The Edmonton Oilers are just over a month into the 2025-26 season, and like any team with high expectations, there’s plenty to unpack, with some players quietly putting up strong starts, while others are still trying to round out their game.
With that in mind, let’s dive into five Oilers thoughts, from Evan Bouchard’s play and Adam Henrique’s strong start to which players could be ending their scoring drought, the missing gamesmanship, and how the Oilers need more out of Trent Frederic.
One Game at a Time for Evan Bouchard
The start of the season for Evan Bouchard, after signing a massive $10.5 million-a-season contract, has been nothing short of a nightmare straight out of The Amityville Horror, filled with ghoulish defensive blunders.
A Stephen King–like novel could be written about his horrific blown defensive coverages and giveaways, and at this point, there are no excuses for them. And many years from now, scientists will need to run a full lab experiment and figure out why he starts seasons so slowly, only to turn into a playoff beast. For now, though, it’s about steadily building his game and regaining that confidence, one step at a time, and hopefully he can build off the good performance he had last game against the Dallas Stars.
By my count, he had at least three good defensive plays against the Stars, including some ‘head-on-a-swivel’ moments, breaking up slot chances and getting a good stick on a Stars 2-on-1 in OT. He led all Oilers with 25:40 of ice time, tallied an assist, and at 5v5 posted an 8-1 edge in shots and a 9-3 advantage in scoring chances.
The Oilers’ highest-paid blueliner has a long way to go before you can say he’s turned the page, but hopefully, he can build off his last game.
A Look at Adam Henrique’s Strong Start to the Season
The 35-year-old Adam Henrique is off to a strong start this season, currently on pace for 32 points, which would be an improvement over the 27 he posted last year.
His two-way game has also been solid. The newest member of the 1,000-game club leads the team with 18 blocks, and his 5.27 blocks per 60 minutes rank 14th in the NHL. Additionally, he’s been an ace in the faceoff circle, boasting a 61.31% win rate that leads the Oilers, while also ranking third among forwards in penalty-kill minutes. On top of that, according to the latest Oilersnation power rankings, he’s quietly crept into the top three most handsome players in the league.
Additionally, over the last five games, he’s played at the 3C spot between Matt Savoie and Trent Frederic, and according to Natural Stat Trick, the trio has posted 14–10 shots for and 7–5 in high-danger chances in that span, while scoring one goal and giving up just one. The Kris Knoblauch blender has been in full effect this season, but I’d like to see that trio stay together a bit longer. They’re not hurting the team, their chemistry seems to be building, and you get the sense they’re due to score more often.
Two Oilers Primed to Snap Their Scoring Slump According to Analytics
Last season, Kris Knoblauch explained a theory that when players reach around five or six expected goals (xGF), they’re due to score within the next stretch of games. It’s a theory I’ve been keeping an eye on since, and it’s kind of impressive how often it’s hit the mark, or come pretty close.
For example, Ty Emberson hadn’t scored yet when he reached a 5.06 xGF in his ninth game of the season and two games later, in his 11th, he scored his first of the campaign.
THE OILERS TAKE THE LEAD WITH A GOAL FROM TY EMBERSON!
: Sportsnet / #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/gwbFxs5US5
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) October 29, 2025
Given that theory, a couple of players could potentially end their scoring drought soon, one being Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The last time he found the back of the net was eight games ago, on Oct. 23 against the Montreal Canadiens, and since then, he’s built up a 7.92 xGF. Meanwhile, Brett Kulak — still searching for his first of the season — sits at a juicy 9.62 xGF. I’m not saying they’re guaranteed to score next game, but based on Knoblauch’s theory, the odds look pretty good.
Oilers Are Missing the Pest-Like Gamesmanship Edge
The Oilers’ 6-5-4 record after 15 games isn’t the worst, but it’s not ideal, considering they’re Stanley Cup contenders. Of course, this seems to be the pattern of this era of Oilers — start slow to begin the year, then pick it up at some point and start stringing together consecutive wins.
But the question I have is, when is that “some point” going to happen? Last season, I can almost pinpoint the moment the team started to really give a damn — it was after they lost their first three games of the season and were down 3–2 to the Philadelphia Flyers in the fourth game. Sean Couturier ran into Stuart Skinner, and Troy Stecher immediately came to his goaltender’s defence and dropped the gloves.
Sean Couturier knocks over Stuart Skinner and Troy Stecher comes to his defence.pic.twitter.com/hGtFiHAdLS
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 16, 2024
Despite giving up nearly six inches and close to 30 pounds, he still hung in there and threw ’em with the Flyers’ captain. Right after that, Corey Perry dropped the mitts with Joel Farabee, firing up all of Rogers Place and, more importantly, his Oilers teammates, and they came back and won, winning the next game as well.
I feel there hasn’t been that rallying moment yet for the Oilers this season, a defining point where, looking back at the end of the season, one can say, “Aha! That’s where they turned things around!”
Also, speaking of Perry, the Oilers definitely miss him, but they just couldn’t afford to keep him. However, when things weren’t going right or when the Oilers looked flat or were losing momentum, he’d do whatever it took: a glove in someone’s face, challenging a guy to a fight, falling on a goalie, pretty much anything to get his team going again. The Oilers need someone to step up in that department, and that’s part of the reason they re-signed Trent Frederic to such a long-term deal, which we’ll talk about next.
Oilers Need More From Trent Frederic
Re-signing Frederic to a long-term contract seemed to check a lot of important boxes: size, physicality, scoring ability, and pest-like gamesmanship. But 15 games into the season, with only one goal, he’s really only shown one of those traits, sitting second on the Oilers in hits with 46.
Simply put, the Oilers need more out of Frederic — more points on the scoresheet, more gamesmanship, and all in all, more signs that he gives a damn out on the ice.
That said, I feel, though, that he may have experienced a bit of an identity crisis to start the season. Playing on the first line with Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid for a few games in the preseason and in the first couple of games to start the year may have had him questioning, Am I a scorer, or a crash-and-banger? Or both? Playing alongside the dynamic duo, where you have to think and react quickly and make plays, is very different from getting the puck deep and then crushing a D-man.
It feels like, since then, he’s had to recalibrate and get back to his basic instincts. Overall, his start to the season is not ideal for someone coming off signing a long-term contract, but I’m not worried just yet — after all, we’re only 15 games into the long 82-game grind. There’s a lot of hockey left, folks.
On that note, I feel his play is trending upward. He’s thrown a combined 11 hits over the last two games, and as noted earlier, it seems he’s settling in nicely on the third line with linemates Henrique and Matt Savoie. They’re starting to develop a bit of chemistry, and as mentioned, they’ve outshot the opposition 14-10 over the last five games.
Moreover, Frederic’s expected goals for percentage has been 74.37% and 78.45% in the last two games. On top of that, we saw the 27-year-olds ‘give a crap’ meter rise a little bit against the Stars, getting in the face of Lian Bichsel after he ran Savoie into the boards.
