The Edmonton Oilers’ winning streak ended after two games on Monday, November 4, with a 3-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils at Rogers Place.

Devils forwards Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier and Stefan Noesen each scored, while New Jersey goalie Jake Allen made 31 saves for his 26^th career whitewash. Edmonton Goalie Calvin Pickard stopped just 13 of the 16 shots he faced, for a less-than-stellar save percentage of .813.

It was a disappointing performance from Edmonton’s NHL team, playing its third game since losing its captain. Connor McDavid with an ankle injury last week. The Oilers had won their first two outings without McDavid, beating the Nashville Predators 5-1 at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday (Oct. 31) and the Calgary Flames 4-2 at Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday (Nov. 3).

It was the second time in seven home games this season that Edmonton failed to score a goal. With this loss, the Oilers now have a record of 6-6-1, including only 2-4-1 in front of their fans. Here are some takeaways from Monday’s meeting in Oil Country:

Five Hit Wonders

To get an idea of ​​how things went on the ice at Rogers Place on Monday, consider that Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse had as many hits against the Flames on Sunday as his entire team had 24 hours later against the Devils.

The Oilers recorded just five hits, their fewest in a home game since November 2008. The meager total also represents the fewest hits by an NHL team in a game thus far. this season.

If the Oilers thought Monday’s engagement was simply going to be a brilliant game, the Devils didn’t get that memo: New Jersey was credited with 19 hits, almost four times as many as its opponent.

Getting killed on the PK

Edmonton’s shorthanded unit faltered again Monday, when Bratt scored on New Jersey’s only power play late in the second period to give his team a 2-0 lead.

Jesper Bratt now has 15 points in 15 games this season. #NHLStats: https://t.co/WXAN7ZXDOO

: @SportsOnPrimeCA pic.twitter.com/a7Cjmlqyqs

– NHL (@NHL) November 5, 2024

Bratt’s goal, scored at 16:34 of the middle period, was a backbreaker: Edmonton had outshot the visitors 21-12 at that point, but couldn’t solve Allen , and a two-goal lead in this game might as well have had a five-goal advantage.

The Oilers have now allowed a league-high 14 power play goals this season and have the worst penalty kill percentage in the NHL at 60%. Those ugly numbers speak for themselves, but Monday’s game provided a vivid depiction of how the Oilers are affected by their terrible PK.

Edmonton’s penalty kill literally had one job against New Jersey — keep the Devils from putting the game in a chokehold with a massive goal just before the second intermission — and couldn’t do it.

Oilers forwards make history

On a positive note, a great story unfolded Monday at Rogers Place, where Oilers forwards Noah Philp and Derek Ryan became only the second pair of University of Alberta alumni to play on the same team during an NHL regular season game.

Related: 6 facts about Oilers forward Noah Philp’s incredible NHL journey

Philp was recalled from the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League and suited up for the Oilers against the Predators and Flames, but Ryan was left out of those two games. Ryan returned to the lineup on Monday, making it an incredibly important night in Alberta’s provincial capital.

A staple of Edmonton hockey for over a century, the Golden Bears have seen 15 of their skaters join the NHLincluding six who played for the Oilers. Until Monday, the only two former Alberta players to be teammates in the NHL were Wade Campbell and Don Springs, who played a total of 100 regular-season games with the Winnipeg Jets between 1982 and 1984.

The McDavid Factor

The loss of McDavid, injured in his first appearance in Edmonton’s 6-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28, almost seemed to have galvanized the Oilers. Edmonton played arguably its two best games of the season in wins over Nashville and Calgary, with everyone in the lineup, from top to bottom, elevating their play to compensate for McDavid’s absence.

In Edmonton’s previous two games combined, 13 different Oilers had at least a point, while struggling players like Zach Hyman and Mattias Janmark broke through with their first goals of 2024-25. But Monday’s loss showed how much McDavid is missed by this team, which averaged more than 1.5 points per game during his 10 career NHL seasons.

To that end, the Oilers had a welcome show on Monday, when McDavid skated for the first time since he was injured. While there’s no firm date yet for the captain’s return to the lineup, Monday’s activity means he’s not far away. And McDavid’s return can’t come soon enough for the Oilers, who are next in action Wednesday (Nov. 6) when they host the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights.