Following a crushing loss to the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch delivered a blunt statement to Connor McDavid and the rest of the team.

© Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesConnor McDavid at the Bridgestone Arena on June 25, 2023.

When it rains, it pours for Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. Recording their third straight loss in the 2025-26 NHL season, Kris Knoblauch didn’t mince words after the embarrassing outing against the Colorado Avalanche.

It’s still too early to tell, but the Oilers are trending down. With three losses in a row, Edmonton is approaching the bottom of the Pacific Division standings, while other teams assert their dominance near the top. For McDavid and company, the only way is up, but they keep finding ways to dig deeper.

Hosting the always-challenging Avalanche at Rogers Place, the Oilers faced a big opportunity to get back on track with an inspired performance. However, the night couldn’t have gone any worse for the home fans in Edmonton. Being blown out of the water by the visiting Avs in a whooping 9-1 defeat, Knoblauch let his players hear it after the game with a straightforward statement.

“And I think tonight would be, I definitely hope this is, rock bottom for us. I hope this wakes up a lot of guys,” Knoblauch stated, via NHL.com. “This team’s been in trying times several times over the years and they’ve always worked it out. Just because they’ve found a way to play better, step up and I think right now, the last couple weeks I’ve seen we’re just kind of waiting for that moment to happen.”

Kris Knoblauch at UBS Arena on October 16, 2025 in Elmont, New York.

Took the wind out of their sails

When Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid go head-to-head, all eyes in the NHL take notice. However, as the two former first overall picks went to battle in The Gateway to the North, only the Nova-Scotian delivered. With Colorado taking control of the game, Edmonton crumbled, and the game was over long before there were zeros left on the scoreboard.

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“After the first goal, there was a lot of deflation. Especially off the second one, off the face-off, and after that, it was a lot of guys beating themselves up and not playing very well,” Knoblauch added. “A lot of not looking like a cohesive team right now, just not playing very well right now and that’s on the coaching staff, mostly myself, to get that aligned.“

New low

“Right from puck drop, I’d say we were kind of flat. There’s mistakes kind of all over the ice,” Oilers forward Andrew Mangiapane told NHL.com. “I don’t know if we’re just thinking that it’s going to come easy to us. So, it just starts there. Everyone just buying in and just bringing that intensity, whatever that is for you. Each player is different.”

With the final score reading 9-1 in favor of Colorado, Knoblauch recorded his worst loss as head coach in Edmonton. Obviously, the losses in the Stanley Cup Final will always be the most heartbreaking, but in terms of goal difference, this is the first time his Oilers lose by 8 goals—and only the second time the franchise loses by as many at home.

The previous worst loss had been an 8–1 defeat to the Vancouver Canucks during the 2023–24 NHL season opener—Knoblauch’s head coaching debut with the Oilers. If there’s any silver lining to such disheartening losses, it’s that everything turned out fairly well after that horrible debut. Perhaps the Oilers can turn things around again. However, only time will tell. For now, McDavid and the rest of the team will have to endure Knoblauch’s harsh commands after a pathetic showing at home.