At times this season, the Oilers have looked like they’re playing on cruise control, almost like their minds are already at Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. That said, moving forward, it’s an opportunity for Frederic to realize that Corey Perry and Evander Kane are no longer on the team, and the dollars that could’ve been spent on them to bring that gamesmanship are now being spent on him. Frederic isn’t expected to score every night, but what he can bring consistently is relentless effort, a side of nastiness, and the spark his team needs when they’ve fallen asleep at the wheel.
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Back again with a weekly pipeline update. It was another busy weekend, and they won’t be slowing down anytime soon. Speaking of not slowing down, that’s exactly what Tommy Lafrenière is doing in the WHL right now, as he is up to 19 points in 17 games. One thing that is slowing down is any offence that plays the Fort Wayne Komets right now because of the stellar play of both their goaltenders, Nathaniel Day and Samuel Jonsson. The “Oilers Bowl” went down in Indiana this weekend as Asher Barnett, Aidan Park, and the Michigan Wolverines visited Paul Fischer and Notre Dame for two back-to-back games. Let’s jump right into it.
Fort Wayne’s Goaltending
The Fort Wayne Komets are sitting at six wins in their first seven games and have given up only 11 goals in those games (1.57 GA/Game). Only one team has allowed fewer, and that’s Toledo at nine goals against in four games played (2.25 GA/Game).
A big part of those numbers is because Samuel Jonsson and Nathaniel Day have been spectacular. In four games, Jonsson has four wins, a 1.25 goals-against average, a .945 save percentage, and three shutouts. Now Nathaniel Day doesn’t have the numbers like Jonsson, but he’s doing mighty fine himself with a 2-1-0 record in three games, a 2.03 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage, and one shutout. That means in the seven games the Komets have played, their goalies have recorded shutouts in four of them, which is simply outstanding.
Sitting at the top of the Western Conference in the ECHL, Fort Wayne has an argument for being the best team in the league. James Stefan is leading the team with six goals and one assist in seven games, plus Beau Akey made his ECHL debut tonight, finishing with a +2 rating against the Florida Everblades.
Hard to beat perfection
Samuel Jonsson earns Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week!
Congrats, @SamuelJonsson11! pic.twitter.com/KlSysk27NO
— Fort Wayne Komets (@FWKomets) November 3, 2025
Tommy Lafrenière – Winger – Kamloops Blazers
After a seven-game point streak that saw the Blazers winger rack up seven goals and 11 points, Tommy Lafrenière could only go one game without a point before starting another streak. In his most recent three games played, the 2025 third-rounder has two goals and three assists. Lafrenière has been moving from centre to the wing every two games or so, but it hasn’t affected his play at all. The pace of play Lafrenière wants to play at has gone up a notch since last season, and his playmaking especially has taken a step. In the first clip below, Lafrenière, using his highly regarded work ethic, wins a race and makes an excellent spinning backhand pass for the primary assist.
In his draft year, I saw Lafrenière as less of a line driver and more of a play-in-space/get-in-on-the-forecheck complementary winger. But the Blazers’ assistant captain has shown the ability to gel together a line and be whatever the missing piece is on that line. The versatility he has brought to the Blazers is impressive early on in the season. Now we can’t go on without showing the beautifully placed one-timer and wrist shot for Lafrenière’s two goals during his current three-game streak.
Elite placement on both the one-timer goal and the quick release in transition. Since his slow first six games of the season, in which he only registered three points, Lafrenière has 16 points in his last 11 games played. Not only have the point totals climbed to start, but you can see the progress in his skating and playmaking ability continue to grow. Tommy Lafrenière is still averaging 4.3 shots per game through 17 games now, and he just registered his season-high eight shots against Wenatchee on November 2. Arrows pointing up for the 2025 third-rounder.
The Oiler Bowl in Indiana
Second-ranked Michigan University and Notre Dame University clashed in back-to-back nights this past weekend. The Wolverines ended up walking away with a 5-3 win and a 2-1 OT win. A total of three Oiler prospects were featured in both games this weekend — those being Aidan Park and Asher Barnett for Michigan and Paul Fischer for Notre Dame.
Out of the three players listed, Paul Fischer plays the biggest role for his Fighting Irish squad, and he continues to catch my eye with his offensive ability. The Notre Dame defenceman was also the most impressive of the three prospects playing in the games this weekend. The first two clips of Fischer below show the nonchalant plays he makes to help fuel offence or put his teammates in the best position possible.
The first clip shows the playmaking mind Fischer plays with. A lot of defencemen will rim that puck around the wall behind the net or panic-shoot it on goal, but the American-born defenceman takes half a second and makes a pass into the middle of the ice to the F3. Unfortunately, the play was kind of wasted in the end, but I love the idea.
The second clip shows the poise he carries while he has the puck. Fischer holds onto the puck for as long as he can until he fires it up to the centreman, who has a lot more space to play with because of Fischer’s patience. Paul Fischer finished the weekend with two assists, and fellow Oilers prospect Aidan Park got on the board this weekend with a beautiful deflection goal that is clipped below.
Aidan Park and Asher Barnett are still playing in the bottom of the lineup, but that was expected with the depth of the Michigan roster. Park has shown some excellent flashes of skill and playmaking ability, but the skating mechanics need to be refined if he wants to progress even further in his career.
Maxim Beryozkin – Winger – Lokomotiv
I am flabbergasted that after 22 games played, Maxim Beryozkin has zero goals. To not even have one of his shots bounce in off a defender’s shin pad or something is incredibly unlucky at this point. Even watching Beryozkin play, he continues to generate chances, but whether it’s a post or the puck exploding in half, it will not go in the net right now. The Russian power forward is still averaging above 16 minutes of ice time per game and continues to hover around two shots per game. Below is a clip of what Beryozkin is still capable of: he drives the net on his backhand after a great passing play and tries to bring it back to his forehand for the glove-side finish.
It would have been a beautiful way to get the monkey off his back. You can see he is still generating chances, and an inch to the left, and that puck is in the net. Even through the finishing struggles, the Lokomotiv winger still puts in an excellent work ethic throughout the whole ice surface. In the second clip below, he shows that he is willing to backcheck, and he has always carried a good defensive stick with him.
I still believe in the player, and I do think this is a bit of an off year, but the ceiling might just not be what we all thought it could be. Beryozkin did finish the game off with a primary assist on the power play after his shot hit off the backboards to his teammate, who made a heads-up play by banking it in off the goalie.
In other news and notes, David Lewandowski continues to lead the Saskatoon Blades with 18 points in 16 games played now. He continues to impress with his playmaking ability, but like Aidan Park, Lewandowski does need to clean up his skating a bit, and I haven’t seen too much progress yet. The season is still very young, though. Albin Sundin is now up to two goals and two assists in 17 games played. In his past two games, his minutes have gone down to around the 15-minute mark, but it seems to be paying off as he’s finding the scoresheet a bit more often.
That is all for the weekly prospect update. Come back for the Bakersfield Condors weekly report later this week as they continue to have a roller-coaster start to the year.
Connor McDavid scored his 1,100th NHL point in his 726th game this past Monday in St. Louis.
