Two primetime games on this trip through Eastern Canada, two losses for the Edmonton Oilers.

First up, the Oilers blew a lead against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada before falling 4-3 in overtime. They followed that with a lacklustre effort in Montreal on Amazon&#8217;s Monday Night Hockey on Prime, getting blanked 3-0 by a Habs team nowhere close to playoff contention.
Whether it&#8217;s a Stanley Cup Final hangover or holes on the roster that need to be addressed, the Oilers need to figure things out soon. This time last year, they were in the midst of a three-game losing streak and came out of it with an eight-game heater that rocketed them up the standings.
When American Thanksgiving rolls around next week, we can&#8217;t say &#8220;It&#8217;s early&#8221; anymore.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
U.S. Thanksgiving remains reliable playoff barometer ⤵️<a href="https://t.co/AchF6SpztU">https://t.co/AchF6SpztU</a>
&mdash; NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLdotcom/status/1858880410618298684?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Though the game in Toronto on Saturday saw the wheels fall off the Oilers in the third period following a strong effort, Monday&#8217;s match in Montreal didn&#8217;t feature the same type of energy from Edmonton. <a href="https://www.naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20242025&amp;game=20290">According to Natural Stat Trick</a>, the Oilers managed just four high-danger scoring chances at even-strength against the Habs, well below the average of 12.3 high-danger chances they&#8217;ve been averaging per game this season.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-164603" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20242025-20290-5v5.png" alt="" width="803" height="422" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20242025-20290-5v5.png 803w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20242025-20290-5v5-300x158.png 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20242025-20290-5v5-768x404.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 803px) 100vw, 803px" />
During last season&#8217;s eight- and 16-game winning streaks and the run through the playoffs in the spring, the Oilers learned what sort of effort is needed to be the last team standing. Through nearly one-quarter of this season, we&#8217;ve seen a team that thinks they can cruise through opponents with exhibition game effort more often than we&#8217;ve seen a team that&#8217;s willing to grind for a win.
That wasn&#8217;t enough last year and it won&#8217;t be enough this year, especially when the Oilers are a measuring stick team for the rest of the league.
<h2>What they said&#8230;</h2>
Head coach Kris Knoblauch on the style of game the Habs executed&#8230;
<blockquote>&#8220;A lot of credit to them defending and keeping us out to the outside, but we can work for our chances too. Whether it&#8217;s making a few more passes, not turning the puck over the blueline, or getting a little more presence around the net. There&#8217;s some stuff that we can do a little bit better, but a lot of credit to Montreal, because they did a lot of good things.&#8221;
&#8220;We had a lot of possession time, but a lot on the perimeter, especially in the second period. It was a lot of time in the offensive zone, but we really didn&#8217;t generate very much. They didn&#8217;t give us many chances. I don&#8217;t think we had our first five-on-five chance until the second half of that period, so as good as it looked, we really didn&#8217;t have many opportunities to score.&#8221;</blockquote>
Derek Ryan on Edmonton&#8217;s effort against Montreal&#8230;
<blockquote>“I thought we played hard, I thought we controlled a lot of the puck. We had some time in the offensive zone but maybe a little bit too much perimeter. We’ve got to find some ways to get on the interior parts of the ice. Battles in front of the net, some second and thirds, that’s where you score goals when you’re struggling to score.”</blockquote>
Mattias Ekholm on the Oilers missing the injured Darnell Nurse&#8230;
<blockquote>“He’s a leader on our team and he plays with an edge. He’s a huge part of this team so obviously we’ll miss him and hopefully he’ll be back soon, but we’ve got guys that can step in and do a good job.”
“We’re obviously not scoring at the rate that we usually do now. And when you don’t, and things aren’t going your way, that’s when you’ve got to go back to your fundamentals and just play it simple.”</blockquote>
Montreal goaltender Sam Montembault on his 30-save shutout&#8230;
<blockquote>“Going into the game you, know [the Oilers] can make you pay if you make a little mistake. I’m pretty proud of everybody’s job today. We blocked some shots, [David] Savard got a few big blocks in the third. [Kaiden] Guhle, too, in the first, and then he came back and scored a big goal in the third.&#8221;
&#8220;I’m just really proud of the way we played tonight. The last few games we took a really good step in the right direction defensively and now we’ve just got to be consistent with it.”</blockquote>
<h2>PRESENTED BY ALBERTA BLUE CROSS</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-160239 size-full" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/ABC_Logo_Stacked_RGB_Cyan.png" alt="" width="380" height="117" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/ABC_Logo_Stacked_RGB_Cyan.png 380w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/ABC_Logo_Stacked_RGB_Cyan-300x92.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px" />
Don’t let the hassles and risks of travel keep you from making connections that matter. From lost baggage and trip cancellation to medical emergencies, Alberta Blue Cross has you covered on every adventure. Best of all, Flight Delay Service is included. Travel worry-free with travel insurance from Alberta Blue Cross and get access to 24/7 assistance if you need it. If you’re traveling to the U.S. – you’ll get access to one of their largest healthcare networks which provides direct payment to hospitals. This means you won’t have to pay medical expenses out of pocket. Protect your next trip today at <a href="http://ab.bluecross.ca/travel" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://ab.bluecross.ca/travel&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1725719770830000&amp;usg=AOvVaw34YLFUMLPu_6qaXl_jpfuw">ab.bluecross.ca/travel</a>.

