The Edmonton Oilers had their two-game winning streak come to an end on Thursday (Nov. 13) at Nationwide Arena, where they lost 5-4 to the host Columbus Blue Jackets.
Related: Blue Jackets Survive Late Push to Defeat Oilers
Leon Draisaitl scored twice for Edmonton, while Oilers forwards Matthew Savoie and Vasily Podkolzin also lit the lamp. Mathieu Olivier had two goals for the Blue Jackets, who also got goals from Charlie Coyle, Adam Fantilli and Denton Mateychuk.
Edmonton netminder Calvin Pickard stopped 20 of the 25 shots he faced, while Jet Greaves made 25 saves in a winning effort for the home team.
This was the second game between the Oilers and Blue Jackets decided by one goal in a span of four days. Edmonton beat Columbus 5-4 in overtime at Rogers Place on Monday (Nov. 10).
With the loss in Columbus, Edmonton’s record drops to 8-7-4. The Oilers are now fourth in the Pacific Division standings, with 20 points through 19 games.
Another Slow Start for the Oilers
Edmonton was chasing the game for much of Thursday night. The Oilers trailed 1-0 after the first period and fell behind 2-0 when Coyle scored just 44 seconds into the second period.
Savoie and Draisaitl tallied 100 seconds apart to pull Edmonton even at 2-2 midway through the game, but the score remained tied for just half of a minute before Mateychuk collected a carom off the boards behind the Edmonton net and wired a shot from the slot past Pickard.
Mateychuk’s goal put Columbus ahead to stay. The Blue Jackets would build their lead to 5-2 before the Oilers tried to rally in the third period, getting goals from Draisaitl and Podkolzin.
Edmonton dominated the final 20 minutes, outshooting Columbus 13-4, but the hole was just too deep to dig out of for an Oilers team that didn’t register its fifth shot of the game until the five-minute mark of the second period.
The final horn sounded with Edmonton furiously pressing for the equalizer. Had the Oilers played with that urgency earlier in the game, the outcome might have been different.
Oilers fans have seen this movie far too many times already over the last few weeks. Edmonton has given up the first goal in 11 of its last 16 games and fallen behind 2-0 seven times.
The Oilers know they need to start stronger; they talk about it after almost every game. But then they go out and do the same thing the next time, over and over and over again.
Review Goes Against Oilers
The universe has a funny way of eventually evening things out. Sometimes it takes a while. Or, in the case of the Oilers on Thursday, sometimes it happens right away.
On Wednesday (Nov. 12) against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena, the Oilers appeared to be on their way to defeat when Flyers forward Travis Konecny scored with 25.5 seconds left in regulation to give Philadelphia a 2-1 lead. But an official challenge determined that the play was narrowly offside, and Konecny’s goal was wiped off the board. The score remained 1-1 and went to overtime, where Jack Roslovic won it for the Oilers.
On Thursday in Columbus, Connor McDavid put the puck behind Greaves at 11:30 of the second period, tying the game up at 3-3. It was a massive goal, as the Oilers responded just 71 seconds after Mateychuk had restored Columbus’ lead. But Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason challenged that the play was offside, and after a very short review, it was ruled that Savoie had indeed crossed the blue line before the puck. McDavid’s goal came off the board, allowing the Blue Jackets to maintain a lead they would not relinquish.
Pickard Struggles Again
Over the last two seasons and playoffs, Pickard has arguably been as good as any backup goaltender in the NHL. So good, in fact, that he could almost be considered 1B to Stuart Skinner’s 1A.
But the veteran netminder has struggled mightily this season. He delivered a solid performance in his first start of 2025-26, making 14 saves in a 3-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 11, but in his six appearances since, Pickard is 1-3-1 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 4.75 and save percentage (SV%) of .819. He’s given up five goals on three occasions, and four on two others.
To be fair, it’s not like Pickard has had a ton of help from his teammates, who have often been guilty of poor defensive play in the early going this season. But he’s simply not been good enough, even by backup standards.
With a 2.75 GAA and .889 SV% over 13 appearances, Skinner is also underperforming this season. That’s nothing new for the hometown product, who has made a habit out of inconsistency. But in the past two seasons, Pickard has always stepped up when Skinner isn’t at his best. This season, both are underperforming, leading to a chorus of fans calling for veteran netminder Connor Ingram to be recalled from the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League. Those calls are only going to get louder after the events of Thursday in Columbus.
The Oilers continue their seven-game road trip on Saturday (Nov. 15) with a stop in Raleigh, where they’ll battle the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.