He became the 69th player (nice) to reach 1,100 points and was the fourth quickest behind Mike Bossy (725 GP), Mario Lemieux (550), and Wayne Gretzky (464). McDavid is on pace to join the true elite of the NHL and will likely finish his career as the second-highest scorer in NHL history. His quest for a Stanley Cup can only truly be answered between April and June, but I think it is a disservice to McDavid and the NHL to only focus on the Stanley Cup and overlook his regular-season production.
Here’s the progression of McDavid from point 100 to point 1,100.
- Point 100: An assist on January 18th, 2017, vs. Florida. It was his 92nd game. Oilers won 4-3. He scored 1-2-3, including the OT winner.
- Point 200: An assist on January 13th, 2018, in Vegas. It was his 21st birthday and his 173rd game. He scored 0-2-2 and the Oilers won 3-2 in OT.
- Point 300: An assist on December 13th, 2018, in Winnipeg. It was his 240th game. He had two assists and the Oilers lost 5-4 in OT.
- Point 400: A goal on November 10th, 2019, in Anaheim. It was his 302nd game. The Oilers won 6-2, and he had scored a hat trick.
- Point 500: An assist on February 17th, 2021, vs. Winnipeg. It came in his 369th game. He had two assists, and the Oilers won 3-2.
- Point 600: A goal on November 14th, 2021, in St. Louis. It occurred in his 421st game. He scored 1-1-2 and the Oilers won 5-4.
- Point 700: A goal on October 12th, 2022, vs. Vancouver. It came in his 488th game. He scored 3-1-4 and Edmonton won their season opener 5-3.
- Point 800: An assist on February 21st, 2023, vs. Philadelphia. It happened in his 545th game. He scored 2-1-3 and Edmonton won 4-2.
- Point 900: An assist on January 2nd, 2024, vs. Philadelphia. It came in his 602nd game. He scored 1-4-5 and Edmonton won 5-2.
- Point 1,000: A goal on November 14th, 2024, vs. Nashville. It happened in his 659th game. He produced 1-1-2 and assisted on Darnell Nurse’s OT winner. Oilers won 3-2.
- Point 1,100: An assist on November 3rd, 2025, in St. Louis. It was his 726th game. He had two assists, but the Oilers lost 3-2.
Edmonton is 9-1-1 in milestone-reaching games for McDavid, and he has 29 points. Like most great players, it seems they know when they are close to a milestone, and they reach it quickly.
McDavid’s ascent up the all-time scoring list has been swift and consistent. Here are his splits in 100-point increments.
- Point 100 took 92 games.
- Points 101-200 took 81 games.
- Points 201-300 needed 67 games.
- Points 301-400 needed 62 games.
- Points 401-500 took 67 games.
- Points 501-600 took 52 games.
- Points 601-700 took 67 games.
- Points 701-800 needed 57 games.
- Points 801-900 needed 57 games.
- Points 901-1000 needed 57 games.
- Points 1,001-1,100 needed 67 games.
It is mind-blowing how consistent he’s been. To go from point 700 to 800 to 900 to 1,000 at the exact same 100-points-in-57-game pace illustrates his talent. Consistency, in any walk of life, is the key to success, and for McDavid to maintain the exact pace for 300 points is incredible.
I’d expect him to maintain a similar pace from 1,100 to 1,200, which means he could reach 1,200 before the end of the season. He needs 97 points in 67 games. Steven Stamkos is seven points shy of becoming the 53rd player with 1,200 points, and McDavid will be the 54th. And every subsequent 100-point plateau has fewer members.
Anze Kopitar needs 15 points this season to become the 39th player with 1,300.
There are 22 players with 1,400 points. Evgeni Malkin needs 34 points, and Patrick Kane needs 52 to join the group.
Only 16 players have 1,500 points.
There are 11 in the 1,600-point club, including Alex Ovechkin.
Earlier this season, Sidney Crosby became the ninth player with 1,700 points.
Four players have 1,800 points.
Jaromir Jagr and Wayne Gretzky are the only members with 1,900.
And Gretzky is all alone with 2,000+ points. His 2,857 points will never be matched, but McDavid should join him in the rarified 2,000-point club. Crosby might as well if he wants to play three seasons after this one.
I think it is important to be reminded of the greatness Oilers fans and the NHL are witnessing with McDavid, Crosby, and Ovechkin. Their performances cement them among the elite of the elite in NHL history.
I spoke with McDavid on my radio show about his accomplishments, and if he ever is able to take a moment and realize how special a ride it has been, and will continue to be.
Mar 10, 2017; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby (87) follow their play during the second period at Rogers Place.
Gregor: You reached 1,100 points in St. Louis. You are the 69th guy to do it and the fourth fastest. So with that, how good’s your memory?
McDavid: Not bad.
Gregor: Do you remember your 100th point?
McDavid: Was it against Florida? Florida, I’m sure.
Gregor: Correct. How about your 200th point?
McDavid. No, now we’re getting to where it won’t go well (laughs).
Gregor: It was your 21st birthday in Vegas.
McDavid: Oh yeah. Right.
Gregor: You just scored your 1,100th point in the same building you scored your 600th point four years earlier in St. Louis.
McDavid: I did know that. I remember that game.
Gregor: In the 11 games when you’re going for a milestone, you’ve scored 29 points. Do you go into a game knowing that you’re close to reaching a milestone?
McDavid: No, not really. I would say as we got closer to 1,000, I knew then. Probably after 900, I knew where I was at. You always remember your 1,000th one. I remember that was 18 points shy going into the season, so that was easy to do the math. So I get a pretty good idea for that one. Now, though, I might not remember going forward.
Gregor: I know hockey is a team sport, and I know you and others try to avoid the individual stuff. But at the same time, are you ever able to take a step back during it and appreciate it? Do you ever think, I’ve had some goals, and I’m accomplishing it. I’m doing pretty good. Do you take a moment to allow that?
McDavid: Probably not enough. Probably not enough, really. There’s always something on the go. There’s always the next thing, the next game. There’s always the next job to do. There are times when you sit back and realize how fortunate I’ve been to play in this league, and, you know, have some success. But probably not a good enough job in the moment, or realizing how special it is to reach some of these milestones.
Gregor: I think that’s fair. It’s kind of human nature. In hockey, it almost feels like a person is being arrogant if they celebrate what you’re doing. But the truth is, not many have done what you’ve done. You were the fourth quickest to 1,100, and you will likely be third quickest the rest of the way to all these milestones, 1200, 1300, etc. And you’re on pace to probably be the second guy to 2,000. I know that’s a long way away, but would it help to take a few moments, smile, and maybe have a glass of wine with Lauren to talk about it?
McDavid: I think as the numbers start getting a little bit bigger, you understand your time in this league is, it’s not infinite. You get to spend a short period of time in this league, and as the numbers get a little bit larger, you start to understand your time is not, obviously, it isn’t coming to an end soon, but you know, you’re never gonna reach these milestones again. You’re never gonna get to have your 1,000th point or your 800th point again. So that is nice, you know, having gone through it to sit back and to reflect sometimes. And these milestones are a nice way to do that.
