RSS Oilers Team Notes

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers gut out massive 4-2 win over Golden Knights to kick off road trip: Recap, Reaction and Highlights

The Edmonton Oilers have picked up their second win in their last three games.

On Sunday evening, they flew to Sin City to kick-start a four-game road trip. Taking on the Vegas Golden Knights in the first game, a rematch of their second-round matchup, the Oilers defeated them 4-2 in a crucial victory. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.

Just over three minutes into the middle frame, the Oilers got on the board. Evan Bouchard’s net-front pass was deflected on net, with Adin Hill falling to make the save. Bouchard got the puck and went around the net, passing it out front to Trent Frederic. While his initial shot was stopped, he was able to elevate it over Hill for his fourth goal of the season.

TRENT FREDERIC MAKES IT 1-0 OILERS!

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/LCq1aqELWP

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 9, 2026

With seven minutes left in the second, the Golden Knights tied it. Noah Hanifin walked the blue line and shot from the point. Unfortunately, it deflected off Darnell Nurse and past Connor Ingram to send the two Pacific Division rivals tied at one heading into the second intermission.

Noah Hanifin Ties it up at 1

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/Xeu3BkPvv2

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 9, 2026

Two and a half minutes into the third, the Oilers restored their lead. A faceoff in the Oilers’ end was won by the Golden Knights, but Vasily Podkolzin was the first one to it, splitting the defence and earning a breakaway. He made a nice little hesitation move to freeze Hill, as the puck just squeaked by the Knights’ netminder.

WHAT A PLAY FROM PODZILLA! 2-1 OILERS.

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/VGI0B1P9fZ

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 9, 2026

The Oilers received a little bit of puck luck with a little under eight minutes left in the third, as the Golden Knights couldn’t get a zone clearance because of a discarded stick. Connor McDavid picked up the turnover, passed it down low to Leon Draisaitl, and the German scored his 34th of the season. This turned out to be the game-winner, Draisaitl’s 75th as an Oiler, passing McDavid.

LEON DRAISAITL MAKES IT 3-1!

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/6Ymx7sBjmc

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 9, 2026

Despite his recent success, Evan Bouchard isn’t a perfect player. Late in the game on a power play, Bouchard passed it out to the middle of the ice to Jack Eichel, who ripped it past Ingram to bring the Golden Knights to within one. Thankfully, Kasperi Kapanen iced the game in Las Vegas (again), as he scored an empty-netter for his sixth of the season.

Takeaways…​

This was the Oilers’ best game since the Olympic break. Sure, they smashed the Los Angeles Kings 8-1 in their second game back, but that was against a demoralized team that was about to have their coach fired. From start to finish, the Oilers defended well in this game, even if they were outshot.

Trent Frederic is starting to come on. Since the Olympic break, Frederic has two goals in six games, matching his season total in his previous 55 games. It’s very 2023-24 Connor Brown-like. Additionally, he and Colton Dach have been hitting everything the last two games. Dach picked up his first point as an Oiler, an assist on Frederic’s goal.

Early in the third period, Vasily Podkolzin set a new career-high in goals, out-waiting Adin Hill for his 15th of the season. Over 64 games, Podkolzin has 15 goals and 29 points, which is on pace for 19 goals and 37 points over 82 games. He’s blossoming into a top-six forward.

Speaking of blossoming, Matthew Savoie may not have had a point for the second consecutive game, but he’s looked terrific since the Olympic break. On Sunday, he was buzzing all over the place, as he, Kasperi Kapanen, and Jason Dickinson had plenty of chances, with Savoie making a few strong defensive plays. Kapanen eventually scored an insurance goal, his sixth of the season.

The starter role so clearly belongs to Connor Ingram. He had rough outings against San Jose and Ottawa in his two most recent starts, but since the break, he’s finished with a .900-plus save percentage twice. In his 18 outings, Ingram has 10 games with a save percentage of .900 or higher, while Tristan Jarry only has one such game. He stopped 24 of 26 in this one, a .923 save percentage.

At the trade deadline, the Oilers looked to address not just their defence, but also their penalty kill with the addition of Connor Murphy and Dickinson. Well, they killed off both penalties they took in this game, and have killed off all five penalties since the trade.

It goes without saying that this was an important win for the Oilers. Not only did they gain two points on the Golden Knights, but the Anaheim Ducks were shut out by the St. Louis Blues. They now trail the Ducks by three points and the Golden Knights by two points, playing one extra game than both teams.

The Oilers’ tough schedule continues, as they fly to the Mile High City to play the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday at 8 p.m. MT.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/oiler...k-off-road-trip-recap-reaction-and-highlights

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Pagnotta: Oilers discussed ‘possibility’ of moving Darnell Nurse at trade deadline

The Edmonton Oilers made two trades the week of the trade deadline, but there was another big piece to their core that general manager Stan Bowman allegedly discussed moving.

That player is Darnell Nurse, according to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta. He published a column Sunday night discussing what trades did and didn’t happen across the league.

The Oilers made his list.

“Don’t shoot the messenger, but the Edmonton Oilers discussed the possibility of moving Darnell Nurse,” wrote Pagnotta. “I can’t pinpoint how deep trade talks actually went, but that’s a name to watch this summer, NMC [no-move clause] and all.”

Nurse is in the fourth season of an eight-year, $9.25 million average annual salary, with a full no-move clause.

On the season, Nurse has scored seven goals and 20 points, and is on pace for his lowest point total since 2017-18. Nurse is also averaging his lowest ice-time per game since his third NHL season back in 2016-17 at 20:52.

His name became more popular in pre-Deadline trade speculation as the Trade Deadline drew closer. Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek openly wondered if Nurse could be asked to waive, after former GM and agent Brian Lawton tweeted that the Connor Murphy acquisition was the “calm before the storm” for Edmonton.

Nurse’s name has been on Daily Faceoff trade boards before, with the Oilers allegedly asking him to waive his no-move clause in July 2025.

With growing noise around him, some self-inflicted after short answers with the media following the loss to San Jose on February 28, Nurse commented on his struggles last week.

“It’s 61 games in, and I’m minus-12 and have 20 points. I’m not happy about that at all,” Nurse told reporters before the Senators’ game last Tuesday.

“If we’re going to reach the goal we want to reach, I have to step up for sure, and there’s a lot of hockey to be played. I think that’s the excitement and the opportunity and the accountability. I owe that to the guys in the room. That’s it. No one else.”

If the season ended today, his minus-13 would tie his career low of plus-minus, set back in 2015-16.

Against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night, Nurse played 23:14, his fifth highest ice-time of the season, registering one shot on goal, two penalty minutes, and was minus-one.

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Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and has been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, he also collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues.

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmon...bility-moving-darnell-nurse-at-trade-deadline

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers Prospect Update: Why Colton Dach isn’t an unassuming acquisition

While the Edmonton Oilers swung two trades ahead of last Friday’s NHL trade deadline, with Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson being the “big-name additions,” Colton Dach has seemingly slid under the radar.

Dach’s journey to the NHL wasn’t a smooth one, marked by multiple shortened WHL seasons because of the COVID-19 pandemic or injury. He played just 20 games in his draft season, scoring 11 goals and 20 points, which clearly impressed Blackhawks management enough to use the 62nd overall selection in the 2021 draft to bring him into the organization.

He had a much more complete 61-game season in his draft-plus-one season, scoring 29 goals and 79 points in 61 games, marking a significant jump from his draft season.

Dach rounded out his WHL career in 2022-23 with another shortened season due to injuries. He played in 14 games for the Kelowna Rockets, scoring nine goals and 17 points, before being traded to the Seattle Thunderbirds. He played in nine regular-season games, scoring three goals and 10 points, adding three goals and 14 points in 19 playoff games, helping the Thunderbirds win the 2023 WHL championship. They earned a berth to the Memorial Cup, where he had two goals in five games, but came up short in the final against the Quebec Remparts.

Since turning pro in 2023-24, the Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., native has progressed quickly. With this being the third pro season under his belt, Dach is almost at as many NHL (78) games played as AHL (81) games. After splitting the 2024-25 season between the AHL and NHL, Dach earned a spot out of camp with the Blackhawks this year and hasn’t seen any AHL time since.

He’s totalled five goals and 16 points in 78 games during his NHL tenure with the Blackhawks, and got his first point with the Oilers Sunday, notching an assist on Trent Frederic’s second-period goal.

And with what skills he brings to the Oilers’ bottom-six, I don’t believe Dach will see AHL games anymore unless there is a trade at forward that pushes him down the organizational depth chart. In fact, he’s the type of player who has upside to his game, and could be an interesting piece of this roster.

What Dach Adds To the Oilers​

It’s no secret that the Oilers needed to patch up the bottom-six. That’s the reason they went out and traded a first-rounder for one of the better defensive centres this season in Jason Dickinson, however Dach has been a good defensive forward this season for Chicago and when you watch him, you can see why. Colton spent a lot of time on the wing with Nick Foligno at centre and Landon Slaggert on the other wing in my viewings, but throughout the games you notice that although the young power forward doesn’t take the draws he takes on a lot of the centres’ responsibilities on the ice. In the two clips below you can see that he’s the first forward back, engaging, and helping move the puck.

Adding extra defensive support is never a bad thing and Colton Dach will bring a fair amount of it to the Oilers. I’m sure you’ve heard the term “positionless” and that comes to mind with the defensive versatility the 2021 draft pick brings, Dach will fill in to whatever defensive role when on the ice. In the next clip it’s more defensive work from the former Blackhawk.

