“So many good offensive threats on all four of their lines. You usually win or lose on your defensive play. You know, it wasn't good enough"

By Robert Tychkowski

You can sum up the Edmonton Oilers first-round playoff exit in one simple word: Good.

It’s good that they bowed out six games into what was supposed to be a Stanley Cup window year.

It’s good that they gave up 26 goals.

It’s good that they were schooled by a younger, faster team.

And beyond the obvious benefits of a much-needed physical and mental break after three long playoff runs, it’s great that everyone in this organization gets four long months to think about what just happened.

So they can make sure it doesn’t happen again.

They might finally understand that the regular season isn’t something to be tolerated until they can flip the switch in April.

They might come to accept that team defence and puck management aren’t concepts to be employed when the mood strikes.

And now that this mirage is over, the Oilers might finally accept that they’ve been trending in the wrong direction for a year now.

Please, let’s not act surprised that a team posting just as many wins as losses (41 each) during the regular season, finishing 14th overall with 93 points in the easiest division in hockey, got its butts handed to it.

It was an ultimate case of denial, of not believing what every piece of evidence told us to believe. Fans, media and even the team bought into it.

Sure, they were near the bottom of the NHL all season in goals against and penalty kill, and middle of the pack in five-on-five offence. And, sure, teams like Colorado, Minnesota, Dallas and Carolina beat them for fun.

And, sure, we never really saw a team willing, or able, to play winning hockey more than two nights in a row. Only winning three-straight games twice all year, and going 0-9-2 the other 11 times they had a chance to build some momentum, is pretty revealing stuff.

But they kept getting the benefit of the doubt, which they’d earned. They always do this. They pull their season out of the fire every year. They silence the doubters every spring. They know what they’re doing. They’re proven, battle-tested winners who can turn it on at will.

In hindsight, the blue print bordered on arrogance: ‘Yeah, yeah, we couldn’t get our game straightened out all season, but that doesn’t matter. We’re just waiting for the playoffs. That’s when we rule. We know how to play. And given how soft the Pacific Division is, it’s a pretty clear path to the conference final.’

McDavid said it best Thursday night. They were an average team with high expectations.

Ouch.

“I definitely felt it during the season,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “That it was just a formality of the regular season and everyone was looking forward to the playoffs so much.

“You know, we pushed so hard to get into the playoffs. And then in the playoffs, we had so many guys injured that, yeah, we just weren’t ready for it.”

Even though this isn’t the same team at all, the entire bottom six Thursday night was different from last year’s, we just assumed they would still be able to flip that switch when it mattered.

Well, it mattered against Anaheim and they gave up 26 goals in six games. The team that didn’t take defence seriously enough all season long paid for it dearly in the playoffs.

“Yeah, that was pretty much the story for most of the year,” said Knoblauch. “We just didn’t defend well enough at the end of the season.”

The careless play they got away with against offensively impotent Los Angeles in the first round four years in a row didn’t fly against the Ducks.

“I knew this year was going to be a little more open with the team that we were playing,” said Knoblauch. “So many good offensive threats on all four of their lines. You usually win or lose on your defensive play. You know, it wasn’t good enough.”

The warning signs were there all year, but they were ignored.

McDavid said it after the Oilers got spanked by Tampa in March.

“We feel like we’re somewhat rehearsed, organized, but not to their level.”

Leon Draisaitl said it after the Oilers gave up 16 goals in losses to Minnesota, Toronto and Calgary before the Olympic break.

“We’re not consistent enough. This league is too hard to lollygag through games and trying to get winning streaks going. You need everybody. It starts with coaches. Everybody.

“You’re never going to win if you have four or five guys going. It starts at the top, we can be better, our leaders can be better. We’ll take the break and regroup.”

They took the break, regrouped, and lost 6-5 to Anaheim and went 4-4-1 in the next nine.

All year long they were the same lukewarm bowl of porridge.

So, yes, it’s good that reality smacked them in the mouth and they have four months to think about these things. Let’s hope they do.

“It gives this team a break,” said Knoblauch. “I think starting next year we’ll be a little more hungry and ready for the regular season.”

E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com