The Oilers rolled into Carolina on Saturday looking for a response after a sloppy loss in Columbus, and the big question I had was whether they could take advantage of a Hurricanes team playing the second half of a back-to-back. This was a test of urgency as much as execution against a very detailed hockey club, and it was going to take Edmonton’s best to get the job done. Carolina is too good to sleepwalk through, tired or not, and the Oilers needed to show they were ready to clean up their details and push back after a night where they let one slip away. And while that didn’t exactly happen, the Oilers did still find a way to lock in a 4-3 overtime win.

I don’t know think anyone would call this the prettiest 4-3 win we’ll ever see the Oilers collect, but it sure as hell felt like one of the more important. Despite being handily outplayed by the Hurricanes for healthy chunks of the night, a 33 save performance by Stuart Skinner allowed Edmonton to weather the storms without toppling over. As annoying as it was to watch the Oilers give up yet another two goal lead, you have to appreciate the way they never once let Carolina get “the next one” when the score was knotted up. It was one of the first times recently where mistakes didn’t all wind up in the net, and it was getting saves in those moments that gave the big boys the daylight needed to steal a win. Like Steve Miller said, sometimes you take the money and run.

Again, it’s not that I’m necessarily thrilled to see the Oilers look like the team that played last night instead of taking advantage of what was supposed to be a tired Hurricanes club, but finding a way to win anyway could be the step forward this group desperately needs. They need some good vibes right now, and a win like that can certainly provide them. Closing out the Hurricanes in overtime may not have been how we wanted the night to unfold, but they found a way to cash in two points in a game they probably didn’t deserve. And at this stage of the season, banking points any way you can matters a whole lot more than style points. If they can build off a win like this instead of wasting it, maybe this is the kind of moment that nudges them back in the right direction.

The Oilers aren’t the same team without Zach Hyman in the lineup, and we were all pumped to have him back for the first time since Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. He’s the kind of player who gives 1000% every game he plays, and given the Oilers’ early-season struggles, having a dog back in the room couldn’t come at a better time. No one ever needs to give ZMH a speech to get his legs moving, and we need more of that kind of energy. And to see him hit the ice for his first game like a bat out of hell was as fun as it was refreshing. Not only did he lead the Oilers forwards in minutes through the first 20 minutes, but he also threw more hits (5) in a frame than some of his teammates probably have all season. He finished with a career high of 11 hits when all was said and done.

Hyman wrapped up his first game in six months with an assist, 23:10 of TOI, two shots, a block, and the aforementioned 11 hits. He couldn’t have done any more to make a statement that he’s ready to get back to work. Even though it’s going to take time for him to get his timing back, fitness up, and playing at the level he expects after such a long layoff, there’s nothing not to like about what he brought against the Hurricanes. The Oilers have been searching for a spark for weeks, and if Saturday was any indication, Hyman may be precisely the jolt they have been missing. He’s going to drag guys into the fight whether they want to be in there or not, and if the rest of the roster followed his lead, we probably wouldn’t be talking about the same problems over and over again.

Stuart Skinner might have one of the toughest jobs in Edmonton right now. Being the goalie for the Edmonton Oilers may carry the most pressure of anything you can do. No, I’m not talking about real pressure like surgeons deal with or the military or whatever job you’re thinking about, but in hockey, the goalie is the last line of defence, and the reality is that ours hasn’t been good enough this year. That means everybody is focused on you all the time. Every shot, every period, every game. And with expectations as high as ours are for this team, we need Stuart Skinner to turn in more performances like he did in Raleigh. He was getting shelled, but Stu stood his ground. His 33 saves were the biggest reason the Oilers won that hockey game, and he made the kind of impact that dragged two points out of a less-than-stellar performance by the team in front of him. Stu has the potential to steal games, but now the trick will be doing it more often than once per month.

At $1.5 million for the season, Jack Roslovic might turn himself into one of the greatest buy-low deals of all time. Not only does he look like the chemistry he’s building with Draisaitl is real, but he’s cashing in on the opportunity to play alongside one of the best players in the world. Over his last 11 games, Roslovic produced 13 points (6G, 7A) and added a dose of secondary scoring on a value contract in a way that makes me think the Hockey Gords must be doing us a solid. With Zach Hyman just getting back in the lineup and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ return yet to be announced, having Roslovic fill the net as often as he has is a blessing. He’s playing like a guy who wants to win, and it would be nice if the likes of Trent Frederic and Andrew Mangiapane could follow suit.

Wake up with Ryder and Lisa on The Sauce! Your new chaotic morning show streaming live from 8-10AM MST every weekday on Oilersnation YouTube starting Monday November 3rd. It’s unpredictable, unfiltered, and totally them. Like, follow and subscribe to never miss an episode!