• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Edmonton Oilers

Lessons Learned From Oilers’ Losses

By Katherine Hill March 28th, 2014

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp
(Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

(Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

The Oilers had been playing better hockey of late, boasting a dominant record since the Olympic break and, perhaps more importantly, after trading for Ben Scrivens and giving their goaltending a much-needed upgrade. The acquisition of Viktor Fasth added even more depth to a goalie tandem that seemed poised to do great things for a team who struggled early on in the season.

But, in the midst of a season long six-game home stand, the wheels have again come off. Oilers’ fans who bravely travelled through pre-spring winter conditions were forced to sit through three straight disappointing losses.

The Oilers supporters are getting restless, and they have good reason to be. The team fell to the worst team in the NHL 3-1 when the Buffalo Sabres came to town. This poor performance was followed by a complete breakdown, as the Flames walloped the Oilers 8-1 on home ice, the largest goal differential for the Flames in the history of the Battle of Alberta.

This was the breaking point for the Edmonton faithful, as a total of three jerseys rained down from the stands in the third period. Scrivens used his stick to throw one jersey back into the crowd, and the ice crew collected the others. For those who remained past the mass exodus of the drawing of the 50/50 (for more than $60,000), they remained only to boo their under-performing team off the ice.

Poor games and disappointments are not without their lessons, and there were many for the Oilers in their most recent string of losses.

They Are Not Strong Enough Yet to Compete With the Top Teams in the League

There really is no shame in losing to the San Jose Sharks, who have played well all season. They, along with the Detroit Red Wings, have made the playoffs every year since 2005, highlighting their consistency. Their 5-2 victory over the Oilers was mainly driven by going three-for-three on their power play. Joe Pavelski scored two of those three power play goals, adding a third for good measure to complete the hat trick. It was the second time in as many games that Edmonton fans had to watch an opposing player score three goals against their home squad.

 scored a hat trick against the Oilers (Wikipedia)

Curtis Glencross scored a hat trick against the Oilers (Wikipedia)

They Can’t Finish Off the Bottom Teams of the NHL Either

Perhaps more troubling than the loss to the Sharks are the two consecutive losses to non-playoff teams. In the game against the 30th place Sabres, which should have been a strong confidence boost for the Oilers, they lacked offensive punch. Instead of taking out the one team below them in the standings, they fell 3-1.

Although that game stung Oilers’ fans, nothing prepared them for the loss to the Calgary Flames. The Oilers scored first, then allowed their provincial rivals to claw back into the game, take the lead, and eventually destroy any chance of a comeback. Curtis Glencross scored a hat trick that night, inspiring Calgary fans who had come to cheer on their rival club. Edmonton fans booed voraciously at the announcement of the final minute of play in the game. They had, after all, come to see great hockey and were sadly disappointed.

Things Aren’t Going to Get Any Easier

The schedule for the rest of the Oilers’ season doesn’t look any better. The Anaheim Ducks come to town Friday, followed by the New York Rangers on Sunday. The Oilers will need to learn how to win these games against stronger teams if they ever want to be playing meaningful games in March and April.

Check out our partners at TiqIQ for the best deals on Edmonton Oilers tickets for all 2013-14 games.

  • Tags
  • Ben Scrivens
  • Curtis Glencross
  • Joe Pavelski
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 19th 1:20 PM
Boston Bruins

Bruins Rookie Spotlight: Jakub Zboril

Jan 19th 1:10 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche Defense Boosted by Returns of Johnson & Byram

Jan 19th 1:00 PM
Colorado Avalanche

NHL Rumors: Senators, Canucks, Avalanche, Oilers, More

Jan 19th 11:24 AM
Archives

They Wore It Once: Bruins Players and Their Unique Numbers

Jan 19th 11:14 AM
Archives

Top-5 Players From France in NHL History

Jan 19th 10:55 AM
Women's Hockey

Metropolitan Riveters 2021 Season Preview

Jan 19th 10:45 AM
Column

Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Andersen, Marner, Spezza & Robertson

Jan 19th 10:35 AM
Philadelphia Flyers

Couturier’s Injury Results in Opportunity for Flyers’ Young Talent

Jan 19th 10:25 AM
Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens Fans & Media Need to Give Drouin His Due

Jan 19th 10:15 AM
All-Star Weekend

1991 NHL All-Star Game & the Gulf War: The Modern NHL in a Time of War

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information