Two teams looking to break out of respective funks square off when the Edmonton Oilers host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.
The Oilers are coming off a 9-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. They fell behind 5-0 by the midpoint of the second period and soon after scored their lone tally of the night.
It was their third straight defeat and ninth in their past 13 games, going 4-6-3 in that stretch. Only twice through the first month of the season have they won consecutive games, and both times were just two in a row.
“The standard has not been high enough,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “My time here, there’s obviously been mistakes. I think guys have picked up and learned from their mistakes … but right now, as long as it’s gone on, the standard has not been upheld. Now that we’ve played as many games as we have, that standard definitely has to be increased. … The expectation is for everyone to be better.”
Monday’s tilt closes out a brief two-game homestand for the Oilers before they embark on a season-long seven-game road trip. They’ll want to continue their home success, where they’re 4-1-2, before their travels. The road hasn’t been kind this season, going 2-5-2 away from the Alberta capital.
“I think there’s a belief in the room that we’ll always figure it out,” captain Connor McDavid said. “That being said, I said it before, enough is enough. We’ve got to find a way to just put a good game together. It starts with a good start and go from there. We’ve just got to find a way to put a good game together here.”
Stuart Skinner allowed four goals on 13 shots before he was replaced by Calvin Pickard. The Oilers have allowed 55 goals this season, tied for sixth most in the NHL.
The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, are looking to snap a three-game skid of their own, with the latest coming as a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. The slide comes after a four-game winning streak and a stretch during which they won six of seven.
“For the most part, we played well, but the goals that we gave them … it can’t happen,” Columbus coach Dean Evason said. “We can’t continually give those types of goals away where we’re not making teams earn them as much as we should be, and consequently, we’ve lost three in a row.”
Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov each had three-point nights against Vancouver, with Marchenko extending his point streak to seven games (nine points on three goals, six assists).
“Our best players have to get going. Some guys have to step up. I need to score; it can’t just be Marchy and Voro every time,” said defenseman Zach Werenski, who has been held without a point in three straight and six of his past nine games. “I liked a lot about our game, but I have to bear down and find a way to get wins.”
Monday will be the fourth of a five-game road trip for the Blue Jackets, who close out the trip Tuesday in Seattle. Columbus will host Edmonton on Thursday.
