A 4-0 loss to the Florida Panthers meant the Edmonton Oilers failed to win their third straight game for the ninth time this season. Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 posted, "Oilers are now 1-9-2 when they have the opportunity to win three games in a row. They've been outscored 47-26 in those games. Another uninspired effort."

How can that be? How does a team like Edmonton, which needs points and wins and to go on a run to finally show they're capable of being a playoff contender, not show up against the team that stopped them from winning the Stanley Cup twice? Some games should be circled on the calendar. This was one of them. 

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"Obviously, we came in with the right mindset, we just couldn't find a way to break them down," said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. These comments were echoed by Darnell Nurse: "I think everyone comes to the rink with the right mindset. This team, we want to win. Every day you show up to the rink, you want to win, you want to compete."

When asked, doesn't the sight of that jersey piss you guys off? "Yeah, we're pissed off. We have all those emotions too," responded Adam Henrique. "Our focus is on those two points this time of year and pushing for the playoffs." 

Considering the lackluster effort the Oilers put forward against a non-playoff Panthers squad -- the defending Stanley Cup Champions, who took Edmonton out two years in a row -- these comments make it seem like the guys all tried, but Florida was just better than the Oilers.

But, for anyone who really watched that game on Thursday night, nothing could be further from the truth.

Yes, the Panthers were better, but Thursday's game was a flat effort from the Oilers. From the opening puck drop, Florida pushed, and Edmonton didn't respond. Some of the same bad habits that the Oilers had seemingly gotten out of their game resurfaced, with poor defensive coverage and an unwillingness to shoot the puck and make the simple play. 

Then came the whopper. The coach excused almost all of it.

"The guys worked really hard. I thought the effort was there; we just couldn't find a way to score a goal," said Kris Knoblauch. Call it defending his team or call it seeing the game through rose-colored glasses, his assessment of what took place on the ice felt very different from how most fans and media saw that performance. 

The game plan should have been simple: don't let the team that beat you twice for the biggest prize in hockey walk all over you. If anything, outwork, out-hit, and outplay them. If you lose, you lose. But don't go down without a fight. The result with the right attitude will be a little retribution -- not nearly enough to make up for the pain caused over the last two years -- and two important points in the standings. 

When asked if this game should have been about a little more than two points and if he felt the pride that was required kicked in from the players, Knoblauch responded:

He finished with, "To evaluate that they dominate us, I think, is an overstatement."

Again, maybe the coach doesn't want to throw his players under the bus. One former NHLer I talked to said he'd like to see a little more of the players protecting each other, and see coaching and management shelter their guys a bit more often from endless scrutiny. Then again, it's been 60-plus games, and the Oilers still haven't figured out how to put a run together, stay focused, and hammer down on what works when things are finally pointing in the right direction.

It's been one step forward and two steps back all season. 

So to hear the coach say he thought the Oilers controlled most of the play and only didn't like the last 10 minutes could speak to what's wrong with this team. 

"Stringing them together is hard in this league, and there's a focus element that we can't get comfortable when we get two in a row, and really put our foot down and get on the gas, and I think build off the way we played a couple nights before," said Nurse. "There's been lots of situations where we put together good hockey and then gave one back."

He remained steadfast in saying the group isn't quitting. "We have a high belief we're going to scrap and claw our way to the end of this thing."

Thursday's effort didn't show that, and the coach didn't seem worried about the Oilers' lack of fight against a Panthers team they should have hated. 

Until the Oilers can find the will to dictate the game against an opponent they owe a beating to -- especially when they're vulnerable like they are this season -- the road to the Stanley Cup will be a challenging one. 

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