Excellent backcheck out of Dach and then he quickly moves the puck to Foligno to get the transition started. Now mind you that is six-foot-four and 218 pounds, he isn’t going to shake off of you easily and Dach has the mobility to stick with forwards during the cycle. Since the Oilers bottom-six is bleeding goals against you needed to address it. I do think Dach can help the Oilers keep the puck out of the net at a better rate when he’s on the ice. I also think he has a skill set that can help create offence once coming over to play with not only better players, but more offensive minded players like a Jack Roslovic.

Board work and puck protection​

I watch my fair share of WHL hockey and I knew I had some notes from his draft year when Colton Dach played for the Blades. “Underwhelming board work for a player of that size and skill” was a note I wrote down during a viewing and it popped up a few more times (in different wording) during the subsequent viewings. That is not the case anymore and the Oilers’ newest winger has improved his ability to create contact, maintain possession under pressure, and continue moving his feet. In the clip below you will see how Dach creates the contact by stepping into the Washington Capitals player he then easily maintains possession and plays it back to the defenceman who has all day to set up a breakout.

I love the patience to make the play under pressure. As an NHL winger you have to be strong along the wall, being able to get the puck off the boards and into some open space for yourself or for teammates helps move play in a positive direction. In fact I found a lot of Dach’s offence came with his back to the defenders, using his full frame to buy himself some space. It’s a good profile to have for the Oilers bottom-six, they added a defensively aware winger that can lean into defenders on the cycle. In the next clip it showcases the battle level and strength Dach carries with him when he goes into these board battles.

The former Kelowna Rocket captain created the contact against Calgary Flames centre Matt Coronato and tossed him aside easily. Dach generates a decent chance coming out of the battle as well. It’s no shocker that before the trade Colton Dach was leading the Blackhawks in hits and now he comes to Edmonton to take over as the hits leader, he brings a high intensity to his game. On the next clip, Dach is able to create a turnover on the forecheck with a big hit and instantly take the puck off the wall to find an open defenceman.

It’s not a pretty play, but its a necessary one. I love Dach’s intensity and during a playoff run in Edmonton he will only feed off of the energy in the building. The final clip displaying the board work and puck protection skills of the WHL alum will also help us segue into the next talking point. However the clip below combines Dach’s protection skills and his body positioning with a sneaky bit of playmaking he brings to the game.

Playmaking ​

In my viewings, Dach is much more of a playmaking forward than a shooter and right now he does average under a shot per game. Some of that can be explained by being on a bad team that wasn’t generating much offence as is, but even in his play the Fort Saskatchewan product will look off a good shot for what he believes is a great shot. It is nothing fancy, he won’t manipulate a defender to open a lane, and he can struggle going to his secondary options, however there were some eye-popping passes made by Dach that gives some extra hope. The video below is a great example of looking off a good shot for a great one.

Excellent no-look pass by the Oilers’ newest addition and not only does it show the potential of his passing, but he maps in his head where Nick Foligno would be to accept the pass in the high slot. Especially after a turnover it shows that Dach can adapt to his new environment instantly. Remember that Dach just turned 23-years-old and has under 100 NHL games under his belt still, processing comes with experience and where he is at right now is a great point to be at. The next example of the left-shot winger’s playmaking skills resulted in a primary assist and Dach takes one pre-scan check before picking up the puck finding Nick Foligno once again.

Now it did seem like Dach and Foligno had chemistry together, but to only scan once and make that pass shows off the processing speed again. Another thought I had was that Colton Dach could potentially have some excellent peripheral vision use helping him make these types of passes, but that could be stretching it. The only issue is that you don’t see it enough, however like I brought up beforehand, playing limited minutes on a team that struggles to create offence can hide some of the puck skills a player has. The other primary assist in my viewings of Dach came off a shot from the point that got tipped in as you will see.

Being the responsible-minded forward that he is, Dach was covering the point for an engaging defenceman and he shows off solid shooting mechanics. In his first game with the Oilers, Dach played under ten minutes with 9:32 played. That continued a streak of four straight games of not getting over ten minutes a night. I don’t expect his playmaking skills to pop out at somebody if he continues to get this amount of playing, however if he can consistently get around 12 to 14 minutes a night I think it will start to pop out more. Trying him with Trent Frederic down the lineup makes sense as they are both big bodies and Frederic is more of a shooter plus he has scored over 15 goals twice in his career. Maybe that connection can give you some much needed run support.

The addition of Colton Dach is one that adds some youth, size, and defensive awareness to a Oilers bottom-six that needs to stop bleeding goals if there is any chance at winning a Stanley Cup. The versatile winger is an RFA at the end of this year and being under team control with not much to show for in his box-score stats, Dach could potentially sign a cheaper contract next year and set himself to exceed that deal. The skating mechanics are about average and you want the foot speed to pick up a little bit, but I don’t see it as a major issue. Dach has the frame and mobility to be an everyday bottom-of-the-lineup player and what helps him stand out is the defensive awareness mixed with the potential of growth in his playmaking game. I believe the former second-rounder is a safe bet to stay in the lineup and if he can take another step forward maybe he can be a cheap and effective third-liner Edmonton has been thirsting for.

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmon...hy-colton-dach-isnt-an-unassuming-acquisition

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

GDB 65.0: How will the Oilers handle the top team in the NHL? (8 PM MT, SN)

The Colorado Avalanche have been the best team in the NHL all season. They lead the NHL with a record of 43-10-9 and sit seven points ahead of second-place Dallas with a game in hand. And they got better at the trade deadline, acquiring centers Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy and defenseman Brett Kulak.

They are 8-2 in their last 10 games, are riding a five-game winning streak, and they embarrassed the Oilers 9-1 in Edmonton in their first meeting of the season.

The Oilers should be highly motivated to gain some revenge after that 9-1 spanking in November. The Oilers played a sound defensive game in Vegas on Sunday, their first in weeks, and they will need to manage the puck efficiently, limit turnovers in the neutral zone and high in the offensive zone, and defend with their sticks and feet in the defensive zone. You can’t play slow and expect to compete with Colorado.

Colorado leads the NHL with 3.79 goals/game, and they’ve allowed the fewest goals against at 2.42. The Oilers can match them offensively, sitting second at 3.55 GF/GP, but they aren’t close when it comes to defending and goaltending, ranking 27th at 3.36 GA/GP.

Colorado has scored 4+ goals in 33 of their 62 games, but they’ve only allowed 4+ goals 16 times. Meanwhile, the Oilers have tallied 4+ goals in 28 games, but they’ve allowed 4+ goals 30 times. If anyone suggests the Oilers need to score more, please revoke their analyst card. Offence is not the problem in Edmonton. Limiting goals has always been the bigger issue in the past decade. Edmonton has had stretches where they are a really strong defensive team, but eventually they falter.

The Avalanche rank second in five-on-five high dangers chances off the rush, but they are first in mid% and all other types combined. They are also first in the established O-zone offence. They possess the puck very well. The only weak part of their offence is their power play, which ranks 31st at 15.8 per cent. And it isn’t due to bad luck. They simply don’t generate many good looks, ranking 27th in high danger expected goals. You wonder how dominant they would be if their powerplay had a pulse, considering they’ve had the fifth most PP opportunities at 203.

Edmonton has the most dominant power play in the NHL, and they are on pace to break their record of 32.4 per cent, which they set in 2023. The Oilers’ power play is 32.8 per cent with 57 goals on 174 opportunities. Colorado has 32 goals on 203 chances. While the Avalanche struggles on the man advantage, they are very good on the penalty kill, where they rank third at 83.1 per cent. The Oilers’ PK was 10th best in the NHL through 53 games, but a horrific five-game stretch where they allowed nine goals on 14 kills saw them plummet down the rankings. They now sit 24th at 77.4 per cent. The Oilers have been shorthanded 177 times, while Colorado has been down a man 178 times. Edmonton has allowed 10 more goals.

Statistically, the Avalanche are the most difficult matchup the Oilers will face this season. Colorado added Kadri, Roy and Kulak while the Oilers added Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach. The Oilers filled some glaring weaknesses, while the Avalanche simply got deeper.

The Oilers won both games in Colorado last season, outscoring the Avalanche 4-3 and 4-1, and they outshot them 28-25 and 32-28. They can win in Colorado, but the Oilers must avoid defensive lapses if they want to win consecutive games for the first time since January 29th.

SNAPSHOTS…​

— I’m a firm believer that the Oilers are a better team the more minutes Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl run their own lines. When you play them together, they are on the ice for fewer combined minutes, thus lowering the stress level of the opposition. I understand if they play the odd shift together coming out of a penalty kill, or in the final 10 minutes of a game when the team is trailing, but outside of those situations, Kris Knoblauch should avoid the temptation to play them together.

What is interesting is that he has actually played them less time together this season than last year. Here is a comparison from last season to this season at five-on-five.

Last season, in the 62 games they dressed together, they played 406 minutes at five-on-five, while in 61 games this season, they’ve logged 314 minutes together. The issue this season is that they are scoring fewer goals than last year while allowing more goals against. It is a bad combination. The good news is that while playing apart this year, they are scoring at higher rates than they did last season, so it would be wise to keep them apart. It allows the Oilers to have one of their superstars on the ice more often at five-on-five. And if you noticed, the lowest GA/60 this year is when neither is on the ice. However, when they are off the ice, the opposition isn’t playing their best players, so in theory, the GA/60 should be lower.

— Since the Olympic break, the Oilers’ depth players have played much better. With McDavid and Draisaitl off the ice, Edmonton has outscored opponents 6-5 in 127 minutes. In 173 with one or both of McDrai on the ice, the Oilers are 13-13 at five-on-five. The bottom two lines have been much more engaged out of the break, which should allow Knoblauch to play them a few minutes more, but also keep McDavid and Draisaitl separate.

