The Edmonton Oilers went 1-2-0 in three games last week, which wasn’t the ideal outcome, but there were still some positive takeaways. They showed resilience against a tough Dallas Stars squad on March 26, nearly pulling off a comeback without the elite duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the lineup. Also, congrats to netminder Olivier Rodrigue for making his NHL debut against the Seattle Kraken, and of course, the highlight of the week was Draisaitl’s return, helping the Oilers take down the Calgary Flames in OT.

Draisaitl earned a spot on the Oilers’ Three Stars of the Week list, playing in just one game, but the leadership of a grizzled vet took the top spot over him. Let’s take a closer look below!

With the Oilers’ superstar duo out of the lineup for the second game in a row, Zach Hyman proudly donned an “A” on his jersey against Dallas on March 26—and I must say, it looked great on him.

Despite scaring all of Oil Country when he left the game momentarily after an awkward collision with Mason Marchment in the second period against the Stars, he eventually returned and scored the Oilers’ third goal in the 4-3 loss. Yet, he could’ve easily had a couple more on the night had the bounces gone his way, with Natural Stat Trick showing the scoring chances were 17-5 in his favour.

Additionally, Hyman potted the Oilers’ lone goal two nights later against the Seattle Kraken and despite the 6-1 loss, it wasn’t for a lack of effort from the 32-year-old, as he led the way with a 10-4 edge in scoring chances.

Hyman couldn’t generate much offence in the tight-checking Battle of Alberta against the Flames. However, he made a subtle move on the game-tying goal that may have gone unnoticed—but it was a sneaky good play.

When Draisaitl carried the puck into the Flames’ zone, Hyman briefly hooked Kevin Bahl’s stick downward, creating just enough space for Draisaitl to charge toward the net and unleash his shot to beat Dustin Wolf. Without Hyman’s crafty play, the 6-foot-6 Bahl could’ve poked the puck away—but that split-second impediment gave Draisaitl the window he needed to get the shot off for his 50th.

Moreover, Hyman played game #300 in an Oilers jersey against the Stars. He has nine games left to score three more goals, to reach 30+ for the third consecutive season and I say he gets there—and why not do it in style by scoring all three in the next game in Vegas with the Nation Vacation crew in attendance?

Leon Draisaitl played in just one game last week, but what a performance it was. His efforts earned him the second spot on the Oilers’ Three Stars of the Week, leading his team to the only two points they earned last week in his return against the Flames.

The centerman missed four games due to injury, but he picked up right where he left off in his return for the Battle of Alberta. Leading all Oilers’ forwards in ice time (21:31 TOI), he also led the team in shots (eight), set up teammates with ridiculous passes, and scored his 50th of the season with the game-tying goal. He then buried the game-winner in OT with a signature Draisaitl deadly snapshot.

That said, this has been said countless times, but I, along with many others, have said not to take Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for granted. With both of them out of the lineup for a few games, it quickly became obvious how important they were to this team, though that was hardly news to anyone. Without that game-breaking presence, they lacked that player who could consistently turn nothing into something at a moment’s notice.

Yet, Draisaitl’s return against Calgary was a gentle reminder of his exceptional talent—a game-changer who can beat opponents one-on-one with slick dekes, muscle his way to the net with his big frame, find teammates in tight spots thanks to his elite hockey IQ and a lethal shot to top it off—he’s the full package, and he showed it against the Flames.

That said, with his game-tying goal, the German centerman hit the 50-goal mark for the fourth time in his career, tying Jari Kurri for the second most in franchise history, behind only Wayne Gretzky’s eight and it’s an impressive feat, especially considering the high-scoring 80s. Then, with his 51st goal in overtime, Draisaitl set the NHL record for most OT goals scored in a single season with six.

Every time Draisaitl makes the Oilers’ Three Stars of the Week, it feels like I’m just hitting ‘copy and paste,’ but his return against the Flames was the true definition of an MVP performance. If that’s not what the best in the league looks like, I’m not sure what does.

I’ll be honest, it was tough not to give Draisaitl the first star of the week after his outing against the Flames. Yet, I’m a sucker for scrappy play, players who walk the walk and score—so we gave the number one spot to Corey Perry instead with the work he put in last week.

With Draisaitl and McDavid out of the lineup for the second game in a row against the Stars, it was Perry who sparked some life into the club when they were down by four. He scored his 16th midway through the third period on the power play and assisted on Adam Henrique’s goal just a few minutes later.

The major storyline from the game, however, was when goaltender Stuart Skinner took a knee to the head from Mikko Rantanen’s fly-by, forcing him to leave the game, and he’s been out of the lineup ever since. The grizzled vet Perry, who was on the ice during the play, expressed frustration when asked about the incident in the post-game interview, saying, “No, I was pissed at myself. I didn’t see what happened. I was on the ice when Rantanen hit Skinner.”

When asked if the Oilers responded accordingly to Rantanen’s knee, Perry responded, “We’ll talk about that internally.”

Only the players know if a conversation took place and what exactly was said, but it certainly seemed like, at the very least, Perry took it to heart and made a personal promise not to let anything involving his goaltender go unchecked again. Because in the second period against  Calgary, Joel Farabee was stopped on a breakaway, and then Flames captain Mikael Backlund followed it up with a hefty snow shower on Oilers’ netminder Calvin Pickard.

What happened next was almost like the wires crossed in Perry’s mind—he remembered what had happened to Skinner and thought, “No one messes with my goalie.” He broke free from the linesman and then grabbed Backlund from the pile, and fired off a flurry of punches. Also, for anyone who recalls, Backlund slashed Skinner in the back of the leg back in October, with no consequences at the time—almost as if Perry was out to settle that score too.

It may feel like a broken record at this point, but once again, Perry was the one stepping up with leadership to defend his teammates—something Oil Country is certainly grateful for. Yet, he can’t be the only one to do so, and the good news is that reinforcements are on the way, with hard-nosed players like Trent Frederic and Evander Kane expected to be added to the lineup at some point. Frederic could be back before the playoffs, while Kane will likely join the team in the postseason. Of course, with both players returning from injuries, their effectiveness is uncertain, but the hope is that they’ll bring enough physicality to ensure the 39-year-old Perry doesn’t have to shoulder that responsibility alone when things get tough.

With that in mind, what are your thoughts on the Oilers heading into the final stretch?