Gregor: As someone who is among the elite, you can respect how hard some milestones are to reach. I was crunching Ovechkin’s splits. He’s the only guy you can do 300-goal splits with because he’s the only guy who scored 900. His first 300 goals took him 473 games. His next 300 took him 517 games, and his last 300 took him 514 games.
McDavid: Oh shit. I didn’t know that.
Gregor: He actually scored his last 300 goals faster than his middle 300. Knowing how difficult it is to score at a high level, can you put that into perspective?
McDavid: Obviously, Father Time is undefeated, but he is somehow beating that. So pretty impressive. I mean, obviously impressive, amazing. I didn’t realize he would have done his last 300 faster than his second 300. That is really impressive.
Mar 21, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) looks on in the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
It will be interesting to see what McDavid’s stats look like when his career his over. Here were some other splits I found interesting.
Wayne Gretzky point splits:
- First 500 points took 234 games.
- Points 501-1,000 took 190 games.
- Points 1,001-1,500 took 196 games.
- Points 1,501-2,000 took 237 games.
- Points 2,001-2,500 took 308 games.
He tallied 1,000 points in 424 games, and his next 1,000 came in 433 games. Unreal.
Sidney Crosby point splits:
- First 500 points took 369 games.
- Points 501-1000 took 388 games.
- Points 1001-1500 took 432 games.
McDavid’s split so far:
- First 500 points took 369 games (exact same GP as Crosby).
- Points 501-1000 took 290 games.
Crosby had 1,100 points in 850 games, while McDavid reached 1,1oo in his 726th.
This is rock bottom.
On Saturday evening, the Edmonton Oilers returned home to host the Colorado Avalanche. The Oilers did not win.
About six and a half minutes into the game, Cale Makar scored his fifth of the season. Just over a minute later, the defenceman scored a carbon copy of the first goal to put the Avalanche up two. The game didn’t snowball in the first period, as Gabriel Landeskog’s goal was waived off due to offside, but the second period was a whole other story.
When you give Cale Makar that much time and space, he'll make you pay.
He opens the scoring in this one, 1-0 Avs.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 9, 2025
Just over two and a half minutes into the second period, Gavin Brindley scored to make it 3-0. Jack Drury made it 4-0 just over two minutes later, and Parker Kelly made it 5-0 midway through the middle frame.
Parker Kelly, 5-0 Avs.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 9, 2025
There was a brief glimpse of hope with 9:30 left in the middle frame, as Connor McDavid ripped it past Scott Wedgewood on the man advantage. The Oilers then killed off a penalty and returned to the power play.
Connor McDavid gives the Oilers a lifeline.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 9, 2025
However, it was the Avalanche to score on the Oilers’ power play, as Kelly scored his second of the game on a breakaway. In the third period, Nathan MacKinnon beat Calvin Pickard with a shot from the faceoff dot, going under his blocker. Leaving the penalty box five minutes into the final frame, MacKinnon did it again to make it 8-1.
6-1 Avs.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 9, 2025
With five minutes left in the game, the Avalanche added a ninth goal, as Drury scored his second of the game to give the 2022 Stanley Cup winners a field goal and a touchdown.
GOAL 9 FOR THE AVS.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 9, 2025
Takeaways…
The last time the Oilers lost by eight goals was over a decade and a half ago on January 27, 2009, falling 10-2 to the Buffalo Sabres. That was the game where Drew Stafford scored a hat trick en route to a 10-2 win. It’s not great to be compared with the 2008-09 Oilers.
When the broadcast doesn’t show the score for seven minutes in the third period, you know something needs to change. In 2023-24, an embarrassing loss to the San Jose Sharks led to a coaching change, sparking the Oilers to overcome a 2-9-1 start. Somehow, this season feels much worse than two years ago. Hopefully, this is the game that sparks some change.
In the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers were down by a lot in Game 3 against the Florida Panthers. Instead of going quietly in the night, Trent Frederic, Darnell Nurse, Mattias Ekholm, Evander Kane, and Kasperi Kapanen received game misconducts as the Oilers totalled 85 penalty minutes.
While there were a ton of minor penalties in Saturday’s game, the Oilers lacked the chippiness that they had shown in June. They are the only team in the league that hasn’t dropped the mitts in regular season. Show some passion.
Neither Oiler netminder had a good game. Stuart Skinner made a couple of big stops, but finished the game allowing four goals on 13 shots before being pulled for a .692 save percentage. Calvin Pickard was slightly better, allowing five goals on 21 total shots.
There just aren’t a lot of positives to take away from this game. Special teams were alright, the Oilers’ power play scored a goal on five opportunities, while killing off seven Avalanche power plays. Pretty much the lone “bright spot”, if you want to call it that. Well, they also didn’t blow a multi-goal lead in this game.
It’s not looking good for the Oilers. Next up is a matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets at 6:30 PM MT on Monday. They’ll then begin a seven-game Eastern Conference road trip. For context, the Oilers are 2-5-2 on the road this season.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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The Edmonton Oilers and Dealing With Adversity. Name a more iconic duo. I’ll wait.
From a 2-9-1 start to a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final, this team always finds a way to grab the headlines — often for the wrong reasons. And once again, they’ve found themselves in a pickle.
Their 6-6-4 record on paper doesn’t look terrible. But peel back the layers, and you realize they’ve only played a handful of genuinely good hockey games. After a humiliating 9-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, we’re all left wondering — what exactly is this team?
Changes made over the summer shouldn’t have rocked the roster this much. Corey Perry and Connor Brown signed deals in LA and New Jersey that Edmonton couldn’t afford, while Evander Kane was moved to make room for the upcoming extensions of Evan Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl. But in doing so, the Oilers lost character and physicality — two traits they haven’t replaced with Trent Frederic or Andrew Mangiapane, yet.
The team’s personality is unappealing. They give little pushback on a nightly basis and are incredibly frustrating to watch for a team that is supposedly a contender. Phyiscality doesn’t exist throughout the lineup, ranking 29th in total hits (274) and 31st in hits per 60 minutes (16.78). Even if you didn’t see the numbers, it’s clear as day where this team falls on the physical scale. The fan base is agitated, and the players don’t seem equally pissed off.
Then there’s Frederic’s comment: “Who wants to fight a guy that has one goal in 15 games? I wouldn’t.”
Excuse me? On the same night, Nikita Zadorov crushed Scott Laughton in the Toronto-Boston matchup and then forced Bobby McMann to answer the bell — while Frederic floated through a 9-1 loss. Fans were hopeful he’d bounce back after an injury-plagued playoff, but through 16 games, he hasn’t shown much fight — literally or figuratively.
Of course, Frederic’s lack of anything wasn’t the only reason Edmonton lost. But he was one of the three non-captains made available to the media after the team’s worst defeat in 16 years.
There were only two people who needed to speak last night: Connor McDavid and Kris Knoblauch. Frankly, who cares what anyone else has to say? How was McDavid not made available after a 9-1 loss? The Oilers have dropped ten games this season, and McDavid has only spoken to reporters once following a loss against New Jersey. Evan Bouchard owned up after his gaffes versus the Rangers. Stuart Skinner did the same on night one. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has faced the cameras four times after losses. But the captain? Silent when it mattered most.
