The Edmonton Oilers were rolling going into the holiday break, but the wheels have come off the track just a tad since they returned to action.
An OT loss to the LA Kings on Saturday can be excused, but there wasn’t much to be said after the Oilers dropped an ugly 5-3 decision to the lowly Anaheim Ducks on Sunday afternoon.
The team blew both a 2-0 and a 3-1 lead in the game and was outplayed for the majority of regulation time. Edmonton was outshot 32-23 on the night and allowed ex-Oiler Ryan Strome to pot the winner in the final minutes of the game before Anaheim added an empty netter to seal it.
What went wrong for the Oilers in this one? Edmonton superstar Leon Draisaitl thinks the team got a bit too content with themselves after building an early lead.
“Not our best,” Draisaitl admitted to reporters after the game. “I think we let off the gas a little bit after the first 10-13 minutes, kind of gave them a chance to get back into it.
“Just defending, the little things, taking care of the puck, valuing the puck. If you have the puck, you’re not going to have to defend as much.”
“Not our best. I think we let off the gas a little bit after the first 10 to 13 minutes & gave them a chance to get back into it.”
Leon Draisaitl on the #Oilers falling to the Ducks.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/uXzLfF04hA
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 29, 2024
This is a feeling the Oilers have not had for the better part of a month. The last time this team lost back-to-back games was back on November 18 when they lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens on an East Coast road trip.
Since then, the team went on a tear to get themselves within striking distance of the Pacific Division lead. The Oilers are currently tied for second-place with the Kings and leaving two points on the board to a 14-17-4 Ducks team is far from ideal.
“We had two two-goal leads and I think we put in a strong effort in the third period, but we shouldn’t be in that situation,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “Puck management, turning the pucks over, I think that had a lot to do with it.”
It’s the type of night that should remind the Oilers that they won’t be able to win their games solely based on merit. If that were the case, this would’ve been a blowout victory in their favour rather than an uninspired loss.
They will have to get back to their dominant ways when the Utah Hockey Club make their maiden voyage to Rogers Place for a game on New Year’s Eve.