Capitals 7, Oilers 4: Edmonton Pushback Undone by Leaks

Last night, the Edmonton Oilers were always one turn behind, one bounce short, one mistake too slow to clean up. From the opening minutes, the Washington Capitals had the jump. They had quick touches, bodies at the front of the net, and enough traffic that Stuart Skinner never looked settled.

Yet, even with all that, the Oilers kept clawing back. Darnell Nurse, who’s had a rough time lately, found the net twice. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid kept dragging the offense uphill. For a brief stretch in the third period, when David Tomasek scored to make it 4-3, you could almost believe Edmonton might steal one. Alas, it was not to happen.

The Oilers Are Getting There - But Almost Doesn’t Count in the Win Column

But that’s the trouble with this Oilers group right now: the pushback is there, but the details disappear just long enough for the game to get away from them. Evan Bouchard got beaten on the Ryan Leonard goal that pushed it to 4-2. The forwards lost a couple of key neutral-zone battles that turned into odd-man rushes. And by the time Tom Wilson fired in back-to-back empty-net goals, the Oilers were already stuck trying to explain how a night where they scored four somehow still wasn’t close.

You could have scripted Kris Knoblauch’s comments after the game. He liked the response, but he’s tired of chasing games they keep gifting away early.

Three Oilers Key Points

Key Point One: Darnell Nurse needed a night like this. He scored two goals, made some solid decisions, and maybe a small sigh of relief. He’s carried a lot of criticism this season, but he pushed back last night.

Key Point Two: The Oilers’ secondary scoring finally showed up. A clever Andrew Mangiapane puck dig created Tomasek’s goal. That’s exactly the kind of contribution the Oilers have been needing and hoping for.

Key Point Three: The Oilers’ defensive details remain an issue. From lost puck battles to blown coverages, the cracks showed again. Washington didn’t need many chances to make Edmonton pay.

A Final Thought About the Oilers

This loss wasn’t about hard work. The Oilers had plenty of that. Blame the loss on the little mishaps that keep turning into big setbacks. The team can skate with anyone, score with anyone, and push back when they fall behind. But until they tighten the bolts defensively, they’re going to keep ending nights like this: wondering how a game they were in right until the end ended up slipping right through their fingers.