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Sunday Scramble: The predictably unpredictable Oilers, a bad day for the Senators, and annoying whistling at Mammoth games
Jan 10, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Los Angeles Kings forward Samuel Helenius (79) tries to make a play from his knees in front of Edmonton Oilers defensemen Spencer Stastney (24) during the second period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Michael Menzies
Jan 11, 2026, 17:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 11, 2026, 19:09 EST
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I, for one, am finding the humour in the Edmonton Oilers‘ inability to string together three wins. 
Oh, the Los Angeles Kings, one of your biggest rivals, are in town after losing to Winnipeg just 24 hours before? 
Whack. 
Big divisional game to keep pace? A jazzed-up building celebrating the Great and Powerful Leon Draisaitl and his 1000-point achievement? 
Loss. 
The Hockey Gods are sitting behind the display counter like Rick Harrison from Pawn Stars when they reply to the Oilers, “The best I can do is a point.”
You can set your watch to Edmonton Oilers performances this year. They are predictably unpredictable. 
When you think they are generating momentum, they are due to start a game with no shots in the first 10 minutes. When you think they are falling apart at the seams, like some were at this time last Sunday, this team goes 2-1. 
And win two of three they did, with a nice home showing against Nashville, and a gritty comeback at Winnipeg. 

Five games in seven nights

This week’s schedule is a busy one, though: 
  • Road to Chicago on Monday
  • Road to Nashville on Tuesday 
  • Home vs New York Islanders on Thursday
  • Road to Vancouver on Saturday 
Then the Oilers host the Blues on Sunday to end the back-to-back. It’s a sprint before the beginning of what I call the “dominant” part of their schedule, where they play eight straight games at home. 
Applying the current Oilers schedule rules, where they can’t win three in a row and don’t often win back-to-backs, I wager the Oilers will go 3-2 in some fashion over the next five. 
  • Record vs Pacific: 5-2-2 
  • Record in back-to-backs: 1-3-3 
  • Record on the road: 11-11-3 

Ingram’s the choice

When Tristan Jarry returns, which could be this week, the Oilers are forced to decide between Ingram and Pickard, unless they carry three goaltenders, which I don’t see happening. 
It’s Ingram, right? 
I’ve become a quick fan of Ingram’s style of play, and seen enough to feel good about him as the backup.
In six starts, he’s 3-2, and five out of six games he’s provided a .900 save percentage or better. 
His ugly game against the Bruins tanked his overall save percentage to .892, but Ingram gives the Oilers a better chance to win more consistently than Calvin Pickard. 
Pickard has been a fine soldier for the franchise. The Oilers do not make the Stanley Cup Final without him last year. He started Game 5 of the Final, too, don’t forget. His track record of being able to get hot is one of the great Oilers’ playoff stories. 
Last year’s postseason makes me believe there’s an outside chance the Oilers could trade Pickard to clear the money and get some type of asset back. While unlikely, there is a dearth of quality goaltending in the league right now. 
The best-case scenario is that Pickard would clear waivers, which is also a 50-50 proposition, and be available in Bakersfield if the Oilers need him. 
Let’s be honest, are we confident that when Tristan Jarry returns, he is going to be a figure of perfect health? I don’t, especially with a lower-body injury that looks like a groin issue. Those have a way of lingering.  
But if Pickard was on waivers, would the Ottawa Senators – without their starting goaltender and getting little support from their backups – not be interested? 

