There may not be anyone more upset about the hit Mikko Rantanen laid on Edmonton Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner than Corey Perry.
The play in question came with 13 and a half minutes left in the third period of Wednesday night’s game between the Oilers and Dallas Stars, when Rantanen clipped Skinner in the head with his knee. Skinner had been down in the butterfly before jumping up trying to make a save, but his momentum took him to the ice before Rantanen’s knee made contact.
Stuart Skinner goes down and exits the game after Rantanen makes contact with him in the head.
: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/nFOfHTOS2I
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 27, 2025
Skinner left the game and wouldn’t return, leaving Calvin Pickard to enter the game and play out the rest of the 4-3 loss.
When asked after the game if he was comfortable with the Oilers’ response, veteran winger Corey Perry pointed the finger at himself.
“I was pissed at myself. I didn’t see what happened,” he said after the game. “I was on the ice when Rantanen hit Skinner and that’s on me. I should never let that happen. I didn’t see what happened. I saw Stu go down and everyone was standing around. I didn’t see it until afterwards, and I was pretty pissed at myself I didn’t see it.”
It’s not the first time that Skinner has left a game after taking a hit from opposing players. In fact, just last week he was forced from a game against the Winnipeg Jets after Gabriel Vilardi bumped into Skinner with concussion spotters swiftly removing him from the game.
Perry was questioned further about whether or not the Oilers as a whole are responding well enough to these situations and his answer was brief: “We’ll talk about that internally.”
After the game, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch didn’t have an update on Skinner’s condition, but said he wasn’t expected to join the team on their trip to Seattle, where they are set to face the Kraken Thursday night. That opens the door to a recall from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, who on Wednesday night lost to the Colorado Eagles 3-2 in Bakersfield.
Goaltending prospect Olivier Rodrigue got the start in that game, and the Condors are scheduled to play both Friday night and Saturday night.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at [email protected].
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There’s nothing better in life than the Battle of Alberta.
On Saturday evening, the Edmonton Oilers returned to Rogers Place to host the Calgary Flames, the final time the two Alberta teams will meet in the regular season. Leon Draisaitl’s return to the lineup had an impact, as he scored the final two goals — his 50th and 51st of the year — to lead the Oilers to a 3-2 overtime win. Let’s take a look at what happened in this one!
The Flames opened the scoring nearly five minutes into the first period. Calvin Pickard saved Nazem Kadri’s original rush shot, but the rebound went right into the slot for Yegor Sharangovich, who slammed it home for the 1-0 lead.
Yegor Sharangovich scores to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 30, 2025
With just under four minutes left in the third period, Leon Draisaitl’s pass squeaked through to Viktor Arvidsson on the weak side, with the Swedish winger burying it past Flames netminder Dustin Wolf to knot the game up at one.
ARVI PARTY!
Viktor Arvidsson ties the game 1-1 after a sweet dish from Leon Draisaitl.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 30, 2025
The Flames restored their one-goal lead with about 12 minutes left in the third period. Once again, it was the trailer who scored, as no backchecking forward picked up defenceman Brayden Pachal.
Brayden Pachal gives the Flames a 2-1 lead in the third period.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 30, 2025
Thankfully, the Oilers have Leon Draisaitl. With just over three minutes left in the game, the German had a rush chance and ripped it by Wolf top cheddar for his fourth 50-goal season.
LEON DRAISAITL WITH HIS 4TH CAREER 50-GOAL SEASON!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 30, 2025
The German did it again midway through overtime, as he snapped it past Wolf off the post and in to clinch the win for the Oilers.
LEON DRAISAITL WINS IT IN OVERTIME!
GOOD NIGHT, CALGARY!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 30, 2025
Takeaways…
Before we start looking at the takeaways of this game, some things are just bigger than hockey. Early in the game, there was a medical emergency in the crowd. We here at Oilersnation are wishing nothing but the best for that fan.
