The Oilers had a fantastic afternoon in Seattle on Saturday, and that 4-0 shutout was probably their most complete effort at both ends of the rink that we’ve seen in a month or more. Now that the boys have a run of home games in front of them, we were all looking for them to build on that win. The problem is that the first team on deck was the red-hot Minnesota Wild. The second problem was that the Oilers were also facing a goaltender vying for his fourth shutout in his last six games. Wild take it by a 1-0 score.

As much as losses are nothing to celebrate, I don’t get nearly as frustrated by them when the Oilers put in an honest effort. I would say that was the case last night. Don’t get me wrong, getting shut out at home is incredibly annoying, but I would much rather watch a game like that than the debacles we’ve witnessed against the Avalanche and Stars. Those losses were disasters. Train wrecks you couldn’t look away from. What happened last night was a strong effort thwarted by strong defensive structure and a goaltender who is literally unbeatable right now… more on that later.

My point is that the Oilers put in the kind of effort that will result in wins more often than not if they can string them together consistently. Outside of the obvious problem of not scoring a goal, there were a lot of aspects of that game that I think we’d all like to see the boys carry forward. We’ve had plenty of nights where the Oilers bled goals, and I’m choosing to take it as a positive that they’ve only given up one in their last two games. Crawling off rock bottom might take some smaller steps before the Oilers get back up and running at full clip, and I’m hopeful these last two games are the start of a much tighter brand of defensive play. I know we’re all mad about where the Oilers are at in the standings, but I’m seeing brighter days if this newer version of the team can show up every night.

If there’s one thing that doing this job for this long has taught me, it’s that looking back at draft picks the Oilers missed on can be a painful exercise. It almost doesn’t matter the year, and it doesn’t matter the round, you can always find players who were better than the guy Edmonton picked in whatever slot they had. It’s torture. Don’t do it. But if you are in the business of punishing yourself, then why not be reminded for the 1000th time how the Oilers had the chance to draft Jesper Wallstedt with the 20th overall pick at the 2021 NHL Draft? Instead, they moved the 20th overall slot to the Wild for the picks that turned into Xavier Bourgault (#22) and Luca Muenzenberger (#90). If you’re reading this, you already know that neither of those players is still with the organization.

So to have Jesper Wallstedt roll into Rogers Place for his first career matchup with the Oilers and post a 33-save shutout was annoying on so many levels. First, the Oilers were the better team for wide stretches of that hockey game, and it sure would be nice if they could get rewarded for the effort. Second was the fact that Edmonton only gave up a single goal and still managed to lose the game. You win in that situation nine times out of ten. It’s a bummer. And finally, how can you not be annoyed by the aforementioned draft miss shutting the Oilers out at home? How can you not wonder what it would be like to see your goalie post four shutouts in his last six starts? Given all the noise about goaltending in the market these days, having Wallstedt throw down a performance like that was a handful of sand to the eyes that none of us needed. We’re already going through it enough with having to watch the sins of the last administration come back to kick us while we’re down.

I know everyone in the comments is going to tag me for asking if Stuart Skinner is heating up because he just gave up four goals on eight shots to the Dallas Stars, but I legitimately think it’s a worthy question. Including the .958 save percentage he posted last night against the Wild on 24 shots, Skinner has posted a .921 save% or better in three of his last four starts. Those are the numbers we want, and Skinner has a history of going on runs in the regular season where he looks like a top-10 goaltender. Could three quality starts in his last four be the start of something similar? Dare to dream? Regardless of whether you think our current tandem can get things done, this is the situation we’re in for the time being. And that has me Hope Will Never Dieing my way into looking for even the smallest of wins. I’m hoping I found one.

Connor Clattenburg hasn’t planned a ton of minutes in his four games with the Oilers, but I’ll be damned if they haven’t been impactful. For the number of times you notice the kid when he’s on the ice, you’d think he was playing more than he is, but then you connect that he’s just making the most of his opportunities. Clattenburg plays like every shift is his last — you never know with a call-up like him — and I know I’m not the only one who appreciates the way he’s causing chaos. The Oilers need more shit disturbers in their lineup, and their fifth-round pick from 2024 seems more than willing to oblige. We’ve been begging for guys to play with emotion consistently, and I like having a guy around that you never have to ask.

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