The Edmonton Oilers played just two games last week, following what was likely a much-needed five-day break. They faced the Utah Hockey Club and the Colorado Avalanche on back-to-back nights, winning both games after trailing in each, bringing their record to 13-9-2 on the season.
Here are some quick notes from the two games—Evan Bouchard quietly tallied three assists in that span, Kasperi Kapanen is shaping up to be a good addition, and Brett Kulak continues his stellar season, scoring his fifth goal of the campaign. That said, below we present the Oilers’ Three Stars of the Week, with an honourable mention to the Oiler, who appeared to be the vocal leader behind the comeback victory against Utah.

Oilers’ 3rd Star: Vasily Podkolzin

Last Week’s Stats – 2 GP – 2 G – 0 A – 2 Pts
Season Stats – 24 GP – 3 G – 5 A – 8 Pts
Vasily Podkolzin earns the Oilers’ Third Star of the Week, and it was a toss-up between him and Leon Draisaitl for this spot. However, Podkolzin scored two big goals last week, representing 67% of his total scoring output this season, so he got the nod. The hardworking forward scored his first goal of the season against the New York Rangers on Nov. 23, and I wrote afterward that during the Oilers’ five-day break, that confidence would slowly sink in—and boy, has it ever.
Against the Utah Hockey Club on Nov. 29, the Oilers came out flat after their five-day break, and it showed as they struggled to generate any momentum in the first period, falling behind by two goals. However, the 23-year-old Russian was the catalyst that sparked the Oilers offence. Draisaitl flipped a hail mary pass to Podkolzin, who managed to control it out of the air at full speed—a tough task that he made look easy.
And If you needed proof of just how confident this player is right now, look no further than when he went in on a 2-on-1 with Darnell Nurse. He looked off the 11-year vet with a “sorry, Darnell, this one is mine” with a fake pass and rifled a shot five-hole on Karel Vejmelka as the Oilers came back to win 4-3 in OT.
The very next night against the Colorado Avalanche, in 13:03 of ice time, he played 1:39 on the PK, drew a penalty, and scored the game-winner while battling for prime real estate in front of the Avs’ net, tipping home a Troy Stecher point shot for his third goal in three games. He also could’ve added another with a chance in front when he kicked the puck to his stick, but Alexandar Georgiev made a nice pad save.
Moreover, according to Natural Stat Trick, his underlying metrics against the Avs were outstanding at 5v5—10-1 in shots for, 7-0 in scoring chances, and a 4-0 edge in high-danger chances while also contributing with solid defensive play, including stripping Nathan MacKinnon of the puck at one point.
The 23-year-old is likely very confident right now, and as the self-proclaimed leader of the Podkolzin Appreciation Society, I’ve been expecting this goal-scoring outburst from him for quite a while. Podkolzin is finally scoring the goals to match his relentless work ethic, and with the fact that he wins board battles, packs a knockout punch, is a menace in front of the net, and now has the confidence to score, the opposition will have an even tougher time dealing with him.

Oilers’ 2nd Star: Connor McDavid

Last Week’s Stats – 2 GP – 1 G – 2 A – 3 Pts
Season Stats – 21 GP – 12 G – 19 A – 31 Pts
The Oilers captain continues to show signs of his usual point-producing self, recording three points in two games last week and earning the Oilers’ Second Star of the Week. However, much like his teammates, he had a rough start to the game against Utah, as his usually successful rush through the neutral zone was picked off by Kevin Stenlund, leading to a goal against in the first period.
Yet, he and his Oilers teammates would rally in the second period. Podkolzin got the team on the board, and the centerman factored into the next two goals—first with an assist on Draisaitl’s power-play tally and then by picking his spot and roofing a shot over Vejmelka on the man advantage. Moreover, McDavid finished the night with two points, leading the team with six shots on net.
The next night against Colorado, the centerman tallied an assist, and what a helper it was—classic McDavid magic on display. The captain controlled the puck for what felt like 40 seconds, shielding it from MacKinnon and Devon Toews before circling the net and finding a wide-open Kasperi Kapanen, who buried it.
Overall, despite missing three games due to injury, McDavid has climbed up the rankings and is now flirting with a spot near the top 10 in NHL points. With three games this week, including two in what should be spirited matchups against the Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues, the spirited contests should bring out the absolute best in the newly minted 1000-point man, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he hovers around the top 5 in points by the end of the week.

Oilers’ 1st Star: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Last Week’s Stats – 2 GP – 2 G – 1 A – 3 Pts
Season Stats – 24 GP – 4 G – 8 A – 12 Pts
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins takes home the Oilers’ 1st Star of the Week honour after scoring two goals and adding an assist in games against Utah and Colorado. While other players may have been in the conversation for the top spot, the 14-year vet gets the nod for tallying half of his season’s goals in those two contests.
Nugent-Hopkins logged 21:34 minutes against Utah and was the hero in overtime. In the extra session, he won a battle in the Oilers’ zone, stripped Matias Maccelli of the puck, and turned on the jets, showcasing a burst of speed we haven’t seen from him this season. He then darted toward the net and fired his signature snapshot low blocker side, beating Vejmelka and looking like fellow Burnaby, BC native Joe Sakic in the process, sealing the win and earning the two points.
In addition, the very next evening, Nugent-Hopkins led all forwards in ice time against the Avs (21:51) and also led all forwards in PK time (4:49), and the team didn’t surrender any goals while he was on the ice, with the shots even at 1-1. The former first-overall pick also received an assist on Kapanen’s goal and crushed any hopes of an Avs rally by scoring the empty-net tally.
It’s been a tough season for Nugent-Hopkins so far, but last week, he looked like ‘vintage Nuge,’ which now has me wondering if he had been dealing with some unmentioned issue, as it seems like the five days of rest served him well. The two goals he scored, especially the OT winner, should give him a massive confidence boost, knowing he can still fire the puck past goalies cleanly. As a result, we might start seeing him convert more chances, especially in power play.
Honourable Mention: Leon Draisaitl
Last Week’s Stats – 2 GP – 1 G – 1 A – 2 Pts
Season Stats – 24 GP – 17 G – 15 A – 32 Pts
Draisaitl could’ve ranked third on the Oilers’ Three Stars list, but we gave it to his linemate Podkolzin, who had a big week. However, the Oilers’ centerman definitely deserves an honourable mention after his two points in two games. Yet what also stood out was that he was likely the one who spoke up during the first intermission against Utah, which may have fired up the team, as he said after the win:
“Sometimes there’s moments where it gets louder, and the uncomfortable things need to be said, unfortunately. The one great part about our team there’s never any finger-pointing, if a guy decides to say something, he puts himself into that conversation as well.”
In addition to possibly being the vocal leader in the dressing room, the big centerman practiced what he preached on the ice and helped kickstart the comeback against Utah by flipping a pass to linemate Podkolzin, who finished it off with a goal on a 2-on-1. He also scored a power-play goal and won 58% of his faceoffs.
The next night, Draisaitl didn’t register any points against the Avs, which made me double-check the box score to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. However, he logged back-to-back games with 20 minutes or more, playing 20:06 against Colorado. His line controlled the play at 5v5, outchancing the opposition 10-5 in scoring chances and 5-2 in high-danger chances. Moreover, he was a beast in the faceoff circle, finishing 15-7 on the dot.
All things considered, what’s on your mind this week, Oilersnation? Do you think Podkolzin can keep up his hot streak? Is Nugent-Hopkins turning the page and getting back to his old self?