I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about Tuesday’s game against the Mammoth, given how poorly the Edmonton Oilers had played in their last two games, but to our collective delight, we saw a much different team against Utah. Unlike what we got against Florida and Tampa Bay, the Oilers were much tighter as a group. There was no loose play. There were no ghastly errors. Instead, we got one of Edmonton’s best defensive outings in recent memory and a crucial 5-2 win at a time when the team needed points the most.

Did you really think I wasn’t going to write about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins when he hits his 800th point? Come on. Really? You knew I’d be glazing my boy after reaching another milestone, and continuing his climb up the all-time Oilers points list. Not only did my guy play his 1000th game this season, but he also went and checked off his 800th career point in the same season, and it makes me incredibly proud to see him keep doing his thing after all these years. Despite the decade of misery that kicked off his NHL career, Nuge has been here through thick and thin and has never once complained (publicly) about the state of the team, even though there were more than a few years that were absolutely disasters. At a time when Leon Draisaitl is out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a guy who needs to step up and fill the void.

I don’t think anyone expects that Nuge can rip points at the same pace that Draisaitl can, I do think it’s fair to say that he’s a guy who needs to lead by example. And last night, the point he picked up on Jack Roslovic’s first goal of the night marked RNH’s 800th career point, which puts him 106 points behind Glen Anderson for sixth in Oilers franchise history. But when I saw Nuge’s name on the scoresheet, all I could think about is how quietly he’s put up most of those points. With Connor and Leon in town and Zach Hyman filling the net since he landed, Nuge has flown under the radar for most of the folks who don’t watch this team regularly. But for those of us that do, it’s hard not to feel pumped to see the longest serving Oiler check another milestone off the list. When all is said and done, Nugent-Hopkins will go down as one of the most beloved players in franchise history, and it was cool to see him check another box off the list. But as always, point 800 came quietly and without much fanfare. That’s probably just how Nuge would want it.

Listen, I know that no one is going to be fired up about seeing your goaltender let in two goals on only 18 shots, but I would also question if you watched the game if you thought Tristan Jarry was anything other than solid against Utah. And I know that the .889 save percentage is something that I would usually complain about, but after watching the replay of both Mammoth goals, I don’t know what more Jarry could have done to keep those pucks out. The first one was a wildly unlucky deflection, and the second was a nicely executed play by Utah that was more a result of shoddy defensive coverage than it was anything Jarry did wrong. The point being that I thought he was solid in his first start in a minute.

Again, I know that the Stuart Skinner+ for Jarry trade hasn’t worked out for the Oilers so far, but I also don’t know that I want to give up on a very capable goaltender this quickly. That’s not to say that I’m giving Jarry a pass for how poorly he’s played in his first few months as an Oiler — we all know he’s been bad — but what I will say is that it would make me incredibly happy if he could find a way to contribute down the stretch. As much as we all want Connor Ingram to get all of the starts right now, the reality is that we’ll need No. 35 to give the team a chance to win whenever he does get the opportunity. He did that last night. And while there’s still plenty of work to do before anyone around here trusts him between the pipes, I do hope that Tuesday’s win over the Mammoth can be a step in the right direction.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching a guy like Jack Roslovic come in on a $1.5 million deal and quietly go about his business. He’s the kind of depth piece that any team would love to have, and every once in a while, he pops up with a night like he had against Utah and reminds everyone exactly how valuable he’s been. Two goals, four shots, a block, a hit, a +2 rating, and all in just under 16 minutes of ice time? That’s the kind of ROI that coaches dream about on a deal like his. The best part is that Roslovic isn’t being asked to carry the team, but he keeps finding ways to make an impact anyway, and 19 goals on the season is a massive return on the minimal investment the Oilers had to make to land him for the season.

What I love most about Roslovic’s game right now is how he’s providing exactly what this team needs. He’s not trying to do too much, and he’s not forcing plays, but when the puck finds him in a scoring area, there’s a pretty good chance he’s pumping it into the back of the net. On a roster that’s dealing with injuries and constantly asking different guys to step up, having someone in that price range deliver like this is an absolute gift. You need players who can fight above their weight class, and I wanted to give Roslovic some love for the way he’s been doing that all season long. Two-goal nights like we saw against Utah are super nice in the moment, but the consistency he’s brought at that cap hit deserves a ton of credit.

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