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McDavid calls out Edmonton Oilers' play after brutal loss

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
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Jan 23 2026, 1:00 pm
McDavid calls out Edmonton Oilers' play after brutal loss
@EdmontonOilers/X

The Edmonton Oilers roller coaster has taken a downturn this week.

After two impressive shutout victories over the weekend, it seemed like the Oilers were finally on the upswing. The team was scoring again, and both goaltenders were standing on their heads. It felt like things were getting to where they needed to be in the Alberta capital.

But that optimism has been short-lived. A tight 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night could be forgiven, but Thursday’s brutal 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins sounded some alarms.

Edmonton was never in this game, as the Penguins jumped to a 3-0 lead within three minutes of puck drop. That included three goals against in a span of 37 seconds, a franchise record in futility.

Even Connor McDavid didn’t look like his usual self in this loss. He spoke to reporters after the game, where he called out both his and the team’s play over the last two contests.

“It starts with me, the last two were probably not my best, I can be better,” McDavid said. “When I’m better, usually the whole group responds…. I thought our puck play has been real bad. Real, real bad.

“Not really connecting on passes. When we do it’s kinda sloppy, bouncing… When you’re playing that way, it looks slow and clunky. I thought we’ve looked like that the last few games.”

This loss stung a bit more for Tristan Jarry, who faced his former team for the second time since being traded to the Oilers last month. His tenure in Edmonton has gotten off to a good start, but this was his first really disappointing outing in an Oilers uniform.

He ended the night allowing six goals on 22 shots for a dismal .727 save percentage. He took some responsibility for the loss after the game, especially for the three early goals against.

“You always want to beat your old team, no matter who or when,” Jarry said. “If I can keep one or two of those [goals] out early, it gives us a better fighting chance.

“There’s gonna be ups and downs with anyone and any team. I think it’s just learning from it and being better from every game.”

The Oilers are still sitting in a divisional playoff spot, but they aren’t quite comfortable yet. They are just two points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for the division lead, and they, ideally, would be able to catch them before the Olympic break.

Things change quickly in the NHL, and the Oilers will need to turn things around as soon as possible if they want to enter the break atop the division.

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