4 Takeaways From Oilers’ 3-2 Loss to Sabres

Stuart Skinner stopped 20 of 23 shots between the pipes for the Oilers, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves in a winning effort for the Sabres.

Edmonton never led in the game, falling behind 1-0 and 2-1. The teams were knotted up at two goals apiece going into the third period.

With the regulation loss, Edmonton remains four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division. Edmonton’s lead over the third-place Los Angeles Kings is still three points, although the Kings have two games in hand on the Oilers.

Bad Loss for Oilers

The Oilers may fancy themselves as contenders, but teams gearing up for a run at the Stanley Cup don’t lose these kinds of games.

Consider that Edmonton is in the thick of the playoff chase, within striking distance of the division lead while also clinging to second place and home ice advantage in the first round that comes with it.

Now consider that Buffalo has the third-fewest points in the entire NHL, is completely out of the playoff picture, and came into this contest without a win in its last six games.

But if you didn’t know any better, based on Monday’s evidence, you’d think that Buffalo was both the better team and the team with something to play for.

Predictable Result in Buffalo

But then again, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by what unfolded at KeyBank Center. It’s not like the Oilers have been setting the world on fire of late, as they came into the game with a 3-6-0 record and a ghastly minus-12 goal differential over their previous nine games.

Furthermore, Buffalo always seem to be a thorn in the side of these Oilers. The Sabres are now 10-6-0 against Edmonton over the last nine seasons and have won four of the teams’ last five meetings in Western New York.

Another interesting note: 3-2 has been the final score in seven of the last 10 games between the Oilers and Sabres, including five straight at KeyBank Center.

Knoblauch Comes Under Fire

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch was blasted on social media and scrutinized on the post-game shows following Edmonton’s latest defeat.

While Knoblauch’s lineups and line shuffling of late have left many scratching their heads, it was his decisions in the final couple minutes on Monday that drew perhaps the most criticism yet.

With Edmonton pressing for the tying goal in the final couple minutes, Knoblauch pulled Skinner for the extra attacker while the bottom-six forward trio of Mattias Janmark (one goal since Nov. 4), Connor Brown (two goals since Dec. 17) and Corey Perry (two months from turning 40) was on the ice.

Knoblauch also elected not to call a timeout following an icing by Buffalo twice in the final 73 seconds, at 18:47 and again at 18:54 of the third period. After the game ended, cameras caught an unhappy Oilers captain Connor McDavid making a frustrated gesture that many believe was directed at Knoblauch.

Big Goals by Edmonton Blueliners

Monday’s game was the rare occasion in which two blueliners accounted for all of their team’s scoring, and both goals scored by the Oilers in Buffalo were historically significant.

Bouchard scored with the man-advantage at 9:12 of the middle frame. It was the 25-year-old’s 16^th career power-play goal in the regular season, moving him into a four-way tie for fifth most all-time by an Oilers defenceman, alongside Kevin Lowe, Dave Manson and Janne Niinimaa. With his next power-play marker, Bouchard will tie Marc-Andre Bergeron for fourth.

Nurse’s goal, coming early in the second period, was the 81^st of his career, tying Charlie Huddy for the second most among defencemen in Edmonton’s NHL history. Nurse reached that total in 699 games, just five more than five-time Stanley Cup champ Huddy.

Barring anything unexpected that would keep him out of the lineup, Nurse will join Lowe as the only blueliners to suit up for 700 regular season games with the Oilers, when Edmonton returns to action Thursday (March 13), taking on the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.