{"id":945862,"date":"2026-10-25T15:50:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T15:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/945862\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T15:50:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T15:50:12","slug":"3-takeaways-from-oilers-frustrating-7-2-loss-to-maple-leafs-the-hockey-writers-edmonton-oilers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/945862\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Takeaways From Oilers\u2019 Frustrating 7-2 Loss to Maple Leafs – The Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Atmosphere is always electric when the Toronto Maple Leafs come to Rogers Place to battle the Edmonton Oilers. Unfortunately, the Oilers laid an egg on home ice for their second regulation loss of the season. Toronto was easily the better team<\/a> and beat Edmonton 7-2.<\/p>\n

Jack Roslovic, Auston Matthews, Troy Stecher, William Nylander (2), Zack MacEwen, and Vinnie Lettieri scored for the Maple Leafs, while Leon Draisaitl<\/a> scored twice for the Oilers. Anthony Stolarz stopped 30 of 32 shots for a .938 save percentage (SV%) in the win, while Tristan Jarry stopped 25 of 30 shots for an .833 SV% in defeat.<\/p>\n

This game had no redeeming qualities for Edmonton, so don\u2019t expect any positives, because there weren\u2019t any. They were bad and made way too many mistakes. They\u2019ve had a great start to the season, so hopefully we can chalk this up as an off night. Here are three takeaways from this brutal loss.<\/p>\n

Oilers Were Outworked<\/p>\n

The Oilers were badly outworked. The Maple Leafs won battles and wanted it more, and it showed. The Oilers didn\u2019t score a 5-on-5 goal, as one was 4-on-4, and the other was on the man advantage. The top line also got outscored 2-0 at 5-on-5. They failed to manage the puck, which led to odd-man rushes against.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bottom line is that they were better than us. They were more competitive than us, and they were quicker than us. In your own building on a Saturday night, that should be automatic. You should never get outworked,\u201d Mike Babcock stated<\/a> during his postgame presser. The effort was inexcusable.<\/p>\n

Zero Production From the Bottom Six<\/p>\n

If the top line isn\u2019t effective, the Oilers aren\u2019t finding success. The bottom six didn\u2019t generate anything as usual. At 5-on-5, they were outshot 11-6 and outchanced 10-2. The Aex Formenton, Owen Michaels, and Mathieu Joseph line was especially bad, getting outchanced 6-0, including 3-0 in high-danger chances, and outscored 1-0. They\u2019ve been ineffective for several games, so it\u2019s time to split them up.<\/p>\n

Filip Hallander and Max Jones played, while Trent Frederic and Isaac Howard were healthy scratches. Howard has played well the last few games, so it was surprising to see him out. Howard is an offensive player, so he should be on the third line to provide a boost. The bottom six desperately needs a shake-up because they aren\u2019t generating enough.<\/p>\n

Their lack of production puts more pressure on the big guns. Their top line can\u2019t be the entire offence every game. At some point, they need secondary scoring<\/a>. The only significant forward missing from the lineup is Matt Savoie. They are also without Jason Dickinson, but he won\u2019t help offensively. Savoie likely won\u2019t come in and change the bottom sixes\u2019 scoring woes. Injuries are no longer an excuse. The players in the lineup need to prove that they belong there. Or, it might be time for some call-ups and for certain players to hit the waiver wire.<\/p>\n

Rough Night for Walman<\/p>\n

This has been a common theme the past two seasons. Jake Walman<\/a> had another bad game. Mattias Ekholm\u2019s injury forced Walman on the top pair alongside Evan Bouchard. Unfortunately, he didn\u2019t make the most of the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\"JakeJake Walman, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Andy Devlin\/NHLI via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

His game started with a scary situation. Roslovic\u2019s stick got tangled in Walman\u2019s skate, and he crashed hard into the end boards. He got up slowly, favouring his ankle. He returned after the first TV timeout, but he struggled mightily.<\/p>\n

On Toronto\u2019s first goal, he slid to defend a 2-on-1 rush, but the puck ricocheted off his stick and in. The fifth goal against was laughable. Walman stumbled while skating back and was beaten by MacEwen. Then, he dropped his stick, and the puck bounced in the air and into the net.<\/p>\n

When Walman was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Oilers were outshot 11-8, outchanced 8-7, and outscored 2-0. He\u2019s not nearly tough enough to play against and makes too many errors. The Oilers inked him to a seven-year deal with a $7 million cap hit, and they are just in year one. This contract will age horribly if his play doesn\u2019t improve.<\/p>\n

The Oilers continue their five-game homestand on Monday, Oct. 26, against the Detroit Red Wings. Edmonton will look for revenge against Toronto on Nov. 14. Keep following The Hockey Writers<\/a> for all your NHL content throughout the season.<\/p>\n

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