<p>It took about 20 minutes last night for Connor McDavid to remember that he&#8217;s the best player in the NHL.</p>
<p></p>
<p>It was a brutal first frame for the Oilers. They allowed three goals — the first two in the first 2:40 of the game — and things weren&#8217;t promising to start the season.</p>
<p>A third Canucks goal came 39 seconds into the second, and facing a 3-0 deficit, McDavid helped lead a massive chargeback en route to a 5-3 victory.</p>
<p>On the powerplay early in the second, McDavid ended up with the assist on a bouncing puck that found it&#8217;s way to Leon Draisaitl to make it 3-1.</p>
<p>Ten minutes later on the powerplay again, tic-tac-toe. Connor McDavid on the backdoor. 3-2.</p>
<p>Darnell Nurse scored on a beautiful shorthanded tally late in the second. 3-3.</p>
<p>Then, McDavid did it again. He took a Zach Hyman pass, drove to the net firing a puck on net, only to bury it on the rebound. 4-3.</p>
<p>An empty-net goal later, and McDavid is on pace to score&#8230; *checks notes* &#8230;246 goals this season. I say he doe-… Okay fine, I&#8217;ll pump the brakes.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='1424' height='801' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AOOdP2RdpeQ?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;start=36&#038;wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe></span></div>
<p>The truth of the matter is that this team once again showed its ability to overcome adversity. It was a calling card, so to speak, of the back half of the 2021-22 season. They got down early but rallied back in big ways.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s far from the prettiest hockey and yeah, a good start might be nice, but the ability to come back from deficits is arguably more important than being able to start a game off well. No matter how you cut it, they can&#8217;t test their luck like that all season long. They&#8217;ll need to find a way to start games strong and the sooner the better.</p>
<p>You could tell the Oilers had the early jitters — especially rookie Dylan Holloway. He coughed up a puck on his second shift that lead to the Canucks&#8217; first goal of the game. Far from ideal. Holloway found himself stapled to the bench for the following eight minutes and spent more time with Ryan McLeod and Derek Ryan than his initial linemates Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman.</p>
<p>There are going to be speed bumps. This kid is a rookie after all. He&#8217;s going to take his lumps and he&#8217;s going to make mistakes, but burying him in his first game like that? I don&#8217;t know how big of a fan I am of it.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, it worked. The Oilers won. And another thing that worked was Jack Campbell in net.</p>
<p>Soup has already become an instant fan favourite not only for his persona off the ice but now his on ice adds to it. He made some huge stops all night long that allowed the Oilers to get back into the game and in the middle of the third, a streaking Canucks forward volleyed for a loose puck heading Campbell&#8217;s way, only for the netminder to come out of his crease and lay a thunderous body check. Stuff like that is going to make Edmonton fans love you.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s a long road ahead in Edmonton this season for a club that&#8217;s expected to make a serious run for a Stanley Cup title. There will be highs, there will be lows, but getting off to a big 5-3 come-from-behind win against a division rival is going to help get some early momentum going.</p>
<h1>The Clips</h1>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">a wonderful tribute for ben stelter by the oilers. ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/kq1z4yEIOT">pic.twitter.com/kq1z4yEIOT</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580384288918638592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">well, not a great start for the oilers in game one of their season. dylan holloway with a bad giveaway leads to an elias pettersson goal, then j.t. miller roofs one. 2-0 canucks early. <a href="https://t.co/L1rqlsywf1">pic.twitter.com/L1rqlsywf1</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580385675786194945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">connor mcdavid gets called for cross-checking and was none too pleased. <a href="https://t.co/XQCOGoFWS0">pic.twitter.com/XQCOGoFWS0</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580386031840686080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="da" dir="ltr">evander kane gets robbed in front by thatcher demko. <a href="https://t.co/xBB6vN1WPQ">pic.twitter.com/xBB6vN1WPQ</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580417181309100033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">wow! this