Oilers left looking for answers after humbling loss in opener

EDMONTON — Well, the old cliché must be true. I guess you can’t just flip the switch.

After a slumberous and nonchalant pre-season in which the Edmonton Oilers were no better than average throughout, they took a step backwards in a season-opening 6-0 spanking courtesy the Winnipeg Jets.

On home ice, no less.

Humbling? You bet.

Worrisome? We’ll get back to you on that.

“I feel terrible about what happened tonight. It sucks, especially when you do it two years in a row,” said goalie Stuart Skinner, referencing an 8-1 season-opening loss in Vancouver a year ago in which he relieved starter Jack Campbell but could not stem the tide.

“You just don’t want to believe that you are going to have a crappy (performance) again. Then again, it is one game and we have some games coming up here where we can change that up. That is completely up to us and how we show up.”

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On an evening where they commemorated last year’s Western Conference title, it was, alas, not a banner night.

Skinner was as bad as he’s ever going to be in goal, the defensive effort was derelict — led by the new guys — and the high-powered offensive players were to the man no-shows on Wednesday. Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman each went without a shot, as Edmonton’s top line combined for but a single shot on Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, and went a combined minus-6.

The game opened with an Evan Bouchard mishandle that gave Mark Scheifele a breakaway from his own blue line. Skinner gave his team a key save at that moment, but it would be the last save of any import for the Oilers No. 1.

“The game was a little too quick for me and I just wasn’t up to speed, and that is on me,” Skinner said. “I probably should have read the game a little bit better. I am going to look at all the video and see where I can improve. I made some big saves, but it doesn’t really do much when you let in five.”

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It’s official: As much as the internal message has been to forget about last year’s Stanley Cup run, something remains. Some hangover, or lack of urgency.

How long will it last? Surely not as long as it did during last season’s 2-9-1 start, you would think.

“It’s tough,” began head coach Kris Knoblauch. “You had an incredible year that finished with disappointment and it’s tough to just say, ‘Forget about it, let’s think about now.’ But there is a point where we need to do that.”

How long until his concern reaches critical mass?

“We’ll see this weekend,” he said. “It’s one game. After this weekend, definitely that will be a tell of where we are at.”

What did we see in this gruesome opener? Not much, truth be told:

• There’s been no fear of the two big guys carrying Edmonton. Neither McDavid nor Leon Draisaitl have come close to finding form yet. Below them, Nugent-Hopkins provided little support on a rough night.

• Defenceman Ty Emberson’s debut was about as bad as he could have feared. Multiple blown zone exits, shaky with the puck on his stick right from his first shift, average defending and zero offensive presence. For the record, Travis Dermott was only slightly better in his Oilers debut, on a blue line that folks around the league are openly wondering about.

• Skinner was simply not there, beaten five times on 13 shots and pulled halfway through the game. The Skinner we know would have stopped three of the five that eluded him, but on this night he was by some margin the second best goalie on the ice behind Hellebuyck.

• On a good note, young Vasily Podkolzin threw the body around nicely and did the things you’d expect of a fourth-line left winger. Corey Perry also had jump, though it’s never a good thing when your fourth line is your best line.

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What did Mattias Ekholm think of his club’s defensive play?

“Not good enough. I think everybody saw that.”

Too many new guys in the lineup?

“It’s the same for everybody,” he said. “I don’t think any team’s intact from last year, completely. So that’s just more an excuse than anything.

“You can find a lot of those if you want, but I know this team doesn’t do that.”

They’re not looking for excuses, but a team that has given up six goals in five of the nine games they’ve played so far this fall is looking for answers.

Chicago is in on Saturday, then Calgary Sunday.

You couldn’t ask for two less dangerous opponents against which to right the ship.

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