Is there anything better than a Battle of Alberta as the last Oilers game before the Christmas break? Not to me. There’s just something about a home-and-home to bookend the break that makes sense to me, and last night at Rogers Place, the boys took on the Flames for their first meeting since the season opener. Clearly, the Oilers remembered. But instead of a repeat performance, Edmonton dominated round two of the Battle of Alberta from opening draw to the final buzzer, demolishing the Flames by a 5-1 score.

I’m joking, of course. But after eight games without a goal — an eternity for Leon Draisaitl — our handsome German snapped his goalless drought in the most Draisaitl way possible. Not only did he score a power play, but he went out and scored three, triggering a wave of hats to hit the ice at Rogers Place in the game before Christmas. Perfect timing for the player, and for the team store as people left the rink. The funny thing about Leon’s goalless streak was that he still put up points at a rate most players could only dream of. Even without a goal, Draisaitl put 15 assists on the board, and it was almost getting comical that he couldn’t find the back of the net.

The wild thing about that stretch for me was how pucks weren’t going in for Draisaitl even though he was manufacturing all kinds of chances. But even when he was missing nets or having pucks bobble off his stick at the worst time, No. 29 was still driving play and doing all the things we love about him. I think that’s a sign of how he’s maturing as a player. Instead of letting his own struggles derail his game, Draisaitl kept producing, kept working, and kept giving his linemates quality looks to score. Outside of Connor McDavid, I’ve never seen a player on this team be able to do that before. And with this three-goal performance happening in the last game before the break, I’m hopeful that this was the boost Drai needs as we head into the back half of the season.

There are nights where Connor McDavid is good, nights where he’s ridiculous, and then there are nights like Tuesday against the Flames where your brain simply taps out on what you’re watching. Five assists in 20:37, and not just five assists, which is nuts, but assists on every single Oilers goal. All five. If the puck went in the net, McDavid was there and left his fingerprints all over the play. Every shift felt dangerous. Every puck touch felt like it could wind up in the net. No matter who the Flames had up against him, they were getting ripped apart by a player who saw the ice two steps ahead of everyone else. He was Neo in the Matrix. He was the architect. He was a destroyer of worlds.

And because this is Connor McDavid, the numbers somehow make this heater even more absurd. His five-point night extended his point streak to 11 games, during which he’s put up 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points. Let me give you a second to re-read that last sentence… Crazy right? McDavid now sits at 67 points at the Christmas break, six clear of Nathan MacKinnon, and the most anyone has had at this point in the season since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr were causing chaos with the Penguins in 1995–96. It’s also the highest total in the last 25 years, beating McDavid’s own mark of 61 from 2019–20. This run isn’t just another dose of McDavid dominance. This is a player single-handedly running the entire game, and nights like Tuesday against Calgary are exactly why you should be dropping whatever you’re doing to watch when the Oilers are on. He’s dishing out lessons all over these days, and it’s so much damned fun to watch every opponent have to pay the tuition.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised to see Connor Ingram get a second straight start after he locked in his first win as an Oiler on Sunday night against Vegas. It’s not that I didn’t think Ingram was worthy of another start, but I thought the team would go into some kind of Pickard/Ingram rotation instead. Clearly, the Oilers want to see what they have in Connor Ingram, and I wonder if his getting consecutive starts is a signal that the organization really wants to see what they have in him. We’ve all heard the Alex Lyon rumours, and we all know that Tristan Jarry will be out for a few weeks, but what we don’t know is how the current backup tandem factors into the equation. Are the Oilers tipping their hand here a little bit? Am I overthinking it?

But even as we’re dissecting the Oilers’ goalie situation, Connor Ingram was out there doing exactly what the team needed him to do. It may not have been the busiest night of his NHL career, but Ingram stopped all but one of the shots he faced, including some big saves sprinkled throughout the game. In the end, he stopped 18 of 19 shots to finish with a .947 save percentage, which are obviously sparkling numbers. That’s a pretty damned solid way to follow up your first career game (and win) as an Oiler. If anything, playing like this will probably get people’s hopes up way faster than they probably should, but since goaltending has been such an issue over the last few weeks, my body is here for an unexpected heater.

We’re heading back to Las Vegas for the next Nation Vacation, March 24–27, and you’re invited to join the ultimate hockey fan getaway. Trip packages start at $2,400, with the option to secure your spot for just 20% down. Enjoy roundtrip flights, a premium three-night stay at Circa Resort & Casino, access to Stadium Swim, exclusive watch parties, a Nation Citizens pool party, a party bus to T-Mobile Arena, and food and drinks included at the Edmonton vs. Vegas game. Multiple travel options mean you can book the trip your way—so lock in your spot now at nationgear.ca and come be part of the chaos in Vegas!