— McDavid is on an 18-game road point streak. The only players in the last 40 years with a longer road streak include: Wayne Gretzky (29 GP in 1986-87), Pat LaFontaine (22 GP in 1989-90), Gretzky (22 GP in 1985-86), Mario Lemieux (21 GP in 1989-90) and Patrick Kane (19 GP in 2018-19).

— McDavid notched his 794th assist in his 776th game in Vegas on Sunday and passed Guy Lafleur (1,126 GP) for 37th all-time. McDavid needs four assists to pass Jari Kurri, and with six assists, McDavid will be the 36th player to reach 800 career apples. McDavid also tallied the 217th multi-assist game of his career in Vegas, and in doing so, he passed Mr. Hockey (Gordie Howe) for the 14th most all-time. Wild.

— Leon Draisaitl has 12 points in his last five games, and he scored his 433rd goal in Vegas and moved past former Oiler, Vincent Damphousse, for 82nd place on the all-time goal scoring list. He also moved ahead of McDavid for first place on the Oilers’ all-time list for game-winning goals with 75. He and McDavid will be battling for that record for the foreseeable future.

— The playoff race in the Western Conference becomes more intense by the day. Los Angeles won last night to move within one point of eighth-place Seattle.

Seven teams are separated by seven points as they battle for five playoff spots. The Oilers are three back of first-place Anaheim, but also only four points out of 10th place. I don’t have them in the photo, but the Winnipeg Jets are slowly creeping back into the race. They are five points behind Seattle, and while their odds are lower, I wouldn’t count out the Jets just yet.

— Here’s a look at the March schedule for the seven teams. All seven are in action tonight.

The games in BOLD are against a team currently in the playoffs, or just outside looking in, like San Jose and LA. And the teams have a lot of games against playoff opponents this month.

Edmonton plays eight of their 11 v. those teams, while Utah has eight of their 10, San Jose plays seven of 11, Vegas and Seattle play six of 11, while Anaheim and LA play five of 11 games versus teams in the race.

LINEUPS…​

Oilers…

RNH – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Roslovic
Savoie – Dickinson – Kapanen
Dach – Samanski – Frederic

Ekholm – Bouchard
Walman – Murphy
Nurse – Emberson

Ingram

Edmonton will go with the same lineup as Sunday in Vegas. Adam Henrique is still out after blocking a shot. Mattias Ekholm was battling an illness on Sunday and played just over 14 minutes. He is expected to play more tonight. I’d like to see the fourth line get around 9-10 minutes. Because none of them kill penalties or are on the power play, it is difficult to play them more. The Oilers average the second most five-on-five minutes/game as a team at 49:54. You can’t expect the fourth line to play 12 minutes at five-on-five, because that means the first and second lines are playing 13 each, while the third line plays 12. That is unrealistic, but if the fourth line is going, like they have been recently, getting them 9-10 minutes is plausible.

Avalanche…

Necas – MacKinnon – Kadri
Colton – Nelson – Nichushkin
Kelly – Roy – Brindley
Bardakov – Drury – Kiviranta

Toews – Makar
Manson – Burns
Kulak – Malinski

Blackwood

Gabriel Landeskog will miss his second straight game, while Artturi Lehkonen will sit out his third in a row. MacKenzie Blackwood allowed four goals in 11 shots last Friday against Dallas before getting pulled. It was the first time this season he didn’t finish a game he started. Blackwood had a very strong .924Sv% and 2.07 GAA in his first 14 starts up until New Year’s Eve. Then he missed a few weeks, and since returning on January 16th, he’s made 11 starts and has posted an .892Sv% and 2.75 GAA. He hasn’t been as sharp since returning.

TONIGHT…​

Photoshop by Tom Kostiuk

GAME DAY PREDICTION: The Avs and Oilers rank first and second in 20-22 mph bursts as a team. They play up to their speed tonight in an exciting game that the Avs win 4-3.

OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: McDavid extends his road streak to 19 games.

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Trent Frederic scores in back-to-back games for the first time as an Oiler.

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ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365​

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-game-preview-colorado-avalanche-handle-top-team-nhl

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

MacKinnon ejected, many hurt as Oilers halt Avalanche in 4-3 win: Recap, Reaction and Highlights

Tuesday night’s affair between the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche was a much-anticipated one.

After all, the last time these two teams met, the Avalanche laid a 9-1 drubbing on the Oilers in Edmonton that was salt in the wound for a team that had been as shaky as ever to start the season. And while much time has passed since that Nov. 8 game — some of which came in the form of fresh faces on both sides — it still served as a measuring-stick game for the Oilers.

To be fair, though, it may have been a similar kind of game for the Avalanche, because the game, which saw the Oilers walk out with a 4-3 victory, had all the feel of an early June playoff game, not just any mid-March game.

The feisty affair, which saw Oilers winger Trent Frederic drop Avalanche centre Nic Roy in a first-period scrap, escalated with 35 seconds left in the second period when Nathan MacKinnon rolled a 10-pin strike, bowling over Connor Ingram. It would wind up with Ingram leaking from his forehead like a WWE wrestler who just bladed himself, while a lengthy review would end the Avalanche superstars’ night early, taking a five-minute major penalty in the process.

Nathan MacKinnon steamrolls Connor Ingram, who gets shaken up with a cut on the top of his head

Fortunately, Ingram got up on his own, ugly scene.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/PNIkGAPAn0

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 11, 2026

The Oilers had already built themselves a steady lead at the time. While Ross Colton opened the scoring for the Avalanche 32 seconds into the game, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would score on the power play just over eight minutes into the first frame.

We're not even a minute in, and the Oilers are already trailing against the Avs.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/PDr8N2v2nI

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 11, 2026

RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS GOES BAR DOWN!

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/WTV8BlbfYZ

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 11, 2026

The two teams would trade another pair of goals later in the first period. Martin Necas would score after a rebound popped out to him with just over four minutes left in the period. Jack Roslovic, however, would get one back with 25 seconds left in the first, after Leon Draisaitl found him alone in front of the net, saucing a beautiful backhand no-look pass only he could make.

Ingram saves the initial shot, but the puck rebounds to Necas, who puts it away, 2-1 Avalanche.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/NP2smHTnk2

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 11, 2026

DRAISAITL FINDS ROSLOVIC ALL ALONE IN FRONT, AND HE BURIES IT, 2-2 GAME HEADING INTO SECOND!

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/4OkcsBchmo

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 11, 2026

Four minutes into the second, Nugent-Hopkins would score his second of the game after planting himself in front of the Avalanche net.

NUGENT-HOPKINS WITH HIS SECOND!

And the Edmonton Oilers lead 3-2 against the Avalanche!

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/hND3vYAQeS

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 11, 2026

That’s what brought the score to 3-2 in favour of Edmonton when they got their power play from MacKinnon’s major, which had been limited to just under four minutes thanks to a Connor Murphy penalty the Oilers were already killing off.

Edmonton wasn’t able to capitalize early in the third period, but they were standing tall with a powerhouse Avalanche team. They would punch back, however, as Valeri Nichushkin would deflect home a Sam Malinski shot-pass from the point, that would go upstairs on Tristan Jarry.

Connor McDavid, already sitting on an assist in the game setting up Nugent-Hopkins’ first of the game, would get in the goal column himself to regain Edmonton’s lead nine minutes into the third. It was a beautiful give-and-go between him and Draisaitl, as McDavid would get right in front of the net to go upstairs on Mackenzie Blackwood, scoring what would be the game-winner.

Valeri Nichushkin ties the game, 3-3.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/xMHh6Ik0D0

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 11, 2026

The Edmonton Oilers are moving the puck BEAUTIFULLY on the power play with Connor McDavid finishing a give-and-go with Draisaitl.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/1GBelDyOvg

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 11, 2026

Edmonton now sits 2-0 on their key four-game road trip this week, having beaten the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Sunday night. The Oilers now head to Dallas to visit the Stars Thursday night, before closing it Friday with a visit to the St. Louis Blues.

News and notes…​

• MacKinnon and Ingram weren’t the only players who would leave the game. Oilers forward Colton Dach left the game in the first period after an awkward hit on Avs defenceman Josh Manson. Defenceman Ty Emberson would leave the game in the first period, too, after laying a pair of hits in the first period and taking one in the same frame.
• Ingram had the Oilers in a good spot by the time he left the game, but Jarry was nothing short of spectacular. He was forced into an awkward spot without much time left in the second, and had to make a couple of quick saves early on. He would stop 11 of 12 shots for a .917 save percentage on the night.
• The Oilers’ big guns were on for this game. While Nuge had a pair of goals on a pair of shots, Draisaitl ended the night with two assists and six shots, McDavid had a goal, an assist and five shots, while Evan Bouchard had two assists and four shots. This was the kind of game they needed to step up in, and they did in a big way.
• For those wondering what led to Frederic’s fight, one has to wonder if it was in part due to Nic Roy cross-checking Frederic in the face during last year’s playoffs.

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Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at [email protected].

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ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365​

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/natha...-colorado-avalanche-recap-reaction-highlights

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Top 100 Oilers: No. 45 — Tommy Salo

Oilersnation is reviving the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All Time list, a project originally created by the late Robin Brownlee in 2015. Tommy Salo comes in at No. 45 on our updated 2025 list. He was ranked No. 59 on Brownlee’s original list.

Everybody has their favourite players growing up.