Now, about the goaltending. It wouldn’t have mattered if they got the save everyone keeps talking about — because the team in front of the crease was lifeless. Still, the group looked deflated after Cale Makar’s second goal beat Skinner clean. A successful offside challenge briefly delayed more damage, but not for long. Calvin Pickard entered and surrendered another five, leaving the ugly scoreline on his record instead.
Pickard’s been shaky in all but one start (in Vancouver), while Skinner has been fine — not great, but fine. That 9-1 loss was only the second time he’s allowed more than three goals this season. Missed assignments and poor late-game structure have cost him more than his stat line suggests. Still, how long until GM Stan Bowman pulls a Chris McFarlane and shakes things up in net — the same way Colorado did last season with McKenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood? It feels closer by the day.
Right now, the Oilers simply aren’t playing like a team. The stars are overextended, the youth barely sees the ice, and the middle six have gone missing. It’s time for Knoblauch to take control again — the same way he did when he first took over behind the bench. Every coach here seems to fall into the same trap: overplaying the top end and underusing the depth.
That depth helped define the 2024 Stanley Cup run. Knoblauch’s structured penalty kill — with Vincent Desharnais, Derek Ryan, and Mattias Janmark — became a strength of that team. Now, McDavid, Draisaitl, and Bouchard each average too much time on the PK, and the Oilers look like a group with no identity beyond “97 and 29 will save us.”
The coaching staff is capable — but they’ve lost their way. Re-establish roles. Recommit to structure. Play like the team you’re capable of being.
Tomorrow will tell us everything. How do they line up? Do they fold when adversity hits? Will someone — anyone — show some life?
A win against Columbus on Monday isn’t just important. It’s a must. And it has to be their best game of the season.
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The Edmonton Oilers needed that victory.
On Monday evening, the Oilers hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets before embarking on a seven-game road trip. Despite being down by two goals with less than seven minutes left in the game, the Oilers were able to claw back and win 5-4 in overtime. Let’s take a look at what went on in this game!
Midway through the first period, the Blue Jackets opened the scoring toward the end of the power play, as Ivan Provorov’s shot found a hole on a screened Stuart Skinner. The Oilers got that goal back with just over two and a half minutes left, as Jake Walman’s shot from the point fluttered and beat the Blue Jackets’ netminder high glove.
JAKE WALMAN THROWS IT OUT FRONT AND BEATS JET GREAVES!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 11, 2025
Early in the second period, the Blue Jackets restored their lead, as Skinner stopped the initial shot, but the rebound popped out to Sean Monahan in front of the net, and the former Calgary Flame just tapped it in. Late in the second, the Blue Jackets extended their lead to two, as Boone Jenner outmuscled Brett Kulak to tap a cross-ice pass in.
The Blue Jackets make it look too easy.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 11, 2025
Early in the third period, Connor McDavid scored one of the best goals of his career. He entered into the Blue Jackets’ zone on a two-on-two, then did a Linus Omark-esque spin-o-rama to break the Blue Jackets’ defenders’ ankles. On the backhand, he beat the netminder blocker side to cut the lead to one.
CONNOR MCDAVID SITS HIM DOWN!
WE BACK UP.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 11, 2025
Andrew Mangiapane had a horrific giveaway in the defensive zone, allowing Adam Fantilli to regain the Blue Jackets’ two-goal lead. With just over six minutes remaining in the game, McDavid scored his second of the game, using his speed to cut to the front of the net and bury it.
Connor McDavid is dragging the Oilers by the balls here; he makes it 4-3.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 11, 2025
With the net empty, Jack Roslovic took a high-sticking penalty, essentially ending the Oilers’ chances of winning this game, right? Wrong, as Walman pinched in the offensive zone on the penalty kill during the final minute. The defenceman attempted to pass across the ice, but it deflected off a Blue Jackets’ stick and into the back of the net to tie the game at four.
JAKE WALMAN IS SENDING THIS ONE TO OVERTIME!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 11, 2025
Roslovic redeemed himself in overtime, as he was sprung on a breakaway, making no mistake to win the Oilers the game. Skinner made a huge save, which allowed the Oilers to transition the puck.
FROM JEERS TO CHEERS, JACK ROSLOVIC WINS IT IN OT!!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 11, 2025
Takeaways…
That could be the win that turns the season around. Down two with less than seven minutes left, the Oilers rallied to win. So far this season, it’s the most important victory, especially after their 9-1 loss on Saturday.
Connor McDavid easily had his best game of the season, scoring his sixth and seventh goals in the third period. Even before those two goals, he was the best Oiler on the ice as he was all over the place. They needed that performance from their captain.
Adding Jake Walman at the 2025 trade deadline was huge for the Oilers. He’s easily been their best defenceman of the season, as he scored twice and picked up an assist. Through 11 games, the 29-year-old has three goals and 10 points. He also played the most minutes for any Oiler defender.
In the first period, Evan Bouchard took a tough slashing penalty, resulting in the Blue Jackets’ first goal. He was benched for the remainder of the period, but finished as a +1 with an assist in nearly 20 minutes of ice time.
It was another tough game for Andrew Mangiapane, as his turnover in the third period gave the Blue Jackets their fourth goal of the game. He finished as a -3, the worst for any Oiler in this game.
On the other hand, Jack Roslovic continues to fit this team like a glove, scoring the game-winning goal and picking up an assist to give him four goals and 10 points in 15 games this season. You have to imagine he’ll remain in the Oilers’ top six.
Mattias Janmark returned on Monday. I remember one play he was involved in, as he sat in front of the Blue Jackets’ netminder after a whistle and received a few cross-checks. He played 10 minutes over 13 shifts, but was a non-factor.
Trent Frederic became the first Oiler to drop the gloves this season, as he lost a fight early in the game to Mathieu Olivier. He’s a tough customer, and Frederic still deserves props for dropping the gloves.
"It starts with Freddy, Freddy obviously, with a big fight there, going up against a real big man." – Connor McDavid gives a bit of love to Trent Frederic after the game.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 11, 2025
Stuart Skinner had a pretty rough game, allowing four goals on 19 shots for a .789 save percentage. That said, he made two big saves, one late in the first period to keep the game tied at one, and one seconds before the Oilers won the game in overtime.
With a seven-game road trip looming, the Oilers had to find a way to win that game, doing just that. Next up is a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday at 5:30 PM MT.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
The dance of mediocrity is often one step forward, one step back, or two steps forward, two steps back. It’s not where you want to be, and this season the Oilers reside in mediocrity. They have enough skill and talent to rise above the mushy middle, but through 17 games, they’ve struggled with consistency.
Their come-from-behind victory over Columbus saw them play with more emotion and energy than we’ve seen all season, at least in the first, third, and overtime periods. The second frame was a repeat of much of their early-season play, where they lacked energy, determination, and execution. Luckily, they found a way to recover and win the game, but tonight is the first game of a season-long seven-game road trip, and they need to avoid taking a step back.
