It’s not very often that the Edmonton Oilers have a 5 p.m. game on a Saturday night, but that’s apparently what happens when the Toronto Maple Leafs roll into town. The Oil haven’t had much success against the Leafs over the last few seasons, and last night’s contest was an opportunity at redemption after the boys blew a lead in the first meeting and lost in overtime. The bad news is that the rematch didn’t get much better from an Oilers perspective. I’d even say that this 4-3 loss was one of the more annoying in recent memory.

In Saturday’s GDB, I wrote about the Oilers needing a quick start or risking putting themselves in a hole that could ruin the night before it even began. It was a pretty obvious ask for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, but one that was crucial to the team’s success. Unfortunately, the Oilers gave us the complete opposite of a good start. The boys found themselves down by two before the period was even 10 minutes old and gave up a third for good measure ahead of the intermission. It was a disaster.

I don’t have to tell anyone reading this why being down by a field goal after 20 minutes is a problem, but that was the spot the Oilers put themselves in with another awful start to a hockey game. Only this time around, they weren’t playing against the Sabres or Kraken, but a team with plenty of skill and firepower that was unlikely to the comeback to occur. So, how can we be surprised that Edmonton lost the game when it was basically over before it even began? I don’t know what the deal is with this horrible start trend that’s been happening a lot lately, but the Oilers need to clean that up like yesterday.

It doesn’t get worse than being swept in the special teams battle, and that’s what happened to the Oilers on Saturday. Not only did the penalty kill give up a pair of first period goals in only two shorthanded situations, but the power play couldn’t get anything done on either of their opportunities to combat the issue. For as good as the Oilers have been on special teams over the last six weeks or so, they couldn’t get that same level of execution at either side of the rink against Toronto. Given that they lost by one goal, it’s no reach to say that special teams were the difference.

Even though I think we all believe in the Oilers’ special teams overall, it’s hard not to point to the lack of success in both disciplines as a major reason that the result was what it was. We usually get to be the beneficiary of stellar special teams performances, but it was not nearly as fun to be on the other end. And while I also have beef with a bunch of the missed calls that would have given the Oilers a few more looks on the PP, our boys didn’t get much good done on the calls that were made.

If you read the site regularly, you know that I’m a Stuart Skinner fan. I defend him more often than not and would firmly put myself in his camp. That said, if you read my stuff, you also know I’m the first one to say when he stunk, and last night was one that gets a poop emoji sticker on the calendar. I know save percentage isn’t everything when it comes to evaluating goaltending; it’s not hard to figure out that a .857 is significantly worse than a .938. It’s hard to ignore that problem.

The goaltending matchup clearly favoured the Leafs last night, as Justin Woll stood on his head for Toronto while Stuart Skinner struggled early before trying to shut the door over the final 40 minutes. I mean, what else can you say about the situation when one guy gave up four goals on 28 shots while the other gave up three on 48? While I’d absolutely argue that the first period goals were just as much a product of the Oilers’ poor effort as they were on Skinner, you can easily counter by saying Woll made those same kinds of stops at the other end.

Nothing is worse than watching the Leafs win in our barn and hearing all of their fans who overpaid for tickets having the time of their lives. I know people who doubled the sticker price on their tickets for a hefty profit, and even though I admire their Leafs-related gouging, I hope they feel bad that they contributed to the environment.

1. How bad did Evan Bouchard need that goal? Bouchard ripped one past Woll at 11:27 of the second period, and it was the kind of goal he was scoring a lot of last year but not so much here in 2024-25. Even so, it was the kind of blast that makes Bouchard so dangerous, and I’m hopeful it will give him a dose of confidence when the puck is on his stick. He’s had the yips with it a little more lately than is usual, and that has me thinking Dad could use some positive mojo to bring back some of his powers.

2. I love Zach Hyman. All the guy has done is score goals since the first day he showed up in Edmonton, and his 18th goal of the season at 6:04 of the third period gave the Oilers (and building) some hope that maybe there was more to come. The Oilers were down by three when ZMH narrowed the gap, and there’s no doubt how that goal livened the hometown crowd up.

3. Corey Perry is having a hell of a season, and it’s pretty wild to see that he’s already got 10 goals on the season. The guy has been in the league for two decades, and he’s still finding ways to be productive. Perry’s goal at 11:33 of the third period was nearly the catalyst to what would have been a wonderful comeback, but unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Either way, props to the old boy for the year he’s having, it’s been a lot of fun to watch.

4. John Klingberg only being in his second game in more than a calendar year may have directly contributed to that loss. Instead of stopping on the blue line to see what McDavid was doing, Klingberg tried to stretch out but those surgically enhanced hips couldn’t go that far. Too harsh? I’m annoyed about it. That comeback would have been so sweet.

5. Did I bet the over when I saw that Mattias Ekholm wasn’t playing? Yes, yes I did. Ekholm averages 22:45 in TOI for the Oilers in all situations, and losing him because of illness obviously created a hole that no one on that back end could truly fill. Also, if you didn’t bet on William Nylander to score against the Oilers then that’s just your fault for not paying attention.

6. I need more from Viktor Arvidsson than secondary assists once every fortnight. The Oilers signed him to score, and he hasn’t done much of that all season. A lot of people talk about Jeff Skinner’s spot in the lineup, but he has nine goals with less opportunity. Arvidsson needs to start chipping in.

7. No one will ever convince me that it’s not better to start plays with the puck, regardless of what the spreadsheets say. The Oilers won only 47.1% of the draws against Toronto and were often chasing the puck. I’m not blaming faceoffs for the loss — 47.1% isn’t horrible — but all of those small details tend to add up.

8. The Oilers outshot the Leafs 48-28 — Toronto also blocked 24 shots, I should add — and lost by a goal. I hate it.

We’re beyond excited to announce our latest partnership with Odd Company Brewing to bring you the all-new Nation Beer Everyday Lager! Whether you’re watching the big game, chilling with friends, or just kicking back after a long day, this crisp, refreshing lager is the perfect choice. It’s the brew you can count on anytime, anywhere. So, why not make it your next game-day tradition? Nation Beer Everyday Lager is available now at Odd Company Brewing and through Liquor Connect. Don’t miss out—grab yours today and take your beer game to the next level! Cheers, Nation Citizens!