Sometimes it’s because the player endears themselves to you, or sometimes, it’s because your late Aunt Jackie gets you a McFarland-era Tommy Salo when you were a kid. I’m sure you can guess which is which for this scribe.

Nevertheless, Salo had one of the biggest rises in rankings from Brownlee’s version to our 2025 version, flying up from No. 59 to No. 45. And for those six years he spent in Edmonton, he became a household name.

Notable​

Salo arrived in Edmonton in March 1999 in a deal with the New York Islanders, where the Oilers sent back Mats Lindgren and an eighth-round pick that year. The Oilers had an aging goaltending duo for much of the year between 34-year-old Bob Essensa and 33-year-old Mikhail Shtalenkov, who had spent much of the year fighting the puck.

Salo would step up in a big way for the Oilers, as in his 13 regular-season games played, he helped shut the door, posting a 8-2-2 record, allowing Edmonton to surge in the standings in a bad Northwest Division to make the playoffs with a losing 33-37-12 record. They met the Dallas Stars in the first round, getting swept in four one-goal games. Over each of the next three seasons, Salo would establish himself in Edmonton in a big way, earning Vezina votes in three straight seasons, averaging a .910 save percentage and a 2.34 goals-against average.

HOCKEY CARD SCREENSHOT (LEAVE FOR EDITOR)

The Story​

The story of Salo isn’t so much what he did in Edmonton as a stellar netminder on some mediocre teams, but his career has been mired by a notable flub in the 2002 Olympics. Oops…

Drafted by the Islanders in the fifth round of the 1993 draft, it took time for him to hit the NHL. He earned the IHL championships with New York’s affiliate Grizzlies, winning in Denver in 1994-95 and then in Utah in 1995-96. He broke onto the scene in the NHL on a full-time basis in 1996-97, and never looked back.

He was solid down the stretch run of the 2001-02 season after the Olympics, posting a .929 save percentage and a 9-5-1 record, but his numbers fell off in 2002-03, and in March 2004, the Oilers traded him alongside a sixth-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche for defenceman Tom Gilbert.

Salo played just five games for the Avalanche before returning to play in the Swedish Elite League for three seasons.

What Brownlee said​

When talks turns to Oiler goaltenders, Salo is seldom mentioned among the best who’ve played here. That, in large part, is because the team never won anything during his tenure. The Oilers made the playoffs with Salo between the pipes four straight seasons, but came up second best to the Dallas Stars in every one of them. Salo never won a series.

Salo never had great teams in front of him, but he never did manage to nudge the teams he did have past a superior opponent the way Curtis Joseph and Dwayne Roloson did when the post-season came. He was very good in the 1999 playoffs but the Oilers scored just seven goals in four games. More of the same in 2001 as the Oilers lost in six games, scoring just 13 goals.

Post-season futility against Dallas aside, you’ll find Salo among franchise regular season leaders in games played (third at 334), wins (third at 147), save percentage (third at .906), goals-against average (first at 2.44) and shutouts (first at 23). Not championship stuff, but an impressive resume when you take everything into account.

The Last 10​

• No. 55 — Fernando Pisani
• No. 54 — Jeff Beukeboom
• No. 53 — Martin Gelinas
• No. 52 — Blair MacDonald
• No. 51 — Ethan Moreau
• No. 50 — Stuart Skinner
• No. 49 — Janne Niinimaa
• No. 48 — Jason Arnott
• No. 47 — Oscar Klefbom
• No. 46 — Craig Muni

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Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at [email protected].

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ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365​

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/top-100-edmonton-oilers-2025-no-45-tommy-salo

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Better Lait Than Never: Oilers start the road trip with two big wins, but lost three key pieces

It’s been another wild week around here with the Oilers rollercoaster making another loop, and I’ve got a fresh episode of Better Lait Than Never ready to recap it all. On today’s podcast, I talked about the Oilers‘ trades at the deadline, the first few games for our new friends, a tough luck run of injuries, and much more.

I kicked off this week’s episode with a look at the Oilers’ games since the NHL Trade Deadline. Now that our new friends have had three games each under their belts (kinda), I wanted to offer my first take on how they’ve done so far. Spoiler: I’ve been impressed. Of course, it can’t all be good news around here, can it? Last night in Colorado, the Oilers picked up a win in a very intense game, but lost a trio of players in the process. Why can’t we have nice things? Even with the men down, I’d be lying if I said the Kool-Aid wasn’t going down a little smoother after beating both Vegas and Colorado.

Finally, I wrapped up this week’s episode of BLTN with a guest Righteous Sack Beating from Dooks before closing out the podcast with another round of voicemails. The voicemail was quieter this week, but I still had a good time with everyone’s takes landing all over the place. The voicemail is the best way to wrap up the show and give everyone a chance to share their thoughts. Another hearty thank you to everyone who contributed to this week’s episode. Having all of you in the mix makes the show so much better.

Want to leave a voicemail for next week’s show? Do it here!

Subscribe to Better Lait Than Never for FREE on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts from! Better Lait Than Never is proudly presented by Sports Interaction, and Trilogy Oilfield Rentals. Without them, this podcast would not be possible.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/bette...p-with-two-big-wins-but-lost-three-key-pieces

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

GDB 66.0: Oilers battle the surging Stars (6 PM MT, SN1)

The Dallas Stars haven’t lost a regulation game since Jan. 22. They are 12-0-1 in their last 13 games, and their only loss came in the shootout against Colorado last Friday. Five players have averaged a point per game or more during this 13-game stretch, led by Matt Duchene (19 points), Jason Robertson (16), Wyatt Johnston and Miro Heiskanen (14) and Jamie Benn (13).

Mikko Rantanen has missed seven games, and Roope Hintz has missed six, yet the Stars continue to win and will look to sweep the season series tonight.

Dallas won 4-3 in a shootout in early November and then blew out the Oilers 8-3 later that month in Edmonton, but the Oilers skate into Dallas on a two-game winning streak and will look to continue their improved defensive play. The Oilers didn’t dominate in Colorado on Tuesday, but they limited the high-danger chances, and when they struggled to get the puck out, they got in shooting lanes and blocked 23 shots en route to a massive 4-3 victory.

Before this road trip, the Oilers had allowed 56 goals in their previous 12 games and gave up scoring chances easier than the Washington Wizards gave up points to Bam Adebayo. It is a meagre two games, but the Oilers needed a starting point on the road to defensive improvement, and it began in Vegas, continued in Colorado and now they need to bring that game to Dallas.

Connor Murphy had another strong defensive game in Colorado. He will give up shots against, but he didn’t give up many quality chances. Darnell Nurse had one of his best defensive games of the season in Colorado. Evan Bouchard outdueled Cale Makar, outscoring him 2-0 and finished +2 to Makar’s -1. Jake Walman had a few rough giveaways, but he blocked seven shots and didn’t allow the errors to end up as goals against. The Oilers played five defenceman for much of the game as Ty Emberson left the game after playing eight shifts and a total of 5:35 ice time.

The Oilers bent but didn’t break in Colorado, and they will need a similarly strong defensive effort tonight in Dallas. The Stars are rolling, and since the start of the 2023-24 season, they are 6-1-1 against the Oilers in the regular season. Edmonton, however, has eliminated the Stars the past two playoffs with a record of 8-3. The Stars would love to sweep the Oilers, while Edmonton is looking for a much better effort after the ugly 8-3 loss in November.

These teams likely can’t meet until the third round, and there is no guarantee they will, but teams always try to send messages late in the season. A victory would reaffirm the Oilers belief that they can beat Dallas when it matters, and equally important it would keep them within striking distance of Anaheim for first place in the Pacific Division. The Ducks are playing well, and they dominated in Winnipeg on Tuesday, defeating them 4-1 and outshooting them 35-13. The Jets were at home and desperate for a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive and the Ducks absolutely dominated them.

The Oilers likely need a lengthy winning streak to catch or pass the Ducks. Edmonton has won three games in a row only once this season. St. Louis is the only other Western Conference team with a single winning streak, but they won four in a row.

[td width="51px"]

TEAM​

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[td width="158px"]

Streaks​

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ANA​

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7, 3, 7, 5​

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CGY​

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3, 3, 3​

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[td width="51px"]

CHI​

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[td width="158px"]

3, 4​

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[td width="51px"]

COL​

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[td width="158px"]

3, 10, 10, 5​

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[td width="51px"]

DAL​

[/td]​

[td width="158px"]

3, 3, 5, 4, 4, 3, 10​

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[td width="51px"]

EDM​

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3​

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[td width="51px"]

LAK​

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[td width="158px"]

4, 3​

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[td width="51px"]

MIN​

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[td width="158px"]

7, 7, 6​

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[td width="51px"]

NSH​

[/td]​

[td width="158px"]

3, 3​

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[td width="51px"]

SJS​

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4, 3, 3, 3, 3​

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SEA​

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4, 4, 4​

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[td width="51px"]

STL​

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4​

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UTA​

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[td width="158px"]

7, 3, 5, 3​

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[td width="51px"]

VAN​

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[td width="158px"]

3, 4​

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[td width="51px"]

VGK​

[/td]​

[td width="158px"]

4, 4, 7, 3​

[/td]​

[td width="51px"]

WPG​

[/td]​

[td width="158px"]

5, 3, 4, 3​

[/td]​

It isn’t too late to go on a run for the Oilers and to do it in Vegas, Colorado and Dallas would be impressive.

Winning comes from consistency, and for two games the Oilers have shown they can play consistently sound defensively, but they need to do it for more than two games in a row. Defeating the two best teams in the NHL in a span of 48 hours would show the league the Oilers are a team to respect. The Oilers believe they are a top team, but they haven’t shown it often enough this season.

