Edmonton Oilers lose Battle of Alberta, fall to 0-3

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Edmonton Oilers fans are still waiting for something to be thankful for this season.

Another notoriously slow start for their team is underway, with a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames at Rogers Place on Thanksgiving Sunday.

Prior to that, they looked like a bunch of hams giving away goals like free turkey dinners, having been outscored 11-2 in two losses to open the schedule and maintain a giant egg in the win column.

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But, hey, at least they made a game of it until halfway through the third period. Right?

Small potatoes for a team in danger of starting out 0-4 for the first time since McDavid’s rookie season in 2015-16.

“We’re not off to a good start, obviously. There have been a couple of bad bounces with some of those goals not going our way, obviously. Ultimately it is just not good enough,” said McDavid, who has two assists in three games so far. “I’m sure there is lots of ways to explain it, but ultimately it hasn’t been good enough.

“I’ve said that numerous times here, up and down the lineup, myself first and foremost, everybody could be better and everybody will be better. We’re not quitters in here, we never have been. Losing three in a row off the bat is not ideal, but it is nothing we can’t work out of.”

Skinner the top gun

It took just 76 seconds for Jeff Skinner to prove his coaching staff right, looking like Johnny on the spot in front of the crease to wire a Mattias Ekholm slapshot past Dan Vladar for his first goal in Oilers colours.

The left-wing free-agent acquisition spent the previous two games bouncing up and down between the second and third lines, before getting his first opportunity to play next to Connor McDavid on Sunday.

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It was Edmonton’s second 5-on-5 goal of the season.

Knobloauch shuffles lines

Skinner wasn’t the only lineup change concocted by Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch for Sunday’s game.

In fact, the entire column of left-wingers shifted, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins demoted to the second line in place of Skinner, while newcomer Vasily Podkolzin was bumped up from the fourth line to swap spots with Mattias Janmark on the third line.

The defence didn’t get away unscathed either, with Troy Stecher coming in for Ty Emberson to play next to Brett Kulak, as the Oilers continue to move around some new pieces early on in search of the chemistry that pushed them the distance a season ago.

Goalie calls

Corey Perry was up to his old tricks, getting his stick up close and personal between the legs of Vladar inside the crease moments before tipping in a point shot by Troy Stecher in the final two minutes of the opening period for what would have been his second goal in as many games.

It was called back. Of course, much to the chagrin of the Rogers faithful.

And if that didn’t get them hot enough under the collar, on the ensuing shift, Stuart Skinner went behind his net to play the puck and took a whack on the back of his leg, complements of Flames forward Mikael Backlund. There were crickets from the officiating crew on that one, despite the Oilers goalie hitting the deck from the blow.

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Ryan goal called back

If one negated goal wasn’t enough, the Oilers stuffed another one in the net, this one by a diving Derek Ryan in the slot at 5:40 of the second period.

But it was negated by a coach’s challenge from the Flames that caught Viktor Arvidsson hopping the bench early and landing right off-side.

Penalty kill improves

After going 1-for-6 on the penalty kill to open the season, the Oilers killed off their first three penalties Sunday, before drawing their first one 3:34 into the third period.

So, it wasn’t special teams that did them in this time. And they allowed fewer goals. Too bad this team don’t seem to have anyone who can put the puck in the net. Edmonton has been outscored 15-3 in their first three home games on the year.

E-mail: [email protected]

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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