After beginning January by playing nine games in nine different cities, the Edmonton Oilers finished off the month and entered February on a season-long six-game homestand.
The stretch at home started with a challenge as Connor McDavid was handed a three-game suspension for cross-checking. The Oilers fell to the league-leading Washington Capitals and then rebounded with wins over the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres without their captain.
Edmonton took down the Seattle Kraken in McDavid’s return to the lineup, putting the team on a three-game winning streak. That streak was shattered when they fell in the shootout to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday and it turned into a losing streak following Saturday’s frustrating loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
All told, the Oilers went 3-2-1 across their six-game homestand, an underwhelming result considering how they went 7-2-0 through a difficult travel schedule earlier in the month.
It felt like an away game on Saturday the way Toronto and their fans took over in the first period. The Leafs scored three times in the first frame to grab an early 3-0 lead and the “Go Leafs Go” chant from the blue jerseys at Rogers Place drowned out anything from the copper and blue faithful.
The Oilers cut the lead to 3-1 with a strong second period but gave it right back at the beginning of the third. The team came out asleep at the wheel and Mitch Marner was able to slice through everyone and bury a goal on Stuart Skinner that put Toronto up by three again.
“It was just one of those nights. We might have been overzealous to get playing and it shuts our brains off,” veteran winger Corey Perry said after the game. “Just those little details in the game that matter and come back to haunt you. A couple of turnovers led to penalties against and then their power play went to work. We eliminate those turnovers and I think we would’ve had a better start.”
Zach Hyman and Perry scored later in the third period to bring the score to 4-3. It looked like the Oilers tied the game late in regulation time but Leon Draisaitl’s goal was taken back because John Klingberg had gone offside earlier in the play.
“At the end of the day, it’s offside. That’s the rule and we obviously have to live with that,” Draisaitl said. “Sometimes, it’s unfortunate that it’s centimetres.”
For Edmonton, it’s a sour way to end what appeared to be a promising homestand. The team dropped a couple of winnable games and they’re now tied with the Vegas Golden Knights at the top of the Pacific Division with the same amount of games played.
The Oilers will hit the road next week for a back-to-back against the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks and then they’ll return home to face the Colorado Avalanche before the league shuts down for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