Tonight they can.

SNAPSHOTS…​

— McDavid extended his road point streak to 19 games. The only players in the last 40 years with a longer road streak include: Wayne Gretzky (29 GP in 1986-87), Pat LaFontaine (22 GP in 1989-90), Gretzky (22 GP in 1985-86) and Mario Lemieux (21 GP in 1989-90). The Oilers play in Dallas tonight, St. Louis tomorrow night, they are in Utah on March 24 and Vegas on the 26th. He could extend his streak to 23 games this month.

— Leon Draisaitl played his 852nd game as an Oiler in Colorado to pass Mark Messier for fourth on the Oilers’ all-time GP list. Their production through 851 games was very similar.

Draisaitl: 433-615-1,048.

Messier: 392-642-1,034.

The main difference was Messier had 1,124 PIMs to Draisaitl’s 364. Both were elite for the Oilers, and it illustrates just how dominant Draisaitl has been so far in his career. Without question he is trending to be one of the top 20 players of all time.

— Zach Hyman will play his 700th NHL game tonight.

His first full five seasons (and 16 games in 2016) came with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He tallied 86-99-185 in 345 games.

In his fifth season with the Oilers, he had produced 171-131-302 in 354 games.

He is one of the best free agent signings in NHL history in the salary-cap era behind Zdeno Chara and Marian Hossa.

— Jack Roslovic scored his 17th goal of the season in Colorado. Roslovic is a pending UFA, and I suspect the Oilers will wait to see how he performs in the playoffs. Roslovic’s splits last year and this year are very similar.

2025: October to December he scored 17-8-25 in 37 games. 2025: January to April he scored 5-9-14 in 44 games.

2026: October to December he scored 12-8-20 in 28 games. 2026: January to present he has scored 5-2-7 in 24 games.

Roslovic has 3-14-17 in 45 career playoff games. He signed in Edmonton because he wanted an opportunity to produce in the playoffs. He needs to ramp up his production and intensity down the stretch and hope that carries into the playoffs. He has the skill to be a difference maker. I could see the Oilers waiting until after the playoffs to decide on what type of extension (term and AAV) to offer him.

— Evan Bouchard is having a great season. After a slow October, he’s been killing it. Bouchard has already tied his career high in goals with 18 and needs eight points to set a new high in points. He leads NHL defenders with 75 points and is seven ahead of second-place Zach Werenski. Since Nov. 1 Bouchard has 68 points in 53 games (1.28 PTS/GP) and he is +26 for those who claim he’s weak defensively. He isn’t. Bouchard has emerged as an elite defender in the NHL, and he’s been the best D-man in the playoffs the past few seasons, but this is his best run of games in the regular season. Bouchard has emerged as a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate, along with Zach Werenski, Lane Hutson, Darren Raddysh, Moritz Seider, Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar. Bouchard has a very strong case to be one of the three finalists, especially if he continues his play down the stretch.

LINEUPS…​

Oilers…​

RNH – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Roslovic
Savoie – Dickinson – Kapanen
Henrique – Samanski – Frederic

Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Murphy
Walman – Stastney
Jarry
Adam Henrique returns to the lineup as does Spencer Stastney as Colton Dach and Ty Emberson are out after getting banged up in Colorado. Both were sent back to Edmonton for further evaluation and won’t play tomorrow in St. Louis. Tristan Jarry starts and Connor Ingram will back him up and could play tomorrow in St. Louis, although Kris Knoblauch did open the door to the possibility Jarry could play both. “He should feel good about how he played. He played really well in that situation. We definitely need him right away. Once or if not twice going into this back-to-back,” Knoblauch said after Jarry’s solid relief appearance in Denver.
I’ve felt since he was acquired that eventually Connor Murphy would play with Darnell Nurse and we will see that tonight.

Stars…​

Robertson – Johnston – Bourque
Steel – Duchene – Benn
Bunting – Hryckowian – Erne
Bäck – Hyry – Blackwell
Lindell – Heiskanen
Harley – Lundkvist
Bichsel – Myers
Oettinger
Rantanen, Hintz and Radek Faksa won’t dress. Tyler Seguin is on LTIR and won’t play the rest of this season, including playoffs. The Stars’ bottom six is much weaker due to those four out of the lineup, and while the Stars have been on a heater, they are vulnerable. Their blueline is very good and big, and the Oilers will need to attack with speed and attack them laterally to create space in the offensive zone.

TONIGHT…​

Photoshop by Tom Kostiuk

GAME DAY PREDICTION: The Oilers end the Stars’ point streak and pick up a 4-2 victory.

OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: McDavid extends his road point streak to 20 games.

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Connor Murphy picks up his first assist as an Oiler.

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ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365​

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/gdb-66-0-edmonton-oilers-battle-surging-dallas-stars-preview

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Stars lay second blowout win on Oilers in scrappy affair: Recap, Reaction and Highlights

After one of the Edmonton Oilers’ best games of the season, the Oilers put up a stinker in the following game.

On Thursday, the Oilers played the third of four games on the road, travelling to Dallas to play the Stars. While it wasn’t as bad as their 8-3 loss earlier this season, it wasn’t particularly close, as the Stars defeated the Oilers 7-2. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.

Similar to Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, the Oilers allowed the first goal of the game early in the first. This time, Miro Heiskanen’s shot from the point missed the net, but the ricochet bounded out front to Jamie Benn, who beat Tristan Jarry to make it 1-0.

It's not the start the Oilers wanted. Jamie Benn opens the scoring for the Stars, 1-0.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/Q011MMMXDD

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 13, 2026

The score remained at 1-0 for over 10 minutes before the Stars extended their lead to two. On a two-on-one, Matt Duchene was able to make a cross-ice pass to Sam Steel for the tap-in. Then just over two minutes later, the Stars made it 3-0, as Evan Bouchard turned the puck over for another two-on-one. Instead of passing this time, Jason Robertson decided to shoot and beat Jarry for the goal.

The Oilers are making it a little too easy for the Dallas Stars.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/pZXTVPXVw0

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 13, 2026

Moving to the second period, the Oilers took a penalty early, and the Stars capitalized about six minutes into the period. Wyatt Johnston got to the centre of the ice and was all alone, just tapping it in to make it 4-0. Then, Robertson scored his second goal of the game 32 seconds later to make it 5-0.

The Dallas Stars' fifth goal for those curious.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/yoHC0qhAK0

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 13, 2026

Eight minutes into the second period, the Oilers finally showed some life. Bouchard, who had an awful first period, was given all the time in the world to skate into the slot, ripping it past Jake Oettinger to make it 5-1.

The Edmonton Oilers are now four goals away from tying this hockey game!

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/32PizfiZzT

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 13, 2026

The Oilers got to within three with another goal four minutes later. Jack Roslovic passed it back to Mattias Ekholm at the point, who wristed it toward the goal. In front of the net was Jason Dickinson, deflecting it past the Stars’ netminder to make it 5-2.

DICKINSON SCORES AGAINST THE BIG D.

His first in an Oilers jersey!

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/ChiGS1T4fj

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 13, 2026

There was a scrum after the second-period horn, which led to a Stars power play. Unfortunately, the Stars scored on that power play, making it 6-2. With 63 seconds left in the game, Duchene scored a beauty to make it 7-2.

Another one for the Stars.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/bIUOHFhH1f

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 13, 2026

Takeaways…​

Before we get into the physicality, the Oilers’ awful start sunk them before they even got a chance to get into the game. If the victory against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday was their biggest of the season, this loss against the Stars could be one of the worst, just because of how they were beaten and how it stopped their momentum.

Tristan Jarry had a strong game in relief on Tuesday, but he allowed the first goal on the first shot, then was beaten on a two-on-one. Overall, he stopped 20 of 27 shots for a .741 save percentage.

Bouchard had a rough game, going -3 in the first period with a pretty bad turnover. However, he scored his career-high 19th goal of the season, assisted by Kasperi Kapanen and Leon Draisaitl. Connor McDavid’s 19-game point streak on the road was snapped.

At the end of the second period, Arttu Hyry cleared the puck on the penalty kill, hitting Leon Draisaitl. Captain Connor McDavid didn’t like that and tried getting to Hyry, but only got as far as Justin Hryckowian. The Oilers captain ragdolled him. The penalty the two of them received ended any chance of a come back thanks to the ensuing goal early in the third, but it led to some chippiness in the third.

There were a handful of skirmishes in the final frame, but the first big one was after Josh Samanski tripped Hryckowian. Colin Blackwell didn’t like that and jumped Samanski, while Frederic ragdolled Hryckowian. That said, Hryckowian wasn’t some helpless victim, as he started chirping Vasily Podkolzin after everything settled down. Somehow, there was no power play to come out of this.

With two minutes left in the game, Jason Dickinson poked a loose puck a little bit too hard, kicking off another big scrum. Dickinson really got into it with Wyatt Johnston, as he hit the showers early. Along with a goal, it was a good game for the Oilers’ trade-deadline addition.

Last year in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers were down big to the Florida Panthers. Instead of even attempting to come back, the Oilers left their mark by being physical. If the Oilers make the Stanley Cup Final again, there’s a chance they’ll have to play the Stars for the third consecutive Western Conference Finals.

Unfortunately, the Stars and Oilers don’t play another regular season game, so if they are to meet again, it would be in the postseason. But first, the Oilers have to get there, and their next chance to pick up two points is on Friday at 6 p.m. MT.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365​

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/dalla...-scrappy-affair-recap-reaction-and-highlights

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Marek: Oilers’ Jarry has a ‘doomsday clock’ on him after poor start against Dallas

Tristan Jarry put up one of the worst starts in his time so far with the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. Facing the red-hot Dallas Stars, Jarry conceded a season-high seven goals on 27 shots, as the Oilers fell 7-2.

