EDMONTON, AB - Coach Ken Hitchcock detailed what areas need to improve for the Oilers when the 2019-20 season rolls around.
Fielding the media in the Oilers Hall of Fame Room at Rogers Place on Sunday, the bench boss was specific in his summation of what needs to change. Hitchcock began by commenting on the team's consistency when facing difficult skids or circumstances.
"I think it's more stopping the bleeding," Hitchcock, who went 26-28-8 with the Oil this campaign, began. "That comes with maturity. It comes with experience. Having a game plan is one thing to stop the bleeding, whether it's during the actual game or to stop it the next game or two games later. It takes maturity to do that and I think the players learned a lot about that this year. I think the players understand that's the key to getting into the playoffs.
"There were a few times this year that we took a bit longer to recover. We weren't able to absorb significant injuries."
Hitchcock later focused on the club's penalty kill, which finished 30th in the National Hockey League with a 74.8 percent rating. Last season, Edmonton was 25th shorthanded with a 76.7 percent conversion rate.
BLOG: Hitchcock says consistency, penalty kill need improvement
Coach Ken Hitchcock said losing skids must end sooner and the penalty kill must be improved; liked how the team responded to change
