Bad Losses, Continued

Maybe we can convince Kevin Lowe to suit up

There's really not much to say about the Oilers' 5-0 loss to Chicago tonight that I didn't say just a few days ago. Losses in a rebuild are understandable.  As are occasional blow-outs.  However, in the past 5 games we have been outscored 30-8.

7-1, 6-2, 4-3, 8-2, 5-0.  These aren't baseball scores from the World Series, ladies and gentlemen.  You might expect the average hockey team to experience blowouts like those (other than the New Jersey 4-3 loss) maybe 5-6 times per season, not almost 5 games in a row.

For some perspective, Bulin allowed two goals in the first period and still had a .900 save percentage at first intermission.  How many goalies can say that?  A team that is outshot 20-4 in the first period and 47-18 in the game cannot even begin to pin the blame on the goalie.

Terrible beatings like this are what starts to really mess with team and fan morale.  There will always be a few die-hard grumblers (les grognards) who will find something to complain about, who will not accept the realities of a rebuild.  These people are to be expected and treated accordingly; acknowledged and dismissed.  However, the realistic and even the optimistic fans will see significant cause for concern in a situation like this, with constant losses that are only getting worse.  This was supposed to be a fun season, one full of ups and downs.  Nobody went in expecting a winning record, and few expected to be out of the bottom 5 in the league.  However, we did hope to see some offence, to see the kids play and create and show sparks of brilliance like they did early on this season.

As a fan, this isn't fun.  I can't imagine being a player and enjoying myself in this situation, and this is where guys start getting in each other's faces in unhealthy ways.  Steve Tambellini might not have made all the right moves this off-season, but he did his best to get rid of the dressing room cancers.  Another four or five losses like this, however, the cancer will not only have come back it will have spread.

We went over 50% on the dot, however.  Everyone knows how important face-offs are for puck possession.