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After a strong start under new coach Ken Hitchcock, the Edmonton Oilers are proving to be a work in progress.
With the league's Christmas break in the rearview mirror, the Oilers have to figure out how to squeeze more production out of every player, starting with Thursday's matchup against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place.
In the first 3 1/2 weeks under Hitchcock, Edmonton (18-15-3) picked up 20 of a possible 26 points, but the Oilers slumped recently. With a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, the Oilers have been outscored 14-6 during a three-game skid. The club also surrendered five power-play goals during that span, including three in a 4-2 loss at Vancouver on Dec. 16.
Lack of consistent production from players other than Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Alex Chiasson combined with injuries to defensemen Oscar Klefbom and Kris Russell have contributed to Edmonton's slide.
"We're going to have to figure out who's helping and who's hurting for us to get to another level," Hitchcock said. "We can't keep doing it the same way over and over because it's not going to work."
One core player -- and a Stanley Cup winner -- believes the team needs to show more mental toughness.
"This group has to learn how to play in close games," said Chiasson, who won a championship with the Washington Capitals last summer before joining the Oilers in October. "If you want to be a playoff team, a team that has the chance to go deep, you have to learn how to play down one goal and stick with it for 60 minutes."
Chiasson is third on the team with a career-best 16 goals, including four in his last five games.
Edmonton has won four straight and is 6-0-1 in its last seven at home against the Canucks.
Vancouver (17-18-4) kicks off a six-game road trip looking to continue its strong play away from home. After six consecutive road losses in November, the Canucks went 3-0-1, including a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and a point against the Nashville Predators.
Travis Green's team comes off a 1-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. After his team took three of five on the homestand, Green offered praise.
"I like the way our team is progressing. I like the way they are playing. I wish we had a few more wins, I think we easily could," he told the team's official website.
Vancouver is 10th in the Western Conference, but Green also points to a culture change for a club long linked to now-retired twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin and that hasn't been to the postseason since 2013.
"We're still young in a lot of areas. Sometimes that shows. We're in it right now. We're playing to win," Green said. "Our guys are believing in themselves. We talk about playing fast and hard and playing with confidence, and they are."
The team features young stars in Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat, who has scored 12 of his 17 goals this season on the road. However, rookie Elias Petterson may be the best of the bunch.
The 20-year-old winger has points in eight of 11 games this month, including his second five-point effort on Dec. 9 in a rout of the St. Louis Blues.
Petterson leads all rookies in goals (17) and assists (19). No other first-year player has more than 23 points.
One of Petterson's five game-winning goals came against the Oilers this month.
