The good news: Nail Yakupov, the former first-round pick who has found himself in the doghouse of head coach Dallas Eakins and a healthy scratch on numerous occasions, scored for a second straight game.
The bad news: The Edmonton Oilers were once again the second best team on the ice, resulting in yet another loss. They continue to pile up - 26 in regulation all totaled.
The Oilers are now 44 games into the season and don’t seem to be showing any signs of improvement; in fact, one could argue they’re getting worse. The latest loss came Friday, as the Oilers coughed up a one-goal lead in the first period, before losing 5-2 to the Anaheim Ducks.
This time, it was Ilya Bryzgalov in goal.
The Ducks improved their home record to 16-0-2. Ben Lovejoy scored twice in two minutes and 43 seconds, setting a new Ducks franchise record for the fastest two goals scored by an Anaheim defenseman.
“We’ve got to find a way to get results. We can’t just hang our heads and feel sorry for ourselves,” said Oilers’ center Boyd Gordon, as per the Oilers’ Twitter account.
He continued: “We’ve been hanging around in games but always seem to find a way to blow a lead.”
True, the Oilers gave up a lead - a one-goal lead in the first period. In the final 40 minutes, however, they managed just eight shots on goal.