It’s always fun when the Edmonton Oilers square off against the Calgary Flames, and with a second Battle of Alberta happening only four days after the last one, it would be the understatement of a lifetime to say I was excited about Saturday’s rematch. And as hoped, the emotions were high, the pace was steady, and for long stretches it felt like the kind of messy, uncomfortable game this rivalry is built on. Unfortunately, when all was said and done, it was the Flames who found the extra gear they needed, handing the Oilers a 3-2 loss in the first game back from the break.

It’s honestly wild that we’re 39 games into the 2025–26 season and the Edmonton Oilers still haven’t managed to put together a three-game win streak. Not once. Seven different times this year, the Oilers have won two in a row and looked like they were finally grabbing some momentum, only to watch their streak evaporate for whatever reason in the very next game. It’s weird, and I don’t like it. And we’re not exactly talking about a small sample anymore, either. At this point, being unable to string wins together is a troubling trend, and it’s baffling considering how good this team looks when things are clicking.

Unfortunately, Saturday night’s 3-2 loss in Calgary resets the clock again. Another chance at a third straight win comes and goes, and the boys are right back to ground zero and trying to build something from scratch. The frustrating part is that this hasn’t been about effort or talent so much as consistency. The Oilers can stack wins in pairs, but that third one has been elusive for reasons that are impossible to pin down. Eventually, they’re going to have to kick this door in, because good teams don’t live in a perpetual loop of stop-start momentum. Until they find a way to snap this weird trend, every two-game win streak is going to feel like it comes with an expiration date.

Clearly the Flames didn’t appreciate being stomped out on Tuesday night because they hit the ice with all kinds of jam for the rematch. More often than not, they were first to pucks, won battles along the boards and in the corners, and looked like they were more ready to get back to work than the Oilers were. Calgary found their legs way faster than Edmonton, and used them to push the pace, open the scoring, and limit the Oilers’ space effectively. The Flames were forechecking so hard that our boys were coughing up pucks before they even knew what the original plan was supposed to be. It was ugly, friends, but the first step to recovery is admitting the problem.

Despite it only being a one-game swing, the Flames had nearly double the Oilers’ shots at the midway point, which was a far cry from what we saw four days earlier. And while Edmonton did manage to find their footing in the back half, they just couldn’t beat Dustin Wolf for the next goal or catch a break off the iron. The push was there, the execution got better as the game wore on, but the sharpness wasn’t quite where it needed to be in the first game back after Christmas, and Calgary took advantage of those small mistakes en route to a frustrating 3-2 loss. It was like everything was a quarter turn off, and we’ll have to hope the bus ride to Winnipeg gives the Oilers enough time to work out the kinks.

When the Oilers announced Connor Ingram would get the start again on Saturday night in Calgary, it felt like more than just a lineup decision. Four days after seeing him handle the Flames at Rogers Place, the coaching staff went right back to him for the rematch, this time in the far less forgiving environment of the crumbling Saddledome. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly the friendliest spot for Ingram’s first road start as an Oiler. Thahttps://oilersnation.com/stats oilerst’s not me saying I would have preferred to see Pickard, but it’s hard to notice there doesn’t seem to be a rotation happening right now in Jarry’s absence.

A third straight start isn’t about riding a hot hand so much as it is about testing one. How does Ingram look when the crowd is loud, the emotions are higher, and the opposition has had four days to adjust? More importantly, how can he handle the starting duties if needed? And I give the Oilers credit for shying away from finding out, and in a season where answers in goal have been hard to come by, giving Ingram this kind of runway says a lot about how seriously they’re evaluating every option in front of them. But even though Ingram’s 29 saves and .906 save percentage weren’t enough in his third start, the message from the organization is clear: the Oilers want to see if he can put some games together before making another move in net.

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