Edmonton Oilers ring out 2017 with truly forgettable 5-0 loss on home ice

After a New Year's Eve cup o' unkindness on home ice Sunday, the Edmonton Oilers would like a good portion of the last three months to be forgotten, and never brought to mind.

A team many pundits picked to contend for the Stanley Cup this season rang out 2017 with another loss to the Winnipeg Jets, this time by a 5-0 score that was in every way indicative of how things looked on the ice.

The loss was the Oilers third straight, and as midnight chimed they found themselves seven points out of a wild card spot.

The ground gained from four straight wins in the run-up to Christmas was lost just as quickly during their post-holiday mini-slump.

If turning the page to a new year makes some people feel nostalgic, the Oilers on Sunday treated fans at Rogers Place to a less-than-wistful look back at the bad old months of October and early November.

'We were outworked'

It was the first truly terrible game the team has played since a humiliating 4-2 loss on home ice against the Philadelphia Flyers more than three weeks ago.

"We were outworked," Oilers coach Todd McLellan said. "It's as simple as that. Tonight was a very disappointing game for our club. But I'm not going to take one big brush and swipe [away] the month and a half of hockey we've played lately."

The loss was the Oilers' second to the Jets in a four-day span. On Dec. 27, they were in the game right to the final buzzer. Sunday's game was over long before the clock ran out.

Asked about his team's lack of effort Sunday, McLellan had this to say: "It's concerning, obviously. Especially playing at home here at this time of year, when we had something going pre-Christmas. We were on a roll and felt good about ourselves. But that doesn't happen automatically. You've got to show up and you've got to at least attempt to outwork the other team and we haven't done that today. So, it's concerning."

The Oilers were a hot mess in the first period. They looked exactly like the team that was so bad throughout most of October and November.

They were disorganized. They were lifeless. Many of their passes missed the mark. On several occasions on loose pucks they suffered from "you-take-it-NO-you-take-it" disease, and the Jets were more than willing to step in and win the puck.

Jets scored early, often

The first Jets goal came on a total defensive breakdown. Oilers defenceman Andrej Sekera wandered out toward the blue line and left his partner Matt Benning to fend for himself. All three Oilers forwards on the fourth line were also cruising near the blue line, accomplishing not much of anything. The Jets suddenly had a three-on-one.

Marko Dano and former Oiler Matt Hendricks passed it back and forth before Dano slipped the puck past goalie Cam Talbot, who had no chance.

Benning has to wear the second goal. He took the puck in front of Talbot and tried to veer to his right with Kyle Connor on him. Benning tried to shield the puck with his body. Connor simply chipped the puck off his stick to a wide-open Blake Wheeler, who scored from close in. Talbot, again, had little chance.

The period ended 2-0 for Winnipeg.

Sunday's game showcased problems that have plagued the Oilers all season, including a powerless power play and a penalty kill that has killed nothing more effectively than the team's fading playoff hopes.

Special teams still anything but

The Oilers penalty kill on the road is among the league's best. On home ice, it's among the worst in memory. McLellan admitted Sunday, as he has before, that he's baffled by the difference. He was also asked what the coaching staff can do to fix the problem.

"Other than video and personnel and systems and practice time, there's nothing else," he said. "So we're trying to tap into all those."

The Oilers had two power plays on the night and managed a total of one shot.

The Jets had two power plays, including a four-minute advantage with Zack Kassian off on a double-minor for roughing. They fired a total of six shots at Talbot and scored two goals.

The 17-19-3 Oilers have two days to regroup before they take on the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Place on Tuesday. They play Anaheim on Thursday, then head out on the road for five games. During the first two weeks of January, the Oilers will either play themselves back into contention or right out of the playoff picture.

Stay tuned.