Edmonton Oilers Positivity Thread

Alright, guys, I’m not going to lie to you, the Edmonton Oilers have looked like a hot pile of garbage the last few games and it’s not a good look. They’ve gone 2-7-1 in their last ten games (even though it’s felt more like 0-10) and we’re not having much production from anybody. Benoit Pouliot is pointless in 11 games, Connor is scoreless in 11 games, and Nuge only has 2 points in seven games. This is only the beginning of the Oilers problems, but thankfully I’m not here to discuss problems. I’m here to discuss positives. 

I might as well begin by saying that if you’re here to complain and cry then you’ve come to the wrong place! Twitter and the wrap-up comments have been an ugly place to visit recently. What started out as a pleasant place at the beginning of the season to express your joy and happiness about the Oilers, has turned into a burning pit of glass-filled quicksand that pulls you down and never let’s go until you’re a part of the fiery pit. 

So what’s going to happen is that I’m going to give you a few things on my mind that we can still be positive about, and in return, you’re going to leave me a comment with something else that’s going well in Oil Country. Make sense? Perfect! Let’s go.

After last year’s less than spectacular season, Darnell Nurse NEEDED to have a good year to prove himself. Admittedly he was playing too many minutes last year and was thrust into a role where he didn’t belong. But with the additions of Larsson, Russell, and pretty much every other defenceman that was injured last year, Nurse is finally playing in his comfort zone with the proper amount of TOI.

The big guy is on pace for 22 points this year, which is over double of his total from last season. Nurse is using his size well against the best forwards in the NHL, and his passing and defensive-zone puck handling has improved drastically. Atta be Darryl!

Even though 2-7-1 sucks, if we pretend that we just woke up from a coma and looked at the standings, we should be ecstatic right now! Second place in the division? Just hand us a playoff spot right now! 

But in all seriousness, we’re pretty damned lucky that the Pacific Division isn’t up to par with the other divisions. We can thank Anaheim for having ANOTHER slow start to the season, and LA for running into injury woes. 

The bottom line is that we’re almost 20 games into the season and still a game over .500 (not counting OT), and somehow we’re still second place in the division. Time to turn this train around, throw some coal in the fire, and start the uphill climb while praying everyone else does the opposite. 

Another positive? How about the fact that we are out of that stupid, sexy, California. I hate that state anyways. It always takes our W’s away from us! The best part about it is that there are no more 8:30pm games until 2017. I usually cry myself to sleep after Oiler games, and I’ve accepted that. However, crying yourself to sleep at midnight compared to 10:30pm is the worst, and I wouldn’t wish that upon my worst enemy. 

We should be thanking our lucky stars that we are no longer in the same general area as Ryan Kesler too. It’s time to close our eyes, forget any of the games in California ever happened, and move on to Texas. I love Texas! The game tonight is at 5:00pm. What’s not to love about that?

Tyler Pitlick has surprised us all this year. If the Oilers continue to lose, at least we can all continue to root for Tyler. He’s a man who’s been struggling with injury troubles for the last few years, preventing him from breaking through to the NHL level. But he’s finally done it. Tyler Pitlick has been playing his heart out every shift and it’s paying off. On the 15th game of his season, somehow Pitclick had scored his fifth goal. This earned him brief spots on pretty much every line on the team.

Just like Talbot, we may be able to credit Pitlick’s burst of production to newly found dad-strength, as him and his S.O. gave birth to his first child this past summer. Dad strength for everybody! 

Check out this space-taker-upper behind Rogers Place! Though the Oilers may be on a five-game losing streak, thankfully we still have this to look at to cheer us up! In two, or five, or ten more years when we win a Stanley Cup, I promise you that I’m going to be hanging off this thing swinging my shirt around. 

Alright, we made a deal. I gave you my positives, now I want to hear YOU say something nice about this season. Write me a comment!