It’s nice to have Leon Draisaitl back in the lineup. For the fourth time in his career, the German hit the 50-goal mark thanks to his late tally in the third period. The only other active player who has scored 50 goals in a season more than four times? Alexander Ovechkin. The 51st goal on the game-winner was just the cherry on top.
Draisaitl formed the centre piece of a trio with Viktor Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin and was easily the Oilers’ best line in this game. Arvidsson picked up his 11th of the season, and Podkolzin had plenty of chances while drawing a penalty and taking a penalty.
Blake Coleman clearly isn't the biggest fan of Vasily Podkolzin.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 30, 2025
When the Flames and Oilers are both good, the temperature rises. Late in the second period, Calvin Pickard was bumped by Flames captain Mikael Backlund with Corey Perry on the ice. This time, the 39-year-old took exception to it, starting a little tussle which saw Backlund on his back.
Calvin Pickard had a strong game, saving 26 of 28 shots for a .929 save percentage. He made a handful of strong saves in this game and gave the Oilers a chance to win. While I want to see Olivier Rodrigue make his first NHL start just to see what the Oilers have in him, it’d be hard to deny Pickard a start in their next game.
With the win, the Oilers move to 89 points thanks to a 42-26-5 record; however, the Kings have the first (and second) tiebreaker thanks to fewer games played (and more regulation wins). Home ice advantage is going to come down to those two games the teams play in April.
It’s crunch time for the Oilers. Next up is a game against the Vegas Golden Knights in Sin City on Tuesday. That’ll start a four-game road trip where they’ll also face the San Jose Sharks, Kings, and Anaheim Ducks.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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Mattias Ekholm, and Stuart Skinner were not on the plane today as their teammates flew to Vegas for the start of their four-game road trip. The Edmonton Oilers sit two points behind LA for second place in the Pacific Division, and while home-ice advantage would be nice, the Oilers would rather be healthy when the playoffs begin.
The Oilers and Kings will meet in the first round for the fourth consecutive season. It isn’t official yet, but LA is seven points back of Vegas, while Vancouver and Calgary are eight and nine points behind Edmonton. The only question to be answered is: Will LA or Edmonton have home-ice advantage when their playoff series begins, either on Sunday, April 20th or Monday the 21st?
LA wraps up its regular season on the 17th, and rarely does the NHL make a team start its playoffs two days later. If LA has home ice advantage, then they will have to share their facility with the LA Lakers. But the Lakers aren’t guaranteed home-court advantage right now. They are battling Memphis for fourth place. If they finish fourth, they will open at home, and the NBA first round begins on the 19th. There is a chance, depending on arena availability, that the Oilers and Kings don’t start until the 21st. Last year the NHL playoffs began on April 20th with two games. There were four games on the 21st, and then the Oilers/Kings and Stars/Golden Knights started on the 22nd.
The Oilers want home-ice advantage, and they play the Kings twice in their final nine games — those two outcomes will play a big role in who starts on home ice. But the Oilers are wisely not going to push any of their injured players to return early, just to gain home ice. McDavid resumed skating last week and he, along with Ekholm and Skinner, might join the team later on the trip, but there is no rush. Ekholm has been battling a nagging injury for weeks, and they decided it was best to rest him and allow him to be fully healthy when the playoffs begin. Skinner got hit in the head by Mikko Rantanen’s knee last Wednesday, and being in concussion protocol meant he’d be out for at least one week. McDavid has a lower-body injury (I’m confident it is a groin), and he resumed skating last week. He is expected to be ready before the regular season ends.
The good news is Trent Frederic went on the road trip and will be skating with the team. Doesn’t mean he will play, but the fact he graduated from skating on his own to being with the team is much-needed progress.
**Update after original post*** I’ve learned Connor McDavid and Evander Kane went on the trip. Kane won’t play, but he will skate with the team, and McDavid being on the trip likely means he will play at some point.
Mar 9, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Adrian Kempe (9) celebrates with teammates after scoring a power play goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
WILL HOME-ICE ADVANTAGE MATTER?
