After a two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-off, the Edmonton Oilers were back in action on Saturday for some matinee action against the bottom-dwelling Philadelphia Flyers. Unfortunately, our beloved Oilers looked like they were in the league basement after a sloppy performance led to a disappointing 6-3 loss in Philly. It was not ideal, to say the least.

As much as losing to a bottom-feeder like Philadelphia is incredibly annoying — I’m still pissed off about the loss as I write this  — I’m still buzzing off the 4 Nations final — and instead of rightfully ripping the team apart for that dreadful effort, I’m choosing to focus on the bright sides. And if we’re looking for silver linings, how could I not start with Leon Draisaitl’s game as the clear standout for best Oilers forward? I’m not saying Leon was perfect in Philadelphia, but I am saying that the biggest reason the Oilers were in the fight as long as they were was because of goal and assist he put up on the board.

If the Oilers are going to rebound from Saturday’s turd in the punch bowl, Leon Draisaitl will obviously be a big part of the solution. But he can’t do it alone. He can’t be the only one who is a consistent offensive threat, but that was definitely the case against the Flyers. Needless to say, we’ll need a hell of a lot more effort and execution if the Oilers are going to avoid a three-game losing streak tomorrow in Washington, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if it were Leon Draisaitl who ends up leading the charge.

If I’m looking for positives in what was otherwise a disastrous outing by the Edmonton Oilers, I’m going to look at what Matthew Savoie got done in the 13:02 of TOI he got in his Oilers debut. Not only did he look like he could hang with NHLers in terms of his speed and skill, but he also picked up his first NHL point on a beautiful pass from behind the net to Leon Draisaitl. Even though he didn’t play much, I thought it was pretty clear how talented this kid is and how valuable that will be to the franchise moving forward.

While we’ll have to wait and see how long or if Savoie sticks around beyond this road trip, I couldn’t think of a bigger gift from the Hockey Gords than if this guy could force his way into the lineup down the stretch. We’ve all heard how much the Oilers would love another skilled winger ahead of the March 7th trade deadline, but it would be a huge win if Savoie can fill that void without Stan Bowman having to deal assets to make that upgrade. Again, this was only his first game as an Oiler and he only got limited minutes, but I’d argue his first impression was rock solid and that likely gave him a little bit of leash to keep this ride going for a little while longer.

I know this doesn’t have anything to do with the hockey game, but I wanted to send out a massive thank you to everyone who joined us for Brunch for Ben at Greta this morning. This was the third annual Brunch for Ben, and the event was our best yet thanks to the incredible Nation Citizens who made their way down to Greta to join us for the game and raise some money for the Ben Stelter Foundation.

It was a blast to get a bunch of us in the same room for the hockey game, and the fact that this is an all-ages event certainly added a different energy to the room. With the Oilers back in action, kids buzzing around everywhere, and prizes being handed out everywhere, the energy in that room was pretty special. I’ve said it countless times over the years, but I’m incredibly grateful that we’re able to throw these events and have the community spring to action like this. So, thank you, thank you, thank you everyone that joined us at Greta on Saturday morning for what was a fantastic morning. I already can’t wait for next year.

1. I really didn’t want to do this today, but I guess I have to ask what the hell is going on with the Oilers’ goaltending situation again. As much as I will absolutely agree that the Oilers were sloppy giveaway machines for most of Saturday’s game, it’s nearly impossible to win in this league when you’re getting an .839 save percentage and giving up five goals on 31 shots. Again, I don’t think all of those goals are Stuart Skinner’s fault, but I don’t know how anyone could possibly defend his game between the pipes. On a day when Edmonton needed their goalie to bail them out, Skinner didn’t come anywhere close to doing that for them. Instead, this will go down as another example people will use for why Stan Bowman needs to upgrade his goaltending situation.

2. Since I’m calling people out, I think it’s only fair to say there were a bunch of skaters who also had bad games. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was fumbling the puck all over the place, and it was a battle for him to even make tape-to-tape passes today. While connecting on the tape wasn’t Evan Bouchard’s issue, the problem he had was that some of his best passes of the day went to the other team. I mean, the goal by Sean Couturier never happens if Bouchard doesn’t think it’s a good idea to whip the puck up the middle of the ice to no one in particular. Simply put, these two needed to be way better than what we got from them.

3. Back to the positives, I wanted to give John Klingberg a shout out for picking up his first goal as an Oiler. When that puck went in the net, everyone at Greta thought it was going to be the start of something beautiful, but unfortunately, it was simply not meant to be. Either way, I’m still hopeful that Klingberg can keep improving as the games roll along here because Edmonton desperately needs him to work if they’re going to make another run in the spring.

4. Back into the sewer for a minute, the Oilers’ special teams stunk to high heavens on Saturday. The boys only had a single power play opportunity against the Flyers, but rather than taking advantage of the chance, they couldn’t even muster a single shot on goal. In fact, the best chance in that power play was a shorthanded 2-on-0 by the Flyers. At the other end of the ice, the penalty kill got tagged with a goal on one of two shorthanded situations, and it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that losing both sides of the special teams battle is like taking a long walk down the short pier to a bad time.

5. Viktor Arvidsson played 15:11 against the Flyers and didn’t register a single shot, block, or hit, but still managed to give the puck away three times. He needs to get going or really get gone.

6. It’s been weeks since I’ve been able to tell you about the Oilers’ faceoff percentages, and it’s finally time for my triumphant return. Unfortunately, I must report that the Oilers won only 46.5% of the draws against the Flyers, which isn’t anywhere near good enough.

Get ready, hockey fans! The Daily Faceoff Deadline is happening on March 7th from 11 AM to 4 PM Eastern, and you won’t want to miss it. We’ll be LIVE, breaking down every trade and big move as it happens, with instant reactions and expert analysis from the Daily Faceoff crew. Plus, we’ve got special guests lined up throughout the show, offering exclusive insights from some of the biggest names in the game. From blockbuster trades to surprise moves, we’re covering it all. Tune in to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow Daily Faceoff socials on March 7th to catch all the action!