EDMONTON, Alberta — Early in this road trip, Kyle Dubas said the Penguins really needed one of their goalies to “step up” and seize this “immense” opportunity.

Joel Blomqvist must have tuned in for the GM’s show on SportsNet Pittsburgh.

On Friday, the rookie got back in goal against Connor McDavid and the high-flying Edmonton Oilers. He was spectacular, as he stopped the first 33 shots he faced.

Eventually, the Oilers broke through with two goals late in the second period and extended the Penguins’ losing skid to four games with a 4-0 final at Rogers Place.

But Blomqvist made 46 saves — and also a statement to Dubas and the team.

Friday was Blomqvist’s first start in a week. He was OK in his last outing, a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. But Blomqvist had to take a backseat as the Penguins tried to get Alex Nedeljkovic going. Coach Mike Sullivan gave him a turn Friday in a tough matchup in Edmonton, in what was the first half of a road back-to-back.

The Penguins played a bit better defensively Tuesday in Calgary. Friday was more like the team we saw in their other games. Players seemed more likely to step on their logo in the locker room than park themselves in proper defensive position.

Blomqvist was tested right away. The Oilers, one of the NHL’s most dangerous rush teams, got two chances in transition within the first 75 seconds. Blomqvist kicked out his right pad to stuff Zach Hyman in the blue paint. Then came a 2-on-1 rush.

The rookie would make 19 saves in the first period. He stayed square while moving laterally to deny Viktor Arvidsson. There was a flurry with three quick pad saves. And just before the buzzer, he stopped McDavid after he swaggered into the slot.

It was more of the same in the second. Blomqvist sprawled to stop Hyman, then fought off another shot without a stick. He stopped Leon Draisaitl on a breakaway, then he got a piece of the rebound try, ultimately kept out by Marcus Pettersson.

Midway through the game, the visitors were being outshot by a 31-8 margin.

The Penguins had finally started to push offensively and make Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner move a little bit when the Oilers scored on their 34th shot of the night.

Draisaitl rushed in and caught Blomqvist leaning on a shot from the right dot.

A few minutes later, Evan Bouchard made it 2-0. The Oilers tired out the third line with a long shift inside Pittsburgh territory. Bouchard dragged the puck around Anthony Beauvillier and snapped a shot from atop the circles behind Blomqvist.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins pushed the lead to 3-0 on the first shift of the third period. On that broken play, he became the latest Oiler to beat Blomqvist blocker side.

Mattias Ekholm shot a power-play goal through traffic to make it more lopsided.

Sure, Blomqvist lost a little steam as the Oilers’ shot total ticked up to 50. But the 22-year-old was the sole reason the Penguins stayed in this game for a while.

McDavid and the Oilers won yet another matchup against Sidney Crosby’s squad.

The Oilers have also sputtered to start the season. But Friday’s game turned out to be a get-right spot for them. They have won seven straight against the Penguins.

Meanwhile, Friday was another quiet night for Crosby during the losing streak.

Crosby has struggled during these four losses. He has a minus-5 rating over that span, and Crosby has produced only one point — a primary assist on a power-play goal Tuesday. The Penguins could really use a lift from their captain right now.

Ice chips

— The Penguins challenged Bouchard’s goal, alleging that the Oilers entered their zone offside before the goal. But it was a failed challenge for Sullivan and his video coaches. The Penguins have failed on three of their last eight offsides challenges.

— Cody Glass did not play in the third period after apparently suffering an injury.

— Pettersson dropped the gloves with Darnell Nurse, who wasn’t happy about the defenseman’s hit on Arvidsson with about five minutes left in the third period.

— Sullivan kept Pettersson and Kris Letang on one defensive pair and had Matt Grzelcyk and Erik Karlsson on another. He explained he switched those pairs up on the road trip because there was inconsistency among the defensive corps early in the season. And so, he said, “We felt it was time to try to affect some change.”

— Going into the game, the lone lineup tweak Sullivan made following Tuesday’s loss in Calgary was to flip-flop Glass and Jesse Puljujarvi in the bottom six.

— The healthy scratches for the Penguins were again Valtteri Puustinen, Ryan Shea and Tristan Jarry. Jarry isn’t with the team currently. The Penguins sent him back to Pittsburgh on Wednesday to practice with director of goaltending Jon Elkin.

— Before the game, Penguins goalie coach Andy Chiodo had a chat in the press box with Dustin Schwartz — his Oilers counterpart and Jarry’s summer goalie coach.

Stat n’at

18 — High-danger chances for the Oilers in the first two periods, per Sportlogiq

Coming up

The Penguins flew to Vancouver, British Columbia, after Friday’s game. It will be a quick turnaround, as they finish this road trip with a game against the Canucks on Saturday night.

©2024 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.