The Oilers are struggling to find their game. They’ve had six games where they started well and earned a two or three-goal lead, but then relinquished it. They are also the only team in the NHL with two victories where they overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period. Their inconsistent play is more period-to-period than just game-to-game.
They’ve won consecutive games only twice this season, and both times the second games weren’t strong performances. Stuart Skinner bailed them out in New York during a 2-0 win, while they needed three goals in the final 8:41 to defeat Montreal 6-5. Edmonton has yet to play two consecutive solid games. I’m not talking about dominating games, just two solid games, where they limit giveaways and create offensive chances.
Their offence is still struggling to generate 5×5. Monday night was only the third game this season in which the Oilers have scored at least three goals 5×5. Only one team has done it less. Here’s how all 32 teams rank in games with 3+ goals at 5×5:
- 10: COL.
- 9: CAR, TOR.
- 8: ANA.
- 7: NYR, OTT, VGK.
- 6: BUF, CHI, CBJ, MTL, STL, TBL, WSH.
- 5: FLA, NJD, NYI, STL, UTA, WPG.
- 4: BOS, DET, LAK, MIN, PIT, VAN.
- 3: CGY, DAL, EDM, NSH, SEA.
- 2: PHI.
The Flyers have done it twice. The Flyers are 31st in 5×5 goals with 25 in 15 games, but they rank 27th in 5×5 goals/GP at 1.67. Edmonton ranks 26th at 1.7 goals/GP. This could be a slog offensively tonight, as neither team scores much 5×5, and they don’t give up many shots.
The Oilers rank 19th in SF/60 at 26.19, while the Flyers rank 27th in SF/60. However, Philadelphia ranks second in SA/60 at 23.12, and Edmonton is third at 23.61. We might not see many shots or scoring chances tonight at 5×5. The Oilers have to become more assertive in the offensive zone, and despite what many say online about the Oilers’ blue line shooting too much, the truth is the lack of offence is partially due to their blue-line shooting WAY less than last season.
Here’s a look at the Oilers’ shots on goal, blocked shots, and missed shots through 17 games last year and this season.
[td width="65px"]Year[/td][td width="135px"]Shot on Goal[/td][td width="67px"]Blocked[/td][td width="112px"]Miss Net[/td][td width="58px"]Total[/td][td width="65px"]2024-25[/td][td width="135px"]189[/td][td width="67px"]164[/td][td width="112px"]76[/td][td width="58px"]429[/td][td width="65px"]2025-26[/td][td width="135px"]166[/td][td width="67px"]147[/td][td width="112px"]68[/td][td width="58px"]381[/td]
They have 23 fewer shots on goal and 48 fewer shot attempts. And here’s a breakdown of their top five D-men.
[td]Bouchard[/td][td]Shot on Goal[/td][td]Blocked[/td][td]Miss Net[/td][td]Total[/td][td]2024-25[/td][td]46[/td][td]60[/td][td]17[/td][td]123[/td][td]2025-26[/td][td]45[/td][td]34[/td][td]13[/td][td]92[/td]
Same shots on goal, but 26 fewer blocked. However, his 5×5 totals are down. More on that below.
[td]Ekholm[/td][td]Shot on Goal[/td][td]Blocked[/td][td]Miss Net[/td][td]Total[/td][td]2024-25[/td][td]46[/td][td]30[/td][td]17[/td][td]93[/td][td]2025-26[/td][td]32[/td][td]24[/td][td]15[/td][td]71[/td]
Ekholm has 14 fewer shots on goal.
[td]Nurse[/td][td]Shot on Goal[/td][td]Blocked[/td][td]Miss Net[/td][td]Total[/td][td]2024-25[/td][td]43[/td][td]29[/td][td]20[/td][td]92[/td][td]2025-26[/td][td]36[/td][td]29[/td][td]21[/td][td]86[/td]
Nurse has six fewer shot attempts through 17 games.
[td]Kulak[/td][td]Shot on Goal[/td][td]Blocked[/td][td]Miss Net[/td][td]Total[/td][td]2024-25[/td][td]23[/td][td]19[/td][td]7[/td][td]49[/td][td]2025-26[/td][td]20[/td][td]19[/td][td]6[/td][td]45[/td]
Kulak’s numbers are very similar, just three fewer shots on goal.
[td]Walman[/td][td]Shot on Goal[/td][td]Blocked[/td][td]Miss Net[/td][td]Total[/td][td]2024-25[/td][td]30*[/td][td]25*[/td][td]18*[/td][td]73[/td][td]2025-26[/td][td]16[/td][td]23[/td][td]9[/td][td]48[/td]
Walman has played 11 games, and I used his San Jose totals (*) last season as a comparable. His shots on goal are down significantly.
Then I dug a bit deeper and looked at 5×5, and that’s where the big drop has occurred.
Bouchard had 35 shots (4 goals) last year and has 27 (0 goals) this season.
Ekholm dropped from 42 down to 29.
Nurse had 37 last year and has 35 this season. He leads blueliners with three goals 5×5 this season.
Walman had 20 last year with San Jose and has 14 with Edmonton.
Kulak had 23 last season and has 19 this year.
The Oilers’ top pair of Bouchard and Ekholm has combined for 56 shots at 5×5 this season compared to 77 last year. They need more shots, not fewer, from that pair.
SNAPSHOTS…
— The Oilers are 2-4-2 in the McDavid/Draisaitl era in Philadelphia. Oddly enough, their only two victories came when they shut out the Flyers. Mikko Koskinen stopped 39 shots on March 1st, 2022, in a 3-0 victory, while Cam Talbot stopped 35 shots on March 3rd, 2016. The Oilers had 31 shots on goal in each game.
— Historically, Edmonton hasn’t had much success in Philadelphia. They are 13-27-2-2 all-time. They are 2-10 in the month of November. They won a November game in 1982 and 2008. Edmonton has played more games in November in Philadelphia (tonight will be the 13th) than in any other month of the season. They are 0-4 in October, 4-2-1 (T) in December, 2-3 in January, 2-5-2 (OTL) in February, and 3-3-1 in March. Can they avoid another November loss?
— Edmonton has struggled to score goals in Philadelphia during the McDavid/Draisaitl era, with only 22 goals in eight games. The only Oilers in the lineup tonight with a road goal in Philly while wearing an Oilers jersey are McDavid, Draisaitl (three each), and Mattias Ekholm (one).
— Adam Henrique does have eight goals in 18 career games in Philadelphia. He has 17 career goals in 37 games against the Flyers, the most against any NHL opponent. The Oilers have 10 skaters in their lineup tonight who have never scored a goal in Philadelphia, with Trent Frederic, Mattias Janmark, Darnell Nurse, Brett Kulak, Jake Walman, Evan Bouchard, Ty Emberson, Matt Savoie, Noah Philp, and Isaac Howard. Philp and Howard will play their first game in Philly.
— McDavid has 33 points in 17 games vs. Philly, but only nine in eight games in Philadelphia. McDavid played his best game of the season two nights ago, and we’ll see if he builds off of it. It wasn’t just his two goals. It was how he attacked most of the game.
