The Oilers were starting back at zero in their quest for three straight wins, and the first step to trying to make that happen would be to beat the Penguins as they roll into Edmonton on the second half of a back-to-back set. Of course, this was the same scenario the boys were in two days before when New Jersey pulled up, but I was hopeful that they’d remember it takes a full 60 minutes to win hockey games this time. Unfortunately, my hopes were quickly squashed when the Oilers showed no interest in competing, essentially gifting the Penguins a lopsided win.

As a lifelong Oilers fan, I’ve seen my share of horrible starts, but last night’s disastrous first three minutes has to rank right up near the top. Not only did the Oilers give the Penguins every opportunity they could have hoped for, but they also found a way to cash in on three goals on their first three shots. In a span of only 37 seconds, the Oilers went from being in the mix to down by a field goal before any of us could even figure out what happened. There were breakaways, odd-man rushes, horrible giveaways, and enough frustration to max us all out for the foreseeable future.

To be fair, the Oilers got better as the period went on, but that was such a low bar to clear that it would have been almost more impressive if they hadn’t. I don’t know how many more times this team can surprise me with their inconsistencies, but last night’s start had me completely stumped. The Penguins rolled into Rogers Place in the second half of a back-to-back, but you never would have guessed it by the way things started. As much as I wanted to be mad about the start, the only reaction that felt appropriate was to laugh and wonder how the hell a team this good can look that bad. It’s mind blowing.

If the first few minutes of the hockey game were horrible, the rest of the game didn’t get much better. Outside of a few minutes of hope after Jake Walman got the boys on the board with a shorthanded goal, there really wasn’t much to cheer about. Thankfully, I was watching the game from home and able to distract myself with literally anything other than watching the TV, but I can only imagine how frustrating it would have been for anyone who actually paid money to be in the building. Unless you were one of the handful of Penguins fans in attendance, it probably would have been just as enjoyable to withdraw the cash and light it on fire.

And that’s really what made the whole thing so baffling. This wasn’t another game where Edmonton got goalied, or one where the Penguins were so much better that they deserved the blowout. Instead, the boys were flat, disconnected, and played some of the worst hockey we’ve seen all season. Yeah, Pittsburgh got the blowout, but the Oilers didn’t do much to stop it. Shifts ended without shots, entries died at the blue line, and every time it felt like momentum was coming our way, mistakes were made that completely derailed the progression. You kept waiting for a push that never came, and by the time the final buzzer sounded, the frustration wasn’t just about the loss, but about how forgettable the whole night felt.

There is no replacing Leon Draisaitl. As much as you respect the way his teammates did what they could to step up in his absence, the reality is that there’s nothing you can do when a guy that good comes out of the lineup. The way he slows the game down. The way he moves the puck. The list of ways Draisaitl makes impacts the game is as long as he is handsome, and I was pumped to see that he would be back on the ice for Thursday’s game against the Penguins. I mean, the game obviously didn’t go our way, but at least No. 29 was out there?

As much as the night was a total write-off and a game you’d happily delete from your brain bank, I’m still choosing to take Draisaitl’s return as the one positive worth hanging onto. Yeah, things really went sideways, and Leon wasn’t the force we’re used to seeing, but the good news is our handsome king was back on the ice. The Oilers are a different team when No. 29 is in the lineup, and while we didn’t feel it last night, you know better days are sure to come. The results were obviously atrocious, but getting Leon back on the ice matters more than any single frustrating loss. If nothing else, the Oilers got a very important dose of handsome back in the lineup, and after the disaster we just witnessed, I’m looking for any silver linings I can get.

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