After picking up a win on Monday night in Chicago, the Oilers were right back to work less than 24 hours later in Nashville for the second half of their back-to-back set. Edmonton was 8-1-1 in their last 10 games against the Predators, and while history was on their side, it was going to take getting some tired legs moving if they were going to keep the good times rolling. Unfortunately, round two of the season series did not go our way, as costly errors gave the Predators all the runway they needed to secure a 4-3 overtime win.

After throwing three more points on the pile on Tuesday, Leon Draisaitl has now registered a blistering 49 points (27G, 22A) in his last 20 games against the Predators. Let me give you a minute to soak that in. Crazy, right? Those are beer league numbers. I don’t know what it is about the Predators or their logo or their faces or their general vibe that pisses Leon off, but there is something about this team that makes him go Supernova, and I will never ever tire of watching it happen. It’s like that franchise has done something to personally offend the guy, and he’s vowed to make their lives hell for the rest of his NHL career.

I was thinking about what it must be like to be a Predators season ticket holder and see the Oilers on the schedule. You’d have to think they try and sell those, right? Even though Nashville ended up winning, that was the first time Edmonton has lost there in forever, and it’s almost as close to certain as it gets that Leon Draisaitl will be a big part of ruining the night. Again, I know the Oilers lost, but I can’t help but wonder how it must feel to know a guy is going roll into town and make a mockery of the team you happen to cheer for. It’s just good sports stuff, you know? Either way, it always amazes me how No. 29’s dominance over the Predators has gone on for this long and this consistency. Oh, and did I mention that Draisaitl has 36 points (10G, 26A) in his last 20 games? Yeah, this guy is pretty good.

It didn’t exactly feel the best to see your shiny new goalie go down in only his third start with his new team, but that’s what happened when Tristan Jarry tweaked something in his start against the Bruins back on December 18th. Jarry moved post-to-post, but some muscle inside him somewhere didn’t like the idea, and here we are getting our fourth look at him three-and-a-half weeks later. Again, not ideal. But now that our man is back from injury, it was time to find out how he’d do without having any game action in nearly a month. It’s one thing to practice, but it’s another to win games when your team needs the points.

And while Jarry made his share of big saves, I don’t think anyone is saying this was the sharpest start of his career, either. Given that it was his first game back after a month on the shelf, I was wondering how rusty he might be, and it looked like we got the answer. While I thought he played pretty well considering the circumstances, and made some massive saves along the way, you could tell there were moments when his timing and feel were a quarter turn out of synch. Even so, I’m good looking past the four goals against and the .852 save percentage unless it becomes a trend, because I thought he was a big part of why Edmonton got a point when the skaters in front of him didn’t always make life easy. That said, we’ve got some work to do on the communication when he wants to come flying out of the net to play the puck.

If Tristan Jarry was a guy everyone wanted back in the lineup, then you’ve gotta put Jake Walman right up there with him. No offence to Alec Regula, a young dude trying to make his way in the best league on earth, but Jake Walman he is not. Not that Regula was trying to be Walman, but I don’t think I’m talking out of school when I say that one is a clear upgrade over the other. The puck movement, the shot, the offensive instincts, and the willingness to block shots even though he just had a hairline fracture in his leg are all things that Walman brings to the table, and I was thrilled to have him back after nearly two months on the shelf. But as expected, it will take him a minute to get back up to speed.

Walman ended up playing 17:14 in his return, but it didn’t take long to see flashes of his game that made me so happy that he was finally back with the team. The way he passes is crisp, he battles hard, he blocks shots, and he gives the back end another guy who can move the puck up the ice efficiently. It only took a few shifts to see that, and the 57.69 CF% supports it. But at the same time, it was also his first game in two months, and there were shifts where he looked pretty tired despite playing the second-fewest minutes on Edmonton’s defence. It’s clear that the coaching staff wants to ease him back in a little bit, and it’s a good plan given how important he’ll be to this stretch run. While his return wasn’t a perfect night with a dash-one beside his name, along with two shots on goal and one block, I’m very much looking forward to better days once he starts to get his newly healed legs back under him.

Take $20 off your first Vivid Seats order of $200+ using promo code OILERSNATION (new customers only, $200 USD minimum before taxes & fees).