I was excited to see that the Edmonton Oilers’ first game back from the Christmas break was against the Los Angeles Kings. With three straight playoff matchups fuelling the rivalry between these two sides, even regular-season games tend to be spicier than you’d typically get from something in late December. Unfortunately, the Oilers fell short in a frustrating 4-3 overtime loss.
BLOWING LEADS IN THE THIRD PERIOD
If there’s one thing the Oilers have gotten away so far this season, it has to be blowing third-period leads and winning the game in overtime. Nights against the Islanders and Predators in mid-November come to mind as examples of when a flexed killer instinct by the Oilers would have wrapped up their night in regulation, but costly errors in the third period sent both games to overtime. The same thing happened on Saturday in Los Angeles, with the obvious difference that the Oilers couldn’t still win the game despite themselves.
The Oilers couldn’t outscore their problems this time around and missed out on what could be an essential point in the standings down the line when it comes to home-ice advantage in the playoffs. Not to be overdramatic about one loss or anything, but it’s frustrating to give up a divisional win despite leading in the game two different times, including with under three minutes to play. The Oilers need to find ways to close in games like this if they’re going to put themselves in a spot to steal the division.
WARREN FOEGELE WINS THE REVENGE GAME BATTLE
I like Warren Foegele and very much disliked seeing him in a Kings uniform. He was the kind of solid secondary player that teams need to have if they’re going to win it all, and having him land in L.A. after a career season with us in 2023-24 is annoying. I don’t begrudge the guy for securing the bag and landing a contract outside what the Oilers could pay, but my problem is that he landed in the Oilers’ division. So, it seemed inevitable that he would be a menace as an opponent, exactly what happened on Saturday with the goal and pair of assists he registered in the first game against his former club.