Just when it looked like the Edmonton Oilers had righted the ship by snapping a five-game losing skid in a 3-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes last Saturday, Connor McDavid and company got humbled on Tuesday night by the Anaheim Ducks.
The Oilers didn't seem to have the energy to keep up with Anaheim, which scored four goals in the first period on its way to a comfortable 6-2 victory at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
It was a frustrating loss for the Oilers in a lot of ways. Leon Draisaitl put Edmonton on the board first with a power-play goal around 10 minutes into the opening period, but Anaheim responded by lighting the lamp six consecutive times before McDavid scored on the man advantage with under five minutes left in regulation.
After the game, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch offered an honest assessment of what helped doom his team in the Ducks game.
"When you're not getting that balanced attack and some more contributions, it makes it tough to come from behind or win on a regular basis," Knoblauch told reporters in the postgame press conference (h/t Edmonton's official X account).
The Oilers seemingly struggled when both teams were on even strength. While they went 2-for-2 on the power play, the Oilers couldn’t find the back of the net despite outshooting Anaheim on even-strength, 32-25. Moreover, the Oilers took more 5-on-5 high-danger scoring chances, 11-6.
Edmonton, second in the Pacific division with a 35-22-4 record for 74 points, will aim to get back to its winning ways on Thursday when the Oilers host the Montreal Canadiens.
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