new live ad technology for nhl games is so good! <a href="https://t.co/LXuUVEFvIR">pic.twitter.com/LXuUVEFvIR</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580390868225515520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">the oilers will start the second period shorthanded after darnell nurse got called for interference on this play. <a href="https://t.co/2R6eMWaQ2Q">pic.twitter.com/2R6eMWaQ2Q</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580393057195028481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">mr. automatic from his office on the powerplay. leon draisaitl makes it a two-goal game. <a href="https://t.co/d9oRnXytqs">pic.twitter.com/d9oRnXytqs</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580399354422394880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">connor mcdavid drives wide, but his pass to evander kane is picked off. <a href="https://t.co/tSEwgivTgL">pic.twitter.com/tSEwgivTgL</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580402659445837830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">darnell nurse. shorthanded goal. 3-3 tie. <a href="https://t.co/mK5qcCVuw6">pic.twitter.com/mK5qcCVuw6</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580407803956850690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">jack campbell clears the puck and lays a massive hit on dakota joshua. <a href="https://t.co/iKPcSW1Q0j">pic.twitter.com/iKPcSW1Q0j</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580416550833885191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">evander kane gets called for &quot;goaltender interference&quot; and the oilers have to kill off a penalty late in the third period. <a href="https://t.co/vr4GBrqY2e">pic.twitter.com/vr4GBrqY2e</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580421255072972801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">game one of the season and connor mcdavid has a hat trick and four points 🔥🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://t.co/8ScMGnd2iR">pic.twitter.com/8ScMGnd2iR</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580423375033618434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">play la bamba, baby. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/forben?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#forben</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZDRJG6KWFB">pic.twitter.com/ZDRJG6KWFB</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach laing, but full of halloween candy (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580424636999012352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<hr />
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400">Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at</span></i><a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"> <span style="font-weight: 400">@zjlaing</span></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400">, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.</span></i></p>
<hr />
<h2><strong>THE SEASON LAUNCH PARTY</strong></h2>
<div class="mb-5"><a class="text-accent" href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-viewing-party?_pos=1&amp;_sid=e380b74c0&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-121296" src="https://i1.wp.com/publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Season-Launch-Party.jpeg?resize=567%2C876&amp;ssl=1" alt="" width="567" height="876" data-recalc-dims="1" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Season-Launch-Party.jpeg 647w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Season-Launch-Party-194x300.jpeg 194w" sizes="(max-width: 567px) 100vw, 567px" /></a></div>
<div class="mb-5">For the first time in three seasons, we&#8217;re throwing a Season Launch Party at SOHO and you&#8217;re all invited to join us! What&#8217;s going on? I&#8217;m glad you asked.</div>
<ul class="list-disc pl-8">
<li><strong>Date:</strong> Saturday, October 15th, 2022</li>
<li><strong>When:</strong> 5:00pm</li>
<li><strong>Location:</strong> SOHO YEG (11454 Jasper Ave)</li>
<li><strong>What’s Included:</strong> Entry to the event, Swag Bag (complete with w-shirt, stickers, GCs), entry to the giveaways, after party with RIFF/RAFF</li>
<li><strong>How:</strong> <a class="text-accent" href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-viewing-party?_pos=1&amp;_sid=e380b74c0&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer">GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="mb-5">As always, we will also be including a charity component with the event where a portion of all ticket sales will be donated directly to Sport Central to help with their mission of providing equipment and bicycles to children in need.</div>

