That was painful, huh? After falling to the Dallas Stars in a 4-3 heartbreaker on Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers were back in action against the Seattle Kraken and looking to get back in the win column. Unfortunately, what actually happened was the complete opposite of that. Instead of beating the Kraken for a 10th straight time, the Oilers got demolished by a 6-1 final score. Yikes.

I’m starting this morning’s article with a positive note about Olivier Rodrigue making his NHL debut because there really wasn’t much else worth talking about from Thursday’s debacle in Seattle. So, instead of dwelling on how annoying last night’s loss was to suffer through, I’m choosing to give some love to a young man who just made his NHL dream come true. After Pickard got shelled with five straight goals in the second period, Rodrigue got the nod to man the crease for the final 20 minutes, and I thought he performed very well under the circumstances. I mean, the team in front of him was a total disaster.

Yet, despite a handful of quality chances and a team defence as sieve-like as I’ve ever seen, Rodrigue made some big saves to do what he could to stop the bleeding. Even on the goal that beat him, the biggest problem on the play was not what Rodrigue did or didn’t do but rather the spotty coverage by the team in front of him. And while you may scoff at me praising the kid for a .875 save percentage, the reality was that he was the better of our two goalies against the Kraken, and that’s a little something worth celebrating for the second-round pick from 2018. And while we don’t know how long Rodrigue will be hanging around or if we’ll see him again this season, I still wanted to give the kid a quick pat on the back for playing pretty well despite a horrible situation to be thrown into.

If I told you that the Oilers only scored a single goal in Seattle and also that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl weren’t in the lineup, your first guess on who scored would be Zach Hyman, right? And as he’s done his entire tenure in Edmonton, Zachary Martin Hyman scores goals by outworking everyone else and getting to the greasy areas on the ice, precisely what led to the lipstick on the pig goal he scored against the Kraken. And since I’m trying to be as positive as possible when everything seems to be going sideways, how could I not mention Hyman’s 26th goal of the season?

Wednesday’s game against Dallas was Hyman’s 300th as an Oiler, and all the guy has done since he got here is find ways to contribute. Even when the goals aren’t going in for him, you can never question Hyman’s effort, and I appreciate that even more on nights which are as painful as last night’s game. Frankly, Hyman’s teammates could learn a thing or two about the incessant compete levels that ZMH brings on a nightly basis, and I wish there were some magic wand we could wave to ingrain that hustle in the other 17 skaters he’s playing with. Thanks for scoring again, Zach. Because of you, we can at least say we weren’t shut out.

What can I say about last night’s game that hasn’t already been said? It was another embarrassing loss on the pile for a team that was supposed to have Stanley Cup aspirations. Yet, as I typed that last sentence out, the Hope Will Never Die side of me can’t help but note that the team we watched was missing some massive pieces in their lineup. So, I don’t know how to react apart from feeling bummed out about the loss and mad that we all wasted our time watching it.

So, where do we go from here? It’s a great question and one that I certainly don’t have an answer to. All I know for sure is that we’ve got 10 games left on the schedule for this team to get healthy and get its shit together. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but I can tell you right now that the losses are piling up, and the Oilers keep sliding down the Pacific Division standings at an alarming rate. While I still believe we’ll firmly be in the playoffs when all is said and done, I’m not so confident in predicting what position that will be.

1. Thank the Gords that game is over.

2. Did anybody else have a shiver run down your back when you saw that Troy Stetcher was listed as a forward? Can’t just be me, right?

3. Looking at the special teams, the Oilers got beat at both ends of the rink. The power play didn’t get much of anything done on their four chances with the man advantage, while the PK didn’t fare much better after allowing one goal in four shorthanded situations.

4. There was a room full of people at OEG that dead ass looked at each other and decided this team didn’t need to find a goaltender. Amazing. And this isn’t a shot at Calvin Pickard, but the reality is that we shouldn’t be expecting him to come in and save our season either. The goaltending issue falls squarely on management, and with that in mind, I’m not going to throw the guy under the bus.

6. John Klingberg got into his first game since March 4th against Anaheim, and to put it delicately, he looked… rusty.

7. A huge thank you to everyone who came out to Greta last night despite the horrible game and weather. It’s always great when we get to have Nation Citizens in the same room, and if there’s one thing we do best, it’s suffer through the pain together. Thank you, Nation!

8. I’m sorry to say it, friends, but I can’t even give you a faceoff wins silver lining this morning. Instead, I must regrettably inform you that the Oilers won only 43.3% of the faceoffs.

We’re beyond excited to announce our latest partnership with Odd Company Brewing to bring you the all-new Nation Beer Everyday Lager! Whether you’re watching the big game, chilling with friends, or just kicking back after a long day, this crisp, refreshing lager is the perfect choice. It’s the brew you can count on anytime, anywhere. So, why not make it your next game-day tradition? Nation Beer Everyday Lager is available now at Odd Company Brewing and through Liquor Connect. Don’t miss out—grab yours today and take your beer game to the next level! Cheers, Nation Citizens!