After what was supposed to be a rock-bottom 9-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche earlier this month, the Edmonton Oilers put together a season-high two-game win streak — and it looked like they were back.
Oops, they lost three of their next four, including horrid, humbling back-to-back losses to short-staffed Buffalo (5-1) and to Washington (7-4).
But they responded to that by taking three of four points out of Tampa Bay and Florida to close out a road trip — and it looked like they were back.
Oops, the next time they hit the ice was a lifeless 8-3 loss to Dallas.
The latest response game was Saturday afternoon’s 4-0 win over the Seattle Kraken, their most decisive win of the season featuring a banner night from the star players and a 26-save shutout from Stuart Skinner.
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, right, makes a save against a shot by Seattle Kraken centre Berkly Catton, left, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Seattle.
And, guess what, it looks like they’re back.
What will they do with the sliver of momentum gained from this solid effort on the road? Is this the impetus for that midseason charge the Oilers are so famous for? Or is it back to one-step forward, two steps deeper in the muck?
You never know. We’ll find out Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.
But this was a good stand-alone reply after being punk-slapped by the Stars.
“This is how you want to respond, no question about it,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who had a goal and an assist in his first game back after missing nine games with an injury.
“It shows a lot of good things for our group. Now we look forward to the next one on Tuesday.”
Exactly. This win means nothing if the Oilers fall flat against goalie Jesper Wallstedt and the Wild. But it was definitely one of those nights where everything looked good.
The penalty killing was outstanding, keeping the Oilers out of a deep early hole by snuffing four Seattle power plays in the first period, including a 1:45 two-man advantage, and six altogether.
A power play that went 2-for-16 in the nine games without Nugent-Hopkins went 2-for-2 with him back.
And all of those backdoor tap ins and goalmouth gimmes that other teams have been pouring into Edmonton’s net this season were nowhere to be found. And, guess what, no sooner did the Oilers tighten up their defence than Skinner pitched a shutout.
Go figure.
“It was tough the other night, giving up four goals on eight shots,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “But I’m not sure he could have had any of those the way that we played in front of him. Tonight he let it all go, he didn’t worry about what had happened. He looked really calm and composed in the net.”
And the top guys, who’d gone a little quiet in the last few games, rose to an important occasion, with Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid each posting a goal and an assist.
Now, Seattle might have been the right opponent at the right time — the lowest-scoring team in the NHL is a perfect match for an Oilers team that ranks dead last in goals against. Spot Colorado or Dallas four power plays in the first 20 minutes and the Oilers are likely not leading 1-0 at the intermission. If they go 26 minutes with just four shots on net, like they did Saturday, they’re not leading 3-0 at the second intermission.
But those are details that are forgotten in a heartbeat when a team comes back from an 8-3 defeat with a 4-0 victory.
“It’s really important,” said Skinner. “The way we were composed tonight showed a lot of maturity and they way we were able to bounce back is big. We definitely needed those two points.
“With all the PKs we had to face in the first and second, the way that we defended those, we just fought tonight. We had a fighting mentality tonight.”
Literally.
Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse got blindsided by Mason Marchment on a borderline hit late in the first period and it seemed to light a fire under the Oilers, who have long been criticized for being a soft team.
They lined up to have a go at Marchment but the six-foot-five, 212-pounder wouldn’t even look anyone in the eye. The Oilers still kept coming, though, with Draisaitl giving him a solid elbow on the noggin in the second period.
“It started with one hit that should have been called,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “We’re going to stand up for each other, make sure they know that when something like that happens it’s not just going to go away.”
“It was great to see,” added Skinner. “The way that we stuck up for each other shows the brotherhood in this room. That’s really important.”
E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com
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