The Edmonton Oilers walked into KeyBank Center expecting a battle with the Buffalo Sabres, but what they got was a collapse that pushed Kris Knoblauch to speak harder and clearer than he has all season. The Oilers coach didn’t hide from the truth. “We got off to a pretty good start,” Knoblauch said, noting the early chances and energy. But after Buffalo’s first-period power-play goal, he admitted the Oilers “let up a little bit” and lost their jump. From there, he said the Sabres played with more “emotion and speed” and were simply the better team down the stretch. The Sabres seized every mistake, and the Oilers matchup quickly turned into a one-sided finish.
Edmonton’s spark faded fast. Jack Roslovic tied the game early in the second with his seventh goal of the year. The play pushed his point streak to five straight. But after that, the Oilers stalled. The Sabres responded with two goals in 62 seconds and ripped control away. They added two more that buried Edmonton’s momentum. Noah Ostlund delivered a sharp two-goal night, and Colten Ellis backed it with a steady performance in net. Together, they forced the Oilers to chase shadows for most of the final 40 minutes. Edmonton finished with 33 shots, but none carried real danger after the opening stretch.
What Kris Knoblauch wants fixed now for the Oilers
Kris Knoblauch went deeper, pointing to issues that cut at the Oilers' core. “In the defensive zone they had us running around, whether we were getting beat to the net or just not being aggressive enough, being so tight in the middle and just letting them walk around when we have to be a little more assertive there.” The message was sharp. As a result, the Oilers lacked jump. They also lacked bite. And ultimately, they lacked the urgency needed to survive a fast Sabres push.
For a team still trying to build consistency, the response now matters more than the loss. How will the Oilers answer when the lights hit again?
