It’s almost Christmas!
On Thursday’s edition of the "Daily Faceoff Show," Frank Seravalli and Mike McKenna came up with gifts to hand out to a pair of Pacific Division teams…
McKenna: “I’m thinking about the Edmonton Oilers and I’d like to get them a big old bottle of self-awareness.
"I don’t think that the Oilers are really at a stage where they don’t realize what’s going on but I think it would fit nicely into a stocking. I also think that the team really does need to look in the mirror when it comes down to how they play defensively.
"70 percent of their giveaways are in the defensive zone. That’s not a recipe for success. Their goals scored against per 60 is way in the negative. You look at the team that’s been so good on the power-play for so long, it’s come back down to earth and the depth scoring has dried up.
"They’re just so loose defensively. They need to take ownership. If you want to win in the playoffs, you gotta defend.”
Seravalli: “I’d like to hand a bottle of liquid courage to the Anaheim Ducks and their front office.
"What a spot they’re in at this point. You look at the standings sorted by points percentage here, tied for second with the Vegas Golden Knights. Nobody saw them being in a playoff spot this late in the season.
"I think they’re a team that’s going to make the playoffs. They’ve found a way to do it with different players stepping up on different nights, they’ve dealt with a lot of adversity, their general manager under investigation ends up resigning, and they never missed a beat.
"They’re creative, they’re young, they’re getting help from their veterans. But what do you do for a team that’s been on a rebuilding path to this point when you get to the trade deadline without a general manager in place?”
You can watch the full episode here…
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