What Edmonton Oilers players said after another heartbreaking loss
The Edmonton Oilers are looking at the positives after a heartbreaking OT loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.
Edmonton held onto a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game, but a Nick Paul equalizer late in the game forced things into overtime, where Jake Guentzel secured the 2-1 victory for the Lightning. Trent Frederic was the lone goalscorer for the Oilers, and Calvin Pickard put forth his best effort of the season, stopping 33 of the 35 shots he faced for a .943 save percentage.
It was a solid effort for Pickard, who told the media after the game that he liked how he played despite the loss.
“My back is always against the wall,” Pickard said. “I needed to have a good game here tonight, and I did; it’s just an unfortunate result.
“My team really made it easier on me. Played good defence, and that makes my job easier.”
"I really like the way we played."
After stopping 33 of 35 shots in tonight’s overtime loss, Calvin Pickard shares his thoughts.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Eo8SylTrfl
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 21, 2025
For the first 40 minutes, Edmonton looked to be in good shape, but Tampa Bay took control of the game in the final frame. They outshot the Oilers 14-4 in the third period and eventually found a way to beat Pickard.
Unlike some recent games, this loss wasn’t on the goaltender. It was the Oilers’ offence that couldn’t muster the two goals it would have taken to win the game. Head coach Kris Knoblauch liked the overall effort of his club, but recognized that it started to slip away from them in the third period.
“There are a lot of things to be happy about,” Knoblauch said. “Saw a lot of good defensive plays tonight, and obviously, Picks had a heck of a game… Fragile group in the third period, a shell of ourselves, not wanting to make a mistake and holding on.
“When you hold on, you just have to defend over and over again… It was too bad because it was a good effort from a lot of guys.”
"It was a good effort from a lot of guys."
Coach Knoblauch provides post-game comments after the #Oilers 2-1 OT defeat in Tampa Bay. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/wKEU0y6CTl
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 21, 2025
In OT, Jack Roslovic had an amazing chance to win the game for Edmonton, but couldn’t beat Andrei Vasilevskiy. The play would shift back to the Oilers’ zone right after the play, where Guentzel would win it.
It made the loss just a tiny bit harder to swallow, knowing victory was so close.
VASILEVSKIY MAKES AN INSANE OT SAVE AND THE BOLTS GO DOWN AND WIN IT 🤯⚡️ pic.twitter.com/FrYk28F29X
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) November 21, 2025
The Oilers are still searching for their first regulation win in the month of November and have now lost three straight. They will end this seven-game road trip on Saturday night in what will be an emotional Stanley Cup Final rematch with the Florida Panthers.