HC Kris Knoblauch makes blunt admission about 'fragile' Edmonton Oilers squad after 3 consecutive losses since 4 Nations break

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Feb 26, 2025 05:35 GMT

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Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch did not hide his concerns after the team’s latest loss. After a 4-1 defeat against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he admitted the team is struggling with confidence. The Oilers have now lost four straight games, including three since the Four Nations break.

The coach acknowledged that the team is going through a tough stretch.

"You've got to put those things behind you, and I think we haven't gone through this tough stretch right now for a while," Knoblauch told reporters. "If there's going to be a time, this is excellent opportunity, and we're not playing our best. We're playing some really good teams, so we can't be not at our best and expect to win those games."

Knoblauch also pointed to mistakes in the neutral zone as a key issue.

"The turnover in the neutral zone, obviously they capitalize on that right away," Knoblauch added. "We're a fragile group right now, and we're just a little reluctant to play our game. Confidence is a little hard [to find] right now."

The Edmonton Oilers opened the scoring against Tampa Bay, but mistakes allowed the Lightning to take control. Michael Eyssimont tied the game just over a minute after Leon Draisaitl’s power-play goal, and the Oilers never recovered.

Goaltender Stuart Skinner made key saves early, but the Lightning’s pressure was too much. Tampa Bay scored twice in the second period, including a power-play goal from Victor Hedman. Edmonton struggled to generate chances, and Nick Paul sealed the win with a third-period goal.

The Oilers now have a 34-20-4 record and will face the Florida Panthers next. It will be their first visit to Amerant Bank Arena since Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

Analyst urges Edmonton Oilers to trade for Jordan Binnington to upgrade goaltending

TSN’s Craig Button believes the Edmonton Oilers should trade for Jordan Binnington to upgrade their goaltending. Speaking on SportsCenter with Jay Onrait, Button said Binnington is an improvement over Skinner.

"There's one team that's looking to potentially upgrade their goaltending, and that's the Edmonton Oilers. Jordan Binnington is better than Stuart Skinner, full stop. You know that after what just happened at the 4 Nations," Button said on Sunday.

The Oilers have struggled in net, with Skinner showing inconsistency and Calvin Pickard sharing the workload. Button said Oilers general manager Stan Bowman should act if Blues general manager Doug Armstrong is open to trading Binnington.

Button also believes Connor McDavid would support the move.

"Jordan Binnington....do you think Connor McDavid would go to bat for him? Yeah, absolutely," he said.

Binnington recently helped Canada win the Four Nations Face-Off, finishing with a .907 save percentage. He also won the Stanley Cup in 2019.