The Edmonton Oilers returned home after a seven-game road trip and were completely embarrassed 8-3 by the Dallas Stars, one of their biggest Western Conference rivals.

It was ugly, and so much like that 9-1 beatdown suffered at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 8.

Stuart Skinner lasted 20 minutes on Tuesday against the Stars, allowing four goals on eight shots. Backup Calvin Pickard hardly fared much better. They sure weren’t the only ones to blame. It was a dreadful performance from just about everyone wearing blue and orange. The only positive was 20-year-old rookie Connor Clattenburg scoring his first NHL goal in his second big-league game.

Captain Connor McDavid spoke softly at first, still perplexed by what occurred yet again.

“I don’t know. I don’t have any answers,” McDavid said.

The Oilers just can’t seem to gain any traction. Though there are many reasons for their slow start, they’ve looked nothing like a Stanley Cup contender.

The Oilers have been carried by a few players up front, but defensively, from goaltenders to the blueliners and even some of the forwards, they haven’t been anything close to expected. Edmonton has allowed 95 goals, the most in the league.

“It’s very concerning,” superstar Leon Draisaitl said. “Everything’s concerning, though. We’re nearly 30 games in, and we still don’t seem to have it down or know what we are. I don’t really know what to say. It’s just not good enough from now.”

Perhaps it’s no surprise then that the Oilers are a middling 10-10-5 and out of a playoff spot.

“We’re in an OK position right now,” Draisaitl said. “Not where we want to be, but OK. The time is now — right now — like tomorrow. We’ve got to just be better. It’s very simple.”

The grades in this report card for the team reflect an unbalanced group through 25 games.

GoaltendingStuart Skinner – C-minus

Skinner is the player who’s subject to the most criticism. Anytime there’s something wrong with the Oilers, the first finger is pointed in his direction. There’s a ton of room for improvement for Skinner — his save percentage is .878 — and there’s a commitment to doing so with first-year goalie coach Peter Aubry and biomechanics guru Adam Francilia. There have been some signs of progress at times, but starts like Tuesday’s sully any gains. Some better defending in front of him would sure help.

Calvin Pickard – D-minus

The immensely popular teammate has had a rough first two months of the season. He was gifted a win in the Oilers’ most dominant performance of the season against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 11. His next six appearances ranged from below average to poor. At least Pickard’s last start, on Thursday in Tampa Bay, was excellent. Still, an .851 save percentage means Pickard is on the hot seat to be replaced, whether by Connor Ingram at some point or possibly by an external candidate if that needs to happen quicker.

DefenceTy Emberson – B-minus

This grade is commensurate with expectations. Emberson is giving the Oilers break-even underlying numbers from the No. 6/7 position, providing physicality and usefulness on the penalty kill when called upon.

Evan Bouchard – C-plus

Bouchard’s dreadful start to the season was well documented. He made some terrible turnovers and questionable decisions that resulted in goals against at critical times, which greatly factored into a couple of losses. His offensive contributions were nearly non-existent early on, too. It’s not that Bouchard has been at his absolute best of late — getting outmuscled by Ryan Leonard before the Washington Capitals winger scored stands out — but he has played much better. Bouchard is up to 21 points on the season, and the Oilers own a positive goal share at five-on-five (21-20) with him on the ice, thanks to a 16-9 advantage this month.

Mattias Ekholm – C-minus

There were some inconsistencies in Ekholm’s game in the back half of last season, but playing through illness and injuries had to be considered when evaluating him. He wasn’t able to return to his best form out of the gates, though. His pairing with Bouchard struggled early to the point that they were separated for a brief spell in late October. Then, Ekholm getting walked by Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood was the low point of the season. Like Bouchard, Ekholm has been much better this month, something that provides optimism.

Darnell Nurse – D-plus

Nurse hasn’t been good enough this season. Though his offensive contributions are notable — he has five goals and 10 points — they aren’t enough to offset the deficits that have occurred at the other end of the ice. Nurse’s underlying numbers from the first half of the season to the second are almost identical. All important stats are in the low-to-mid 40 percent range, including goals for and expected goals for. The Oilers need more from their second-pairing blueliner.

Alec Regula – D

Regula impressed in training camp but sustained a concussion in the second game of the season when he was rocked by Evander Kane. He’s been limited to nine games since then. Regula has more to give and more to prove. The Oilers haven’t scored a goal in the 138 minutes he’s skated at five-on-five. They’ve allowed 11.

Jake Walman – D

Walman has been limited to 17 games because of two injury stints, but that’s enough of a sample to evaluate him. He hasn’t formed an effective pairing with Nurse, which contributed to the two players being split up for a bit before his latest injury absence. He’s scored a couple of big goals, but mostly hasn’t looked right when he’s in the lineup.