Recently home-ice advantage has mattered a lot in the first round. Last season seven of eight home teams won their series. In 2022 and 2023, six of eight home teams won the series. In 2021 and 2020 there were no fans in the stands and in 2019 five road teams won, while in 2018 seven home teams won. If we look at the past five seasons (with fans) of the 40 first-round series, the road team has won 11 times.
However, each series and situation is different, and the Oilers’ playoff roster could look much different than what we’ve seen all year (and definitely recently). McDavid, Ekholm, Skinner, Frederic and Evander Kane will make the Oilers’ roster much better than the one we will see on this four-game road trip — more skill, more aggression and much more depth.
The Kings have been great on home ice this season going 27-4-4, but they also have the fewest road wins (14-19-5) of any playoff-bound team. It would be interesting to see why they are so good at home but have the ninth-fewest wins in the NHL on the road. Edmonton has the 12th-best P% on the road thus far. They have the 10th-best winning % when they score first, and they have the seventh-best w% when they allow the first goal. They’ve shown a decent ability to come back on the road, while the Kings are 5-13-2 on the road when they allow the first goal.
The Kings are a good team, but so are the Oilers and Edmonton has the two best players, which is a big advantage in any series.
Mar 4, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (29) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first period against the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
LEON DRAISAITL’S DOMINANT PLAY…
Leon Draisaitl is having an MVP-like season. He returned to the lineup on Saturday and scored the tying goal and his league-leading 11th game-winning goal in overtime. He also set the NHL record for most OT goals in one season with six.
Draisaitl joined some elite groups on Saturday. He is the 15th player with four 50-goal seasons.
Four 50-goal seasons: Draisaitl, Michel Goulet, Tim Kerr and Jari Kurri.
Five 50-goal seasons: Pavel Bure, Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull, Brett Hull and Steve Yzerman.
Six 50-goal seasons: Marcel Dionne, Guy Lafleur and Mario Lemieux.
Nine 50-goal seasons: Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin.
He also became only the ninth player with four seasons with 50 goals and 50 assists. He’s the only active player to do it (four times) and the first since Lemieux did it for the sixth time in 1997.
Four times: Draisaitl and Kurri.
Five times: Esposito and Yzerman.
Six times: Dionne, Lafleur and Lemieux.
Seven times: Bossy.
Nine times: Gretzky.
He is a guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Fame player and he’s only halfway through his NHL career. It is extremely rare to see a player with an elite combination of passing and shooting. It is quite comical to think that some people claimed he was only good because he played with McDavid. Over the past decade Draisaitl ranks third in goals (396), fifth in assists (549) and second in points (945). He has a very realistic chance to join the very exclusive club of players with 700 goals and 1,000 assists.
Only Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr and Dionne have done it. Sidney Crosby needs 81 goals to become the fifth. Draisaitl needs 302 goals and 444 assists to reach those milestones — very doable when you consider he will likely play another 10 seasons. It is really remarkable what he is doing.
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That was a gutsy win.
On Tuesday evening, the Edmonton Oilers started their four-game road trip by taking on the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights in Sin City. Thankfully, the Oilers won their second consecutive game, defeating the 2023 Stanley Cup Champions 3-2, even with Connor McDavid, Mattias Ekholm, Stuart Skinner, and a handful of others. Let’s take a look at what happened in this game.
Just over four and a half minutes into the game, Leon Draisaitl made a neutral zone turnover. On the transition play, Draisaitl’s backcheck was less than ideal, allowing the trailing Nic Roy to rip it past Calvin Pickard in the slot.
Nic Roy opens the scoring for Vegas.
: Sportsnet | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/yWVx4jcHgz
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) April 2, 2025
Very early in the second period, 19 seconds in, Jake Walman scored his first as an Oiler, blasting it past Adin Hill’s glove to tie the game up from there. Like Evan Bouchard, Walman has a tremendous slapshot.
JAKE WALMAN SCORES HIS FIRST GOAL AS AN OILER
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) April 2, 2025
With just under four minutes left in the period and on a 5-on-3, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made a terrific pass to Draisaitl, who blasted it by Hill for the 2-1 lead. That wasn’t all though!
