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Dan Barnes: In next-year country, NHL trade deadline a test of character

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Though the cavalry never comes to next-year country, there is still heightened anxiety in the Oilers’ dressing room prior to each NHL trade deadline.

Sure, you might think veteran players would be able to deal with it by now, a decade into this protracted post-season paucity, knowing that once again management has absolutely no reason to rent the key pieces necessary for a remake and a run.

But the dressing room door lets players out just as easily as it welcomes newcomers. So it appears the long anticipated departures of Ted Purcell and Justin Schultz became a distraction, and not only for them.

“Guys are just a little bit unsure of what’s going on, especially guys like Teddy and Justin that maybe knew they were going to get traded,” said Taylor Hall. “It’s a tough time but you have to put that aside, and be a pro and and just go out and play.”

They had some trouble doing that of late. They stunk up the tail end of the last homestand, and their coach went off on them.

They weren’t professional enough. They were distracted and listless and it showed.

On Sunday night, with most of the distractions removed after GM Peter Chiarelli sent Purcell, Schultz and goalie Anders Nilsson out of town for draft picks and a minor-league tender, the Oilers were full value for a 3-1 win over a New York Islanders team that is in the thick of the playoff hunt. Edmonton killed off four Islander power plays and their goalie was their best penalty killer. And when they needed it late, lest they lose another one-goal game, they got timely scoring up and down the roster.

So it can be done. They just have to give it the effort. Just be good pros.

Because the cavalry isn’t coming. Chiarelli might do something on Monday, he might not. Regardless, this is the team they’ll have for 18 more games. That’s 18 opportunities to establish good habits and positive momentum toward next year, or 18 opportunities for embarrassment because everybody knows the season is lost, so what the hell.

That much is up to them. What Chiarelli does Monday or during the summer is out of their control. That’s his chance to make them better. And he has vowed to get it right. He started with some middling draft picks, and that’s fine. The slogging will get harder, the stakes larger, and he’ll need to be clever.

But the players need only worry about giving it an honest night’s work for 18 more games. It’s really not much to ask.

“Our effort, our attention to detail, our willingness to be in shooting lanes. It’s a combination of everything,” said goalie Cam Talbot, trying to explain the difference in play over the past three games. “That’s what you’ve got to do. Those good teams in California, they showed us that’s the way you’re going to win down the stretch.”

There are teams that handle adversity like the trade deadline with aplomb. Prior to Sunday’s action, Anaheim had won seven games in a row, Tampa five straight, L.A. and Nashville were on four-game winning streaks. Washington was 8-2, the Rangers and Islanders both 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.

They hadn’t let the deadline distraction get in the way. Edmonton, on the other hand, had gone 1-7-2 before Sunday’s win. But they are showing signs of life, nine periods worth in fact, and don’t have to look further than effort level to understand why.

Head coach Todd McLellan says they’re playing with a dog-on-a-bone mentality. Scrappy, he likes to call it.

It beats what they had been during the last homestand, which rhymes with scrappy.

“You’re always going to have your ups and downs, but lately we got away from going to the net and scoring greasy goals,” said Leon Draisaitl, who chipped one in from the Islanders’ crease to make it 2-1 late. “We had our struggles in that homestand but on the road trip we played real solid hockey. It’s nice to finally get rewarded.”

It was just the 23rd win in their 64th game. But it had some bright spots, all right. Anton Lander, a kid who embodies work ethic, was finally rewarded with a goal. The bench and the rink went crazy for him. And it was a big goal, drawing the Oilers even at the time.

“In the third period, that was huge, especially for a role player,” said Matt Hendricks. “After that, it felt like our game.”

It certainly had to feel better than the last one they played here, losing without much effort or grace to Ottawa. They owe it to themselves, their general manager and coaches, and their fans, to play 18 more just like Sunday’s.

dbarnes@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/jrnlbarnes


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