The Edmonton Oilers wrapped up the opening month of the 2024-25 campaign on a positive note, defeating the Nashville Predators and now sitting at a 5-5-1 record.
The first month packed a punch both figuratively and literally, with McDavid’s injury and some good fights — who knew Vasily Podkolzin could throw down like that? Hopefully, with the win over the Predators, the Oilers can gain momentum, especially since three out of their next four games are against Pacific Division rivals.
That being said, October had its share of ups and downs, but below we’re shining a light on the finest moments with a rundown of the Oilers’ top ten plays from the opening month.

Connor Brown’s One-Timer Against the Flyers

When the Oilers faced the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 15th, they were 0-3 on the season and found themselves in a tough spot after trailing 2-0 at the end of the first period. However, the Oilers mounted a comeback, and while it took Brown 54 games to score last season, he found the back of the net in just four games this campaign.
Darnell Nurse held the puck at the offensive blue line and sent a pass over to Jeff Skinner, who found Brown on his off-wing, and Brown finished off a beautiful tic-tac-toe play with a one-timer to tie the game at two apiece.

Bouchard’s Tying Goal Late in the Game Against the Flyers

After Brown scored his first of the season, the Flyers retook the lead  late in the second period. Still, Edmonton pulled off an incredible comeback, sparked by two great tilts—Troy Stecher dropping the gloves with Sean Couturier and Corey Perry taking on Joel Farabee in a spirited affair, which seemed to fire up the bench.
You could feel the energy shift in that game as the Oilers built momentum from those two fights. With the first line loaded up with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman, they applied pressure in the offensive zone, leading to a slick passing play. McDavid passed the puck to Draisaitl, who made a behind-the-back pass back to the captain, then sent it over to Evan Bouchard on his off-wing, who buried the puck to tie the game with under four minutes remaining.

Draisaitl Scores the OT Winner Against the Flyers

By forcing overtime against the Flyers, Bouchard provided Oilers fans their first chance to witness the dynamic duo in action during OT this season. Flyers’ D-man Travis Sanheim broke free for a partial breakaway but was taken down—though it appeared he may have simply fallen while trying to draw a penalty—which shifted the play the other way, setting up a McDavid breakaway.
The Oilers’ captain didn’t have anyone on his tail and made a couple of slick dekes, but Samuel Ersson made a nice pad save to deny him. Just when it seemed like a chance had slipped away, the dynamic duo connected when McDavid found Draisaitl sneaking behind the play, and he made no mistake, burying the OT winner.

McDavid Buries One Top Shelf Against the Preds

Edmonton was playing their first road game of the season against the Nashville Predators on October 17. The game was tied 2-2 with just under two minutes left in the second period when the top line of McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Hyman got their cycle game going.
Draisaitl feathered a pass to Mattias Ekholm, who unleashed a hard shot from the blue line. The puck bounced off a couple of legs, landing near the Oilers captain, who was in just the right spot to pick up the loose puck. While anyone else might have fired it immediately, McDavid waited a split second for goaltender Juuse Saros to be completely out of position before roofing the puck bar down on the former Vezina Trophy finalist. That tally was huge for the Oilers, serving as the game-winning goal in their 4-2 victory.

McDavid’s Bar Down Goal Against the Hurricanes

McDavid showcased his lethal shot, which helped him score 64 goals in the 2022-23 season, once again against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 22.
The captain, who kicked off the sequence with a nice defensive play, carried the puck up ice, joined by Ekholm and Hyman as they entered the Hurricanes’ zone. Typically, McDavid would pass, but this time he decided to keep it all to himself. As the Hurricanes’ D-man sprawled to swipe at the puck, McDavid loaded his stick and zipped a shot over goaltender Frederik Andersen’s glove, striking the bottom half of the bar with a satisfying “ping” before it went in.

Stuart Skinner Makes a Spectacular Save on Martin Necas

The Oilers lost 4-1 to the Dallas Stars on Oct. 19, and afterward, there was discussion about whether Stuart Skinner should have stopped the first goal late in the second period when Matt Duchene had plenty of time to pick his spot. Skinner then allowed two more goals that weren’t entirely his fault, raising questions about whether he has that ‘big save’ capability.
That said, the Oilers goaltender reminded his critics that he indeed has a ‘down but not out’ highlight-reel save in his arsenal against the Hurricanes on Oct. 22. After Travis Dermott was called for high-sticking in the second period, Skinner made a remarkable stop in the opening minute of the power play.
He initially made a pad stop from the right side but stumbled as the rebound popped out. Seth Jarvis quickly seized it and slid the puck over to Martin Necas, who had an open shot at the top of the net. In a desperate move, Skinner executed a perfectly timed windmill glove save, causing Rogers Place to erupt in cheers.
However, the usually dependable Mattias Janmark failed to clear the puck out of the zone afterward. Carolina maintained possession, made three quick passes, and ultimately scored. While the Hurricanes’ goal was deflating, Skinner’s initial save still deserves credit—it’s likely one of the top five on his highlight reel.

Bouchard Ties Game with a Point Shot Bomb Against the Red Wings

Down 2-1 to the Red Wings on Oct. 27, the Oilers were steadily gaining momentum as the third period approached. The way they commanded the puck, the tying goal felt like it was only a play away.
Less than 10 minutes into the third, Draisaitl carried the puck into the Red Wings’ zone with speed, put on the brakes, and found Bouchard yet again. The blueliner unleashed an absolute bullet from the blue line to beat former Oiler Cam Talbot, with Hyman providing the perfect fly-by screen to tie the game 2-2.

Draisaitl Scores the OT Winner on His Birthday

Draisaitl turned 29 against the Red Wings and he got a lucky birthday present in the second period when his centering pass deflected off the skate of the recently traded Olli Maatta and went in for a fortunate bounce.
Bouchard tied the game in the third period, and Andrew Copp took a late penalty, leaving 10 seconds of power-play time for the Oilers heading into OT. Ekholm faked a slap shot and feathered a pass over to Draisaitl, who batted it out of the air with his backhand and into the net. The birthday boy made the tough finish look like a breeze—securing the Oilers’ fourth win of the season with that tally.

Perry Scores a Pretty Goal Against the Preds & Philp’s First NHL Point

In the first game without McDavid in the lineup against the Predators on October 31st, the Oilers came out strong, with Viktor Arvidsson scoring less than a minute into the game. After the Predators tied it up, the fourth line of Drake Caggiula, Noah Philp, and Corey Perry went to work.
They cycled the puck down low, and Philp showed some patience by finding Caggiula in front, who took a good shot. The rebound bounced off Saros’s pad, and Perry picked it up, showed off his smooth hands as he went forehand to backhand and scored a pretty goal past the Preds’ netminder. Caggiula earned his first point in an Oilers uniform on the play since the 2018-19 season, while Philp registered his first career NHL point in his debut.

Draisaitl Slips Past Skjei and Snipes Past Saros

The Oilers defeated the Predators 5-1 on Halloween night, with Draisaitl scoring two goals and adding an assist. However, his second goal of the night earns a spot on this list of top 10 plays from the opening month.
The superstar centerman entered Nashville’s zone and glided as if he was going to pass the puck. However, he quickly turned on the jets for a split second, and that burst of acceleration fooled D-man Brady Skjei. Draisaitl got past the quality blueliner with ease and zipped a shot short side on Saros for a beautiful individual effort.
Without a doubt, when the Oilers are on their A-game, they can connect for some stunning plays that are made for the highlight reels. With that in mind, which one of the above was your favourite?

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