The Edmonton Oilers lost their first regulation game of the season on Thursday night, falling 4–2 to the Utah Mammoth at Rogers Place. Clayton Keller scored twice and the Mammoth went 2/3 on the power play to hand Edmonton its first defeat in five games.
The goaltending was not the problem. Devon Levi stopped 20 of 23 shots and both Mike Babcock and Connor McDavid came out of the game pointing to special teams as the difference. McDavid made clear what the team owes its goaltender going forward. Babcock also had something to say about who goes in net for the rematch on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
McDavid believes Oilers did not hold up their end for Levi
Connor McDavid was asked after the game about what the goaltending has meant through the early part of the season, with Levi and Tristan Jarry both playing well. The Oilers captain gave special credit to Levi, saying the team did not do enough in return.
“It’s huge,” McDavid said. “Both guys have been great for us. Levi especially. Just solid in there, gives us a chance every night. He makes timely saves and that’s half the battle for a goaltender. He made the right ones for us tonight, we just didn’t find a way to get one for him.”
Levi came into the game having stopped 39 shots in a 4–1 win over Los Angeles two days earlier, one of the better individual goaltending performances of the young season where he has gotten most of the starts over Jarry.
On Thursday he faced 24 shots, two of which came on Utah power plays that went in. Levi is 4–1–0 with a .897 SV% and 2.83 GAA through five starts so far.
Babcock says Oilers can’t let players get to the goaltender unchallenged
Babcock did not blame the goaltending either. He was specific about where the Oilers let themselves down and made the point that protecting Levi is the team’s responsibility. Two of Utah’s three regulation goals were ones he felt should never have happened.
He said the third goal was particularly frustrating. Barrett Hayton opened the scoring on a power play in the first, which Babcock acknowledged Utah made a good play on. But the goal that made it 3–1 was a different story. The team let Logan Cooley get to Levi unchallenged, and Babcock was not letting that pass.
“Can’t let him get to Levi,” Babcock said of the third goal. “Just deflect him and he doesn’t get to Levi. That’s a freebie.”
He was not panicked about the result. The Oilers outshot Utah 23–24 and Babcock said he thought the group worked throughout the night.
“I’m not displeased with this at all,” he said. “Would I like us to do a better job on their first and third goal? Absolutely.”
The top line is carrying too big a load and Babcock knows it
One of the running storylines through the early part of the season has been how heavily Babcock has leaned on the top line. Babcock was direct about the situation and acknowledged he has been riding Connor McDavid’s line harder than he wants to.
“I look at it every night and go, ‘what the heck am I doing?'” Babcock said. “But I’m also trying to survive right now. A lot of our other guys have done a phenomenal job. We’re in a good spot and I’m just hoping we bought enough time to get some guys back.”
McDavid was asked how much responsibility falls on the top players when so many forwards are out of the lineup. He kept it short.
“We expect to win every night no matter who’s in the lineup,” he said. “That’s just the way it is.”
McDavid says he liked the game more than the L.A. win and points to Saturday
Despite the loss, McDavid left the building in a reasonably positive mood. He said the game had a good feel to it even if the result did not go the right way.
“I liked a lot about this game,” McDavid said. “I liked that everyone competed and dug in. It was a hard tight checking game, much like the rest of them lately. I actually liked the game better tonight than in L.A.”
He also gave Utah credit. The Mammoth played four lines and controlled the first half before the Oilers pushed back in the second and third.
“They’ve got as balanced a lineup as you’re going to see in the league,” McDavid said. “But I thought we did a good job of bending the game back.”
Babcock revealed Jarry gets the start Saturday
With the rematch in Salt Lake City tonight, Babcock settled the goaltending question on his way out.
“Jarry’s going next game and we’ve got to do the same for him,” Babcock said.
Tristan Jarry has gotten two starts so far. His 2026–27 started with a brutal six-goal outing in the opener against Vancouver, followed by a sharp 19-save effort in San Jose. He is now sitting at 1–0–1 with a 3.46 GAA and .837 SV%.
Saturday will be his chance to keep it going on the road.
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