Brett Kulak – F

There’s no getting around it. This is the worst Kulak has been as an Oiler since he was acquired from Montreal in March 2022. The Oilers have been outscored 24-11 with him on the ice at five-on-five. There’s some bad luck involved, but not that much. Granted, Kulak has played with a slew of partners on the bottom pair, gotten time with Nurse on the right side and seen his ice time vary greatly from game to game. That doesn’t excuse the entirety of his performance, though.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are once again carrying the Oilers. (Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)

ForwardsLeon Draisaitl – A

Draisaitl is doing it all for the Oilers this season. While having more than 14 points at five-on-five would be ideal, at least Draisaitl is helping to keep the puck out of his own net. Draisaitl’s 58.5 goals-for percentage (24-17) is tops on the team.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – A

Nugent-Hopkins was bouncing back nicely from a disappointing season with 16 points in his first 16 games. He was arguably the Oilers’ most consistent forward. However, he’s been stalled by an injury for the last nine games. The good news is he’s expected back soon, likely Saturday against Seattle.

Jack Roslovic – A

What a find Roslovic has been. He was signed in the middle of the season opener and took a while to find his footing, but he has been lights out for the last month. Roslovic’s 10 goals are good for second behind Draisaitl. Better yet, he’s found ways to be productive since Zach Hyman’s return, which has shaved off some of his minutes next to the two superstars.

Connor McDavid – A-minus

McDavid is among the NHL’s scoring leaders after a slow start, he’s playing more than he ever has in his career and he’s providing some excellent penalty killing. The Oilers are outscoring opponents 2-0 with McDavid on the ice in that situation, albeit with the aid of empty nets. He has played 27 minutes, third-most on the PK among forwards. So, why the demerits here? Well, the Oilers are being outscored 24-20 at five-on-five with McDavid on the ice. His expected goals percentage is just barely in the positive range, too.

Vasily Podkolzin – A-minus

Podkolzin continues to make headway as an Oiler, something he has steadily done since being acquired from Vancouver in August 2024. He’s an excellent forechecker, exhibits a physical and positionally sound brand of hockey. He meshes so well with Draisaitl. The only thing holding Podkolzin back is his touch around the net. He has skill — his bank shot off Sergei Bobrovsky on Saturday shows it — but it would be nice if he could produce more than four goals and 10 points from a second-line role.

Matt Savoie – B-plus

Savoie has shown he can hang and make plays with McDavid and Draisaitl. He has been trusted on the penalty kill, used less than only Adam Henrique among forwards. It has been a nice start to his NHL career in a full-time capacity. The next step is finding another level offensively.

Adam Henrique – D

The Oilers are getting some penalty killing and lineup versatility from Henrique, their elder statesman, but not a whole lot else. Henrique hasn’t provided much offence as an Oiler, and that’s not the sole way to judge him. He’ll be graded on how he helps keep the puck out of Edmonton’s net. Right now, the Oilers are in a 14-7 deficit with him on the ice at five-on-five.

Noah Philp – D

Philp is a nice story in that he’s in the early stages of becoming a regular NHLer at 27. He scored a couple of nice goals, too. But he’s a fourth-line centre who owns a 23 percent goal share and a 36 percent expected goals percentage.

David Tomasek – D

The Oilers banked on Tomasek providing some offensive punch at 29 after leading the Swedish Hockey League in scoring. The right role for him has been hard to find. He has been used at wing and centre. He was tried at the net-front spot on the power play, a role that was unfamiliar to him. He was starting to become a regular scratch and a potential cap casualty before injuries to Philp and Curtis Lazar.

Andrew Mangiapane – D-minus

Mangiapane was the Oilers’ high-profile signing in an offseason that saw them jettison veteran talent in part because of the salary cap. The 29-year-old started well with a goal in each of his first two games but has nearly disappeared since. He lost his penalty killing duties, and the Oilers are getting crushed with him on the ice at five-on-five. They’ve been outscored 26-10.

Trent Frederic – F

Frederic has probably been the Oilers’ most disappointing player. A lot of that comes because of the expectations associated with the contract he signed in June, an eight-year, $3.85 million AAV deal. Frederic has two points, both goals, in 24 games and has shown little of the tenacious style that came with his reputation until recently. He showed more at the end of the road trip, but there’s a lot to make up for.

Connor Clattenburg, Zach Hyman, Mattias Janmark, Kasperi Kapanen, Curtis Lazar — Incomplete

These five players just haven’t played enough to make a real judgment.

Underlying numbers courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.