Mattias Ekholm Sends Clear Message to Oilers Fans After Slow Start
Despite the Oilers' slow start to the season, Mattias Ekholm feels that the team is turning things around and preached patience to the team's fans.
Mattias Ekholm left a note for the Edmonton Oilers faithful following Tuesday's chaotic 6-3 comeback victory over the Utah Mammoth: patience.
The Oilers were having an early struggle, falling 2-0 after the first period in front of an angry Rogers Place crowd. It was all the ingredients of an infuriating October evening.
But no more than a few minutes into the second period, the team switched gears, tying the game within three minutes and scoring five of their six goals in the middle frame.
Connor McDavid scored two, with Leon Draisaitl, Ike Howard, Ekholm, and Ty Emberson adding to the score.
The players took the 1st intermission to regroup and came out stronger than ever
Following the game, the atmosphere in the locker room implied that the turnaround did not result from a passionate speech by head coach Kris Knoblauch but by the players themselves.
Ekholm described a quiet but effective intermission, wherein the team understood it needed to play to its identity. And then his quiet message to the outside looking in.
"Maybe everyone needs to take a deep breath every once in a while, none mentioned," Ekholm said with a smile.
The Swedish defenseman reminded everyone that these slow starts are nothing new, and the Oilers have made them into successive Stanley Cup Final appearances. Ekholm admits the frustration but reaffirms the faith in the group.
The Oilers continue not to have that total 60-minute game, but Tuesday demonstrated their veteran foundation does bounce back.
If patience truly is the mantra, it will not be much longer before Edmonton is playing like the division darling everyone dreamed of.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 29 | 108 ANSWERS Mattias Ekholm Sends Clear Message to Oilers Fans After Slow Start Will you be patient with the Oilers? | ||
| Yes | 43 | 39.8 % |
| No | 65 | 60.2 % |
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