THE Edmonton Oilers seemed to be in control for much of last night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. However, that wasn’t supposed to happen, as they ended up losing 4-2 in the final and have now lost twice in a row.

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This game continues what has been a very difficult start to the season for the Oilers, who are now 6-7-1. However, fans should be reminded that this team was 2-9-1 and 5-12-1 last season. Everything will be fine for them, although it would be nice to see them turn things around sooner rather than later. That said, here are the three main takeaways from this one.

Late game collapse

As mentioned, it felt like the Oilers were in control the vast majority of the time. They found themselves down 1-0 going into the first, but managed to take the lead in the second thanks to goals from Brett Kulak and Zach Hyman.

This lead seemed secure, as the Oilers weren’t looking much at the Golden Knights. However, that changed midway through the third, when Noah Hanifin beat Stuart Skinner on a point shot. However, the Oilers did not break. Until the last minute, of course.

Hanifin shocked the crowd at Rogers Place when he managed to beat Skinner on the glove side for his second of the night with just 49 seconds left. It was the game winner, as Mark Stone ended up sealing it with an empty net shortly after, leaving the Oilers and their fans stunned.

Quiet return for McDavid

There was a lot of talk surrounding the Oilers yesterday, as it was announced that Connor McDavid would be returning to the lineup. The 27-year-old hasn’t been in the lineup since suffering from a lower body injury against the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 28. He was expected to miss two to three weeks, but, in typical McDavid fashion, he wanted to come back sooner.

While it was great to see McDavid in the lineup, it didn’t give the Oilers the boost they ultimately could have used. The generational talent was rather understated, becoming useless by throwing only two shots on goal. He has just 10 points in 11 games so far, numbers that suggest he’s in for a hot spell in the near future.

Penalty struggles continue

While there have been many issues with the Oilers this season, the one that has gotten a lot of attention is their struggles on the penalty kill. Hanifin’s first play of the night came on the power play, which was just one of two opportunities the Golden Knights had on the power play in this one. Surprisingly, a 50% penalty kill rate that night isn’t far off the Oilers’ 14-game average.

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The Oilers’ penalty kill rate after last night’s game sits at 59.5% on the season. This marks the third lowest total in NHL history for any team in its first 14 games of the season. The 2020-21 New Jersey Devils (59.1%) and 1977-78 Minnesota North Stars are the only teams to rank lower. It’s a disconcerting statistic given the excellent performance on the penalty kill during their run to the Stanley Cup Final last season.

Looking ahead for the Oilers

The Oilers will have two nights to relax before playing a big divisional game Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks have been hot lately, winning their last two outings to improve to 6-2-3. This won’t be an easy task for the Oilers, but it looks like a game they need to win as they look to get back on track.