Instant Reaction: Edmonton Oilers Lose Game One 4-1

This was not what the Edmonton Oilers needed right now. The Oilers lost game one against the Winnipeg Jets at home on Wednesday night. This game was theirs to lose from the start.

The Winnipeg Jets knew what they were getting into. Winnipeg was on top of their game from the start and limited the Oilers every time they were on the ice. Connor McDavid was nowhere to be seen, and that is exactly what the Jets wanted.

The Oilers have only scored just one goal or less ten times this season, and there were only 11 games this entire season where McDavid did not register a point. Game one was not their night.

Maybe the team just went into game one a little too confident. They did beat the Jets seven times this season, and they definitely did control the series going into things. Connor McDavid and the Oilers just did not show up to play.

The Edmonton Oilers lost game one, but this is a long series.

More from Oil On Whyte

• 3 Oilers Players Who Should See An Expanded Role In 2023 And 1 Who Should Not
• Three Battles To Watch At Edmonton Oilers Training Camp
• Keys to Success: What the Edmonton Oilers Need to Focus on for a Successful Season
• The Edmonton Oilers Mean Business This Season
• Pacific division predictions

The Edmonton Oilers ended up losing 4-1 in game one, and the good thing for the team is that this is not a one-game series. While Edmonton basically lost home ice and now will have to battle back, they are more than capable of doing that.

Winnipeg outplayed the Oilers on Wednesday. Yes, some of their goals were lucky bounces, well both of the real ones were. The first was a bad rebound from Smith and the second was a lucky tip from a shot at the point.

Fans can be upset about those goals, but rather I just want to ask why they can’t get a bounce like that. Last season it was the Blackhawks during the qualifiers that had lucky bounces to win the series, what do the Oilers have to do to get that kind of bounce? Maybe focus on shooting the puck more often and just putting the puck towards the net with traffic in front.

Game two of this series is on Friday, and it is not over yet. Both teams should enter the game flying and ready to go having already felt each other out in game one. Hopefully, McDavid and company are up to the challenge!

Winnipeg had nothing to lose going into this game. They had finished the season not playing great, they were already behind against Edmonton this season, and they did not have the star power the Oilers had. Yet they stuck with it and ended up winning game one.

If you want to see our first and second intermission reports feel free to check it out with a little bit of stats and updates from during the game.