We made it to Vancouver for the Nation Vacation, and last night, we got together as a group to watch the Oilers take on the Kraken. Unfortunately, it did not go our way. Unfortunately, the same mistakes kept coming up over and over again. Oilers lose, and it’s hard to argue that it wasn’t deserved.

It’s almost cruel how familiar Jordan Eberle’s shot still looks when it burns the Oilers. Both of his goals against Edmonton were quick shots from in tight that beat Stuart Skinner down low and up over the shoulder. The guy rips the pill. And as much as it was the least surprising news ever that Eberle would be the one to burn the Oilers, that didn’t make it any less painful to watch him do it. I know he hasn’t been an Oiler in years, but that doesn’t mean it’s still not annoying to watch him burn us in tight games like last night. Edmonton makes mistakes, our former friends always seem to burn us for it.

To make matters worse, both of the goals Eberle scored were the direct result of Edmonton mistakes. I wrote about it in the GBD, but playing as sloppy as they have been can only mean bad news, and having it happen night after night is annoying on every level. As much as it’s boring to keep repeating myself in every post-game article, what else am I supposed to say when the same problems keep showing up? A bad turnover here, a blown assignment there, and the next thing you know, the boys put themselves in a hole again. It’s about the small details, and the Kraken took advantage of every inch Edmonton gave them.

Turnovers continue to be the Oilers’ worst enemy, and Saturday night was another painful reminder of how costly that sloppiness can be. It’s one thing to make aggressive plays that don’t pan out, but so many of Edmonton’s giveaways came in situations where there was a chance to make a play only to have it blow up in their faces. Whether it’s a lack of puck support or a blown choices in the defensive zone, those mistakes piled up fast and gave Seattle more chances than they probably deserved. The NHL boxscore said the Oilers had 13 giveaways, but that number certainly seems light from my side of the TV screen.

What makes it even more frustrating is how often these same issues keep popping up, and how it’s nuts how things don’t seem to be improving. There are so many self-inflicted wounds happening on a shift-by-shift basis that it’s hard to make sense of why a team this good can’t seem to figure it out. Every time the Oilers clawed back momentum, another turnover would swing it right back the other way. Until this group starts valuing possession and taking care of the puck, it won’t matter how talented we think the roster is. You simply can’t give away that many free possessions in the NHL and expect to win.

I couldn’t post a recap without talking about the incredible night we had at The Black Frog for our exclusive Nation Vacation viewing party as Edmonton took on Seattle. There’s something truly special about packing into a bar full of Nation Citizens, all wearing blue and orange, cheering every goal, and sharing in the chaos together. The staff couldn’t have been more welcoming, the vibes were electric, and it felt like one of those perfect hockey nights where everyone in the room was part of something bigger than just a game on TV. Whether you were meeting new friends or reconnecting with familiar ones, the energy in that place was everything we could have hoped for and more, and I wanted to take a minute to say thank you again to everyone who joined us.

What always stands out whenever we do these trips is the people. Every time we take off to another city to watch the boys play, it feels like a reunion since so many of the same faces who’ve joined us in Vegas, Toronto, or Nashville are right there again, ready to make new memories. It’s hard to describe how cool this community is unless you’ve experienced it firsthand — the time we spend together is always fantastic — and I could not recommend more why you should join us when we launch the next trip later this year. You can’t help but feel proud seeing how this little corner of the Internet has grown into a family that shows up wherever we go. Nights like this are just constant reminders of how luck we are to do this job. Last night was so much fun, and I cannot wait to see what the group gets up to when we land at Rogers Arena a little later today.

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