Flat.

Uninspired.

Anemic.

Bland.

Dreadful.

There are hundreds of adjectives that would easily describe the Edmonton Oilers’ performance in their ugly 9-1 loss to Colorado, but the aforementioned words aptly describe much of this season as well. The Oilers have only won six of their first 16 games — only St. Louis, Buffalo, Nashville and Calgary have lower winning percentages. Edmonton has lacked energy and will. They’ve lost too many battles, aren’t willing to go to the ugly areas regularly and their goalies aren’t making enough saves.

All facets of their game have been lacking, and on Saturday, all their warts and weaknesses were exposed. The Oilers haven’t been competitive or consistent enough for over a month. They’ve blown six multi-goal leads in their first 15 games. Their goaltending is dreadful, their defensive coverage abysmal, and their five-on-five offense is putrid.

The numbers don’t lie.

They are 27th in goals for at 5×5.

They are 30th in goals against 5×5.

They are 19th in goals scored per game.

They are 27th in goals against per game.

Their 5×5 shooting percentage is 28th.

Their 5×5 save percentage is 31st.

You can’t single out one player or one position as the reason they are tied with Vancouver for 12th in the Western Conference. Some will blame Stuart Skinner or Darnell Nurse or Trent Frederic, but that is just blind rage. No doubt those three can play better, but if you think they are the only ones playing below their standards, you might also be the person who purchases late-night-TV exercise equipment because they will get you in shape.

Many individuals have struggled, and because of that, the team is struggling.

“You don’t need every guy playing at their absolute best, this is not the time for that,” said Draisaitl. “But you need a B+ game from everyone and if you have a B+ game from most guys and some guys are playing great then you start to look like a team and build momentum. You have different heroes every night, it changes, as not everyone plays their A game every night. We need more consistency in our B+ game.”

That is a fair and accurate comment. You won’t be great every night, and you don’t need to be until the playoffs, but most players need their B+ games, and very few have brought that level of play most nights. Each player has different skills, different abilities and different jobs. If you are scorer, you need to score. If you’re a defender, you need to defend. If you are supposed to bring energy, then get engaged. If you are relied on to make a stop, then make a timely one.

Stuart Skinner feels there are specific areas he can improve.

“Obviously I didn’t like that second goal last game, but I have a lot of work to do,” said Skinner. “I have to make some timely saves. Some saves when we do give up a breakaway I have to be the guy to come up with a save. In Dallas, you have to come up with a shootout save and maybe we get the extra point. There are all these little things that, especially as a goaltender when you get the chance to bail out your team or make the timely save, it can cost you one point or two points.”

Skinner didn’t like the second goal, nor did his coach or the fans. And rightfully so — he needs to make that save. He also robbed Nathan MacKinnon late in the first period on a Colorado 5-on-3, and then he made another big save early in the second period on Artturi Lehkonen early in the second period, but Edmonton couldn’t respond. The second goal is what many remember.

And that is part of being a goalie and Skinner knows it.

“Nobody remembers the big saves, normally, they remember the goals against. I, also, remember the goals against (smiles), and I remember some saves, but that is life of a goalie. Every goalie knows what it feels like to let in a tough squeaker, even though the rest of the game you played well, and then everyone thinks you suck. Wins are all that matter. Just make key saves that can help you win.”

Make key saves. Score a timely goal. Make a momentum-changing hit or defensive play. It all adds up and right now the Oilers don’t have enough players contributing positively.

— “Sometimes it is easier to get really whacked across the face instead of pitty-pattying around for the next couple weeks and you win one, lose two and you never find it. We have to respond,” said Leon Draisaitl.

— The Oilers don’t have one player in the top 120 scorers at 5×5. Not one. McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Vasily Podkolzin and Jake Walman each have six points. Walman has only played 10 games, and he’s tied for the team lead.

— McDavid and Draisaitl rank first and third in TOI/GP at 5×5 among all NHL forwards, yet they are 270th and 243rd respectively in points/60. Their leaders haven’t been close to good enough at 5×5, where the majority of the game is played. “It’s been flat — that starts with me as a leader,” said McDavid yesterday after practice. “There has maybe not been enough energy, not enough emotion, and we have to find a way to bring some of that into the game.”

— I asked Draisaitl about the Oilers’ struggles offensively 5×5. “It starts with your top guys. I can only speak for myself. It has not been the start I like for myself. I look to myself first, and I need to be better and tonight is a good chance to flip that around,” he said. He and McDavid have six points each at 5×5 — well below their usual production.

— The harsh truth in the NHL is that you are only as good as your best players. Depth is a necessity to go deep in the playoffs, but the best players, who play the most minutes, impact the outcome the most. The Oilers’ two best forwards haven’t been good enough 5×5. The depth players haven’t either, but depth doesn’t carry the team. The Florida Panthers are without their two best forwards, and their depth guys can’t replace them, thus the Panthers are struggling. They are 28th in offence. When Barkov and Tkachuk are in the lineup, the depth guys get pushed down and play competition equal to their skill.

