While most of the world lost an hour Sunday because of daylight savings time, the Pittsburgh Penguins just kept losing.

Their latest setback was a 4-0 shutout at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers at PPG Paints Arena.

While the Penguins did offer a somewhat crisper performance than some of their recent efforts in which they have allowed the equivalent of a touchdown’s worth of goals, they still suffered their sixth loss in their past seven games (1-6-0).

The result punched another hole into their hull as their playoff hopes continued to take on water.

Regardless, they professed resolve to press on.

“Obviously, the games haven’t gone the way we want probably the last six or seven,” Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry said. “It’s just finding that motivation. Finding something that motivates you and something that can elevate your game to bring a new level to every game.”

Despite posting an ample 41 shots against Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard, the Penguins were shut out for the third time over the past seven games and the fifth time overall this season (to say nothing of being shut out by the Oilers for the first time since that franchise joined the NHL in 1979).

“Obviously, we’re getting a lot of shots. We’re not putting them in the back of the net,” said Penguins forward Reilly Smith, who tallied a team-best six shots. “Part of that is just probably confidence. We just have to work our way out of this as a team. That’s the only way you’re going to do it.”

Not passing the puck directly to the NHL’s defending Art Ross Trophy winner and allowing him to score 68 seconds into regulation is another way to accomplish that task.

Settling a bouncing puck in the neutral zone, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang retreated to the left half wall of his own zone, spun to his right and snapped an odious pass attempt to the center point to the tape of Oilers forward Connor McDavid’s stick. With an acre of ice and a calendar of time to operate with, McDavid lasered a wrister from the top hashmarks by Jarry’s blocker for his 24th goal. There were no assists.

Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm’s fifth goal of the season — and first since Dec. 6 — supplied the visitors with a 2-0 lead at 8:53 of the first period.

Off some puck movement around the perimeter of the offensive zone, Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard took a pass at the left point, turned to his right and fed the puck above the right circle, where Ekholm boomed a one-timer. Penguins rookie defenseman John Ludvig leaned down to block the shot, but the puck appeared to deflect off his left leg and carom behind Jarry. Bouchard and McDavid had assists.

Defenseman Darnell Nurse’s seventh goal at 10:42 of the third period put the Oilers up by three.

After winning a puck battle on the right wall of the offensive zone against Ludvig, McDavid dished a forehand pass to Nurse. Sauntering into the left circle of the offensive zone, Nurse snapped a wrister by Jarry’s blocker on the near side. Assists went to McDavid and forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Nurse scored again at 15:58 of the final frame.

During the dying seconds of a power-play opportunity for the Oilers, Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves failed to clear a puck from his own right circle as his attempt was intercepted in front of the home bench by a kneeling Nurse. As Ekholm settled the puck and Penguins forward Sidney Crosby emerged from the penalty box, Nurse sprinted to the center point, took a pass and sniped a wrister from the high slot by Jarry’s left shoulder. Oilers forward Corey Perry supplied an effective screen on the sequence. Ekholm had the only assist.

Jarry’s record fell to 18-21-4 after he stopped 38 of 42 shots.

“Collectively as a team, I don’t think we’ve played very well,” Jarry said of his team’s recent doldrums. “We’ve been giving up a lot of chances. And, obviously, the puck hasn’t gone in for us. It puts a cloud over a lot of guys.”

It has certainly been a tempestuous stretch for the Penguins as their time to piece together any success that will allow them to play meaningful hockey this spring is running out.

“You don’t have any other choice but to just muster it up,” Penguins forward Bryan Rust said. “Nobody is happy with what’s going on, how things have been going. It doesn’t matter how hard you may think it is. You’ve just got to find a way to make that confidence for yourself.”

Notes:

• The Penguins suffered their sixth consecutive loss to the Oilers (0-6-0), tying a mark for their longest active losing streak to any one opponent. They also have lost six consecutive games to the New Jersey Devils (0-5-1).

• This was a combined shutout as Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner replaced Pickard for the final 1:16 of the second period after Pickard was run over by Rust a few moments earlier. Pickard, who logged 58:44 of ice time, returned to the cage to open the third period. The Penguins did not record a shot against Skinner.

As such, this marked only the second combined shutout against the Penguins in franchise history. The first saw Toronto Maple Leafs goaltenders Ron Low (59:36) and Jacques Plante (24 seconds) team up in a 4-0 road win Dec. 29, 1972, at Civic Arena.

• Ludvig recorded 17 minutes in penalties after fighting Oilers forward Warren Foegele at 10:35 of the second period as a response to Foegele high sticking Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson. In addition to a fighting major, Ludvig received a 10-minute misconduct and a minor for instigating over the dust-up. Foegele received a fighting major as well as a double minor for high sticking.

• Letang previously had the Penguins’ single-game mark for penalty minutes this season with the 12 he incurred during a 7-0 road loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 16.

• Rust was activated from injured reserve and returned to the lineup after missing seven games because of an undisclosed injury.

• The Penguins’ power play was 0 for 4 and logged five shots.

• Penguins forwards Drew O’Connor (concussion) and Jesse Puljujarvi (healthy) were scratched.

• Former Penguins forward Jaromir Jagr attended Sunday’s game, three weeks after having his No. 68 retired by the franchise. Jagr will be participating in former teammate Mario Lemieux’s fantasy camp this week.

• Jagr paid a visit to the visiting dressing room following the game.

• Oilers forward Ryan McLeod appeared in his 200th career game.

Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.