The Blue Jackets haven’t won once on this road trip. They’re limping into Rogers Place looking for anything resembling a confidence boost, and if the Oilers hand them that gift-wrapped opportunity? It’s not just two points lost. It’s validation of every criticism that’s been lobbed at this team all season.

“Obviously last game was a huge loss. It really took us down a touch,” began Stuart Skinner. “It’s time for us to really have a bounce back game here and get committed to working for each other.”

And they’ll have to do it without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

The Oilers announced that the veteran forward won’t play tonight (undisclosed injury), which means Edmonton loses exactly the kind of player that makes nights like this manageable. No highlight-reel plays, just the defensive zone positioning that prevents odd-man rushes. The smart stick checks. The penalty killing. The 19 minutes of steady, reliable hockey that lets the stars be stars. That’s what’s missing from the lineup card tonight.

Here’s the thing about rock bottom: you don’t announce when you’ve hit it—unless you’re Kris Knoblauch, hoping it is—you don’t schedule a press conference to declare “This is it, folks—redemption starts now.” You just start climbing. And for the Oilers, that climb has to begin tonight, against a team they absolutely should beat.

Should. That word has haunted Edmonton all year. They should have better goaltending numbers. They should have more secondary scoring. They should be able to close out games without collapsing defensively in the third period. But hockey doesn’t care about “should.” It cares about what actually happens when the puck drops.

“It’s all about responding, right? So we got to get ready for tonight and create a game that is what we’re all about and what we want to be about,” said Leon Draisaitl. “Sometimes it’s easier to get really whacked across the face than pitter-pattering around for another couple of weeks. Win one, lose two, and sometimes you never really find it.
“So sometimes a slap across the face is just what you need. And again, we gotta respond.”

The reality is brutal: losing to Columbus tonight—a team desperate for their first road win of the trip—would be worse than any of the embarrassing defeats that came before it. At least those losses came against teams playing well. This would be handing points to a struggling opponent and confirming every doubt about whether this roster has the character to dig itself out.

But that’s also why tonight matters. Redemption isn’t about the statement games against contenders. It’s about handling your business when everything inside you wants to press the panic button. It’s about showing up against the Blue Jackets and playing the kind of disciplined, focused hockey that doesn’t make highlights but absolutely makes teams work.

The Oilers need to stop searching for the perfect game and start stacking competent ones. Win the faceoffs. Clear the defensive zone. Don’t give up odd-man rushes. Score the garbage goals. Do the unsexy things that winning teams do every single night, regardless of the opponent’s record.

Connor McDavid can’t save this team by himself. Leon Draisaitl can’t either. What saves this season is 18 skaters and a goaltender all committing to the same standard, regardless of who they’re playing. It’s caring just as much about beating Columbus as you would about beating Colorado.

“We just have to be better,” continued Draisaitl. “It’s very simple. We have to be better. It has to come from us; there’s only so much the coaches can do. It is on the players only, and we just have to be better. It’s very simple; there is no magic pill to this. Every single guy just has to be better. You just need a B+ game from everyone; not everyone plays their A game every night.
“So we need more B+ games from everyone consistently.”

Tonight isn’t about making a statement to the hockey world. It’s about making a promise to each other: that the embarrassment ends here, that the excuses stop now, that every game—even against a winless-on-the-road Blue Jackets team—gets the same respect and preparation.

Redemption doesn’t start with a win over a contender. It starts with not losing to the teams you should beat. It starts tonight, even without Nugent-Hopkins. And if the Oilers can’t figure that out? Then this season might already be beyond saving.