Leon Draisaitl didn’t mince words after the Edmonton Oilers dropped their third straight game - a 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.
“Just not good enough right now,” Draisaitl said postgame, and it’s hard to argue with him.
This one stings a little more than usual. Not just because it came against a struggling Flames team, but because it was the Oilers’ final game before the Olympic break. And for a team with championship aspirations, heading into that pause on a three-game skid isn’t exactly the momentum you want.
Let’s rewind the tape.
This losing streak started with a 7-3 drubbing at the hands of the Minnesota Wild - a game where the Oilers looked out of sync in all three zones. Then came a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where defensive lapses and a sputtering power play told the story. And now, a tough one-goal loss to a Calgary squad that’s been anything but consistent this season.
The timing is frustrating, no doubt. But it’s not all doom and gloom in Edmonton.
The Oilers still sit second in the Pacific Division, and when the dust settles after the Olympics, they’ll be right in the thick of the playoff picture. They’ve built enough of a cushion that this stretch, while concerning, isn’t catastrophic. But it does raise questions - and Draisaitl’s comments suggest the players know it.
As for Draisaitl himself? The numbers tell a tale of a player still producing, even as the team hits a rough patch.
Back on January 26, he dished out four assists in a win over the Ducks. Three days later, he followed that up with a goal and two helpers in an overtime victory against the Sharks.
Even in the 7-3 loss to Minnesota, he found the back of the net - though he finished that game a minus-2. Against Toronto, he was held off the scoresheet and ended up a minus-1.
Then came Wednesday night: two goals, a plus-1 rating, and a performance that showed he’s still very much locked in, even if the results aren’t falling the team’s way.
Now, it’s off to Italy for the Olympics, where Draisaitl will suit up for Germany. And while the Oilers hit pause on their NHL schedule, this break might be exactly what they need - a chance to reset, regroup, and come back with a renewed edge.
Because when they return, the margin for error shrinks. The Pacific Division is tight, and while Edmonton controls its own destiny, the path forward will demand more consistency - especially from a group that knows it’s built to contend.
The Oilers have the talent. They’ve shown the ceiling. But as Draisaitl said, right now, it’s just not good enough.
The good news? There's still time to change that.