The Edmonton Oilers went 3-1 in four games last week, including two come-from-behind wins, and almost pulled off another against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 18; however, they seemed to run out of gas toward the end of their road trip. Still, the Oilers’ overall record sits at 29-14-3, with their sights set on first place in the Pacific Division.

Nevertheless, it was a week packed with action from some eye-catching Oilers goals to big stops by Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, plus a couple of cross-checks that riled up two passionate fanbases. Let’s take a look at the Oilers’ Three Stars of the Week.

Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were tied for the third-most points over the four games last week, with three apiece. However, while Bouchard didn’t have a flawless week defensively, he still gets the nod for the Oilers’ Third Star of the Week thanks to his heavy workload, averaging 22:45 of ice time per game, and his game-winning goal that secured two points against the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 16.

On Jan. 15 against the Minnesota Wild, the D-man’s point shot off the boards earned him a secondary assist on Connor McDavid’s first goal. The next night against the Avs, he logged 25:25—the most of any Oiler—while posting a two-point night and scoring the game-winner with just over seven minutes left in an incredible comeback victory. That tally was his first in nine games, with his ‘Bouch Bomb’ finally finding the back of the net, firing 13 shots over the last four games.

Bouchard didn’t hit the scoresheet against Vancouver, but in the dying seconds, he didn’t back down from a confrontation with the 6-foot-8 Tyler Myers, who cross-checked him in the mouth and was given a match penalty.

Bouchard seemed fine after the cross-check, but maybe that dustup sparks that ‘playoff-like beast mode’ killer instinct in him, that we saw consistently last postseason, which hopefully kicks in just in time for Edmonton’s next game against Vancouver on Jan. 23.

Once again, Leon Draisaitl delivered another big week, earning the Oilers’ Second Star of the Week, with a few plays that stood out above the rest.

In a playoff-like game on Jan. 13, the Oilers struggled for momentum against the Los Angeles Kings until Kris Knoblauch reunited Draisaitl and McDavid on the top line midway through the second period. Also, with Kasperi Kapanen and Alex Lafferriere taking offsetting penalties, the dynamic duo went to work at 4-on-4.

If — or, as most Oilers fans would likely say, when — a video compilation of Draisaitl winning the Hart Trophy this season is put together, with a banger from Jock Jams Vol. 1 playing as the song of choice, his play on the lone 4-on-4 goal against the Kings deserves multiple replays, especially the moment he drops Trevor Moore to the ice with a convincing fake-out.

Late in the second period, as noted by Jason Gregor, Draisaitl had been on the ice for over a minute while Moore, a quick skater, had just gotten on. But the big centerman won a race for the puck, deked Moore to send him falling, bought himself time and space, and passed it to Darnell Nurse. Nurse’s shot then bounced over to McDavid for the goal. An incredible effort overall from this season’s potential Hart Trophy winner, showing at times that he’s a man playing among boys.

The centerman picked up a primary assist against the Wild and added two more in the come-from-behind win against the Avs, which was likely the Oilers’ most exciting victory of the season. Despite Draisaitl’s two-goal effort to spark a comeback against the Canucks, it proved to be too little, too late, after the Oilers fell behind 3-0 in the first.

Nonetheless, Draisaitl sits second in league scoring, and with how things played out at the end of the game against the Canucks—his scrum with Conor Garland after Garland held his captain down for what seemed like an eternity—and how ‘pissy’ he seemed in the postgame interview—what we’ve seen in the past is that a ‘pissy’ Draisaitl means a fired-up one. I’d expect him to be revved up this week, especially when they face the Canucks again.

Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid earns the Oilers’ First Star of the Week, after an outstanding four games, capped off by a bit of controversy against the Canucks.

He scored four goals last week—one being the lone goal and game-winner against the Kings, another against the Avs, and two against the Wild, including a ridiculous one on a 2-on-1 with Zach Hyman. Everyone, including him, expected a pass, but with no room left, he casually roofed it over Filip Gustavsson from a near-impossible angle.

That goal also marked career point 1,044, passing the great Jari Kurri for second all-time in Oilers points, behind only Wayne Gretzky.

Additionally, the captain played a key role in Bouchard’s game-winning goal against the Avs, feathering a silky soft pass from behind the net to the Oilers D-man, who buried it to break the 3-3 tie and secure the two points.

Yet, in the final game of the road trip, McDavid played 24:40 against the Vancouver Canucks, the most of any Oiler, and earned an assist on Draisaitl’s PP goal. However, the biggest storyline from the game was when he retaliated after Garland held onto him like he’d been studying former Oiler Zack Stortini’s old grab-and-hold fight tapes. In the heat of the moment, McDavid delivered a high cross-check and received a match penalty on the play.

The cross-check from the Oilers’ captain drew mixed reactions online, drawing disapproval from Canucks fans and backing from some, like formers NHLers Mike Rupp and Chris Pronger. Yet, without a doubt, McDavid shouldn’t retaliate like that, but I get it—it was a one-off, heat-of-the-moment reaction in a passionate game against a division rival. I feel none of it would have happened if the officials hadn’t put their whistles away.

That said, he’s scheduled for a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, which will likely lead to a suspension. Should he have cross-checked Garland? No, but you can appreciate his passion in sticking up for himself after the refs missed at least a few calls in just 14 seconds. McDavid will learn from this, and overall, as a hockey fan, it only adds fuel to the Oilers vs Canucks rivalry.

Nugent-Hopkins recorded three points last week, with his most productive night coming while playing down the middle against the Wild. He earned an assist on McDavid’s PP equalizer and also tipped the puck past Gustavsson off a Ty Emberson point shot to tie the game, helping the Oilers to a 5-3 win.

That said, Nugent-Hopkins played center during stretches of the Oilers’ road trip, and last week, in the four games, he logged 20:56 minutes down the middle alongside Viktor Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin. The line scored three goals together and averaged an 88.02 xGF% (expected goals for percentage) at 5v5.

Honestly, I felt Nugent-Hopkins’ best days as a center on a line pushing for offence had already come and gone but this recent stint makes me think differently. In the short stretch that this trio of Nugent-Hopkins, Arvidsson, and Podkolzin has been together, they’ve shown chemistry, and have been a scoring threat. While it’s in the Oilers’ best interest to have McDavid and Draisaitl centering their own lines, it’s reassuring to know that when the “Supernova” line of McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hyman — as my colleague Aaron Bordato calls it — is put together, the trio of Arvidsson, Podkolzin, and Nugent-Hopkins down the middle is shaping up to form a solid second line capable of finding the back of the net.