Earlier this week, Jarry came in for an injured Connor Ingram against the Colorado Avalanche, and helped the team to a 4-3 win. After that victory over the league leaders, there was hope Jarry would ride the confidence and start having more success. Unfortunately, he responded with a poor performance on Thursday.

In the wake of the Dallas game, Jeff Marek joined Oilersnation Everyday on Friday to give his take on Edmonton’s goaltending situation. As playoffs quickly approach, Marek outlined the dire spot the Oilers find themselves in with Jarry.

“I don’t think that right now you say he’s done and unsalvageable, but man, you got a doomsday clock on you, kid,” Marek said. “Does it not feel like there’s a doomsday clock on Tristan Jarry right now? Cause there is.”

Thursday’s loss leaves the Oilers in a strange position. They are just three points back from tying the division-leading Anaheim Ducks. At the same time, they are just five points above falling out of playoff contention. With just 16 games remaining in the season, the Oilers are fighting for crucial points nightly. Because of that, they don’t have the luxury of experimenting too much with their goaltending situation right now, but Jarry hasn’t proven he can be relied on either.

“Horrible spot to be in, just terrible,” Marek said. “It almost seems as if right now the Oilers have been given enough rope to either swing or hang. Take your pick, it’s going to be one or the other. … That’s why you can’t just say, this is your set of games to run with. You need to go game to game.”

So far in 15 appearances with the Oilers, Jarry has a 7-6-1 record, with a .855 SV%. Ingram, meanwhile, has a 9-6-1 record and a .892 SV%. Jarry is signed through the 2027-28 season, while Ingram is set to become a UFA this summer.

The Oilers return to the ice on Friday, facing off against the St Louis Blues. Head coach Kris Knoblauch has yet to confirm who will earn the start for Edmonton.

You can tune into the full episode of Oilersnation Everyday below.

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmon...-doomsday-clock-after-poor-start-dallas-stars

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers cough up two goal lead, end road trip with 3-2 overtime loss to Blues: Recap, Reaction and Highlights

Is it Groundhog Day?

On Nov. 3, 2025, the Edmonton Oilers were in St. Louis, leading the Blues 2-0, but blew it and ultimately fell 3-2. Over four months later in the same building, the same result happened, as the Oilers had a 2-0 lead, blew it, and fell 3-2, albeit in overtime this time. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.

The two teams were held goalless through the first 35 minutes, but the Oilers were the first team to break through with just under four and a half minutes left in the second period. They established the cycle, with Kasperi Kapanen dropping it off at the point for Leon Draisaitl. The German went down low with the puck, while Kapanen lurked in the slot undefended. Draisaitl set up the Finn with a picturesque backhand pass, with Kapanen ripping it past Joel Hofer.

Kasperi Kapanen Makes It 1-0!

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/zR4Z7GzbLU

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 14, 2026

Midway through the third period, the Oilers extended their lead to two. It all started with Connor Ingram, as his puck clearance found the tape of Matt Savoie. The rookie made a one-touch pass to Connor McDavid, and the best player of all time did the rest, wiggling through traffic and beating Hofer.

INGRAM ASSIST! pic.twitter.com/bJ4yneDZcr

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 14, 2026

With just under eight minutes left in the game, the Blues were finally able to beat Ingram. Jonatan Berggren took the puck behind the net, faking as if he were going to wrap it around. Instead, he sent it back the other way, getting it to an unmarked Pius Suter in front of the net.

Pius Suter makes it 2-1

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/cteKcI4jtO

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 14, 2026

Just like the last game between the two teams in St. Louis, the Blues overcame a 2-0 deficit. With three minutes to go, Oskar Sundqvist won an offensive zone face off to Cam Fowler, who ripped it past Ingram to tie the game at two.

Cam Fowler ties the game at 2

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/wQKTORV4ct

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 14, 2026

And just like the last game, it was the Blues picking up the 3-2 victory. After dominating four and a half minutes of overtime, the Blues finally got a chance, and Robert Thomas went post and in to beat Ingram for the victory.

St Louis Blues claw back and win it in Overtime

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/5wQUuSEskM

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 14, 2026

Takeaways…​

On Nov. 3, the Oilers saw goals from Jack Roslovic and Andrew Mangiapane, taking a 2-0 lead early in the second. Before the end of the middle frame, the Blues tied it, then scored the game-winning goal with just 83 seconds left in what was a 3-2 win. The same happened in this one, albeit the Blues’ game-winning goal was in the dying moments of overtime.

It was a low-scoring affair for the first 50 minutes, but the two teams exploded for three goals in the final 10 minutes and four seconds. Overall, it was a pretty entertaining game.

After Thursday’s abomination of a game from the Oilers, they got better goaltending from Connor Ingram against the Blues on Friday. Overall, the netminder stopped 22 of 25 shots for an .880 save percentage. While he had a sub .900 save percentage, it doesn’t really tell the whole story, as a nice play plus two perfect shots were the shots that got past him.

With an assist in this game, Savoie now has a goal and eight points in his last night games, but it was the first time he had a point since the Oilers’ 5-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators at the start of the month. It’ll be interesting if he gets more of a look with McDavid.

Trent Frederic had another solid game, as he was part of a trio with Max Jones and Adam Henrique. Overall, the fourth line out-shot the Blues 7-0, and owned 100 percent of the expected goal share.

A 2-1-1 road trip against a tough Central Division and the Vegas Golden Knights isn’t a bad result, but the Oilers really should’ve had this game. With the overtime loss, the Oilers moved to 32-26-9 for the season, good enough for 73 points. They are two behind the Anaheim Ducks for the division lead, albeit with two additional games played.

They’re back in action on Sunday, as they host the Nashville Predators at 6 p.m. MT for the first of a four-game road trip. Simply put, they need to get going here and string some wins together.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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PRESENTED BY STAKE​

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmon...-st-louis-blues-recap-reaction-and-highlights

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Top 100 Oilers: No. 43 — Kelly Buchberger

Oilersnation is reviving the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All Time list, a project originally created by the late Robin Brownlee in 2015. Kelly Buchberger comes in at No. 43 on our updated 2025 list. He was ranked No. 27 on Brownlee’s original list.

The Edmonton Oilers’ dynasty years were built because of not just Wayne Gretzky, but also savvy drafting early in their National Hockey League days. Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, Andy Moog, Grant Fuhr, and Steve Smith were all drafted in the first three rounds. They supplemented the key members of the dynasty with other notable draft picks in the mid-1980s, such as Kelly Buchberger.

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Notable​

Playing his junior hockey with the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors, Buchberger only scored 12 goals and 29 points in 51 junior games during his draft year, which led to the Oilers selecting him 188th overall in the 1985 draft.

Making his professional debut in 1987-88, Buchberger scored 12 goals and 32 points in 70 games with the American Hockey League’s Nova Scotia Oilers. He played three games with the Oilers during their 1987 playoff run, earning a Stanley Cup ring in the process.

The 1987-88 season was mainly spent in the AHL, but he appeared in 19 regular-season games, where he scored a goal. Becoming a National Hockey League regular in 1988-89, Buchberger scored five goals and 14 points in 66 games, but didn’t appear in a playoff game.

In 1989-90, he scored two goals and eight points in 55 games, then added an additional five points in 19 playoff games as the Oilers won their fifth Stanley Cup in seven years. In the following two years, the Oilers were still contenders, but they fell in back-to-back conference finals.

That said, Buchberger scored a career-high 20 goals and 44 points in 79 games with the Oilers in 1991-92. Buchberger and the Oilers missed the playoffs in the following four seasons, with the Langenburg, Sask. product becoming the ninth captain in franchise history in 1995-96 (counting their World Hockey Association days).

In Buchberger’s second season as captain, the Oilers just sneaked into the playoffs, but managed to upset the Dallas Stars in the opening round thanks to a massive save by Curtis Joseph and an overtime goal from Todd Marchant. They eventually fell to the Colorado Avalanche, who the Oilers beat in the first round of the 1998 playoffs.

The Oilers lost to the Stars in the second round of the playoffs, which began a stretch of six seasons where the Stars dominated the Oilers, eliminating them five times. Buchberger only reached the double-digit goal mark one other time after 1992-93, scoring 11 goals in 1995-96.

Eventually, he was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers during the expansion draft, making him the last player from the dynasty era to stick with the team.

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The Story​

Overall, Buchberger played 795 games with the Oilers, scoring 82 goals and 240 points. He only played part of one season with the Thrashers, scoring five goals and 17 points in 68 games. Before the trade deadline, they traded him to the Los Angeles Kings, finishing his season scoring two goals and three points in 13 games.

The 2000-01 season was spent with the Kings, scoring six goals and 20 points in 82 games, the final time he reached the 20-point mark. In the 2001 post-season, Buchberger added a goal in eight games, his final post-season goal. In his final season with the Kings during the 2001-02 season, Buchberger scored six goals and 13 points in 74 games, being held pointless in the seven games the Kings played that post-season.

Joining the Phoenix Coyotes for the 2002-03 season, Buchberger scored three goals and 12 points in 79 games, then a goal and four points in 2003-04 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. That season marked the end of his playing career, but he immediately transitioned to coaching, serving as an assistant coach of the AHL’s Edmonton Roadrunners in 2004-05. Buchberger returned to the Oilers as an assistant coach, with his tenure lasting from 2008-09 until 2013-14.

