McDavid mired in slump as Oilers continue recent skid
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At the centre of the Edmonton Oilers’ recent struggles has been the lack of production from team captain Connor McDavid.
The Oilers are in in the midst of a five-game losing streak, their longest of the season, and have dropped all four contests since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
McDavid was the overtime hero for Canada in the championship game against the United States, but the 28-year-old superstar has recorded zero goals and three assists while finishing as a minus-10 during the team’s skid.
Edmonton has been outscored by their opponents 26-14 over that span.
“I’d be lying if I said I’ve been feeling good out there,” said McDavid before the team’s 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday. “It’s been tough to get going, which is obviously not an excuse. I’ve got to find a way to get going here.
“Obviously a big emotional week, an exciting week last week,” he added. “Back to reality pretty quick.”
The Richmond Hill, Ont. native has scored just once across Edmonton’s past eight games this month, a far cry from the 0.46 goals-per-game average he carried before the calendar turned to February.
“The year hasn’t gone the way I would have loved, personally, but we’re not after personal success,” he said.
“I wish I was playing better, I wish I had played better all year, but ultimately, again, that’s not what we’re after. Winning games is more important and we haven’t been doing that lately.”
Edmonton, now 34-21-4, hold a two-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings for second place in the Pacific Division.
The Kings can overtake the Oilers in the standings with a win against the Dallas Stars on Friday.
McDavid and the Oilers finish off a four-game road trip with a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, before returning to Edmonton for a two-game homestand against the Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens.