"Looked like us": Oilers coach Woodcroft relieved with Heritage Classic win

The Edmonton Oilers are finally back in the win column after defeating the Calgary Flames 5-2 at the 2023 NHL Heritage Classic on Sunday night.

It was a refreshing sight for Oilers fans as the team dominated the Flames at even-strength, outscoring their rivals 4-0 at five-on-five. Calgary’s two goals both came on the power play.

The person most relieved with the win is perhaps Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft, who looked utterly lost searching for answers following a 7-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild last week.

The pressure to win in Edmonton is high right now, and what Woodcroft saw on Sunday night was exactly what he needed.

“We looked like us tonight,” Woodcroft told reporters following the Heritage Classic. “I think there are a lot of proud people in our organization… no one has been happy with the way we have started this season, collectively.

“I think we just got back to playing a certain way. We got good contributions, thought we played fast, played hard, and we are going to look to build on it as we go forward.”

"It looked like us tonight."

Coach Woodcroft summarizes tonight’s energetic #BattleofAlberta win at Commonwealth Stadium. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/44fkVXncOo

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 30, 2023

Edmonton got contributions from a few unlikely players. Defenceman Brett Kulak got the Oilers started with the game’s first goal and fellow defenceman Vincent Desharnais scored his first NHL goal with the 4-2 insurance marker in the third. It was this type of depth scoring that the Oilers had been missing from their start to the season.

The raucous atmosphere from 55,000 fans crowding Commonwealth Stadium is sure to light a fire under any athlete, though Woodcroft was hesitant to pin the improved play on the unique setting.

“This team has won 100 games in the last two seasons,” said Woodcroft. “This team has played in five playoff series over the last two seasons. We have done a lot of good things.

“For me, that is the way we have got to play and we have to bring it every single day. That resembled who we were, who we are, and how we are going to carve a path going forward.”

Edmonton also got a much better performance from goaltender Stuart Skinner. The 24-year-old stopped 24 of 26 shots and had a .923 save percentage. He limited the Flames to just two goals despite analytics website Moneypuck tracking Calgary having 3.44 expected goals in all situations.

“It was important for our team’s psyche to put a tick into the win column, but probably more important was how we played,” added Woodcroft. “How we played tonight resembled who we are.”

The Oilers will now get to enjoy their Halloween with an extended break to unwind from the weekend. The Dallas Stars will be in town on Thursday night.

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