3 major takeaways from Pittsburgh Penguins' 4-0 loss to Edmonton Oilers

NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins at Edmonton Oilers - Source: Imagn
NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins at Edmonton Oilers - Source: Imagn

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered Friday night's game against the Edmonton Oilers having gone winless in three straight. Despite a valiant effort from rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist, they were unable to return to the win column.

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The Oilers fired 50 shots on goal, eventually finding the scoresheet, thanks to sniper Leon Draisaitl's shot that beat Blomqvist's blocker side with seven minutes remaining in the second period; it was Edmonton's 34th shot of the night.

Defenseman Evan Bouchard doubled the lead with a shot from the high slot with just over three minutes remaining. Unfortunately, for the Penguins, the Oilers continued pouring it on in the third period, thanks to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' first goal of the year moments into the final frame. Mattias Ekholm concluded the scoring with 13 minutes remaining.

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Goaltender Stuart Skinner made 27 saves for his first shutout of the season and the fifth of his NHL career, while Blomqvist made 46 saves. Now that the Penguins have lost four straight, what were the three biggest takeaways from their latest setback?


#1 The Penguins were vastly outshot all night

The Penguins were behind the 8-ball all evening, starting in the first period when they managed only five shots on Skinner, while the Oilers fired 19 shots on Blomqvist.

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While the Penguins pressed with 12 shots in the second period, the Oilers matched them with 20; two of them found the back of the net.

#2 A heroic performance from Joel Blomqvist went for naught

Blomqvist, who picked up a victory in his first NHL start earlier this month against the Detroit Red Wings, did everything possible to give his team a chance to get back into the game.

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“He just continued to battle,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said of Blomqvist's performance.
“He saw some really good looks and odd-man rushes, and I thought he just hung in there and kept competing. There are some dangerous shooters (in Edmonton). He did a great job hanging in there.”

The Penguins' goaltending duties belong to Blomqvist and Alex Nedeljkovic after the team sent starter Tristan Jarry home in an effort to jumpstart his game.

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#3 Forward Cody Glass departed and didn't return

The Penguins forward departed the contest with what the team described as an "illness" and didn't return. He had played 10:40 of ice time with one shot on goal and a -1 rating.

Glass is in his first season with the Penguins after being acquired from the Nashville Predators via trade in August. The Penguins will look to stop their losing skid when they take on the Vancouver Canucks at the Rogers Arena on Saturday night.

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Edited by Bhargav
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