After getting demolished 9-1 by Colorado at Rogers Place, the Edmonton Oilers are finally saying what's been obvious for weeks: things need to actually change. Not the usual post-game platitudes about executing better or sticking to the game plan. Real change. Players need to alter their approach. Effort needs to increase. The way they've been operating isn't working, and everyone in that locker room knows it now.
For a month, the Oilers have been discussing the need for improvement while continuing to deliver the same inconsistent performances. They'd surrender a lead, acknowledge the issues, then repeat the pattern two games later. They'd analyze defensive structure, then allow nine goals at home. The talk was there. The willingness to actually do something different wasn't.
The Colorado game was the turning point. You can't absorb a 9-1 beating in your own rink and keep pretending small tweaks will solve the problems. That kind of defeat demands honest conversations about effort, commitment, and whether players are actually prepared to do what winning hockey requires.
“I guess the reaction is just to learn from it and not move on," began Connor McDavid. "It was a humbling night last night for everybody in this organization and for the players.”
For weeks, the Oilers have been treating their struggles like a temporary slump that would self-correct. Line combinations would eventually gel. Systems would eventually take hold. Players would eventually discover their form. All of it assumed time would resolve the issues without anyone actually having to modify what they're doing.
Nine goals against shattered that assumption.
Now the discussion centers on effort. On commitment. On players examining themselves individually and asking whether they're delivering what's required every single night. That's uncomfortable territory for a roster that's accustomed to leaning on McDavid and Draisaitl to mask weaknesses elsewhere. But when you surrender nine goals at home, everyone shares responsibility.
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“We talk about in here, everybody trying to bring something, even if it's not your nature to be the loudest guy. You got to try a little bit. (If) it's not your nature to play a physical game. You got to try a little bit.
"We all got to have a hand and bring it up just a little bit more emotionally, physically and just to our game overall as a whole, everybody has just a little bit more to give. And I'd expect everybody to have a good one tomorrow.”
The "work harder" message isn't what fans typically want to hear. It sounds overly simple. These are professional athletes competing at the highest level—surely they're already working as hard as possible. But anyone who's watched the Oilers this season recognizes there's a distinction between working and competing.
The Oilers have been working. They haven't been competing. Not consistently. Not for complete games. Not in the ways that distinguish good teams from average ones.
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Players altering their game means more than just moving faster. It means defensemen choosing the safe play instead of attempting a risky pass that creates a counterattack. It means forwards backchecking with purpose instead of coasting back assuming someone else will cover. It means maintaining structured, disciplined hockey even when it's mundane or doesn't generate highlights.
That requires individual buy-in that's been absent all season. Every player needs to examine what they're contributing and ask if it's helping the team win. If the answer is no, they need to modify it. That's not about systems or coaching—that's about personal accountability and willingness to sacrifice individual preferences for team success.
The nine-goal defeat to Colorado revealed players who aren't contributing enough. It highlighted the gaps in effort and execution that have haunted this team since opening night. It made the issues so apparent that continuing to pretend they'll resolve themselves became impossible.
“It's been flat. That starts with me as a leader," cemented McDavid. "It's been maybe not enough energy, not enough emotion in games, and we got to find a way to bring some of that into the game.”
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Players need to transform their approach. Effort needs to intensify. The comfortable habits that have led to squandered leads and humiliating defeats need to stop. Those aren't just discussion points anymore—they're necessities if this season is going to be salvaged.
The Oilers finally articulated what needed to be said. Now they need to demonstrate they meant it. Transformation doesn't happen through discussions. It happens through actions, through dedication, through players deciding they're willing to do whatever winning requires even when it's uncomfortable.
Getting destroyed 9-1 at home was the jolt they needed. A month of talk without results suggests words come easy. Actions are what matter now.
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