— The Oilers’ depth players have no identity. What do they bring if they aren’t scoring? — And they aren’t scoring much. Trent Frederic has started to hit in the past seven games, tallying 27, but how much energy and emotion has he brought? How many scrums has he been involved in? How many times has he initiated some emotion and energy and forced the opposition to respond? His claim that no one will fight him because he only has one goal missed the mark. You can get the other team’s attention by being engaged and playing with an edge. He hasn’t shown much of it.

The rest of the depth forwards haven’t either. If you aren’t scoring, then you need to do something to make an impact in the game. How many other depth forwards have been noticeable often enough? What have Andrew Mangiapane, David Tomášek, Matt Savoie, Adam Henrique, Noah Philp or Isaac Howard done regularly to help the team?

— They might benefit from a few more minutes. The top guys aren’t doing enough in their minutes to help the team win. McDavid and Draisaitl have been excellent on special teams, both on the PK and the PP, but the coach has to at least consider reducing their 5×5 minutes a little bit. They rank first and second in TOI/game in the NHL, but it hasn’t led to victory. The coach can’t keep doing the same thing expecting better results. Reduce their TOI (by a shift or two) and see if it helps. It can’t possibly be worse than Saturday night.

—- Their best defensemen haven’t been close to good enough. Evan Bouchard has no goals 5×5 and only four points. He’s also been outscored 14-6. Some will try and look at xGF% to convince themselves he’s playing okay, but that’s like putting lipstick on a pig. Mattias Ekholm has been outscored 18-8. He was on for 49 and 55 goals against at 5×5 the past two seasons, but he’s on pace to be on for 92 goals against this season alone. No player in the NHL has been on for more goal against 5×5 than Ekholm. He’s tied with MacKenzie Weegar, Cam Fowler and Morgan Reilly for the most. The Oilers’ top D pair has underperformed. They need to make better decisions and key moments in the game. If you just wait for their stats to “regress to the mean” the season could be lost. They have to play better. Luck is earned through hard work and smart play.

— Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman need to be better. Walman is taking too many chances with ill-advised pinches, while Nurse has to bring more emotion. The only time he got in anyone’s face this season was in the second game of the year, after Evander Kane rocked Alec Regula. Nurse is the toughest player on the team, but I’ve barely seen any emotion from him. Be a leader and inject some emotion in the team. Play hard. Hit someone. Get mad. Yap at someone and make it uncomfortable for the opposition. I haven’t seen any of that from him.

— Stuart Skinner needs to make a few more timely saves or stop having goals go right through him. He has a horrific .877Sv% and 3.14 GAA in his last eight starts. That isn’t remotely close to acceptable. Do you job and stop more pucks. Calvin Pickard has an .836Sv% and 4.00 GAA in his five starts and six appearances. He needs to make more saves too.

— The only good news for the Oilers is every player on the team is responsible for their record. They can all play better. I don’t buy into the theory they’ve hit rock bottom. It can get worse, if they let it. The only way to turn this around is to play harder. Play smarter. Be more engaged. If they don’t start digging in now, their sluggish first 16 games will quickly become a sluggish 25 games.

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Greaves

Jet Greaves starts in goal. The Blue Jackets have split their games evenly between Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins. Each has made seven starts and their numbers are very similar. Both face a lot of shots. The Blue Jackets are allowing a league-high 32.8 shots against/game.

The Blue Jackets are battling illness. Sean Monahan, Cole Sillinger, Miles Wood and Mathieu Olivier did not skate this morning. Dean Evason said they’d have a few lineup changes tonight, but won’t know who until close to puck drop. Monahan was banged up a few games ago, but he did play in Vancouver, but clearly he isn’t fully healthy yet. They have Isac Lundestrom and Zach Aston-Reece as their 13th and 14th forwards and both could draw in tonight. Former Edmonton Oil Kings D-man, Dyson Mayo is their 7th D-man and he’s a possibility as well.

Columbus has outscored teams 33-28 at 5×5, but their special teams have cost them. Their PK is awful at 70.7% allowing 12 goals on 41 kills while their powerplay only has five goals in 34 chances (14.7%). The Blue Jackets have had the fewest PP chances/game in the NHL at 2.43 and their 14.7% PP ranks 29th. A bad combination.

GAME DAY PREDICTION: Oilers have shown time and time again they can rebound after a pitiful performance. It isn’t a dominant performance, but they win 4-2.

OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: McDavid picks up two points. He’s averaged 1.89 pts/GP in 18 games (34 points) heading into this game.

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Edmonton outscores Columbus 5×5. The Oilers have only outscored opponents twice at 5×5 this season. They outscored the Rangers 1-0 and the Mammoth 5-3.