Senators’ bad week

Thursday was one of the worst days for a franchise I can remember. 
The Ottawa Senators got blitzkrieged by the Colorado Avalanche 8-2 on the ice. But all the focus was off the ice when a nasty rumour surrounding Linus Ullmark’s absence from the team exploded online, was promptly deleted, and created a maelstrom of speculation. 
I was surprised the Senators addressed it publicly because there was little benefit, and then it became a printable story. 
I’ve worked for years as a news reporter, writing thousands more stories on local, provincial, and national politics, crime, court, etc., than I ever have about hockey. 
Typically, the move from media relations folks or politicians is to avoid addressing the rumours. Don’t feed the trolls. Don’t give any credence to people believing it could be true by responding to it. 
That’s why general manager Steve Staios’ quick and emphatic reply within a few hours took me by surprise. 
Things get said all the time online that are so beyond the pale, offside, egregious, and are never addressed. Obviously, the Senators disagree. It struck such a nerve (rightfully so) with the players and front office that they went full-attack mode. 
It would’ve been difficult internally to bite their tongues, but would we still be talking about it if Ottawa had ignored it? 
“It’s pretty f–king [sic] bullshit,” Tkachuk told the media after. “I don’t think anybody’s pretty happy about a narrative being spread like that. I think it’s okay for people to critique our on-ice performance, but when it gets into family, it’s pretty fucking bullshit. 
“I really feel bad for Linus… Nobody knows what he’s going through. But the fact that he has to even deal with this and even have to think about it. All we care about for him is getting what he needs, and we’ve said from Day 1 that he has our support. Now that he has to deal with this, it’s f–king [sic] mind-blowing.”
Obviously, the team wanted to come out and support their goaltender full-throated, as have the players. 
I don’t know what to make of this whole situation, but certainly it’s the last thing Ottawa needs as they fall further out of playoff contention. It’s also ugly that Ullmark, dealing with whatever he’s going through, then has this lopped onto his plate. 

Devils in the details

Has Quinn Hughes destroyed the New Jersey Devils? 
Obviously, the Devils have fatal flaws on the ice. The Luke Hughes contract reeks of too much, too soon. Jacob Markstrom had the worst goaltending performance in expected goals against history in a 9-0 shellacking against the Isles this week. 
This week, they lost three divisional games in an ultra-tight Eastern Conference, and are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. 
From an outsider’s perspective, doesn’t it seem like general manager Tom Fitzgerald was banking on getting Quinn, like it was some done deal? 
How the Devils built their team has fascinated me over the years, because there’s a real fear they missed huge on a 2nd overall pick in Simon Nemec. The Timo Meier trade was a huge overpay. 
They are sliding down the East standings, six points back of the wildcard before they play the Jets today, but six teams back of that spot as well. 
All leading to a healthy scratch of Dougie Hamilton…

Nurse for Hamilton?!

To play matchmaker here, what if Stan Bowman called up Fitzgerald and said, I have a solution for your Hamilton problem. 
Darnell Nurse for Dougie Hamilton. 
Hamilton has two years left at a $9 million cap hit. Nurse has three years left at $9.25 million. 
Who says no? 
Oilers fans make it happen! But the Devils might say no. Nurse definitely says no. 
It’s a fun hypothetical. Regardless of which way it goes, I don’t think Tom Fitzgerald survives this. 

Stop the chirping

“Wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?” asks Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber. 
Apparently, that sound is coming from the Delta Center. Utah Mammoth fans are being shunned by their players for their aggressive whistling during games. 
Yes. Whistling. 
If you haven’t made a habit of watching the Mammoth, fans have begun a chorus of loud, high-pitched whistling, reminiscent of a soccer game. 
Honestly, it sounds like a mixture of birds and insects having sex. The noise is unpleasant just by watching a video, nevermind how it sounds in a building made to hold in noise.  
I admire the Mammoth faithful for trying something new. Clayton Keller was less amused, sounding like an annoyed substitute teacher in his scolding of the fans.  
“It’s been pretty disruptive, to be honest,” said Keller. “I don’t know where it’s stemming from, but if they can maybe quiet that down and do it after the game or before the game.” 
Guys, can you do that after class? 
“A lot of us have noticed it, and I think it would be better if it was not a thing, to be honest. I don’t know, maybe do something else, but not whistle.”
Get a new sound effect, Mammoth fans. May I suggest a droning stomach rumbling noise? Is that the noise a woolly mammoth would make? 

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