be a valuable piece in the playoffs.<\/p>\n Tristan Jarry\u2019s accountability stands out amid rough nightI recently asked whether Tristan Jarry would bounce back<\/a> before the break, after his poor performance in the 7-3 loss against the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 31, where he gave up five goals. The answer was clear \u2014 nope. The Oilers\u2019 netminder gave up four goals in the loss to the Flames, and if we can pull a silverling from it, it\u2019s that he\u2019s starting to take accountability.After his rough outing against the Wild, he somewhat pointed fingers at his teammates instead of fully taking ownership, following the team giving up 21 high-danger chances, saying<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cThe chances we\u2019re giving up, some of the shots, they\u2019re tough. Like, I think it\u2019s a lot of Grade-A\u2019s, a lot of breakdowns, so I think it\u2019s tough to really think about your game at this point. I think it\u2019s a whole team game.\u201d<\/p>\n Jarry sang a different tune after the Flames game<\/a>. He gave up a few goals \u2014 including the first shot he faced and a fourth where he kicked a rebound right onto Ryan Lomberg\u2019s stick, who scored the game-winner and later called him \u201cSwiss Cheese<\/a>.\u201d This time, however, Jarry owned the loss in the postgame interview<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cI think I could\u2019ve made some more saves. I think, ultimately, if I can keep that game at two, we come out with a better outcome. I think I could\u2019ve played better to start, and I think that\u2019ll be [it] moving forward.\u201d He added, \u201cI think I could be more accountable, and I think I could play better. I think if I play better, stand in there strong for these guys, I think we\u2019ll have some better outcomes. I think it starts with me, and I think I just have to be better moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n The team in front of Jarry didn\u2019t exactly paint a Picasso defensively, but while giving up only six high-danger chances against the Flames \u2014 significantly fewer than the 21 allowed against the Wild \u2014 it\u2019s nice to see him holding himself accountable, something I\u2019d imagine the guys in that locker room want to hear as well.<\/p>\n Tristan Jarry with some honest thoughts after the last loss. <\/p>\n \ud83d\udcf8: \u00a9 Sergei Belski-Imagn Images. <\/p>\n Since returning from injury on Jan. 13, Jarry has played in eight games, posting a .864 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.85 goals-against average (GAA), both of which rank 58th among goaltenders in the league during that span.<\/p>\n Those numbers aren\u2019t good, but the truth is, it\u2019s not all on him. The team in front of him also needs to take accountability, as Jarry has faced the 10th most high-danger shots (63) since Jan. 13. That said, this 20-day break couldn\u2019t have come at a better time for the Oilers \u2014 it\u2019s a perfect opportunity for the team to reset, do some soul-searching, and come out swinging for the playoff push.<\/p>\n PRESENTED BY SOUTHVIEW ACURA At Southview Acura, luxury isn\u2019t just what you drive, it\u2019s how you\u2019re treated. Family owned and operated, we\u2019re proud to offer an exceptional selection of new and certified pre-owned Acuras, backed by a service experience built on trust and precision. Whether it\u2019s your first visit or your next, our team is committed to excellence every step of the way. Visit Southview Acura today, where luxury meets reality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oilers Thoughts: Draisaitl\u2019s passionate interview highlights his leadership, Kapanen\u2019s momentum, Mangiapane\u2019s first-period fire, and Jarry\u2019s accountability The Edmonton…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":450047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5125],"tags":[198,146,5300,5,4,24],"class_list":{"0":"post-450046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-edmonton-oilers","8":"tag-edmonton","9":"tag-edmonton-oilers","10":"tag-edmontonoilers","11":"tag-hockey","12":"tag-nhl","13":"tag-oilers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116028279094764116","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=450046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/450047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=450046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=450046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=450046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770450906_586_image.webp\"\/)
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