Send them back out on the road. Please.

And against the Eastern Conference again, if possible.

Because the Edmonton Oilers have turned into a walking disaster at home against the two best teams in the West.

In their last three games inside Rogers Place they are 2-1, eking out a 5-4 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets that was sandwiched by two of the most lopsided losses in recent memory.

First, it was a 9-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. But that kind of thing happens, right?

Sure, if you mean tying a franchise record of losing by eight goals at home, then yes, it has happened once before.

But at least it was against the top team in the league who has been dominating the standings. So, if that loss wasn’t forgivable, that at least made it somewhat bearable.

It’s the kind of result that can turn out one of two ways. Either it becomes the wakeup call for the same kind of big November turnaround we’ve seen in each of the past two seasons, or it spells the beginning of the end for a team that ended up oh-so close to winning the last two Stanley Cups, and is hoping the third time’s the charm.

“This team’s been in trying times several times over the years and they’ve always worked it out, just because they’ve found a way to play better, step up and I think right now, the last couple weeks I’ve seen we’re just kind of waiting for that moment to happen,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after that Nov. 8 loss. “And I think tonight would be, I definitely hope this is, rock bottom for us. I hope this wakes up a lot of guys.”

Fast-forward to Tuesday’s 8-3 loss to the second-place Dallas Stars, and the Oilers aren’t only stuck at rock bottom, they’re between a rock and a hard place having given up 21 goals in their last three games at home.

Just how bad is that, you ask?

Well, it’s contributed to a team save percentage of .860, which is their lowest through 25 games of a season since their foray into the NHL back in 1979-80, meaning the Oilers are right back to Square 1.

But if you’re looking to blame the goalies and point the finger at Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard for this whole mess, think again.

“I really feel like goaltending is a team thing,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid. “It’s tough for goalies to look good when the group in front of them is not playing well. I don’t really care who it is, when the team in front of them is not playing up to their standards, then it is tough for a goalie to look god. I felt bad for both of them.

“We’ve still got lots of confidence. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but there’s still an overarching belief that we’ll figure it out. Obviously, doesn’t look that way now, but at least I still feel it.”

Confidence? At this point, Oilers fans would settle for some competence.

Their team is on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, sitting 10-10-5 and tied for fifth in the Pacific Division at American Thanksgiving.

And you know what that means for an NHL team’s playoff hopes. Forget third time’s a charm for the Oilers’ Stanley Cup aspirations, this is looking more and more like three strikes, you’re out.

It’s becoming embarrassingly clear this team doesn’t belong anywhere near the contender conversation with the way they’ve been playing, seeming content to stand around waiting for that moment Knoblauch spoke of to magically turn it all around.

“It doesn’t work like that,” said Leon Draisaitl. “We’re in an OK position right now, not where we want to be, but OK. But the time is now. Right now, like tomorrow. We’ve just got to be better. It’s very simple, we’ve just got to be better.

“We’re playing on our heels a lot of nights. We’re very clearly not on the same page as a group. And then, all of a sudden, a lot of things get exposed that if you are on the same page don’t get exposed. We’re just not intact right now, not in sync as a group and we have to figure that part out.”

If their recent seven-game road trip through the Eastern Conference showed anything, it’s that the Oilers have what it takes to beat a conference-leading team such as the Carolina Hurricanes.

It’s when they turn around the next game and get taken to the proverbial woodshed in a 5-1 loss to a Buffalo Sabres squad at the bottom of the conference standings that’s the problem.

It’s one extreme or the other for the Oilers right now. And the only consistency they’ve managed to come up with this year is finding ways to remain consistently mediocre.

E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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