— The Flyers rank 26th in offense, averaging 2.67 goals per game (40 in 15), but they’ve been one of the best defensive teams, allowing only 2.60 goals against/game, which is fifth best in the NHL. They are 6-3-1 on home ice, and their PK has been stellar at 90% allowing only three goals on 30 kills. They haven’t allowed a PP goal in their last six home games.
— The Oilers are an ugly 2-5-2 on the road, and lately, blowing two-goal leads has been their nemesis. They’ve led 2-0 in three of their previous five road games, and they blew the lead in all three. They led 2-0 in Ottawa before winning the game 3-2 in overtime. They led 2-0 in St. Louis but lost 3-2, and they led 2-0 and 3-1 in Dallas before losing 4-3 in a shootout. Good starts haven’t been the issue lately on the road; not sitting back after a good start has been their weakness.
— Edmonton has to avoid a shootout. The Flyers are 3-0 in the shootout with five goals on eight attempts, and their goalies have stopped seven of nine. The Oilers are 0-2 in the shootout with two goals on 11 attempts, while Skinner has stopped seven of 11. Trevor Zegras has the second-best shootout% (minimum 10 attempts) with 15 goals on 23 shots (65.2%). Do you know who is first? I’ll give you a hint: he was a defenseman. *Answer is at the bottom of the article.*
LINEUPS
Oilers…
Mangiapane-McDavid-Savoie
Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Roslovic
Howard-Henrique-Frederic
Janmark-Philp-Lazar
Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Walman
Kulak-Emberson
Skinner
Zach Hyman won’t play tonight, but he will either draw in tomorrow in Columbus or Saturday in Carolina. He will bring a lot to the lineup. I’m a bit surprised Ty Emberson, who struggled moving the puck vs. Columbus, remains in over Alec Regula. Emberson’s effort is never an issue, but his puck skills aren’t as good as Regula’s. Andrew Mangiapane needs a strong game, and it might not matter, but when Hyman returns, I could see Mangiapane going down the lineup. Matt Savoie is just snakebitten. He can’t get a break around the net, but I’ve liked his game. He’s making plays, creating turnovers, and using his speed. I’d like to see him and Hyman flank McDavid for a few games when Hyman returns.
Flyers…
Zegras-Couturier-Michkov
Foerster-Cates-Brink
Tippett-Dvorak-Konecny
Deslauriers-Abols-Hathaway
York-Sanheim
Seeler-Drysdale
Andrae-Juulsen
Vladar
Dan Vladar has had a great start with Philadelphia, going 6-3 with a .917Sv% and 2.18 GAA. While only two of his nine starts have come against teams currently in a playoff spot (Montreal and Ottawa), you could counter that the reason Florida and Toronto are out of a playoff spot currently is due to losses (twice for FLA) against Vladar and the Flyers.
The Flyers, Kraken, and Rangers are the only teams without at least one forward with 6+ goals. Edmonton just has to avoid their 10-bell giveaways that have plagued them this season. The Flyers’ offense hasn’t created a lot, so the Oilers must avoid gifting the Flyers a goal.
Game Day Photoshop by Tom Kostiuk
TONIGHT…
GAME DAY PREDICTION: At some point, Edmonton will play better. They won’t be great tonight, but good enough to win 3-2.
OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: McDavid produces two points, including a goal.
NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Matt Savoie becomes the 69th Oiler to score a goal in Philadelphia. Nice.
*Petteri Nummelin scored eight goals on his 10 shootout shots. He played the 2007 and 2008 seasons with Minnesota. In 2007, he scored on six of his seven shots, and in 2008, he scored twice in three attempts. He was elite in the shootout. Nummelin was drafted in the fifth round of the 2000 NHL draft by Columbus at the age of 27. He came directly to the Blue Jackets and played 61 games in the 2000/2001 season. Then he returned to Lugano in the Swiss Elite League and played five more seasons. Then he signed with the Wild, played two seasons, and produced 29 points in 78 games. He returned to the Swiss league for five more seasons and then played three more in his home country of Finland. He played until he was 44 years old.*
That was one of the weirder wins we’ll see this season.
On Wednesday evening, the Edmonton Oilers began a seven-game road trip, with their first stop coming in the Brotherly Love to face the Philadelphia Flyers. For the second consecutive game, the Oilers won the game courtesy of Jack Roslovic. Let’s take a look at what happened in this one!
Late in the first period, it was the Oilers that opened the scoring. After Connor McDavid’s shot was stopped, Matthew Savoie funnelled the puck across the ice, landing on the stick of the Oilers captain. McDavid passed back to the point, where Evan Bouchard one-timed it home.
BOUCH BOMB! Gives the Oilers a 1-0 lead.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 13, 2025
The other goal that came in regulation was in the final five minutes of the second period. Stuart Skinner was screened heavily on the penalty kill, with Matvei Michkov’s shot beating him to tie the game at one.
Matvei Michkov ties the game 1-1.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 13, 2025
It looked as if the Flyers won the game in the final minute of regulation as Skinner was beaten from the point once again, but the play was deemed to be offside, setting up overtime once again. For the second consecutive game, Roslovic scored the game-winner, as Savoie gave him a cross-ice pass on a two-on-nothing for the win
JACK ROSLOVIC WINS IT AGAIN IT OVERTIME!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 13, 2025
Takeaways…
That was the best performance from the Oilers all season long, even if the Flyers were the better team in the third period. Overall, the Oilers outshot the Flyers 32-21, with the two teams having similar high-danger scoring chances. The only reason this game was close was because of Flyers netminder Daniel Vladař.
However, Stuart Skinner had a strong game as well. The Oilers’ netminder stopped 20 of 21 shots for a .952 save percentage. It’s just the fourth game this season he’s finished with a save percentage above .900.
This was the Oilers’ eighth win of the season, moving them to second in the Pacific Division, although with three more games played than the Vegas Golden Knights. Half of their wins have come in overtime.
Matthew Savoie was the Oilers’ best player. His two assists in this game doubled his point total this season, giving him a goal and four points in 18 games. He played alongside Connor McDavid and Andrew Mangiapane, with that line controlling 86.60 of the expected goals during five-on-five play.
The Oilers are right back in action on Thursday, as they travel to Ohio to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time in three games.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
Right back in the loss column for the Edmonton Oilers.
On Thursday evening, the Oilers played the second game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in just 72 hours. Unlike Monday’s game, the Oilers couldn’t rally late, falling 5-4 to the Eastern Conference team. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.
In the final five minutes of the first period, the Blue Jackets took the lead. A shot by Charlie Coyle from the point was deflected in front of the net by Mathieu Olivier to give the Jackets a 1-0 lead.
Mathieu Olivier gives the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 14, 2025
Early in the second period, the Blue Jackets extended their lead to two, as Olivier stole the puck from Connor McDavid, drove the net, and Coyle tapped it in for a 2-0 lead.
Charlie Coyle extends the lead to 2-0.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 14, 2025
The Oilers cut the lead in half midway through the second period. It was Matthew Savoie scoring his second career goal, deflecting an Evan Bouchard shot past the Blue Jackets’ netminder.