#52 FOR LEON DRAISAITL
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) April 2, 2025
Even later in the period, with about 100 seconds left, Adam Henrique forced a turnover in the offensive zone. The puck found its way to Viktor Arvidsson, who was initially stopped, but banged it home for his second goal in as many games.
Viktor Arvidsson puts the Oilers up 3-1!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) April 2, 2025
The Golden Knights got to within one 2:35 into the final period, as Pavel Dorofeyev’s shot from the point was seeing eye, beating Pickard low and to Pickard’s right. That’s all they’d get, though.
Pavel Dorofeyev cuts the Edmonton lead in half.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) April 2, 2025
Takeaways…
Viktor Arvidsson is quietly starting to look like the player the Oilers signed in the off-season. Through his first 47 games, he scored seven goals and 19 points. Over his last 12 games, he has five goals. He and Vasily Podkolzin (who had an assist in this game) are effective wingers for Leon Draisaitl.
Speaking of Draisaitl, the German scored his 52nd goal of the season on a beautiful one-timer, giving the Oilers a 2-1 lead. It’s impossible to say a player has won an award with games remaining on the schedule, but the likelihood he blows his 10-goal lead on William Nylander is next to impossible. Give him the Hart, too.
Jake Walman picked up his first goal as an Oiler in the game, showing off his hard slapper and beating the Golden Knights’ netminder. More importantly, he was on the ice during the Golden Knights’ push. The Oilers clearly trust him to close out a close game.
Calvin Pickard had a solid game, saving 20 of 22 shots for a .909 save percentage. He had a big first period, stopping nine of ten shots and didn’t have much of a chance to stop either shot in the game. Moreover, he made a massive save late in the third period during the Golden Knights’ push.
Calvin Pickard makes a massive save late in the 3rd period!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) April 2, 2025
One notable issue for the Oilers over the past two games is forwards picking up trailers on rush chances. Both goals against the Calgary Flames on Saturday were a result of this, as was the first goal on Tuesday. It’s something that needs to be cleaned up before the playoffs start.
Up next, the Oilers head to the Bay Area to face off against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday at 8:30 PM MT, gross.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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The Edmonton Oilers picked up a big win in Vegas and were looking to keep the good times going against the Sharks on Thursday night at the SAP Center in San Jose. And while the Oilers secured the 3-2 win as planned, it was hard not to think about how they also lost Leon Draisaitl in the process.
LEON DRAISAITL EMERGENCY
It’s hard not to start a recap of last night’s game against the Sharks with anything other than Leon Draisaitl leaving the game late in the second period. There were a few different moments in the game when he was either tied up in a battle or took an awkward tumble to the ice, and the result was leaving the game in some clear discomfort without any real idea of what was going on. During the second intermission, Bob Stauffer speculated that it might be a core issue unrelated to what kept him out of the lineup before, but it’s hard not to wonder if he still came back too early.
Of course, regardless of the injury, we probably won’t get much of an update. The Oilers are too close to the playoffs to give out any real information — I don’t blame them, by the way, since we know the competition will take advantage of such details — and I won’t be surprised if the next update says that Leon is out day-to-day and that the return date will be uncertain. Much like the last time he was out, being without him for even one game is too many, but this will have to be another chance for the veteran-laden roster to step up and win without its two best players. The boys got the job done with Draisaitl in the third period against the Sharks, but that task gets much more difficult on Saturday in Los Angeles.
THE VIKTOR ARVIDSSON HEATER
Viktor Arvidsson had a tough start to his tenure as an Oiler. I wrote about it plenty. Gregor wrote about it. Everybody talked about it. And the reason we were all rattled was because we all know that he is so much better than what the box scores were saying early in the year. As someone who cheered against Arvidsson for years, he was always so annoying because he could get under people’s skin and burn you on the scoreboard. I mean, the guy has 20-goal (and some 30) seasons all over his NHL resume, and whether it is fair or not, those numbers dictated the expectations.
