Sunday’s matchup with Edmonton was a one-goal game after 20 minutes of play. But the Oilers dominated in the second period, taking a 5-0 lead after 40 minutes of play. They ended up with a 6-1 victory over the Penguins at Rogers Place.
Alex Nedeljkovic was between the pipes for Pittsburgh, and Evgeni Malkin scored Pittsburgh’s lone tally.
“I just think we got outplayed,” Head Coach Mike Sullivan said.
After a disappointing loss to the Flames the night before, the Penguins arrived in Edmonton in the early hours of the morning, and had to try and turn the page quickly without much sleep at the end of a long trip against a formidable opponent.
“I think we had a tough loss, and I don't know if we did a good enough job of just moving by it,” Sidney Crosby said. “I think that you got to find a way even when it's one like that, to move by it. We probably didn't do a good enough job.”
After a tough start to the season, the Oilers got hot around the holidays, winning 16 games in a row – which is the second-longest streak in franchise history behind the 1992-93 Penguins (17). They also entered tonight having gone 10-2-1 in their last 13 games at home, with Connor McDavid extending his home point streak to 25 games with an assist on his linemate Zach Hyman’s first-period goal (and 41st of the year).
In the opening minutes of the second period, Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard stretched out his pad to deny Crosby on a Grade-A scoring chance at the side of the net. Edmonton then went the other way and converted a 3-on-1 to go up 2-0.
“I get that chance and then they score in that shift, and they got some momentum,” Crosby said. “Got a couple quick and it's tough to get back at that point. We did some good things early on, and didn't get that first one, and weren't able to get close there early.”
Hyman got his second of the night not long after, but Jansen Harkins drew a penalty shot on a breakaway attempt, getting a chance to make it a two-goal game late in the period. But the Penguins winger’s attempt went wide, and the Oilers got a pair of tallies in the final 1:13 of the middle frame.
The Penguins return to Pittsburgh with a 1-3 record on their road trip out West, which started with a big overtime win over Vancouver before falling to Seattle, Calgary, and now Edmonton. Their likelihood of making the playoffs continues to get smaller, but the Penguins are still in the fight.
“I don't think there's a lot to be said tonight, you know? I think we got to find a way to go home and regroup,” Sullivan said. “So, not a lot was said tonight. We’ll try to get some rest, fly home and we'll address tomorrow when it comes. But obviously, we're in a fight. We're in a fight for the playoffs. With every missed opportunity, the runway gets shorter and gets stacked against us a little bit more. So, we understand the circumstance, we gotta respond.”
