Edmonton Oilers players explain what went wrong in lifeless loss to Sabres
The Edmonton Oilers appear to be trying to see how little effort they can put into an NHL game this season.
In what has become a concerning trend this season, the Oilers once again put forth a lifeless performance in a dismal 6-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night. Edmonton made the last-place Eastern Conference team look like world-beaters, mustering just five high-danger chances against Colton Ellis, a rookie goalie playing in his fourth NHL game.
The Sabres, meanwhile, sent 14 high-danger chances toward the Edmonton net, scoring on four of them as Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner had yet another forgettable night. It felt like this should be a new low for this Edmonton squad, if not for a 9-1 loss at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche earlier this month.
It’d be easy to point at the lacklustre goaltending, but all of it has been bad. The offence is stale, the defence is leaking, and it feels like you could attribute those words to just about every game the team has played thus far.
Vasily Podkolzin spoke after this mess, and you can tell the frustration is starting to seep into the room, if it hasn’t already.
“We better figure out how to win the games as soon as possible, because we’re not happy with what’s going on right now,” Podkolzin said. “[Buffalo] did a good job, they played simple, they scored their goals, not much to say here.”
"We’re not happy with what’s going on right now."
Vasily Podkolzin speaks after the #Oilers 5-1 defeat in Buffalo.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/4N325QWO2B
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 18, 2025
Podkolzin attempted to spark some life into the Oilers with a fight at the end of the second period. It was a valiant effort, but one that seemed to land on deaf ears as Edmonton followed it up, allowing two goals in the final frame, albeit one was an empty-netter.
According to Natural Stat Trick, Edmonton ranks 29th in the league in high-danger chances-for percentage (HDCF%), which means that teams are consistently getting better looks against them on a near-nightly basis.
Part of that is a dull offence, but poor team defence has a part in that as well. Brett Kulak is a veteran of this defensive group and tried to pinpoint where it all went wrong against the Sabres.
“It’s just the case of not executing… not playing to the level we want to get to,” Kulak said. “We’re all feeling that. It’s been spurts where we’re playing what we want to play like, and it’s just not enough.
“We got to put in a full 60-minute effort, and we gotta keep working away at it.”
"Just not really playing at the level we want to get to."
Brett Kulak on the #Oilers loss to the Sabres.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/PaYlzpXA4t
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 18, 2025
Edmonton’s record fell to 9-8-4 with the loss, and while they still aren’t too far out of the playoff picture, things feel bleak. The Oilers haven’t won in regulation in nearly three weeks, and they really haven’t had a complete 60-minute effort since the second game of the season.
Things need to change, and they need to change quickly.