Not too shabby for a ninth-round pick in the middle of the Oilers’ dynasty years.

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A June 26, 1999 article in the Edmonton Journal details the Oilers losing Kelly Buchberger to the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 expansion draft.

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What Brownlee said​

When I think of bust-ass guys who accomplished more with less as members of the Oilers, I think of Buchberger and Jason Smith, who also wore the captain’s C here. They’d do whatever it took to win because they had no other choice. While Buchberger was a NHL caliber skater — his ability to skate bought him more time than your garden variety grinder gets — it was his work ethic and dogged determination to compete that is his story.

If that meant taking an ass-kicking from Bob Probert, Buchberger was willing to do it. If it took dropping the gloves with Dave Brown, well, let’s get after it, big boy. Overmatched? No big deal. During his days as an Oiler, his entire career, for that matter, Buchberger was never afraid to pay the price, to shed sweat and blood to get the job done. As a member of the Kings, he got KO’d by Anson Carter, of all people.

Then, there was the night here in Edmonton, as a member of the Atlanta Thrashers, when Buchberger wanted to tangle with Georges Laraque. It was probably my imagination, but it seemed like almost everybody in the building, including those in the press box, shouted, “No, Bucky, don’t,” in unison. Whether it was playing a bit part behind Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier or assuming a leadership role after the Boys on the Bus were sold off piece by piece, Buchberger played the game the same way.

The Last 10​

• No. 53 — Martin Gelinas
• No. 52 — Blair MacDonald
• No. 51 — Ethan Moreau
• No. 50 — Stuart Skinner
• No. 49 — Janne Niinimaa
• No. 48 — Jason Arnott
• No. 47 — Oscar Klefbom
• No. 46 — Craig Muni
• No. 45 — Tommy Salo
• No. 44 — Kevin McClelland

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/top-100-edmonton-oilers-no-43-kelly-buchberger

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

The Day After 67.0: Strong effort wasted as Oilers hope lost point doesn’t ‘come and haunt us later’

The Edmonton Oilers accomplished the bare minimum, securing a winning record on their four-game road trip this past week.

They secured big wins over the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche in the first two games of the trip, dropped a stinker against the Dallas Stars, and watched the St. Louis Blues whittle away and steal an extra point from them on Friday night.

After building a two-goal lead thanks to goals from Kasperi Kapanen and Connor McDavid, the Blues chipped away at it. First, it was Pius Suter scoring with just seven and a half minutes left in the third, then, with just under four minutes to go, Cam Fowler tied the game up and sent it to overtime.

While the Oilers dominated the extra frame, Robert Thomas had the last laugh with nine seconds left in overtime. Now, with the Oilers in the midst of battling for their playoff lives, they have to hope that the missed point doesn’t cost them.

“It’s really a shame,” Kapanen said of the Oilers losing the game. “Throughout the whole game, we were playing pretty well. Teams are going to have their push if we’re leading, and we just need to learn how to play with the lead.

“We just have to hope that the one extra point we lost today is not going to come and haunt us later.”

If you squint, the road trip was still a success for the Oilers. They walked out with five of a possible eight points, despite the fact they were outscored 15-12, thanks in large part to the Stars’ 7-2 blowout.

Their wins were what mattered most, though. They gained ground on the Golden Knights with last Sunday’s win and had a very strong showing against one of the best teams in the league in the Avalanche. The Stars — maybe because of their new head coach and former Oilers assistant Glen Gulutzan — have seemingly had Edmonton’s number all year.

A road trip now turns into a homestand for the Oilers. They’ll welcome the Nashville Predators Sunday night, the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night, the Florida Panthers Thursday night and the Tampa Bay Lightning in the late slot on next Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada.

What they said…​

Kasperi Kapanen on the Oilers’ effort…

“We defended well at times today. I think in the second period, our offence was getting much better than it was in the first, and this trip has been a positive one. We obviously would have wanted two points today, and the game yesterday wasn’t our best, but certainly better than it has been as of late.”

Kris Knoblauch on how St. Louis got back in the game, closing out the road trip…

“I don’t think it could have went much better for us in the first 40 minutes and in the third with a nice lead. They got their goal, and we got a little nervous and backed in a little bit. Obviously, they had a strong push, and it’s unfortunate that it could have been an outstanding road trip getting three out of the four, but losing and only getting one point in the last two games is disappointing for us.”

Robert Thomas on the game, his overtime winner…

“Just tried to make a little move and get a shot off, and it was in a good spot. We’re obviously feeling good. We’re playing confident and we’re really using our strengths. Our ‘D’ are really skating, they’re joining the rush, they’re creating a lot. They’re beating the first forechecker in and that’s opening up all of us forwards. We’re just clicking right now and really confident, and coming in and winning every game.”

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Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at [email protected].

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/the-d...ope-lost-point-doesnt-come-and-haunt-us-later

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Sunday Scramble: The Oilers better hurry, the Sharks are circling, and Gudas’ ban not enough

In the week that was Edmonton Oilers hockey, we saw the highs and lows that are a microcosm of the 2025-26 season.

The wins over the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche were both tidy and exciting: showcasing a brand of low-event, structured puck in Nevada, and then a dynamic attack off the rush of old in Denver, matching one of the best 5-on-5 scoring teams in modern history.

These are victories we know the Oilers are capable of when they are on their game, but have not been able to sustain.

Then the losses to Dallas and St. Louis harkened us back to early November, when the team was getting blown out by better competition, or blowing two-goal leads against teams below them in the standings.

The 7-2 loss to the Stars was the fifth time this season that Edmonton has allowed seven goals or more, and the third time they’ve lost by a margin of five or more.

The 3-2 overtime loss to the Blues was the sixth time this season that Edmonton has lost a game while leading by two goals, and the second time since the Olympic break (Anaheim). Four times in the first 15 games of 2025-26, the Oilers couldn’t clamp down on a multi-goal lead to ensure a win.

If the Oilers can add this mucky, aesthetically unpleasing game to their repertoire, as they tried in St. Louis, it will do wonders for their place in the standings.

Tonight’s game against the Predators is smack dab in the middle of an eight-game, 14-night stretch, too.

With a team of baby Sharks chopping laps around them, the Oilers need to figure out their game on home ice: Ten of their last 15 games are at Rogers Place.

• Record this week: 2-1-1
• Record vs Central “Big Three”: 1-6-1
• Home record in 2026: 6-7-1

This week:

• Home vs Nashville on Sunday
• Home vs San Jose on Tuesday
• Home vs Florida on Thursday
• Home vs Tampa Bay on Saturday

The anger Sharks are swimming in my head​

Macklin Celebrini had his 41st career multi-point game, the 7th most all-time by a teenager, in a 4-2 victory for San Jose over Montreal on Saturday night. With his Hart Trophy-calibre play, the Sharks are 5-1-2 in their last eight games, and three points back of the Oilers with three games in hand.

Both teams play on Sunday.

Edmonton has slid back to eighth in points percentage in the Western Conference, a less-than-ideal trend. Vegas has overtaken the Pacific for the time being, three points ahead of the Oilers, with the Ducks sandwiched in between.

I’d wager the teams in the playoff picture right now will finish with a spot, while Seattle, Los Angeles, and Nashville will be on the outside looking in.

According to Moneypuck’s playoff odds, the Oilers have a 77 per cent chance to clinch. The Sharks are at 55 per cent, Kings at 37.1 per cent, Kraken at 34.3 per cent, and Preds at 23.4 per cent.

With 18 games remaining, San Jose has an even split of home and road games. The Oilers and Sabres are the only two current playoff teams the Sharks will face in the last eight games in March.

Columbus might be there by the time they play on March 28, but overall, the Sharks have few tough games.

They’ll play the Oilers and Ducks twice each – those are the only current playoff teams, just five out of 18. There’s a handful of “hinge” matchups too against bubble teams: Nashville (3x), St. Louis (2x), and Winnipeg (1x). They’ll play Chicago twice yet, and the Canucks again.

So there’s real drama and emphasis towards the four-point swing games the Oilers have against the Sharks.

With that said, games in hand are nice, but that also means a truncated SJ schedule in April. They’ll play three back-to-backs and 10 games overall in 16 nights. Standings watch is well and truly on.

Gudas ban still too light​

Radko Gudas has done a better job toeing the line since he entered the league back in 2012.

He hasn’t been suspended since February 2019. Therefore, Gudas has avoided the verbiage of “repeat offender” under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, which counts supplemental discipline over the past two years.

However, after he was handed five games by the usually absent NHL Department of Player Safety for his knee-on-knee hit on Auston Matthews, his career suspension count is five, with a total of 26 games lost.

In other words, he’s no stranger to league punishment.

His hit on Auston Matthews was so dirty that I believe a longer suspension was warranted, totalling eight to ten games, if not more.

I don’t have an axe to grind personally against Gudas. For example, his collision with Sidney Crosby at the Olympics wasn’t a dirty hit, more of an unfortunate result with Crosby’s right leg buckling underneath him before the hit arrived.

This play on Matthews, though, cannot be tolerated.

Radko Gudas goes knee-on-knee with Auston Matthews. Gudas received a minute major pending review. Auston Matthews was down for a while but has gotten back to his feet. pic.twitter.com/Rxf6xIe1GH

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 13, 2026

Sure, I never played in the NHL, never played hockey at a high-level. I don’t know what runs through a player’s mind in a fast-paced, snap situation like this.

But this ought to be considered among the dirtiest things a player can do on the ice. It is relevant that the player Gudas hit is one of the biggest faces of the game in Auston Matthews, because the NHL has a reputation for not protecting its stars.

