After a disappointing OT loss Saturday in Los Angeles, the Edmonton Oilers were looking to close out the back-to-back set with a win in their first matchup of the season against the place Anaheim Ducks. Unfortunately, the visiting side forgot that hard work wins hockey games and dropped their second straight matinee by a 5-3 final score.

I don’t know how else you would describe Sunday’s 5-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks other than an embarrassing effort by the Edmonton Oilers. Not only were the Oilers outworked from the moment the puck dropped until the final buzzer, but they also gave up four straight goals to blow their lead and lose in the back half of the game. Despite being outplayed by a bottom-feeding club, Edmonton’s special teams put them in a situation where they were winning a game that they didn’t deserve to have. It was almost a get-out-of-jail-free card that they fumbled instead of utilizing.

I think the worst part about losing to the Ducks isn’t the result so much as the way we got there. It wasn’t like the Oilers got goalie’d and couldn’t score, the problem was that they weren’t ready to play in the first place. Even with the significant skill advantage on paper, none of it matters for the Oilers if they’re going to keep letting their opponents dictate the pace. How that happens against a team that came into the afternoon as losers of eight of their last 10 games is beyond me. That’s not what you’d expect from a championship team, is it?

The Oilers played two games this weekend and blew three separate leads over that span. Instead of leaving California with four points, they limped into one because they fell backward in the OT period yesterday in Los Angeles. That’s a tough way to come back from the Christmas break, especially considering how well they were playing before the holiday. I wish I knew what the answer was for why the boys can’t close out games right now, but these last two losses need to be a wake-up call and a reminder that securing two points isn’t easy in this league.

I think part of the issue stems from how the Oilers tend to get away from a simple, greasy style of play when they’re struggling to score. Instead of throwing pucks on net and scrambling for any garbage that may be left, the Oilers look for the highlight reel opportunity that more often than not gets stopped before it even gets going. It’s either that or the boys looked past the Ducks because they felt this was supposed to be a scheduled win on the board. If that’s the case, then I guess it’s another harsh lesson of what happens when you play down to your competition. Gord knows they couldn’t have performed much worse.

With the assist he picked up in the first period on Evan Bouchard’s 2-0 goal, Viktor Arvidsson finds himself on a three-game heater where he’s picked up four points. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about how slow his start to the season has been, but I’d like to spend more time talking about what he could do for the team if he starts to get hot. Now that he’s got at least a point in his last three games, I’m hoping his confidence is starting to build because he can be incredibly effective when he’s feeling it.

The Oilers brought Arvidsson in on a two-year deal to produce points, and it would be a massive boost to their chances of winning the division if he can make that happen down the stretch. But seeing as he just got back in the lineup after missing a month, maybe the best approach with Arvidsson is to take things day by day and hope for the best. I’m choosing to look at this as a glass-half-full situation and doing what I can to manifest an Arvidsson heater. Now, with four points in his last three games, he’s starting to put a few pieces together here. Dare to dream.

1. Leon Draisaitl picked up a pair of power play goals and extended his point streak to 11 games, posting a remarkable nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points in that span. With the primary assist on both goals, Connor McDavid’s point streak also hit 11 games, with the captain registering three goals and 18 assists for 21 points.

2. Am I allowed to share my theory that Leon Draisaitl is destined to win the Rocket Richard Trophy? Even though we just wrapped up game 36 on the schedule, Draisaitl has already scored more than a few lucky goals and it’s making me think that the Hockey Gords are on board with the plan. Even though he doesn’t need any help putting the puck in the net, I’m not opposed to the Universe chiming in with a few favours every now and then.

3. As much as I didn’t like to see Cutter Gauthier halve the Oilers’ lead with what I thought was a stoppable shot on Calvin Pickard, it’s hard to argue that this kid doesn’t have one of the best names in the league.

4. Troy Stecher has to be more disciplined than he was on Sunday. The guy nearly spent as much time in the penalty box as he did on the ice, and that’s not a great spot to be in when the Oilers are actively looking for defensive upgrades.

5. Some people might want me to stop telling you about the Oilers’ faceoff successes and woes, but I will never stop. I cannot stop. Unfortunately, that means I must also report on days like this one where Edmonton won only 40% of the draws. Nowhere near good enough.

6. I know people aren’t happy with Calvin Pickard’s 27 saves on 31 shots and .871 save percentage, but the fact of the matter is that game could have been so much worse had he not been more dialled in that he was. That’s something to think about when we evaluate the loss because the skaters in front of Pickard weren’t doing much to help.

7. Does it even count if the Ducks win at the Honda Center but no one is in the building to see it? I joke because I’m sad.