For the second consecutive season, the Edmonton Oilers struggle to get out of goal. The Oil is 6-7-1 and in the midst of a two-game skid that has the club in fifth place in the Pacific Division and outside the hunt for a playoff spot.

Despite another slow start, general manager Stan Bowman not considering adding a defender after reports to the contrary – at least according to Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal.

“What’s the biggest reason the Oilers don’t want to make a deal for a Top 4 defenseman right now? I suspect Stan Bowman thinks that at worst this team can make the playoffs without doing so,” Leavins wrote Thursday.

“So unless something irresistible falls into Bowman’s lap sooner, he should wait until after Christmas. He would then be in a much better position vis-à-vis the salary cap to find a great player. But just as importantly, that would also be when more of these guys would actually be available. Right now he would pay a high price to fish a small, shallow pool.

The Oilers are near the bottom of the league in goals against; they currently give up 3.21 per game. It would certainly be interesting if Bowman delayed his search for a top-four D-man for the time being, given the way things are going.

The trade market is currently limited in quality defenders, and it might not be the worst idea to wait until after the holidays, when cap space is more flexible – especially given the number of players available is likely to increase.

Either way, the Oilers need to stem the bleeding, whether or not Bowman makes a move in the coming weeks. And it doesn’t help that defenseman Troy Stecher left late in Wednesday’s loss to the Vegas Golden Knights after blocking a shot.

Oilers failed to get a win in Connor McDavid’s return

In Connor McDavid’s return to the lineupEdmonton was beaten 4-2 by Vegas, even though the game was tied with less than a minute remaining in regulation. This is the Oilers’ second straight loss and third in their last five tries.

“We’re just missing some details, and right now obviously we need every detail we can get,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the loss, per Gerry Moddejonge of NHL.com.

“When the pucks aren’t attacking you, you have to be able to play good defensive hockey, and tonight I think we started off pretty well like that. They’ll still have good chances to score, they’re a good team, but as the game went on that’s when I thought our detail dropped.

McDavid missed three games with an ankle injury, and despite Wednesday’s loss, the club will be happy to have No. 97 healthy moving forward.

The hockey world has been waiting for the Oilers to turn things around – as they did after a brutal start to 2023-24 – but that hasn’t happened yet. Edmonton will look to right the ship against another divisional opponent, the Vancouver Canucks, in British Columbia, on Saturday night.