The Tampa Bay Lightning and Edmonton Oilers have something in common, both were swept out of the first round at one point.
The Tampa Bay Lightning were once considered a really good regular season team. With one of the best regular seasons in NHL history back in 2019, the Lightning were set up with a first-round matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus swept them in four games out of the playoffs – similar to the Oilers this season.
The Oilers on the other hand faced the Winnipeg Jets this postseason. They were favored going into the season as Winnipeg did not finish the regular season that well, plus Edmonton had Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl both of who had amazing regular seasons. Well, that did not matter once the puck dropped in game one of the playoffs and Winnipeg ended up walking away with a victory in each of the four games.
I will say this, the Oilers getting swept just felt so much closer. So many of the games were close or went into overtime and they just felt like Edmonton could have won a few of them. So now the question remains, can Edmonton follow a similar path as the Lightning.
I already highlighted how the roster make-ups could be similar, now it is important to mention how they both can handle defeat similarly.
When Tampa Bay was swept in the first round they did not blow up their roster. They did not point fingers at a few certain players or go out and trade stars away. They knew that loss was on everyone and that everyone needed to be better. Now they did address a few needs here and there, but they stayed the course.
Blowing up the Oilers or pointing blame at just a few players lets the rest of the team think they are off the hook for this loss, and that is not the case. What the team needs to do is yes, add a few pieces here and there, but overall bring the group back and let them fix their mistake and see if they can right that wrong in 2021-22.
Edmonton has always been a good team in the regular season, now it is time to see if they can take that to the next level. A year after getting swept the Tampa Bay Lightning were celebrating with the Stanley Cup over their heads. Can the Edmonton Oilers follow suit with that in 2021-22?
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July 06, 2021 at 10:22PM
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Can the Oilers follow a similar path as the Lightning? - Oil On Whyte
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