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Oilers Coach Kris Knoblauch Reveals Mistakes in Sabres Loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Dec 10, 2025 9:41 AM ET

The Edmonton Oilers entered Tuesday’s matchup against the struggling Buffalo Sabres looking to extend their winning streak to three games ahead of their final home appearance before entering a five-game road trip on Saturday.

That wasn't the case, even with Buffalo arriving in the second half of a back-to-back and in a situation that Edmonton should have been able to exploit.

The Oilers started slow, allowed a late first-period goal, found themselves down three goals midway through the second frame, and reacted in time, tying the game with three unanswered third-period goals, only to lose in overtime.

Knoblauch spoke after the OT loss and pointed to the Oilers' steady passing up of clear shooting opportunities as the main thing undoing the team.

“Nothing to panic about right now.”

Coach Knoblauch addresses the media following the #Oilers 4-3 overtime loss at @RogersPlace. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Rd4ikBNI12
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 10, 2025

“I can think of probably up to ten times we had the puck in the slot, and we didn’t take a shot. Anytime you get into the dangerous ice, you should be looking to shoot,” Knoblauch said.

Knobluach expanded on his frustration with those specific moments in which the Oilers should have tried to capitalize.

“Very rarely should you be passing it up if you get the puck in the middle of the ice. We did that way too many times, at least half a dozen times,” Knoblauch said.

On Tuesday, Connor McDavid scored twice, sandwiching Vasily Podkolzin's goal for Edmonton, but Buffalo secured the overtime winner on an Alex Tuch goal 33 seconds into the extra period.

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch during a press conference.Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images

Knoblauch addressed Evan Bouchard’s giveaway, with which he gifted Sabres forward Tage Thompson the second goal of the game.

“Mostly a conversation the next day about what had happened on the play,” Knoblauch said about how he'll deal with Bouchard. “To tear a strip off him in between periods or on the bench, I don’t think is productive. He knows he made a mistake.”

Edmonton will host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, with puck drop set for 9 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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