The Edmonton Oilers got utterly embarrassed on Saturday night (Nov. 8) by a score of 9-1 at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. Connor McDavid scored for Edmonton, while Cale Makar (2), Parker Kelly (2), Nathan MacKinnon (2), Jack Drury (2), and Gavin Brindley scored for Colorado. Starting goaltender Stuart Skinner was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots, and Calvin Pickard allowed five goals on 21 shots in relief.
This was the Oilers’ worst home loss since Jan. 27, 2009, when they lost 10-2 to the Buffalo Sabres. In a throwback, Dwayne Roloson and Jeff Deslauriers were in the net for Edmonton on that night.
Related: Avalanche Hammer Oilers 9-1 in One-Sided Rout
Head coach Kris Knoblauch took some accountability during his postgame presser. “We aren’t playing very well, and that’s on the coaching staff, mostly myself, to get that aligned,” Knoblauch stated.
He was also asked if these struggles are a team issue or an individual thing with certain players. “Tonight was a team thing, and that starts with the coaching staff, making sure everyone’s getting ready to play,” the coach responded. Knoblauch was also asked about the team’s belief in the goaltending, and he paused for roughly five seconds before answering. That speaks volumes about how they feel about the current tandem.
Both teams came into this game on three days’ rest, but one team showed up, and the other didn’t. The Oilers were booed off the ice, so hopefully this game was a much-needed wake-up call. This level of play is simply unacceptable, and something needs to change, and fast. Here are three takeaways from this dreadful defeat.
Oilers’ Penalty Kill Was Perfect
In a surprising turn of events, the Avalanche went 0-for-7 on the power play, despite scoring nine goals. So, I guess the Oilers’ penalty kill was good? Now with that out of the way, let’s get to the negatives, and there were plenty.
No Goaltending, No Defence, & No Effort
This can be lumped into a single takeaway. Edmonton was dominated in every facet and deserved exactly what they got. The team immediately deflated after the Avalanche took an early 2-0 lead, with goals coming 1:06 apart. The first one went off the post and in, but the second one went under Skinner’s arm in a shot that he has to save. The Oilers were immediately chasing the game because their goalie let in a stinker, and they had no response.
However, goaltending isn’t the only reason they lost. As professional athletes, you must possess greater mental toughness to succeed. They appeared to give up after they got down, and their attention to detail was nonexistent. They were sloppy and lost battles all over the ice, which brings us to effort.
The home side looked lost and played with zero energy or emotion. That was a putrid display of effort, and nobody seemed to care, which was sad to see. They just rolled over and took it. It’s also embarrassing to see none of the leadership group speak to the media following this performance.
The Oilers gave up too many quality chances while not generating nearly enough offensively, a common theme for this team. Colorado had a 39-19 scoring chance advantage, including 26-16 at 5-on-5. They also had a 10-5 advantage in high-danger chances at 5-on-5, and 16-8 overall. Edmonton was doubled up in that category, and they won’t win many games while bleeding that many quality chances. This was the definition of a team loss.
Oilers Are Too Soft
Not only are the Oilers soft in front of their net, in battles, and in the corners, but they also lack pushback. They got absolutely embarrassed at home, and nobody did anything about it. They weren’t getting into scrums and didn’t show any intensity or willingness to fight. At least show that you care and are angry about what’s happening. Someone should’ve stepped up and dropped the gloves. If you took an extra penalty, who cares? The game was over early, so give the fans something to get excited about.
It’s times like these when the team misses Corey Perry. At 40 years old, he was never hesitant to get into scrums and instigate. Where were Darnell Nurse and Trent Frederic in this lopsided game? Nurse had two hits, and Frederic had one. That’s not nearly enough, especially if you aren’t impacting games offensively.
Frederic signed an eight-year deal with a $3.85 million cap hit before the season, but has only one goal and zero assists on the campaign. Since he isn’t scoring, he has to step up in other ways, but has failed to do so. This was the game for him to make his mark and get into a fight, but he didn’t. The Oilers clearly lack toughness, and that was evident. They are too easy to play against, both during the play and after the whistles.
The Oilers look to bounce back on Monday (Nov. 10) when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets before hitting the road for a seven-game road trip. Keep following The Hockey Writers for all your NHL content throughout the season.
