Takeaways as “Fragile” Oilers Lose Again, This Time to Lightning

The Edmonton Oilers turned in another disappointing performance coming out of the 4 Nations break, losing 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. That’s now 17 goals against in three games, mostly thanks to sloppy turnovers, a lack of intensity, and jumbled lines with no chemistry. For a team that has shown it can be among the NHL’s best, they’ve now put themselves in a position where they no longer lead the Pacific Division, and teams are starting to overtake them heading into the trade deadline.

The Oilers don’t look like a group on a mission to redeem last season’s Stanley Cup Final loss.

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Oilers Had No Offensive Threats vs. Tampa Bay

The Oilers were simply not dangerous in any way on Tuesday night. It was an easy outing for Andrei Vasilevskiy, who barely had to break a sweat because the Oilers didn’t challenge him. Edmonton’s offense was stagnant, and their five-on-five play was abysmal. Connor McDavid’s slump is becoming a real concern—he is now -12 in his last four games with zero even-strength points. This team relies on him and Leon Draisaitl to drive the offense, but lately, only Draisaitl has been able to generate much of anything.

Draisaitl Continues to Pull Away in the Scoring Race

Leon Draisaitl scored his league-leading 43rd goal of the season on Tuesday night. He scored early on the power play, but it was the only real offensive burst from the team. He continues to separate himself fro the pack in the goal-scoring race, but if you asked, he’d trade it all for wins.

Since 2018-19, he has 40 more power-play goals than any other player. He just needs the rest of the Oilers to step up and help him out. He still doesn’t have a winger to work with and it was clear during the game he was looking to get Matt Savoie going, perhaps at the expense of making the right play.

Stuart Skinner Wasn’t Good Enough… Again

Stuart Skinner made some key stops in the first period, but a weak wraparound goal in the second put felt like it took the wind out of his sails. It was a goal he probably would like to have back — a phrase that is being said too often this season.

While goaltending has been a talking point all season and he wasn’t good enough to steal a game, this loss wasn’t solely on Skinner. The Oilers gave Tampa too many easy chances.

No Emotion, No Pushback

The Oilers don’t look like a team that’s angry about losing. There’s no visible frustration or fire, and it’s showing in their play. Earlier in the season, when the team was struggling, dropping the gloves helped spark some energy. Right now, they don’t have that edge. If they don’t get emotionally invested soon, this slide will continue.

The Oilers’ third and fourth lines continue to be non-factors. They haven’t been contributing offense, aren’t physical, and don’t create turnovers. To make matters worse, they don’t play fast or have the speed to change the momentum and drive a shift to get others to follow suit. Right now, Edmonton’s depth is a major issue, and if they don’t address it at the trade deadline, their playoff hopes could be in trouble.

Huge Test in Florida

Edmonton’s road trip continues Thursday with a Stanley Cup Final rematch against the Florida Panthers. If the Oilers can’t get motivated for this one after losing Game 7 to Florida last year, there should be serious concern about their direction. Right now, they don’t look like a team fighting for a championship—they look like a team headed for an early playoff exit.

“We’re a fragile group right now…” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch admitted post-game. If that doesn’t change soon, the Oilers could be in real trouble.

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