It’s time the Edmonton Oilers made Rogers Place into a fortress.

Every Halloween, there are local haunted houses that have been harder to get through. Earlier this year, Michael Menzies wrote about Edmonton’s poor home performance. In contrast, the road record has usually been solid in the Connor McDavid era.

Edmonton’s home record will need to improve if they want to have a shot at the Cup, though. They went 22-14-5 last season, with 22 wins and 19 losses, and that’s not good enough for this team. Their road record was 19-16-6, so technically 19-22. Neither record is good, but better performances at home would be a good start.

What does the team have to do to win at Rogers Place? Is it that important for Cup contenders to play well in their barns?

Here are the home records for the last five Cup champions. All of them are very impressive and show what contenders need to do:

How can the Oilers get to this level? How can they improve on last year’s dismal performance at their rink?

This has been an issue for a few years. During the 2025-26 season, the Oilers were scored on first in 21 of their 41 home games. Edmonton went 7-11-3 in those games. That’s brutal. The new coaching staff will need to make sure the boys are ready to go. This is largely a psychological issue, so the players will have to find a solution with some guidance from Babcock and co. Clearly both teams should be ready to go, but there is a disturbing pattern with the Oilers falling behind in games. Scoring first at home puts immediate pressure on the other team and gets the home fans into the game. The Oilers went 15-3-2 when they scored first at Rogers Place.

Stan Bowman made a big move at the last trade deadline, bringing both Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy in from Chicago. This duo are defensive specialists and take their role very seriously. Then the team added two new goalies, Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi, to shore up the goaltending position. Speedy, responsible Mathieu Joseph was also signed to help prevent goals.

A big part of better defence is the penalty kill. The Oilers’ unit didn’t get the job done last year. Ryan Shea’s addition should help, but the recently announced injuries to Matt Savoie and Andersen won’t help.

One of the main reasons why Mike Babcock was brought in was to address the defence. Ownership, management, and the team leaders are banking on a new game plan and player additions to cut down on goals against.

It’s time for Zach Hyman, Connor Murphy, Mattias Ekholm, Trent Frederic, Colton Dach, and Mathieu Joseph to be more engaged physically. Big Eduard Tralmaks will have a chance to make the team, and he could certainly make an impact. It’s also possible an old-school coach like Babcock brings up Josh Brown.

The Oilers have been way too easy to play against for most of the McDavid era. Evander Kane, Corey Perry, and Zack Kassian brought more snarl to the team, but they’re gone now. There are players like Frederic, Murphy, and Dach who should always challenge the opposing teams. It took some time, possibly because of the lingering effects of an ankle injury, for Frederic to find his game. No. 10 only really started getting involved physically in the second half of the year and has admitted he lost who he was last season.

Rogers Place should be a difficult place for opposing teams to win at. It’s time for the Oilers to step up.

THE OFFSEASON SOCIAL CLUB HAS ARRIVED! The new era of Nation Gear starts here. Introducing the Nation Gear x Levelwear Offseason Social Club Collection — a limited edition collection built for the fans who know the sports lifestyle doesn’t stop. Designed for golf rounds, patio hangs, weekend trips, and every plan in between, this collection blends premium performance with everyday leisure. It’s versatile enough to dress up, comfortable enough to live in, and made for wherever the offseason takes you. Because being a sports fan isn’t a season — it’s a personality. Welcome to the club. Shop the Offseason Social Club now. nationgear.ca