Draisaitl calls out Edmonton Oilers goalies and coaches after third straight loss
The Olympic break may be coming at the perfect time for the Edmonton Oilers.
Things are not looking good in the Alberta capital of late. The Oilers have lost three straight games heading into the break, and frustration among the players appears to be reaching a breaking point.
A 4-3 loss to the lowly Calgary Flames on Wednesday night was not exactly an encouraging sign for Edmonton. The goaltending has regressed once again, the offence is sputtering, and the defence is as porous as it’s ever been.
Leon Draisaitl did his part in the loss, notching two of the Oilers’ three goals, and he was very clearly frustrated after the game. Talking to reporters, the German superstar called out the team with some pretty blunt assessments.
He specifically called out the goaltending and coaching staff.
“It’s a two-way street. It starts with us in front of him, and then the game comes a little bit easier for him, but I think there are saves that our goalies need to make at some point,” Draisaitl said.
“You need everybody, it starts with coaches… You’re never gonna win if you have four or five guys going. It starts at the top. We can be better. Our leaders can be better. We’ll take the break and regroup.”
"Just not good enough right now."
Leon Draisaitl shares his thoughts after the #Oilers defeat in Calgary. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/PUJgUlly5Y
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 5, 2026
It’s not often you see a star NHL player admit that the goaltenders need to start making more saves, but that appears to be where this Oilers team is at.
Draisaitl did acknowledge that Edmonton’s defensive game needs to improve to help make that happen, but he isn’t exactly wrong. After a bit of a hot streak in January, both Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram have cooled off significantly.
In the past eight games, the Oilers have had a combined team save percentage of just .830 and have allowed a whopping 36 goals against. That is far from good enough, considering Edmonton is just a four-point swing away from being outside of a playoff spot.
Draisaitl seemed exasperated when talking about the defensive issues.
“I don’t know. We’re just giving up too many goals. I don’t know, can’t defend. Penalty kill is not great,” Draisaitl said. “There are many things that are part of it. Just not good enough right now.”
Whether that is a coaching or player issue remains unclear, but Draisaitl specifically mentioning the coaches may hint that there could be some frustration with Kris Knoblauch’s crew behind the bench.
With the Olympic break arriving, you have to imagine the seats are getting hot for Knoblauch, as well as assistant coaches Mark Stuart and Paul McFarland. If a coaching change were to be made in-season, this may be the best time for it.
Either way, the Oilers will need to come out firing on all cylinders after the break, unless they want the noise to be cranked up to the max as they head into the final stretch.