Edmonton Oilers acquire a painful lesson at the trade deadline

In addition to two forwards and a defenceman, the Edmonton Oilers picked up a valuable lesson in advance of Friday’s NHL trade deadline.

Turns out it doesn’t really matter what your roster looks like or how deep and talented you think your team might be. If you don’t start on time, bear down on your chances and focus on the details, the other guys are going to hand you your lunch.

And so it was, that the Columbus Blue Jackets force-fed a team that fancies itself a Stanley Cup contender a big, smelly slice of humble pie Thursday.

“I don’t think we were ready to play,” said Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch after an ugly 4-2 loss. “Our puck management, just our execution, breaking the puck out and on line entries, we were giving it away so much. They weren’t poor intentions, just execution that didn’t happen.

“Coming off an emotional high in Boston we just didn’t have the same level of intensity that we had the previous game.”

If the Oilers came into this one thinking their new-look lineup, featuring Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick, would cruise through the last-place team in the Eastern Conference, they got slapped to reality in a big hurry.

Columbus lit them up for three goals in the first 15:21 and then closed the door to remind the Pacific Division contenders that nothing is going to come easily.

“We just didn’t have a good first,” said winger Warren Foegele. “We weren’t executing on plays and were just a little bit slower than them. We know better. At the end of the day we have to show up for 60 minutes and we didn’t do that.

“If we’re going one successful in the playoffs, it’s not going to be by playing catch-up hockey. It’s by being clean and executing plays and being responsible.”

Edmonton’s first loss since Feb. 24 against Calgary snaps their winning streak at five games and is another example of their offence drying up at the wrong time. The defence has been stellar, allowing just three goals in their previous three games, but they’ve managed just two goals in three of their last four starts.

Not good enough in a 3-2 league.

“I thought we responded pretty well in the second period but just came up short,” said Henrique, who played 14:14 and was held off the score sheet aside from a minor penalty. “We had some opportunities but maybe not enough established offensively.”

The Oilers pulled one from the fire in Boston, scoring in the final seconds and then winning 2-1 in OT, but there was no Hail Mary to be found on this night.

Zach Hyman’s 43rd goal of the season in the second period and Corey Perry’s second goal in three games midway through the third brought the Oilers just close enough to be foiled by an empty netter with 20 seconds to play.

SETTLING IN

The Oilers wasted no time in getting the new guys into the mix, starting Henrique on the left side with Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane, but the alignment lasted just one period. With Edmonton down 3-0 at the first intermission, head coach Kris Knoblauch loaded up his first line with McDavid, Draisaitl and Hyman.

“We won our last five games in a row with Leon, Connor and Hyman had been together through that stretch,” said Knoblauch. “When things weren’t going well we needed to correct things and give us a little momentum. They scored early in the second but we just didn’t play well enough tonight.”

Henrique moved around the lines in his first game, but he understands the situation. When you add two new players it’s going to take some time to figure out how everyone fits in.

“I try and go in with the mindset that it’s just hockey,” he said. “You just go out there and play. The guys did a good job talking to me on whatever line I was going with.

“Overall it felt pretty good. You want to get here as soon as possible and get in the mix. Getting here and getting that first game under my belt was important.”

FIGHTING IN
Carrick centred the fourth line with Mattias Janmark and Derek Ryan and it wasn’t long until he made his presence felt. With the Oilers down 2-0 and Mathieu Olivier stirring things up in the faceoff circle with Janmark, Carrick lined up next to Olivier and had a long, solid scrap (Carrick’s eighth of the season) with the guy who wiped up New York’s six-foot-seven rookie Matt Rempe.

Alas, Columbus scored on the next shift.

“Sammy comes in here, a new guy, a character guy, has a massive fight to get us some energy and I went out there and turned over the puck,” said Foegele. “I can’t do that. I should have chipped it out and kept it simple. I take full responsibility for that.”

McDavid’s second-period assist extended his points streak to 13 games and gave up 100 points for the seventh time in his nine-year career.