Jay Woodcroft will make his NHL coaching debut Friday night when the Edmonton Oilers host the New York Islanders. (630 CHED Face-off Show at 5:30 p.m., puck drop 7 p.m.).
“I think it’s a great opportunity. I’m excited about the people we have in the room,” said Woodcroft, who was announced as the new head coach Thursday after Dave Tippett was fired.
“I believe there’s a lot of runway in this season. But saying that, I’ve asked our players to keep our picture small, to worry about today. Once you start building things in the right way, I believe that success is built sequentially.”
The Oilers have just seven wins in their last 23 games. The players realize they have to accept a new voice.
“Very open. Obviously something needs to change. Woody’s going to come in and put his touch on the group, put his touch on the team. As players, that’s what we want. We’re all in this together,” said captain Connor McDavid.
“We come in each and every day and we want to win. We haven’t found the formula yet. That’s all we want to do. Whatever system Woods puts into play, we’re happy to play.”
The Oilers expected lineup is:
Hyman-McDavid-Puljujarvi
Kane-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Foegele-RNH-Ryan
Benson-McLeod-Shore
Nurse-Bouchard
Lagesson-Ceci
Niemelainen-Barrie
Smith
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