With goals in three straight, Viktor Arvidsson has chipped in five in his last night games, which would be a 45-goal pace over the course of an entire season. I’m not bringing that up because I’m suggesting he’ll get close to that number or anything like that, but rather to point out how hot he can be offensive when he’s at his best. And with the playoffs just around the corner and the games turning into the kind of grinds he seems to thrive in, I’m hopeful this run he’s on will be the start of his best offensive hockey of the season. He’s already playing the best we’ve seen so far, and it’s beautiful that he’s finally being rewarded for his efforts on the scoresheet.
OUR PAL CAL
When I was watching the post-game breakdown on Sportsnet, they mentioned that Thursday’s win was the first time Calvin Pickard has ever had a 20-win season. That’s an incredible stat for a guy drafted in the second round back in 2010. As much as I was happy to see him lay down a .931 save percentage on 29 shots against, I was even happier to think about how he battled through 15 years of post-draft hockey before finally hitting that milestone. That’s a grind very few would have ever bet on to pay off, and a credit to his love for the game and keeping his dream alive.
How can you not love a guy who put that much time into pro hockey before finally hitting a milestone like that at 32 years old? The story gets even wilder when we remember that Calvin Pickard was initially brought in as the third-string option behind Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner, only to get thrown into the backup spot unexpectedly, end up playing two playoff games last spring, and now this running career-high in wins. That’s a hell of a story for a guy no one would have ever predicted to be here. And while you can say what you will about the Oilers’ goaltending situation, cheering for Pickard is one of the easiest things you can do. How can you not love an unexpected hero? That’s our pal, Cal. At least he is from my side of the TV screen.
CONNOR BROWN SCORES A BEAUTY
How about Connor Brown’s goal at the 6:22 mark of the first period? Our man flew through the neutral zone so fast that we could have thought it was the other Connor for a minute. That one was scored with a 20-goal touch, and while it was only Brown’s ninth of the year, he pumped that puck into the back of the net like it was his 20th. Like many of his teammates, Brown has had some healthy gaps between goals at times, but none of that will matter if he can start heating up as we play out these last handful of games.
As I’m sure you remember, Brown cranked his game up in a big way at this point last season, and I’m asking the Hockey Gords to help him make it happen again. I and the rest of the fanbase loved everything about playoff Connor Brown, and I’m bullish on No. 28 getting that mojo going again. Depth scoring is so crucial at this time of year, and Brown is a guy who has done it at this level before, so we’re going to need him to summon that touch once more. Take my energy, Connor Brown. We need ya.
OTHER THINGS WORTH MENTIONING
1. Pray for Leon.
2. Jeff Skinner keeps scoring goals despite often playing limited minutes, and I will build him a statue in my yard if he can keep that trend going. He’s going to score a massive goal in the playoffs, and I’m going to explode into a cloud of glitter.
3. The Skinner-Janmark-Brown trio produced both of the Oilers’ 5v5 goals, and you love to see the depth goals coming from guys who don’t always get the most offensive opportunities. If that trio can keep building this chemistry, they could absolutely be a weapon as we end up in the post-season.
4. Did anybody else get nervous when you found out the Sharks were starting a goaltender with only three NHL starts on his resume? Georgi Romanov got shelled in his last outing against the L.A. Kings, so it almost felt like a trap game where an unknown goalie pulled out a Vezina performance that stole a win. We’ve seen that movie before, and the kid did his damnedest to pull it off. Romanov ended up with a .921 save percentage on 38 shots against, which was the primary reason the Sharks were in the game until the end. Almost, kid. Almost.
5. We got the best of both sides of Evan Bouchard against the Sharks, didn’t we? On the one hand, there was the goal by Toffoli, where Dad got caught puck-watching, and on the other, we had another two points on the board for a guy who helps with the offence in a way we haven’t seen around here in quite some time. I love him. It’s a ride sometimes.
6. I love faceoff wins, and I’m pleased to report that the Oilers won 57.1% of them. Great success.
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