"It's been flat": Connor McDavid takes the blame for lack of emotion from Oilers after shaky start to season

Edmonton Oilers took a 9-1 thrashing from the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday at Rogers Place. This was the Oilers' worst loss since a 10-2 defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2009.

In a battle of contenders, Colorado ran away with the game with three goals in each period and Oilers captain Connor McDavid was the solitary scorer for the team. On Sunday during the Oilers practice, he took responsibility for the team's lack of emotion and intensity.

"Yeah, it's been flat," McDavid said. "It's no secret it's been flat. That starts with me as a leader. It's been maybe a lack of energy, a lack of emotion in games, and we got to find a way to bring some of that into the game."

McDavid has led individually with 22 points in 16 games but the support behind him hasn't been the best. The captain wan't satisfied with few of the players' approach.

"We talk about in here everybody trying to bring something, bring something," he added. "Even if it's not maybe 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 in bringing 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 Oilers have had slow starts in recent years. In 2023-24, a 2-9-1 start saw head coach Jay Woodcroft getting fired. The Oilers rebounded to win 47 of the next 70 games to finish second in the Pacific Division. Last season too they started with a 1-1-2 record before finish third in the Division.

Connor McDavid states Oilers players looking to be better

While the three time NHL MVP seemed disappointed, he believes that his team can rebound and steady the ship.

"Well, I think everybody as a whole wants to be better, myself included," McDavid said. "Everybody wants to be better. Everybody has more to bring. So, you start seeing some of that in practice, and it's got to translate into games. It's normal to have conversations with guys about different things we're seeing out there.

"The game has felt at times unorganized, out of sync. So, you only figure that stuff out through talking and communicating with your teammates. So, yeah, I think you start to see some of that."

The Oilers are currently 6-6-4 with 16 points and second last in the Pacific Division. They would hope for a similar turnaround like the previous two seasons.