You’d be tempted to say that practice may be overrated for a team that went to the championship twice in a row. But the Edmonton Oilers are prime evidence that sleeping in your own bed, getting into a practice routine, and playing in front of your home fans can help cure the team’s record woes.

Edmonton is now mid-way through this “hinge” stretch of the season, as I’ve dubbed it, and so far it’s hinging in the right direction. But maybe it’s these uniforms, which still don’t look very good, but winning in them makes them shine.

Record through the “hinge”: 3-2.

On deck:

Home to Buffalo on Tuesday
Home to Detroit on Thursday
At Toronto on Saturday for Hockey Night in Canada

Welcome back 5-on-5 offence

What’s refreshing is the return of dynamic 5-on-5 offence. While the Oilers’ goal share 5-on-5 is fifth worst in the league overall, sitting at 44.7 per cent, that changes dramatically if you look at the last 10 games.

They jumped up to 15th in the league in the past 10 games at 49.2 per cent (10 games ago was the Hurricanes game on Nov. 15th).

That is significant because their expected goal share during that stretch is also 15th, which suggests it isn’t just lucky, and it stands to reason Edmonton can continue climbing.

They have a -1 goal differential 5-on-5 in their last 10 games, which is also 15th in the league, and includes three games where they lost by three or more.

No doubt the Oilers’ home vibes have been soured by the dramatic no-show losses to Colorado and Dallas where they were outscored 17-4. As they should.

But overall, with the 6-2 victory over the Jets on Saturday, the Oilers are now 7-3-2 at home this season. Those three regulation losses are to the best teams in the conference in the Avalanche, Stars, and Wild.

As frustrating as it is that the Oilers have to scuffle, and drive some of their fans to the point of hysteria, the process seems to be building.

Their last four games are the longest stretches of continual emotional engagement combined with good play. There are fewer wild swings. And they are starting games extremely well.

So few division games still

The larger dominant road schedule east also means the Oilers have only played six out of 29 games against the Pacific Division, with a record of 3-1-2 in division.

That isn’t changing any time soon, either, with their next seven contests out of division.

That means beginning Dec. 21 vs the Vegas Golden Knights, the Oilers will play 20 of their last 46 games against the Pacific, 43 per cent of their schedule.

Tristan Jarry

How do you hold back laughter about the whole “Tristan Jarry is being traded to the Edmonton Oilers” rumour that sent some corners of Oil Country into a tizzy on Friday night? What a masterclass of engagement farming.

Look, I’m no insider, I have a couple “sources” but not many. I have no idea what Stan Bowman is doing.

So here’s Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman instead:

“I do think there’s legitimate Edmonton interest in Jarry, but I think it’s extremely complicated, and might not be possible,” Friedman said on HNIC Saturday. “Mainly because Pittsburgh has indicated it will not retain (any salary).”

I’ll just say this, I’m a little worried if the Oilers big goalie move is Tristan Jarry. Of course he’s better than Calvin Pickard, and most of the time a bit better than Stuart Skinner.

The injury concerns scare me, and I’m not sure how the Oilers get it done.

I would love a new goaltender. Believe me.

But any deal that includes Brett Kulak at the moment makes me leery. He isn’t well right now, that’s for sure. However, for a guy that has routinely stepped up in the big moments for this team logging a ton of minutes each post-season…I’m not certain taking out a lynchpin like that bodes well for the Oilers.

Not while Alec Regula and Ty Emberson have to play regularly and not while Darnell Nurse is Darnell Nurse.

Again, Connor Ingram is not lighting up the AHL at the moment with a 3-4-2 record, 3.56 GAA, and .872 save percentage. But the moment of Ingram being called up has to be nearing closer. We have to see Ingram in an Oilers sweater at some point, and I wager, it’ll be after Christmas.

Olympic Ice

In the fascinating world of best-on-best hockey, the news this week that the Olympic dimensions would be roughly three-and-a-half feet smaller length-wise, and only a couple inches wider, than NHL ice was a shocker.

Or was it?

There are some players and management, like Nathan Mackinnon and Doug Armstrong, that say they knew all along this was going to be the case.

Then others like Matt Boldy had no idea.

According to an agreement with the NHL and NHLPA, as well as the IOC and IIHF, the rink is supposed to be the same dimensions.

Team USA coach Mike Sullivan questions if that report was even accurate.

German Nico Sturm had the best quote in this piece by The Athletic:

“I’m just flabbergasted a bit of how they handled that,” Sturm said. “It’s just an arbitrary size. Either you make it Olympic or you make it NHL-sized. Now it’s neither.”

The Olympics is a fluster-cluck typically in the final eight weeks before the games begin. I found curler Marc Kennedy, who appeared on Oilersnation Everyday, talking about the set-up for curlers to be insightful.

He says they’ll be hours away from the main “village” setup in the equivalent to trailers on an airport runway.

It would be a dagger to the hearts of every hockey fan if some reason, someway, somehow, this doesn’t get done, or a Plan B isn’t executed if the arena isn’t up to snuff.

Long we’ve waited for the world mosaic of the best national players all together in one place to faceoff head-to-head.

How much leverage does the NHL have if they don’t like the “Plan B” of the IOC, which apparently doesn’t even exist. Meanwhile, the NHLPA is going to press to go regardless, unless the ice itself is so poor that the quality could lead to injury, either.

“It’ll change things,” Mackinnon said. “But who cares?”

The Powers That Be just may.

Regardless, it makes for a compelling strategic angle. Finland, for example, are no stranger to a trap game. You could see what lesser skilled nations might look to doing when playing against Canada, the US, etc.

World Junior A Challenge

It is international hockey season, kicking off today with the World Junior A Challenge.

Organized by Hockey Canada, will feature Canada West, Canada East, the United States, and Sweden, it’s been an opportunity for Junior A players in Canada to don the maple leaf, while primarily being a U19 (each team can have a few).

The tournament is at a bit of a crossroads with the major changes to NCAA eligibility, the BCHL’s self-exile from Hockey Canada, and lessened overseas appetite.

At times as many as six teams, when I got the opportunity to broadcast the 2023 tournament in Truro, Nova Scotia, Slovakia was also in the mix.

Sweden leans heavily upon on the Hlinka-Gretzky roster to build this team – readying the best players to play in the World Juniors the years after.

The US is comprised of some elite talent from the USHL, with usually a handful of NHL draft picks in tow.

Although it’s a political hotbed, Russia is sorely missed from this tournament, as many 1st and 2nd round draft-eligible players would play.

Vasily Podkolzin looked like a man amongst boys at the 2018 tournament in Bonnyville, as did Yaroslav Askarov in goal.

Trois-Rivières, QC, gets the hosting duties this go-round.

It’s a joke

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been throwing away points and wins this season. They can’t lock down a lead, and blew a two-goal lead to Florida on Saturday to lose 7-6 in overtime.

Head coach Dean Evason, who has resting mean face, was in mode. He called everything a “joke” in his post-game presser:

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