‘The worst 20 minutes I’ve ever seen the Oilers play’: Fans react to meltdown loss in Game 1

Fans of the Edmonton Oilers were very confident heading into Game 1 of the Western Conference Final, and then the third period happened. The Dallas Stars managed to mount a comeback, securing a 6-3 victory after the Oilers had a 3-1 lead heading into the final frame.

With how everything unravelled in the final period, fans were quick to take to the internet to voice that their confidence had spun into frustration. 

“That game is an example of why lifelong Oilers fans have developed trust issues.” – @thechek182 via X

“I’d like to thank the Edmonton Oilers for reminding me that happiness is an illusion and everything is terrible.” – @aimeok via X

“What a colossal choke… absolute pain.” – @ConnorAndrews via X

“The worst 20 minutes I’ve ever seen the Oilers play. Ever.” – Benetsmartin via Instagram

“My late 90s and early 2000s self is activated. I loathe Dallas. We will do it.” – Kpart via Instagram

“To succeed, the Oilers must avoid taking penalties, as the opposing team’s power play is a significant threat, and the referee is watching their every move.” – Maribeth via Facebook

“Duchene embellished a high stick and the refs bit. Pack it up and get ready for the next game. Eight wins required.” – David via Facebook

Matt Duchene and the penalty kill were both hot topics among Oilers fans in the third period, with plenty of finger-pointing toward the officiating.

“The referees did everything they could to turn the game around with these penalties. The Oilers dominated until the referees decided to tip the game in favour of the Stars. Dallas should be renamed to Dallas Referees or Dallas Cap Cheats!” – Pavel via Facebook

“In what world is Wes McCaulley considered a good ref in the NHL?” – Raghu Sharma via X

“Oh, pardon me for misunderstanding. I thought that the stick had to be up high to be called a high stick. My bad.” – SamInYEG via X

“Absolute garbage call on Kane. Duchesne snaps his head back to sell a call and refs give three straight PPs to Dallas. They score three straight goals. Oilers PK has to be better, but that last penalty was officiating.” – Raja Dhami

The high stick incident involving Matt Duchene is intriguing because, from another angle, it appears that Kane’s stick may have clipped Duchene in the face. However, the way Duchene snapped his head back and forth seemed overly exaggerated.

One position that received little love was goaltending, particularly with Stuart Skinner’s shutout streak coming to an end and his save percentage sitting at .815. Some fans believe this is representative of his performance, characterized by high highs and low lows. However, not everyone agrees that this loss can be attributed solely to him.

“Skinner lost this for the Oilers got to sit him for the rest of the series. He s**t the bed.” – Robert via Facebook

“Looks like good old no winner Skinner has returned.” – Scott via Facebook

“The real Skinner is back. Dropping early and far too often…. Lateral movement replicating his inner spirit animal (a sloth). What a joke. The only thing missing was a Nurse Snowangel in the crease.” – Kevin Tetz via Facebook

“None of this was Skinner’s fault… Blame him all you want but this game legit came down to the refs blowing two of the three back-to-back-to-back penalty calls and giving Dallas all the momentum.” – Chance via Facebook

“They quit playing defensively from the goalie out after we got the lead going into the 3rd. It’s not Skinner’s loss, it’s everyone in front of him that quit.” – Patrick via Facebook

“I don’t remember a big save by Skinner the entire game. He was brutal tonight.” – @StuThePenguin via X

“In six playoff games, Stuart Skinner does not have a single game with a SV% between .835 and .999. The roller coaster ride continues.” – @curtisharsch via X

“Honestly, don’t think this is on Skinner at all. The team in front of him gave up.” – @Benfica97 via X

“I’m gonna put this out here cause I am pretty annoyed with all the Skinner hate: it wasn’t all his fault. We took too many dumb penalties. He got us to the playoffs. Last year, he got us to the Stanley Cup Final. We need to lift him up, not bring him down!!!!!” – @AshIsElsewhere via X

Many things can be true simultaneously. The penalty kill must improve if the Oilers want to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, and so must the goaltending. When it comes to Stuart Skinner, it’s not about posting a shutout every game but giving the Oilers consistent performances.

We will see if that happens in Game 2 against the Stars and Oilers on Friday night, 6 p.m. MST. But tonight, for Oilers fans, it feels like a missed opportunity.