Matthew Savoie with the tip infront and cuts the lead to 2-1!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 14, 2025
Less than two minutes later, the Oilers tied the game. After a faceoff win in the offensive zone, Bouchard found Leon Draisaitl with a cross-ice pass, one-timing off the post to bring the game to 2-2.
Leon laser-beam#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/7qM9iXXrhY
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 14, 2025
That lead didn’t last long, as the Blue Jackets retook it just half a minute later. A shot from the point bounced off the end boards, right to the stick of Denton Mateychuk in the slot. Late in the second, the Blue Jackets took a 4-2 lead thanks to poor Oilers’ defence and Adam Fantilli’s third goal in as many games.
Adam Fantilli makes it 4-2.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 14, 2025
Things went from bad to worse about eight minutes into the third period, as Olivier was left all alone in front of the net, chipping it past Calvin Pickard. The Oilers had a quick response to stop the bleeding, as the puck found its way to Vasily Podklozin in the slot. Podkolzin made no mistake in scoring his third of the season.
Vasily Podkolzin cuts the lead to 5-3.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 14, 2025
The Oilers made a game of it midway through the third period off a faceoff play. After the faceoff win, Draisaitl got the puck to Bouchard, who passed it back to the German. Draisaitl went far side to bring the Oilers to within one.
Takeaways…
Columbus deserved to win that game. The shots were similar, as the Oilers had 26 shots on net and the Jackets had 25. However, according to Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers only mustered three high-danger scoring chances to the Blue Jackets’ 12.
There was a lot of line blending during five-on-five play in this game. There were eight different lines with two or more minutes. The best of the bunch was the Jack Roslovic, Adam Henrique, and Vasily Podkolzin line, accounting for 67.87 percent of the expected goal share.
To start the game, the Oilers had Andrew Mangiapane with Connor McDavid and Matthew Savoie, with that trio accounting for 6.34 percent of the expected goal share. When Leon Draisaitl joined McDavid and Savoie, that trio had 65.49 percent of the expected goal share.
Mangiapane just hasn’t been a fit on the Oilers. He finished as a -4 in this game, giving him a team-worst -15 this season. Three of his six points came in the first three games, with two of his four goals coming in the first two games. It’s looking like a similar misfit to the Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner additions back in 2024.
On the other hand, Savoie had another strong game, scoring his second career goal. He played just under 20 minutes, which shows that the Oilers are starting to trust him in a top-six role. While he only had one point, he was all over the ice and even drew a penalty in the first shift of the third period.
McDavid picked up two assists, bringing him to 27 points, second in the league. With two goals, Draisaitl now has 12 goals this season, tied for second in the league. Evan Bouchard led the Oilers with three points, getting three assists in 25 minutes of ice time. Mattias Ekholm was held pointless but was +2, while all other Oilers defencemen finished as a minus.
Calvin Pickard had a tough start, allowing five goals on 25 shots for an .800 save percentage. At some point, the Oilers need to think about bringing on a new backup as Pickard has an .830 save percentage. That said, the defence didn’t help him much.
Edmonton’s seven-game road trip continues on Saturday, as they head to Raleigh, North Carolina, to play the Hurricanes on Saturday at 5:00 PM MT. The Oilers now sit 8-7-4 on the season.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
That could be a staple win.
On Saturday evening, the Edmonton Oilers made their third of seven stops on the Eastern Conference road trip, this time defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in overtime. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.
It took the Oilers just three minutes and 47 seconds into the game. Darnell Nurse fired it down the ice from his own end, with the Hurricanes’ netminder turning it over to Jack Roslovic. The former Hurricane scored his sixth goal of the season.
Jack Roslovic with a CLEAN finish and the Oilers are up early in Carolina.#LetsGooOilers |
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 16, 2025
Roslovic then picked up his eighth assist of the season, six and a half minutes into the first period, as his power play shot went wide, but deflected off the back boards to Connor McDavid, who gave the Oilers a 2-0 lead.
The Oilers score their second goal past Frederik Andersen early in this game, with Connor McDavid getting on the score sheet.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 16, 2025
There are a few tendencies from the 2025-26 Oilers, one of them being that they can’t hold the lead for their life. That was the case in this case as well, as the Hurricanes got on the board with 4:21 remaining in the first with a cross-ice one-timer to cut the Oilers’ lead in half.
The Hurricanes cut the Oilers' lead in half.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 16, 2025
The game-tying goal came early in the second period, as the Oilers had a defensive zone turnover (another tendency this season). Down low, Stuart Skinner overslid, allowing Jackson Blake to pass from behind to the net to Nikolaj Ehlers, who buried it into the gaping net.
Turnovers and a frozen Stuart Skinner caused the Hurricanes to tie the game.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 16, 2025
Six minutes into the third period, Zach Hyman got his first point of the season, as he dropped it to Leon Draisaitl. The German made a terrific pass to a streaking McDavid, with the Oilers captain tapping it into the net.
CONNOR MCDAVID WITH HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT!
And Zach Hyman gets his first point of the season!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 16, 2025
Again, that lead didn’t last long, as the Hurricanes tied it just 59 seconds later thanks to a goal from Jordan Staal. Thankfully, Draisaitl won the game early in overtime to give the Oilers three wins (all in overtime) in their last four games.
IT'S AN OILERS OVERTIME WIN ON HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 16, 2025
Takeaways…
Before the Oilers made a late comeback last Monday, I was going to be rather critical of Connor McDavid’s performance, as he had just six even-strength points in the season. Thankfully, his game has reached another level, as he finished the game with two goals and an assist, giving him 30 points this season, just three behind Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon. He’s now on an eight-game point streak with six goals and 16 points.
The other player with three points was Leon Draisaitl, who scored the overtime winner and picked up two assists, both on McDavid’s goals. Jack Roslovic had a goal and an assist, as he now has six goals and 14 points in 18 games. What a pickup.
Zach Hyman returned for the first time since Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. The Oilers threw him right into the fire, as he logged 23:10 minutes of ice time, finishing with an assist and 11 hits. It’s good to see him back in the lineup.
Stuart Skinner was the other notable performer from this game. He stopped 33 of 36 shots for a .917 save percentage, the second consecutive game Skinner has posted a save percentage higher than .900. It’s just the fifth time all season he’s had a .900 save percentage or better.
Edmonton’s best defence pair was the Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm pair. Every other player not mentioned was unnoticeable throughout the game. Bouchard picked up the lone point for a defender, an assist on Draisaitl’s overtime winner. He was a +2. The Alec Regula and Brett Kulak pair just doesn’t work.
In 20 games this season, the Oilers have gone to overtime in nine of them. More than half of their nine wins have come in overtime, as they’ve won just four games in regulation. They are the Edmonton Overtime Merchants.
Next up for the Edmonton Overtime Merchants is a matchup with the Buffalo Sabres on Monday at 5:00 PM MT. The Oilers have lost four of their last five matchups in Buffalo, with all five scores ending 3-2.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
