Mike Babcock isn't buying the injury talk in Edmonton, even with Zach Hyman out until at least Oct. 17.
Speaking Thursday afternoon, hours before tonight's puck drop in Vancouver, the Oilers head coach said injuries are just an excuse.
The clip making the rounds came with a blunt follow-up. Time for this team to dig in, and time for the young guys to step up.
Hyman officially carries a day-to-day tag with an undisclosed issue. Day-to-day is doing some heavy lifting there, because the timeline wipes out at least six games.
That stretch includes a three-stop road trip through Anaheim, San Jose and Los Angeles. Not exactly where you want to be short a top-six body.
The veteran winger dressed for Tuesday's opener and finished a +1 in a 6-5 loss to the Canucks that slipped past regulation.
Harsh message after one game? Sure. But Babcock is right, and the tape from Tuesday backs him up.
Tristan Jarry and the Oilers' kids are now on the clock
Tristan Jarry finished the opener with a .739 save percentage. Edmonton scored five on home ice and still walked out with one point.
Pinning that on the injury report is like blaming the weather for a roof that was already leaking.
Which brings it back to the second half of the message. The young guys.
Isaac Howard, 22, was held scoreless in the opener. Same story for Owen Michaels.
Colton Dach went minus-1. On the back end, Shakir Mukhamadullin finished minus-2 in a game that turned into a track meet.
Vasily Podkolzin is the exception, sort of. He scored twice, one on the power play, and still ended up on the wrong side of the plus-minus column.
Howard carries a $972,500 cap hit. That's the kind of contract Stan Bowman needs paying off when a $5.5 million winger is sitting in the press box.
The stars did their part. Evan Bouchard piled up five points from the blue line, and Connor McDavid added two assists.
Leon Draisaitl managed a power-play helper and went minus-1. At $14 million, the Oilers will expect more from him on a night when the goals are actually going in.
Babcock was hired back in June, and he's already drawn his line in public before game two of the season.
The Canucks took the first one. Drop another tonight, and Seattle comes to town Saturday with the injury question still hanging over the locker room.
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If the kids don't answer, who's left for the coach to call out next?
Is Mike Babcock right to call injuries an excuse with Zach Hyman out until mid-October?
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