It took about 20 minutes last night for Connor McDavid to remember that he's the best player in the NHL.



It was a brutal first frame for the Oilers. They allowed three goals — the first two in the first 2:40 of the game — and things weren't promising to start the season.

A third Canucks goal came 39 seconds into the second, and facing a 3-0 deficit, McDavid helped lead a massive chargeback en route to a 5-3 victory.

On the powerplay early in the second, McDavid ended up with the assist on a bouncing puck that found it's way to Leon Draisaitl to make it 3-1.

Ten minutes later on the powerplay again, tic-tac-toe. Connor McDavid on the backdoor. 3-2.

Darnell Nurse scored on a beautiful shorthanded tally late in the second. 3-3.

Then, McDavid did it again. He took a Zach Hyman pass, drove to the net firing a puck on net, only to bury it on the rebound. 4-3.

An empty-net goal later, and McDavid is on pace to score... *checks notes* ...246 goals this season. I say he doe-… Okay fine, I'll pump the brakes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOOdP2RdpeQ&amp;t=36s

The truth of the matter is that this team once again showed its ability to overcome adversity. It was a calling card, so to speak, of the back half of the 2021-22 season. They got down early but rallied back in big ways.

It's far from the prettiest hockey and yeah, a good start might be nice, but the ability to come back from deficits is arguably more important than being able to start a game off well. No matter how you cut it, they can't test their luck like that all season long. They'll need to find a way to start games strong and the sooner the better.

You could tell the Oilers had the early jitters — especially rookie Dylan Holloway. He coughed up a puck on his second shift that lead to the Canucks' first goal of the game. Far from ideal. Holloway found himself stapled to the bench for the following eight minutes and spent more time with Ryan McLeod and Derek Ryan than his initial linemates Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman.

There are going to be speed bumps. This kid is a rookie after all. He's going to take his lumps and he's going to make mistakes, but burying him in his first game like that? I don't know how big of a fan I am of it.

At the end of the day, it worked. The Oilers won. And another thing that worked was Jack Campbell in net.

Soup has already become an instant fan favourite not only for his persona off the ice but now his on ice adds to it. He made some huge stops all night long that allowed the Oilers to get back into the game and in the middle of the third, a streaking Canucks forward volleyed for a loose puck heading Campbell's way, only for the netminder to come out of his crease and lay a thunderous body check. Stuff like that is going to make Edmonton fans love you.

There's a long road ahead in Edmonton this season for a club that's expected to make a serious run for a Stanley Cup title. There will be highs, there will be lows, but getting off to a big 5-3 come-from-behind win against a division rival is going to help get some early momentum going.
<h1>The Clips</h1>
https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580384288918638592?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580385675786194945?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580386031840686080?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580417181309100033?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580390868225515520?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580393057195028481?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580399354422394880?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580402659445837830?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580407803956850690?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580416550833885191?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580421255072972801?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580423375033618434?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1580424636999012352?s=46&amp;t=pyLEQJnesqb6SHq_J1kBzA

<hr />

<i><span style="font-weight: 400">Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at</span></i><a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"> <span style="font-weight: 400">@zjlaing</span></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400">, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.</span></i>

<hr />

<h2><strong>THE SEASON LAUNCH PARTY</strong></h2>
<div class="mb-5"><a class="text-accent" href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-viewing-party?_pos=1&amp;_sid=e380b74c0&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-121296" src="https://i1.wp.com/publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Season-Launch-Party.jpeg?resize=567%2C876&amp;ssl=1" alt="" width="567" height="876" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
<div class="mb-5">For the first time in three seasons, we're throwing a Season Launch Party at SOHO and you're all invited to join us! What's going on? I'm glad you asked.</div>
<ul class="list-disc pl-8">
 	<li><strong>Date:</strong> Saturday, October 15th, 2022</li>
 	<li><strong>When:</strong> 5:00pm</li>
 	<li><strong>Location:</strong> SOHO YEG (11454 Jasper Ave)</li>
 	<li><strong>What’s Included:</strong> Entry to the event, Swag Bag (complete with w-shirt, stickers, GCs), entry to the giveaways, after party with RIFF/RAFF</li>
 	<li><strong>How:</strong> <a class="text-accent" href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-viewing-party?_pos=1&amp;_sid=e380b74c0&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer">GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="mb-5">As always, we will also be including a charity component with the event where a portion of all ticket sales will be donated directly to Sport Central to help with their mission of providing equipment and bicycles to children in need.</div>

The Day After 1.0: Connor McDavid is still really, really, really good at hockey

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