Remember when we all celebrated the Edmonton Oilers' first third consecutive win of the season? Well, here lies their third consecutive loss. We all saw you coming.
It seems that no matter how much the Oilers talk about playing the right way, they just can't. They lost to the Calgary Flames tonight—one of the worst teams in the league—and instead of heading into the Olympic break on a high note, feeling good about what the rest of the season has to offer, they'll head in frustrated and disappointed, still figuring it out.
It's silly, but the difference in mindset is big. Nearly a month off from hockey is a long time to wallow in disappointment and let self-doubt eat away at you. And honestly? Maybe it's exactly what they deserve.
Or maybe they'll shift their perspective. See a light at the end of the tunnel, or whatever. Maybe that's what they need—a hard reset, some time away from the grind, and a chance to figure out why they keep talking about structure but can't execute it when it matters.
"We have to use the break," Tristan Jarry said. "I think that's the whole point of it. We have most of the team, so we'll be able to establish some good practices. We'll be able to get some rest, a little bit of a reset, and I think just coming back, we'll be able to work on some of those things that we might not have been able to just with the condensed schedule. I think ultimately, it'll do everyone good."
That's the hope, anyway. The Oilers have been inconsistent all season. They'll look like a Cup contender one night, then lose to Calgary the next. They talk about playing smart, disciplined hockey, but then they give up breakaways, fail to kill penalties, and make defensive mistakes that cost them games.
Kris Knoblauch echoed the same sentiment — the break is necessary, and maybe it'll give them the time to regroup.
"It looks like we need a little break right now," Knoblauch said. "We can reset. We've got this time to refocus and make any adjustments we want. The coaches have a long time to look at and evaluate what we want to do. We've got a little mini training camp coming back when we've got about a week to go, so we can focus on things that we need to get better at or any changes that we need to make."
A mini training camp. Time to evaluate. Time to refocus. It all sounds good in theory. But the Oilers have had plenty of time to figure this out already, and they're still making the same mistakes.
Jarry took some responsibility for the loss, even though the goals he gave up weren't all his fault.
"It's tough," Jarry said. "I think I could have made some more saves. I think ultimately, if I can keep that game at two, we come out with a better outcome. I think I could have played better at the start, and I think that'll be the case going forward."
He's being hard on himself, which is what goalies do. But Knoblauch didn't think Jarry was the problem.
"I don't think there was anything bad about [Jarry's] game tonight," Knoblauch said. "We gave up four. The first one, the timing on that screen is very difficult to save. The point shots. There's a puck bouncing around. I don't know. The other one was a breakaway, so I don't think those were bad goals."
Knoblauch's right. The Oilers gave up too much. They didn't play the structured, disciplined game they claim they need to. They gave Calgary chances they shouldn't have, and Calgary capitalized. That's not on Jarry. That's on the team.
But here's the frustrating part: this has been the story all season. The Oilers know what they need to do. They talk about it constantly. But when it's time to execute, they fall short. They give up odd-man rushes. They turn the puck over in bad spots. They fail to kill penalties. And then they lose games they should win.
So now they head into the Olympic break with three straight losses. No momentum. No confidence. Just questions about why they can't consistently play the hockey they say they want to play.
Maybe the break will help. Maybe the time off, the mini training camp, the chance to reset — maybe all of that will actually make a difference. Maybe they'll come back refreshed, refocused, and ready to execute the systems they've been talking about all year.
Or maybe they'll come back and do the same thing they've been doing all season. Win a few. Lose a few. Talk about structure. Fail to execute it. Rinse and repeat.
The Oilers have the talent to be a winning team. But talent doesn't win championships. Consistency does. Structure does. And right now, the Oilers don't have either.
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