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March Badness? Edmonton Oilers lose (twice) to another bottom feeder
“We weren’t as aggressive, we were too much on our heels playing too safe. We know we can still play on our toes
Author of the article:Robert Tychkowski
Published Mar 09, 2024 • Last Updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch (89) is checked by Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday,
Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch (89) is checked by Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. PHOTO BY JEFFREY T. BARNES
It’s a little sad watching the once-proud Buffalo Sabres stumbling their way to a 13th consecutive season without making the playoffs
Because there but for grace of Connor McDavid go the Oilers
Every trip to Buffalo is a frightening reminder of where Edmonton would be if it hadn’t won the 2015 draft lottery, cashing in on an 11.5 per cent chance from third-last place in the NHL standings
The Sabres won a solid consolation prize in Jack Eichel but it wasn’t enough to pull them out of their bog
And it wouldn’t have been enough for the Oilers
The fact it’s taken the organization so long to get here WITH the greatest player in the world gives you some idea how it would have gone without him
And so it was that the Oilers arrived in KeyBank Center Saturday morning to give Buffalo fans another glimpse of what might have been, with McDavid and the Oilers, their roster set after the trade deadline, beginning their final march toward the playoffs and the Sabres playing out another string
Alas, that march of Edmonton’s is turning into a face plant
Losing 4-2 to the 29th-place Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night and responding to that wake-up call by blowing a 2-0 lead and losing (twice) to the 25th-place Buffalo Sabres is not at all what the Oilers are looking to see from themselves right now
Buffalo Sabres Owen Power
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power (25) is brought down by Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y.PHOTO BY JEFFREY T. BARNES /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
What happened Saturday, bizarre false-ending and all, wasn’t good
The Oilers gave up way too many premium looks and if not for the Sabres hitting FOUR goal posts Edmonton gets walloped in regulation instead of settling for a 3-2 overtime loss, followed a few minutes later by a 3-2 shootout loss when it was determined the OT winner was offside and everyone had to return from the dressing room and finish
“Frustrating when you have that lead and don’t come out with the win,” said winger Warren Foegele, admitting the Oilers were too passive with the game on the line in the third period
“We weren’t as aggressive, we were too much on our heels playing too safe. We know we can still play on our toes and be responsible. Frustrating would be the word
While the Oilers gave up too many good scoring chances in their own end, they were once again struggling for offence at the other
Their vaunted attack has been held to two goals in four of their last five games and the power play has one goal in the last five games
“I thought we played a solid game, maybe gave up a couple too many chances or looks that we have to clean up,” said Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl
But we just couldn’t find that third one to get some insurance, that’s really the game
“We clearly outplayed them for the majority of the game. Their goalie was good, made some big stops. We just couldn’t find that third one
It started exactly how they wanted it to start, with Ryan McLeod making it 1-0 just 29 seconds after the opening faceoff and Warren Foegele making it 2-0 on a shorthanded marker at 14 minutes
Edmonton Oilers left wing Warren Foegele (37) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y.PHOTO BY JEFFREY T. BARNES /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Oilers should have hit the gas from that point, but it was a 50-minute stall instead
Buffalo cut it 2-1 in the first, tied it 2-2 with eight minutes left in the game and won it with two seconds left in overtime. Then won it again in the shootout
“Yes, we only scored two goals and one of them was shorthanded,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “But I thought we had a lot of good chances, we just didn’t capitalize
“We had a lot of opportunities in the third period to add to our lead. A two-goal lead makes it a different game, we can sit back (and defend)
They sat back and wondered what happened, instead
There are still 20 games left to settle things down, starting tomorrow morning in Pittsburgh, and it might take a while before trade deadline acquisitions Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick are settled in and having an impact. But, at this stage of the season, contending teams want to be putting the finishing touches on their playoff game, not trying to patch holes
The overtime drama was unique, if nothing else
Both teams had been in their locker rooms for several minutes thinking the game was already over. Some were already getting out of their gear when they found out the overtime was back on
“It was bizarre,” said Draisaitl. “Lots of guys were pretty close to being in the shower. Different for sure
The Oilers biggest bright spot might have been in the face-off circle where they laid a savage beating on Buffalo’s centres
Edmonton won an astounding 80 per cent of the draws on the strength of 17-3 from Draisaitl, 8-0 from Carrick, 7-2 from McDavid and 6-3 from Henrique
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