Babcock says he overused McDavid and Draisaitl in loss to Utah
Edmonton’s coach acknowledged leaning too heavily on his leading forwards as injuries limited his options.
Mike Babcock said he gave Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl too much ice time during the Edmonton Oilers’ 4-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth at Rogers Place on Thursday, Oct. 15.
McDavid played 25:52 and Draisaitl logged 23 minutes. Babcock acknowledged the workload after the game, while also praising his team’s effort against a deeper opponent.
The coach told reporters that injuries had left Edmonton with fewer options. He said the available players were getting an opportunity to show what they could contribute before injured teammates returned.
Sportsnet reported that Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Matt Savoie were unavailable. Babcock said he needed more help from the rest of the lineup to reduce his reliance on the leading forwards.
Draisaitl scored Edmonton’s first goal with McDavid assisting. Utah’s win ended the Oilers’ five-game winning streak and left Edmonton at 5-1-1. The teams meet again in Utah on Saturday.
