The Edmonton Oilers will try to snap a six-game losing streak when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
The Oilers have been outscored 24-9 during the streak and have fallen behind 2-0 in each of their past five games.
On Tuesday night, the Oilers trailed the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-0 en route to a 5-1 loss. Colton Sceviour scored his first goal of the season for Edmonton, which improved after the first intermission and outshot Toronto 24-13 over the final 40 minutes.
Edmonton began the season 9-1-0 and later sat at 16-5-0 without back-to-back losses on their record.
“It is obviously very frustrating,” Sceviour said. “It is one of those stretches that I don’t remember being in in pro hockey, being that snake-bitten. At some point, we are going to get out of this, and the only way is by working and playing the right way.”
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were each held without a point for the second straight game. And Sceviour’s goal was a rare recent tally from a bottom-six Edmonton forward.
“We’ve got to keep battling every night, playing simple, and keep pounding on that rock because it’s going to chip,” Warren Foegele said. “There’s no easy way to get out of this, and the only way to get out of it is believing in each other, supporting each other, and keep pounding away.”
Oilers coach Dave Tippett missed the game and has been placed in the league’s COVID-19 protocol. Ryan McLeod went into the protocol on Tuesday as well.
Columbus also is slumping and visits Edmonton having lost seven of nine games (2-6-1). The Blue Jackets, unlike the Oilers, grabbed a 3-0 first-period lead against the Vancouver Canucks last time out. They just couldn’t hold it as the Canucks rallied for a 4-3 win.
“The competitiveness in the first period was fantastic,” coach Brad Larsen said. “And then the last two periods, they dialed it up a bit and we went away. If you’re not going to be competitive at the puck, you just let them in the door, and that’s what happened.”
Eric Robinson scored twice, and Elvis Merzlikins made 35 saves for Columbus. The Blue Jackets began their five-game road trip by surrendering a three-goal third-period lead before defeating the Seattle Kraken 5-4 in overtime.
Robinson’s two-goal game was the second of his career. He has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past six games. His second goal made it 3-0 late in the first period.
“We knew they weren’t just going to roll over, they were going to have their push,” Robinson said. “We’ve just got to be able to weather that and get back on the attack. We never were really able to get back on our toes.”
Alexandre Texier assisted on both of Robinson’s goals, giving him 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in the past 18 games.
The Blue Jackets are 5-9-0 on the road this season and have given up at least three goals in all 14 games. The Oilers are 9-6-0 at home after dropping the first five of a six-game homestand.
–Field Level Media
