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On the TSN1260 morning show, Rishaug called out Eberle for a lack of effort. “Right now Jordan Eberle is a passenger… It’s a huge problem for the Oilers and it’s a big problem for Eberle. The effort level, the intensity level, the try, the desire, the will, is not there. And this is the playoffs. He’s been waiting for this his whole career and he’s not trying hard enough.”

Photo by Ian Kucerak / Edmonton Journal

Rishaug pointed to two plays early in Game Two, where Eberle had a chance to hit a pinching Cam Fowler on the boards and failed to do so. The first came just 14 seconds into the game. “Eberle is skating full speed towards him and blows snow at him. So you’ve one of their best defencemen, who is injured, on the first shift of the game where you’re trying to set the tone, you’ve got him dead to rights, and you don’t even consider putting a shoulder into him. Go back and watch it. It’s staggering. Then four minutes later he did the exact same thing.”

On Gregor, Rishaug said: “We’ve talked about this with Eberle for years. When he’s not scoring, what’s he doing? And the answer is nothing. And that’s a problem.”

Rishaug again questioned Eberle’s effort: “Jordan Eberle is not going into each battle like he’s desperate to win it. He’s going into each battle like, ‘Yeah, I can take it or leave it.’ At this stage in the game that’s just highly disappointing for the coaching staff and even for Jordan Eberle.”

Finally Rishaug said this of McLellan’s take on Eberle: “Just because Todd decided to rip Eberle after last night it doesn’t mean this is the first time he’s been insanely pissed with him. He might have been furious after Game One, I guarantee he was furious with Eberle after Game 2, no question about it.”