Two primetime games on this trip through Eastern Canada, two losses for the Edmonton Oilers.



First up, the Oilers blew a lead against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada before falling 4-3 in overtime. They followed that with a lacklustre effort in Montreal on Amazon's Monday Night Hockey on Prime, getting blanked 3-0 by a Habs team nowhere close to playoff contention.

Whether it's a Stanley Cup Final hangover or holes on the roster that need to be addressed, the Oilers need to figure things out soon. This time last year, they were in the midst of a three-game losing streak and came out of it with an eight-game heater that rocketed them up the standings.

When American Thanksgiving rolls around next week, we can't say "It's early" anymore.

https://twitter.com/NHLdotcom/status/1858880410618298684

Though the game in Toronto on Saturday saw the wheels fall off the Oilers in the third period following a strong effort, Monday's match in Montreal didn't feature the same type of energy from Edmonton. <a href="https://www.naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20242025&amp;game=20290">According to Natural Stat Trick</a>, the Oilers managed just four high-danger scoring chances at even-strength against the Habs, well below the average of 12.3 high-danger chances they've been averaging per game this season.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-164603" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20242025-20290-5v5.png" alt="" width="803" height="422" />

During last season's eight- and 16-game winning streaks and the run through the playoffs in the spring, the Oilers learned what sort of effort is needed to be the last team standing. Through nearly one-quarter of this season, we've seen a team that thinks they can cruise through opponents with exhibition game effort more often than we've seen a team that's willing to grind for a win.

That wasn't enough last year and it won't be enough this year, especially when the Oilers are a measuring stick team for the rest of the league.
<h2>What they said...</h2>
Head coach Kris Knoblauch on the style of game the Habs executed...
<blockquote>"A lot of credit to them defending and keeping us out to the outside, but we can work for our chances too. Whether it's making a few more passes, not turning the puck over the blueline, or getting a little more presence around the net. There's some stuff that we can do a little bit better, but a lot of credit to Montreal, because they did a lot of good things."

"We had a lot of possession time, but a lot on the perimeter, especially in the second period. It was a lot of time in the offensive zone, but we really didn't generate very much. They didn't give us many chances. I don't think we had our first five-on-five chance until the second half of that period, so as good as it looked, we really didn't have many opportunities to score."</blockquote>
Derek Ryan on Edmonton's effort against Montreal...
<blockquote>“I thought we played hard, I thought we controlled a lot of the puck. We had some time in the offensive zone but maybe a little bit too much perimeter. We’ve got to find some ways to get on the interior parts of the ice. Battles in front of the net, some second and thirds, that’s where you score goals when you’re struggling to score.”</blockquote>
Mattias Ekholm on the Oilers missing the injured Darnell Nurse...
<blockquote>“He’s a leader on our team and he plays with an edge. He’s a huge part of this team so obviously we’ll miss him and hopefully he’ll be back soon, but we’ve got guys that can step in and do a good job.”

“We’re obviously not scoring at the rate that we usually do now. And when you don’t, and things aren’t going your way, that’s when you’ve got to go back to your fundamentals and just play it simple.”</blockquote>
Montreal goaltender Sam Montembault on his 30-save shutout...
<blockquote>“Going into the game you, know [the Oilers] can make you pay if you make a little mistake. I’m pretty proud of everybody’s job today. We blocked some shots, [David] Savard got a few big blocks in the third. [Kaiden] Guhle, too, in the first, and then he came back and scored a big goal in the third."

"I’m just really proud of the way we played tonight. The last few games we took a really good step in the right direction defensively and now we’ve just got to be consistent with it.”</blockquote>
<h2>PRESENTED BY ALBERTA BLUE CROSS</h2>
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-160239 size-full" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/ABC_Logo_Stacked_RGB_Cyan.png" alt="" width="380" height="117" />

Don’t let the hassles and risks of travel keep you from making connections that matter. From lost baggage and trip cancellation to medical emergencies, Alberta Blue Cross has you covered on every adventure. Best of all, Flight Delay Service is included. Travel worry-free with travel insurance from Alberta Blue Cross and get access to 24/7 assistance if you need it. If you’re traveling to the U.S. – you’ll get access to one of their largest healthcare networks which provides direct payment to hospitals. This means you won’t have to pay medical expenses out of pocket. Protect your next trip today at <a href="http://ab.bluecross.ca/travel" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://ab.bluecross.ca/travel&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1725719770830000&amp;usg=AOvVaw34YLFUMLPu_6qaXl_jpfuw">ab.bluecross.ca/travel</a>.

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