Well, the @Edmonton Oilers are 4-0. They’ve won their first two games at Rogers Place, and the first two games of a four-game road trip. Fans are, well, pretty stoked with how this season has started.

This has come on the backs of offensive outputs from @James Neal’s 7 goals, and @Connor McDavid’s 10 points, both of which lead the NHL in those respective categories.

So, as the Oilers continue this road swing, they head into New York to take on the @New York Rangers in an afternoon tilt. Nothing says hockey like waking up, nursing your Friday night hangover with a crispy bacon sandwich and a strong cup of black coffee.

This is all to say that Canadian hockey fans often do not find an afternoon game on the weekly schedule, and they only seem to come up when the team is on an Atlantic coast road-trip. For something so unfamiliar, it’s often understood that these games are tougher for players to prep for, as it throws off their gamely routine, and, therefore, can be tougher for the road teams to perform well.

But, is that actually the case? The Oilers played in seven afternoon games last season, so let’s take a brief look at how the team performed in those games.

(All the start times are in Mountain Standard Time because this is Edmonton and that is the one and only time zone)

Interesting that this game is almost a year ago to the day. The Oilers top players all contributed in this one, with McDavid and @Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each registering a goal and an assist, and @Darnell Nurse and @Leon Draisaitl also picking up an assist each. These were back in the days when @Cam Talbot was the starter, and he picked up a solid win with 23 saves (.958 sv%). @Mika Zibabejad scored the lone Rangers goal, and he’s hot right now, so watch out for that guy!

Wow, that’s one hell of a win! These were back in the days when we also still had @Drake Caggiula, who scored two of the Oiler goals, while Draisaitl netted another two, and Connor had the fifth goal and an assist. Nurse and @Oscar Klefbom also picked up an assist each, while the two other assists were had by guys who now wear red jerseys and play just down the QE2…    @Mikko Koskinen got the win, with an ugly .889 sv% (24 saves on 27 shots), though two of those goals came on the Predators’ powerplay. @Filip Forsberg scored all three of the Preds goals — he’s really good at that.

NOOO!! An afternoon loss! And on home ice! AND to the goshdarn @Vancouver Canucks!! Nuge and @Alex Chiasson scored the Oilers’ goals, while Connor and Nurse each had an assist. @Brock Boeser had a goal and two assists and @Bo Horvat had a goal and an assist on the heels of another rough Koskinen outing, a .897sv% performance, 26 saves on 29 shots. Though, again, the Oilers penalty kill was a burning landfill last season, and three of the Canucks goals can on the powerplay.

This game as a doozy! @Zack Kassian scored four minutes into the third period to give the Oilers a 4-2 lead, only for @Travis Konecny to less than 30 seconds later on, you guessed it, the powerplay! @Wayne Simmonds then tied the game seven minutes later scoring a… wait for it… powerplay goal! @Nolan Patrick then won it in OT for the @Philadelphia Flyers. Connor and Kassian each had a goal and an assist, while @Adam Larsson and @Ty Rattie got the other two goals. Talbot got lit up, stopping 34 shots on 39 shots, with a grand total of FOUR if those coming on the Flyers PP.

UGH! Two OT losses in a row?? That’s annoying. Draisaitl had two goals, with Connor getting the third and Nuge and Nurse each picking up two assists. @Max Domi had a goal and an assist, and Koskinen was alright (23 saves on 27 shots; .852 sv%), while only one of those goals came on the Canadiens’ PP.

Damn, what a win for the Oilers; awful loss for the @Columbus Blue Jackets (they made the playoffs??). Connor had 3 assists, Draisaitl had a goal and two assists, with @Josh Currie, Kassian, and Chiasson each netting a goal. Koskinen earned the shutout, while the Oilers chased @Sergei Bobrovsky from the net.

Man, King of the Loser Points in these games. Eight different Oilers had points, with McDavid, Chiasson, and @Colby Cave with the goals. @Brady Tkachuk had two of the @Ottawa Senators’ goals, while Koskinen struggled again, stopping 31 of 35 shots (.866 sv%). How many of those were on the powerplay you ask? Two! half of the Seas goals came on the PP!

So the Oilers actually performed pretty well in matinee contests on the east coast; the team earned 9 out of a possible 14 points with, weirdly enough, two of the losses (and the only regulation one) coming at home. When you look at these games, it’s glaring just how bad the Oilers penalty kill was last season, which is already an improvement.

Here’s a quick recap of the best performers from these games.

Bring on the bacon and some freshly squeezed OJ! 5-0 is gonna feel real nice.

If you’ve ever been to one of our events, you’ll already know that your ticket to the event will not only guarantee you memories that last a lifetime, a swag bag that will help power to your through life, but it also helps us raise money for a local charity all at the same time. This time around, we wanted to make the event as accessible as possible so that we can pack the Brewhouse and kick off the season with as many Nation citizens as we get in the building. And since the party starts so early on a Saturday, the Brewhouse is able to offer an all-ages event, meaning this is the perfect event to bring your kids to.

Where: The Canadian Brewhouse – Lewis Estates (1320 Webber Greens Dr NW)
When: Saturday, October 12th, with doors opening at 10 AM and the hockey game starting at 11 AM
How much: Tickets are $15 each with net proceeds going directly to the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.
The bag: Exclusive Season Opener Party tee, Brewhouse GC, Oodle Noodle GC, stickers, and a ticket to enter all of the draws and raffles
How: Tickets are available here.