With another embarrassing defeat against the Colorado Avalanche, the Edmonton Oilers seem to have reached an impasse. The past three games for the Oilers ended in dramatic failures: a humiliating loss against a bottom-tier team like the St. Louis Blues, a shutout win for the Dallas Stars against the Oilers, and finally, a 9-1 defeat dealt by Nathan MacKinnon and co.
For a team that has consistently made the playoffs several times in contemporary history and was a Stanley Cup contender for the past two years, the Oilers’ recent performance is not just embarrassing, but worrying. Right now, the team is languishing at the bottom of the Pacific Division. HC Kris Knoblauch has stepped up to weigh in on Edmonton’s concerning situation.
What did Oilers Coach Kris Knoblauch have to Say About the Team Following Loss to the Avs?
A 9-1 defeat makes you stand back and contemplate. MacKinnon had two goals and two assists, and star blueliner Cale Makar and forwards Parker Kelly and Jack Drury scored two goals each, and Gavin Brindley scored one goal to enable the Central Division rulers to cruise past the mighty men in blue and orange. Moreover, Avs goalie Scott Wedgewood registered a remarkable save percentage of .958.
On the other hand, the Oilers’ performance was forgettable. Captain Connor McDavid scored one goal, and that was it. The goaltending situation took the worst form of the season yet, with Stuart Skinner being pulled up in the second period after giving away four goals on 13 shots. Calvin Pickard did little to save the day after conceding five goals on 21 shots.
The game against the Avs proved to be exceptionally bad for Edmonton, as the team tied with its 2009 10-2 defeat by the Buffalo Sabres for the largest margin of loss on home ice in franchise history. Under such circumstances, coach Knoblauch believes that the devastating loss against Colorado can ground some players on the team who have been imbued with a sense of overconfidence.
Coach Knoblauch addresses the media following a 9-1 defeat to the Avalanche. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/GyL9tbNHvM
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 9, 2025
“I think we’ve been always probably a little overconfident that things will work out…this team’s been in trying times several times over the years and they’ve always worked it out. I think right now, in the last couple of weeks I’ve seen, we’ve been just kind of waiting for that moment to happen, and I think tonight would be, I definitely hope this is rock bottom for us. I hope this wakes up a lot of guys and we understand that we’ve got a lot of growing to do to become a good hockey team,” Knoblauch stated in his media address.
Moreover, the coach does not even believe that the Oilers are anywhere close to MacKinnon and company. The Avalanche is currently reveling at the top of the Central Division, while the Oilers are second-to-last in the Pacific Division. Clearly, Edmonton has a lot of work to do if it wants to compare to the Avs, and Knoblauch was squarely blunt about it.
“We’re not even close. There’s a team that’s playing really well, and we’re not. It’s just not a one game. If you look at the last few weeks, they’ve been going pretty well. We haven’t. Right now we’ve got a lot of work to do,” the coach confessed.
Knoblauch believes that the Oilers’ damning loss to the Avalanche was a team failure that cannot be boiled down to the drawbacks of a specific player or two. The coach has some serious work ahead of him if the Oilers even want to make a comeback. Edmonton just has to salvage this season, not only because its reputation is at stake, but McDavid’s short-term contract is essentially a ticking time bomb. A poor season could lead to the Oilers losing their cherished captain.
