You’ve heard it before and you’ll probably hear it again, but both the head coach for the Edmonton Oilers and one of their star players stressed the need for the team to try to put in a full effort in games if they hope to do more than break even. And while a 4-4-2 start to the 2025-26 National Hockey League season is (barely) the best start the Oilers have posted in the last three seasons – remember that last season and the season before, Edmonton was a Stanley Cup finalist after starting 4-5-1 each year – both Kris Knoblauch and Leon Draisaitl say the team needs to do more as they prepared to play the visiting Utah Mammoth on Tuesday night (7:30 p.m.) Bench boss Knoblauch has said in recent games the Oilers have been performing well, just not seeing results on the scoreboard, but stressed Tuesday after the morning skate at Rogers Place the team “needs to be able to put together closer to a 60-minute game,” referencing Edmonton’s recent play in which they’ve come alive late in games. “The third period’s the most important period, and if you’re going to have a strong period, you want as a coach to see your players perform in that period, but you can’t win many games if it’s just the third period,” Knoblauch told media. “There are always going to be times when the other team is going to have a push. “You’re not going to be able to dominate for 60 minutes. That rarely happens, just because every team is so good, but we need to find ways to have more of a push for the 60 minutes.” Draisaitl, the league’s leading goal-scorer last season with 52 and team’s leading scorer with 106 points, said he thinks “the urgency just needs to be ramped up a little bit early on.” “You can’t always be chasing (while the score is) 2-0, then you’re scrambling to throw different lines out together that can get something going,” Draisaitl, who leads the Oilers in goal-scoring with seven, said after the morning skate. “The urgency can be a little bit higher from the get-go and get off to a better start ... Execution comes from urgency. We are a good passing team, but a lot of times, that starts with the work ethic, so I think we can take some steps.” The Oilers are playing just their fourth home game of the NHL season after starting it with seven out of 10 of them on the road. They’re 10th place in the Western Conference heading into Tuesday’s game against the Mammoth, who are off to a hot start. The former Arizona Coyotes come into Edmonton on a seven-game winning streak and lead the conference with an 8-2 record. They are led offensively by forward Nick Schmaltz, currently the NHL’s leading scorer (seven goals, nine assists for 16 points.) Tuesday’s game is the first of a three-game homestand for the Oilers. They will also host the New York Rangers on Thursday and the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. Projected Oilers lineup Forward Defence Goal
