League-bottom PK, offensive conversion struggle again, and more: 3 key takeaways from Edmonton Oilers 3-0 shutout loss to Devils

The Edmonton Oilers had performed fairly well without superstar captain Connor McDavid, having won two straight thanks largely to the contributions of fellow star Leon Draisaitl.

However, their two-game winning streak came to a screeching halt on Monday night against the visiting New Jersey Devils, who earned a 3-0 shutout win at Rogers Place. The win improved the Devils' record to 8-5-2, while the Oilers dropped to 6-6-1.

The Devils opened the scoring just over five minutes into the opening frame thanks to Stefan Noesen, his sixth goal of the year.

Jesper Bratt increased New Jersey's lead to two goals, striking on the power play late in the second period. Midway through the third period, the Devils added another with Timo Meier's sixth goal of the year.

Devils goaltender Jake Allen stopped all 31 shots that he faced, while Calvin Pickard stopped 13 of the 16 shots he faced.

Let's examine the three biggest takeaways from Monday night's Oilers loss on home ice to the Devils.

3 major takeaways from Edmonton Oilers 3-1 loss to New Jersey Devils

#3. Edmonton's NHL-worst penalty killing continued to struggle

The Oilers may feature a bevy of offensive talent that most other clubs would kill for, but they also happen to have the worst penalty-killing unit in the NHL.

Their dead-last penalty killing wasn't effective on Monday night, surrendering a power-play goal to the Devils in the second period.

If the Oilers are going to get back into the win column and stay there for any sustained amount of time, their penalty-killing must improve.

#2. The Oilers lost despite allowing only 16 shots

While the Oilers lost on the scoreboard, one statistic they bested the Devils in was the final shot total. They fired 31 shots on goaltender Jake Allen, who stopped them all.

Meanwhile, it wasn't Pickard's best performance as he let in three goals on just 16 shots.

#1. Multiple Edmonton giveaways proved costly

The Oilers were careless with the puck against the Devils, committing 19 giveaways compared to 12 by New Jersey.

The turnover from Zach Hyman in the third period proved costly, as it directly led to New Jersey's third goal and put the game out of the Oilers' reach.

The Oilers will attempt to rebound when they next hit the ice for a matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Place. Game time is set for 8:30 PM EST.