The Edmonton Oilers went into Rogers Place on Saturday in hopes of bouncing back from the loss against the Detroit Red Wings from a couple of nights ago. But it wasn’t to be. Instead, the Toronto Maple Leafs ended their three-match losing streak to pick up a 4-3 victory on the road against the Oilers. But Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch believes it was rather the match officials’ decisions that made his team suffer.

A post by the official Edmonton Oilers X account from February 1 shared snippets from Knoblauch’s post-match presser. The Leafs dominated the first period scoring three goals. However, the Oilers HC still highlighted he “certainly didn’t think it was bad.” However, he also noted that it was actually the penalty kills that caught the team off-guard.

The penalty kills did a “pretty good job,” Kris said, with the hint of disdain in voce being hard to ignore. He went on to note the importance of penalty kills around the net and admitted “We lost two battles there,” to assert how the first period could have played out much differently than it actually did. Referring to how the Oilers conceded two goals thanks to the penalty kills, the Edmonton Oilers HC still sounded happy to see the team not throwing in the towel.

However, it wasn’t for a lack of trying that the hosts couldn’t win. Oilers captain Connor McDavid and his boys tried their best, but the Leafs’ goalie Joseph Woll seemed to be in a different headspace altogether. With 45 saves, the Toronto netminder looked like an impenetrable wall. And yet, for Knoblauch, the penalty kills were still the harder pill to swallow.

Edmonton Oilers right winger Corey Perry also thought the game was lost in the first period. “Just those little details in the game that matter and come back to haunt you,” he said later, as per an article by NHL.com from Saturday. The Canadian went on to mirror the coach’s words, saying, “A couple of turnovers led to penalties against and then their power play went to work. We eliminate those turnovers and I think we would’ve had a better start.” However, it seems like Oilers fans have a thing or two to say about tonight’s shambling defeat.

Edmonton Oilers loyalists claim foul

Oilers’ goalie Stuart Skinner hasn’t been in his best form in recent weeks. While some of the misfortune might be purely circumstantial (Skinner made 32 saves against the Red Wings, as Detroit won 3-2), his performance from Saturday isn’t sitting well with the fans at all. “Oilers took dumb penalties and Skinner couldn’t save anything,” grunted a fan on social media, adding that the loss was “very disappointing“.

Knoblauch and the team will now hit the road for two back-to-back away matches against St. Louis and Chicago, before heading home to host the Colorado Avalanche. But will these matches bring better fortune to the Oilers to help them see brighter days? What do you think? Tell us!