The Edmonton Oilers have a lot of players who are really good on one side of the puck and less good on the other side. The Oilers don’t have that veteran two-way guy that plays well defensively but is also skilled enough to play higher than the bottom six. If you squint, maybe Ryan Nugent-Hopkins…
How is this the first Battle of Alberta of the season? The Oilers awake from their post-holidays slumber to face the Calgary Flames for the first time this season. It’s strange to have the first Battle of Alberta so late in the season, but these games are even more important with both teams in the…
Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith performed well in a platoon capacity to start the season. Splitting games in both October and November, Koskinen and Smith were excellent early on. While Smith’s November wasn’t as strong, Koskinen continuing his strong play. Smith only had three games above a .870 save percentage in his seven appearances in…
Ilya Kovalchuk scored 43 points in 81 games over two seasons with Los Angeles. That’s a respectable total. Not for the $6.25 million the Kings were paying Kovalchuk, but that’s no longer the problem for other teams with Kovalchuk on waivers for contract termination purposes.
Sven Baertschi cleared waivers on Monday. Baertschi clearing isn’t surprising. The 27-year old winger has a $3.366-million cap hit, another year on his contract after this one, and injuries held him to just 26 games last year. Baertschi has two points in six games with Vancouver this season, with most of the season spent with…
A huge factor in whether the Oilers have success, outside of the top line with Connor McDavid, is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ results on the Oilers’ second line.
A month ago, I gave five reasons why the Oilers were for real. They were 9-4-1 at that time. They’ve gone 9-8-3 since, a respectable record but a bit of a step back. Today we’ll look into why the Oilers might not be as good as their hot start.
The Edmonton Oilers are through 40 percent of their games in the 2019-20 season. Their 18-11-4 start is still a huge success, even with a 1-2-1 homestand and losses against Vancouver, Ottawa and Buffalo. Let’s check which Oilers are trending up and down after 33 games.
What a difference a year makes. Last year, Zack Kassian’s agent was pushing for his client to either be traded or reinserted into the lineup. Kassian eventually drew back in and even spent time with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, leading to a career-high 15 goals. Draisaitl, McDavid, and Kassian worked, so they started the…
Taylor Hall and the New Jersey Devils return to Edmonton in Hall’s free agent season. Hall is almost assuredly going to free agency. The Devils are awful. They’re 4-6-4 and show little signs of turning it around. Hall’s played some truly terrible teams. If, or when, the Devils don’t make the playoffs, Hall will have…
Connor McDavid versus Sidney Crosby on a Saturday ni- er, morning! What could be better? While I might have struggled to get up for this game, you can be sure McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were ready to face Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who of course comes back from injury against the Oilers. McDavid is 0-6…
The Edmonton Oilers are 9-4-1 and first place in the Pacific division. That’s not a record most predicted but the Oilers are starting strong, even with Adam Larsson injured after the first game against Vancouver. Here’s why it will continue, unlike their hot start with Ken Hitchcock last season.
