Tippett sounds off on Edmonton Oilers “ugly win” reviews

Nobody inside the dressing room or outside of it thinks that low-scoring chess matches are all we’re going to see all season. There is enough skill on the Oilers to break through eventually. But, in the meantime, and in situations where they need to win a 2-1 game, it’s good to know they have it in them.

“Sometimes you have to play a boring game every once in a while to get things going again,” said winger Josh Archibald. “We gave up a few goals early on in the season, so we wanted to shut them down offensively. We wanted to shut down their skill and take their time and space away. Sometimes you have to win 1-0, 2-1 games. I thought we did a good job.

The guys in the room are loving how they locked it down and took care of business in a playoff-style game against the team most are picking to run away with the division.

“It’s a huge confidence boost,” said Archibald. “There has been a lot of talk that we haven’t been able to get it done, so to finally be able to come together as a team is a growing experience. It’s something to build toward.”

It’s also not unusual that the Oilers seemed to sort out some of their issues in enemy territory. It’s a continuation of last season when they had more wins on the road (20), than they had at home (17). Not having to be entertaining might actually agree with them, as incongruent as that sounds on a team with two Art Ross and Hart Trophy winners on it.

“Even though there are no fans in the building, there’s a bit of road mentality still,” said centre Devin Shore. “They have some incredible talent over there so you have to hunker down defensively. If you play the right way, the time and space will open up offensively.”

LATE HITS – James Neal, who’s been out all year in COVID protocol, could be back in the line-up for Friday’s rematch with the Leafs. “He’s a possibility,” said Tippett. “He’s been skating hard, but it was our first full team practice in 10 days and we wanted to get him through a practice. We’ll see where he is in the morning and whether he can be an option for us.”

Twitter.com/rob_tychkowskirtychkowski@postmedia.com