If there was ever a night for the Edmonton Oilers to show up and find a higher level of play, Monday night was it. Their matchup with the Buffalo Sabres was a chance to handle business. The Sabres had a losing record in their past ten games; they were playing a backup-to-the-backup in net, and everything screamed “just don’t screw this up.”
But, as the Oilers have often done this season, they found a way to bring less than their A-Game. In fact, it wasn't a B or C-level effort. Edmonton lowered the bar… and then proceeded to crawl under it.
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Buffalo started Colten Ellis, a goalie with three NHL games under his belt. Edmonton responded by barely testing him. No urgency. No desperation. No recognition that they had been handed the softest landing spot of their seven-game road trip.
The first period summed up the vibe perfectly with just seven shots after the Sabres opened the door with only six shots of their own. It was 1-0 at the end of the first for the Sabres. The Oilers tied it in the second when Jack Roslovic roofed it, scoring his 15th point in 19 games. Leon Draisaitl fed Roslovic with a slick little backhand tee-up, and Roslovic finished the play, suggesting the Oilers were right back in the game.
But instead of building on the goal, the Oilers did what they’ve perfected this season: took their foot off the gas.
Chaos in the defensive zone led to Bowen Byram making it 2–1. Then Rasmus Dahlin tossed a puck from the point that found a tip for 3–1. Edmonton was getting caved in. The Sabres smelled blood. Meanwhile, the Oilers looked lifeless and unprepared to put forth the effort required.
Knoblauch Pressed The Big-Line Panic Button
When it was clear the Sabres were tilting the ice, head coach Kris Knobloch went to the “break glass” move: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman on one line. Small moments hinted the move could help the team, but it didn’t shift the momentum. To end the second, the Oilers pushed, and Darnell Nurse got a perfect pass from Roslovic and couldn’t finish. A late scrap saw Vasily Podkolzin stand up for McDavid after a nasty hit, but even that spark didn’t transfer to the bench.
Bob Stauffer summarized it between periods: “Lifeless. Chasing games. Same thing every time in Buffalo.” Hard to argue.
Sabres Pull Away, Oilers Fold
Ostlund scored again in the third—his second of the night—with way too much time and space as he circled behind the net. There was no resistance, no urgency, and no coverage. For the most part, it was just a team watching the play happen.
Knobloch pulled the goalie, and Edmonton finally took some shots on an inexperienced goalie -- one who was available to the Oilers via waivers on October 6 --, but by then, Ellis looked like a seasoned pro. McDavid capped the disaster by coughing up three times in one shift, finally to Tage Thompson, who fired it into the empty net.
Not Good Enough—Again
The Sabres wanted the game more. Full stop. Edmonton tied it 1–1, and instead of pushing, they sagged. Buffalo pushed, and the Oilers let them.
After the game, Podkolzin summed it up: “We better figure it out as soon as possible" He was one of the few Oilers who had any sense of urgency. When asked about his fight with Peyton Krebs, he noted he didn't have much to say, but did respond, "No one can play against our leaders like that. The whole team will protect them.” He walked the walk. Not many others did.
"After their power play goal, we let up a little bit just with confidence or emotion, we just didn't have the same jump we had starting the game.... Buffalo played with that emotion, that speed, and were the better team the second half of the game," Knoblauch said of the team's effort. He said they let the Sabres run around too much. "I have expectations that we can better... there's a lot of things we can get better, make our team harder to play against. A lot of things to clean up."
Another night, another game where Edmonton got exactly what they deserved. Until they stop lowering the bar—and tripping over it—nothing changes.
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