from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

It’s a fragile fan base here in Northern Alberta, and how could you possibly blame them?

A decade of playoff misses was followed by a 103-point season two years ago, and finally, some playoff success. But as fast as Taylor Hall could win a Hart Trophy — boom! Dysfunction returned with a vengeance last season.

You’ve heard about the hockey gods? Well, Edmonton has been home to the Hockey Grinch for some time now, so you’ll have to excuse folks for wondering — as Colorado issued Edmonton its fourth straight loss with a 4-1 walloping at Rogers Place — if this year’s Oilers team is turning into last year’s Oilers team, right before their very eyes.

“This is not like last year’s team,” declared Oilers defenceman Adam Larsson. “We still have a strong belief system in here. I don’t even want to compare it to last year.”

Yet, here we are again. An 8-2-1 run convinced fans here that their team was for real. And it still might be.

But now they’ve lost four straight, the latest a disinterested 4-1 beatdown in which the Oilers scarcely competed for the two points until the Avs, with a 4-0 lead, sat back in the third period.

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Game highlights are below.