The last suspension for kneeing was Arthur Kaliyev on Chase De Leo in October 2023. Kaliyev received a four-game ban (two pre-season, two regular-season). Coincidentally, Kaliyev was seeing red after just getting dumped by Gudas.

In total, I count five kneeing-related suspensions in the 2020s. This punishment on Gudas is the most severe of the lot, as Jason Spezza’s retaliatory knee on Neal Pionk was reduced from six games to four back in 2021.

It is not severe enough.

This was an opportunity to make an example of Gudas, for the league to say full-throated, we cannot have this instinct in the game, and this mistake will cost you.

On the other hand, the Department of Player Safety has been so laissez-faire on punishments this season, I’m surprised Gudas even received five games. The only people who should be more embarrassed than the Department of Player Safety is the Maple Leafs on the ice who didn’t respond.

Backhanded compliment​

Count me in on the Buffalo Sabres bandwagon.

They’ve been bizarrely good since firing Kevyn Adams, an astounding 27-6-2, and could legitimately be the one-seed in the Eastern Conference. Colton Parayko may not have said yes, but that’s his loss.

Things have turned around so much for the Sabres, they were not invaded on Saturday night by Maple Leafs fans like normal the past 15-plus years.

“This is one of the first times I’ve played here when it didn’t feel like a home game, which sucks because it’s nice to have our fans here, but good for Buffalo coming out,” said Toronto’s Joseph Woll.

“Pretty exciting building tonight.”

Away games in Buffalo have become the people’s home game for Leafs fans, who instead get invaded by suits at their home rink. Friggin’ rights Buffalo.

History in Utah?​

I’ve been doing my Kris Knoblauch 1000-yard stare at the NHL standings a lot more recently, as you can tell above, and noticed the Edmonton Oilers haven’t won a shootout game this season, going 0-3.

Taking a peak at shootout records, and something unique is brewing for the Utah Mammoth. They have not gone to a shootout this season, the only team to avoid the skills competition in 2025-26. Every other team has played a minimum of three games past 65 minutes.

Utah and Edmonton are the only teams in the league to not win a game in the shootout this year.

This sent me down a rabbit hole, and if my late-night, bourbon-fuelled eyes are correct, there’s only been one team since the shootout’s inception to go a full-season without one: the 2020-21 Edmonton Oilers of the Canadian Division.

Meanwhile, there are some curious shootout records.

Pittsburgh is 1-10, for example. That’s a lot of points left on the table. The 32nd-place Vancouver Canucks are 5-2. The upstart Anaheim Ducks are a perfect 8-0.

More obscure, the 2013-14 season had a couple bizarre shootout records. The Washington Capitals went to a shootout 21 times that season, going 10-11. Most impressive, the New Jersey Devils, who went 0-13 in the shootout. Yikes!

Gallagher scratched​

Edmonton’s own Brendan Gallagher has carved out a tremendous NHL career for an unheralded fifth-round pick, on the cusp of 900 games, and 16 points away from 500.

However, the 33-year-old’s days as an everyday player may be coming to a close. Gallagher was a healthy scratch on Saturday night for the first time in his career.

“I’m pretty sure he took it better than me (in his own playing career),” said coach Martin St. Louis. “It’s not easy, considering all he’s represented to the Canadiens over the years. But it’s where we’re at in the schedule, with our depth. We’ll move forward, continue to evaluate, and Gally is a pro.”

It’s a sign of the times in Montreal, who have successfully rebuilt after the surprise 2021 Stanley Cup Final appearance, with seven of their top eight leading scorers 26-and-younger.

Gallagher has six goals and 20 points on the year, with one season remaining on his $6.5 million annual contract. Josh Anderson, a similar veteran who’s struggling to produce, seemed upset by the move.

“It’s really hard. That guy bleeds the logo. What he means to our group, on and off the ice, it’s really hard,” he said. “I don’t know to say. We all love the guy. We know what he brings to the team. It’s hard.”

The Habs are likely in the post-season, but where they finish and who’ll they play could go a variety of directions down the stretch. How St. Louis will deploy Gallagher moving forward is a curiosity for me.

Gallagher will be re-inserted into the lineup Sunday. Is he a lineup lock when they play Game 1 of the first round?

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Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and has been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, he also collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues.

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/sunda...-pacific-division-race-radko-gudas-suspension

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

No ‘immediate red flags’ for Oilers’ Draisaitl but could miss games after suffering injury against Predators

When Leon Draisaitl took to the ice for two shifts late in the first period of Sunday’s Edmonton Oilers game against the Nashville Predators, there were “no red flags” as the centre tested out an injury, head coach Kris Knoblauch said.

The German was shaken up earlier in the game, moments after scoring the opening goal on the power play, when Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt hit him awkwardly into the boards. Draisaitl came up limp, and hobbled down the tunnel to the Oilers locker room.

The Oilers had a quick response, as Vasily Podkolzin went after Wiesblatt, only to fight defenceman Nic Hague instead.

“He got checked out, didn’t feel right… felt like he could play on it,” said Knoblauch after the Oilers held on for a 3-1 win. “The medical staff looked at him, and they were comfortable with him trying it out.

“He went out, and he just didn’t feel quite right. The fact the medical staff said ‘it didn’t seem too bad, no immediate red flags,’ tell me it shouldn’t be a really long injury. There might be some time off, but we’ll find out later.”

Ozzy Wiesblatt Leon Draisaitl • #NHL #HFhits#Smashville #LetsGoOilers • 2026 MAR 15
• Nicolas Hague Vasily Podkolzin: https://t.co/o7DmGzvi1M
Vid via @sportsnet https://t.co/zXLEEqDeoU pic.twitter.com/kY0ct670OH

— HockeyFights.com (@hockeyfights) March 16, 2026

The Oilers’ response to Wiesblatt’s hit didn’t end there, as others took runs at him. Most notably, Trent Frederic hit him along the boards, then threw him to the ice shortly thereafter. Despite Edmonton taking four penalties in the game, they successfully killed all of them off.

Knoblauch was impressed with the Oilers’ ability to kill those penalties.

“I don’t mind having to kill those,” he said. “You’re sticking up for your team and you don’t want to take it too often, but if you never take those kind of penalties, you probably have a pretty disconnected team.

“Sometimes, as painful as it is, as sometimes it bites you, for your team, you need some of that throughout the season.”

Draisaitl’s never been one to miss much time due to injury. Beyond his rookie season where he played 37 games before being returned to the Western Hockey League, the fewest games he’s played in a non-COVID-shortened season was last season, when he played in 64 games, missing 18.

He notably played through a vicious high-ankle sprain in the 2022 playoffs after being injured by Los Angeles Kings defenceman Mikey Anderson. Draisaitl would play in all 16 of the Oilers’ playoff games that year, scoring seven goals and a playoff-leading 25 assists for 32 points.

Draisaitl has appeared in 65 games for the Oilers this season, scoring 35 goals and 97 points.

The Oilers continue a four-game homestand Tuesday night, welcoming the San Jose Sharks, before hosting the Florida Panthers Thursday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.

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Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at [email protected].

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/no-im...ames-after-suffering-injury-against-predators

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Knoblauch: ‘There’ll be some time’ without Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl, but limited update provided

Leon Draisaitl is trending toward not playing in the Edmonton Oilers‘ matchup against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, but there’s no official determination on his injury status.

He left the game with a lower-body injury in the first period after Ozzy Wiesblatt jostled him awkwardly in front of the Nashville Predators bench on Sunday. Draisaitl returned to the bench in the period but was later shut down for the game.

“I think there’ll be some time without him, not sure if it’s one, two, or how long it’s going to be,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch to reporters on Monday. “I don’t have much information right now.”

Draisaitl saw a doctor while the team practiced on Monday, fresh off a 3-1 victory. Despite playing a total of just 3:02 of ice-time, the “Mayor of Smashville” would not be denied a goal, as the Oilers took the lead 1-0 and never relinquished it.

“We don’t want to aggravate him. Obviously, we’re looking at the big picture, but the games are important. There’s nothing for sure right now, and we need to win hockey games. But obviously, if he’s not healthy to play, he’s not going to play,” said Knoblauch.

With 11 healthy forwards for the remainder of the game, the Oilers have gotten used to losing forwards in recent weeks. Curtis Lazar, Colton Dach, Adam Henrique, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, with the arrival of his newborn baby, have all been in and out of the lineup.

“You don’t fill the void, that takes everybody,” said captain Connor McDavid on Monday on Draisaitl. “Everybody’s gonna have to be better if that happens.”

Knoblauch said blueliner Ty Emberson could return soon, but was not included in the defence pairings at practice. Max Jones remains with the Oilers and skated on the team’s fourth line at practice, called up to play against the St. Louis Blues, but scratched on Sunday.

Jason Dickinson played 18:54 of ice-time and skated as the team’s second line centre at practice. If he needs to take more ice, he’s comfortable, but he isn’t going to change his game to chase offence.

“A player like that is very hard, if not impossible, to replace. A lot of respect for what his game brings to the team and the value that he brings. So with that, like you said, it’s a huge opportunity for guys to step up a lot more ice time,” said Dickinson.

“I stick to my core. I stick to what I am good at, because if I deviate, then other things suffer. The defensive side of my game suffers, and that’s not good for anybody, because I know what my role and my job is supposed to be.”

The Oilers continue their homestand this week, facing the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, the Florida Panthers on Thursday, and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. With the victory, Edmonton has hold of third in the Pacific Division, two points back of Vegas for first, and one point behind Anaheim for second.

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Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and has been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, he also collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues.

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/knobl...rs-leon-draisaitl-but-limited-update-provided