Adam Henrique makes his feelings clear on Connor McDavid shouldering blame for Edmonton Oilers' recent losses

Forward Adam Henrique talked on Tuesday about Connor McDavid taking responsibility for the Edmonton Oilers’ recent losses. The Oilers have had an inconsistent 2024-25 season. They are second in the Pacific Division with a 35-21-4 record.

They have struggled after the 4 Nations Face-Off break, losing four straight games. Their losses came against the Flyers (6-3), Capitals (7-3), Lightning (4-1), and Panthers (4-3). They have won only three of their last 10 games.

After practice on Tuesday, Henrique praised McDavid’s leadership. He said McDavid pushes everyone to improve.

"That guy drives this team," Henrique said. "And you know when, when he's searching to just be that little bit better. It makes us all do that. You know, those guys do so much of the heavy lifting for us on every every you know, really, every night the rest of us have to do your job to to chip in and be difference makers for this team."

Leon Draisaitl is the team's leading scorer, with 44 goals and 90 points. Connor McDavid has also been productive, leading in assists with 53 and scoring 75 points. He is currently on a four-game point streak.

Offensively, the Oilers rank 13th in goals per game (3.25). Their power play is strong at 25.5%, ranking seventh in the NHL. However, their penalty kill is a concern at just 75%, placing them 26th in the league.

Connor McDavid and the Oilers ended their five-game losing streak

Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers ended their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Calvin Pickard made 35 saves for the Oilers.

"The last two games we did a much better job of digging in and competing a lot harder," Coach Kris Knoblauch said on the win. "Tonight, we were able to keep the puck out of the net with ‘Picks’ making some big saves, especially in the third period, where you’ve got a fragile team."

The Oilers scored first at 5:08 of the first period. Mattias Janmark’s shot was saved, but the rebound hit Adam Henrique and went in. At 16:29 of the second period, Corey Perry made it 2-0. Leon Draisaitl passed to him, and Perry scored from the left post.

Carolina scored at 4:26 of the third period. Mikko Rantanen passed to Sebastian Aho, who tapped the puck into the net. Evan Bouchard sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final second on Connor McDavid's setup.