The Edmonton Oilers kicked off their five-game road trip with a win over the Rangers on Tuesday night, and now the task is to keep the good times rolling against the winless New York Islanders. The Isles carried a minus-six goal differential into Thursday’s matchup with the Oilers — they’d nearly been outscored two-to-one through their first three games — and I was looking for our boys to do everything possible to kick a struggling team while they’re down. Unfortunately, it was the Oilers that looked like they were the ones down in the dumps because they sure did do everything possible to shoot themselves in the foot en route to a disappointing 4-2 loss.

It was a tough night for Evan Bouchard, no two ways about it. From the opening puck drop to the final buzzer, Bouch looked like he was fighting the puck on nearly every touch, and those mistakes proved costly on more than a few occasions. First, there were the early giveaways in the first period that Stuart Skinner was gracious enough to erase for him. Then came the brutal turnover on Mat Barzal’s opener, followed by a rough read on Bo Horvat’s shortie that didn’t do him any favours either.

For a guy who’s usually as smooth and confident as they come with the puck, it was jarring to watch him turn it over like Santa at a Christmas raffle. Every pass seemed too short or too long, every read had hints of hesitation. You could almost feel the tension (read: rage) building every time he had a shift go sideways. There were plenty of them, which isn’t ideal for a defenceman logging north of 24 minutes. Normally Bouch does a decent job of settling down after a mistake, but the yips seemed to compound this time.

And yet, that’s hockey. It’s tough in these streets. Even very good players have nights where nothing clicks and it looks like the universe is imploding around them, and that’s the only way to describe it. The only other comparison that comes to mind is that Simpsons scene where Sideshow Bob keeps stepping on rakes — a full-on calamity. Bouchard’s an elite offensive defenceman who’s come through for this team plenty of times, but Thursday’s game on Long Island is one to leave swirling the bowl.

If anything, it’s a reminder of how vital his composure and puck-moving ability are to the Oilers’ entire system. When he’s off, everything downstream starts to wobble and chaos follows. I’m a big Evan Bouchard fan, but it would be disingenuous not to say what everyone’s thinking. He was bad. He’ll bounce back, but this one? Yeah, let’s just file it under “rough nights at the office” and move on. Dad needs to be better. He knows that. And the good news about this being game number three? There’s plenty of time for improvement.

According to the NHL box score, the Oilers had 17 giveaways against the Islanders. That number feels incredibly generous, don’t you think? The guys were coughing the puck up like giving your opponents free chances to score was the point of the game. Maybe the stat counter nodded off, went for coffee, or had a bad press-row hot dog, because Edmonton was handing out pucks like door prizes. Remember when Oprah gave her whole audience a new car? It was like that.

All night long, it felt like the Islanders were being gifted extra possessions in prime scoring spots, and it was almost a miracle they didn’t convert on more of them. Zone exits looked like a coin flip, passes were an adventure, and the result was often Stuart Skinner left scrambling to jump on the grenade. In the first period alone, it could’ve easily been a two- or three-goal lead for New York. Frankly, having the game tied after 20 minutes was a gift.

What made it all the more painful is that the Oilers did this to themselves, and it was the second straight game in New York where it happened. While I thought they were more flat than sloppy against the Rangers, the loss to the Islanders was the product of playing pre-season-style hockey. This wasn’t a case of getting outclassed or overwhelmed, instead the Oilers were tripping over their own feet at every turn. They weren’t the well-oiled machine we expect against the Islanders, they looked like a one-legged man in a three-legged race.

You could’ve told me the boys were all coming off a night at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show after-party and I’d have believed you, because they didn’t look anywhere close to firing on all cylinders. Sloppy, disconnected, and far too casual with the puck, the Oilers spent most of the night making life way too easy for the Islanders, and they paid the price for it with an avoidable loss. Credit to New York for taking advantage, but you’ll have a hard time convincing me the Oilers didn’t do it to themselves.

If there’s one bright spot to pull from that mess, it’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the absolute laser he ripped past David Rittich midway through the second period. At the 8:53 mark of the middle frame, Nuge took a pass from Ty Emberson, walked into the zone, and sniped a clean shot over Rittich’s shoulder on the glove-hand side. That shot was a laser. A quick release with perfect placement and zero hesitation. Pew!

For a team that couldn’t hang onto the puck to save its life, seeing him bury that one felt like it might’ve been the turning point, even though Edmonton’s 2-1 lead lasted less than 10 minutes. As they tend to do in a loss like this, the boys filled us with hope before the rug gets pulled out soon after. But since the first 900 words of this article were basically me complaining, it feels right to end with the kind of silver lining only Ryan Nugent-Hopkins can provide.

Even better, it’s another positive sign in what’s shaping up to be a strong start for No. 93. With four points in four games and two goals already in the bank, he already looks more engaged offensively than he did to open last season. If you remember, RNH went through long goal droughts in 2024-25, and it was almost a miracle he still wound up with his sixth 20-goal campaign. He wasn’t shooting enough last year, but so far, he’s snapping the puck on net.

I don’t want to count my chickens too early, but a little dose of early confidence feels like exactly what my man needs to avoid another slow start. Because if he can keep chipping in goals with any regularity, the Oilers will be in much better shape long term. They need Nuge clicking, and they need him clicking often. And if Thursday’s finish was any indication, our beloved king is getting off on the right foot.