News Oilers Team Notes

[Edmonton Oilers]

Sunday Scramble: Nečas collects the bag, Zegras gets his mojo back, and Dobeš is stealing the crease

The further we get from the Mikko Rantanen shenanigans for last year, the less I understand it.

This week, the Colorado Avalanche extended Martin Nečas — the prize for relinquishing Rantanen to Carolina — in a major way, eight years and $92 million ($11.5M annually).

The 26-year-old Nečas has been tremendous in an Avalanche sweater: 44 points in 42 games, after accomplishing a career high of 83 points last season.

“The fit has been really good,” general manager Chris MacFarland told reporters in Denver. “His speed, his skill, his talent blends in really well here, but it would blend in anywhere, to be honest. He’s a very good hockey player, and we’re lucky to have him.”

Celebrating in style, Nečas took just 30 seconds into Saturday’s game to pot his first goal post-contract.

Did Rantanen just get humbled in the negotiation? Overshoot his expected value on the market, ended up settling in Dallas (a $12 million with much more take-home pay), and that’s that?

Their divorce still surprises me all these months later. The Avalanche have a ton of committed money, and just one playoff round victory in the three seasons after their Stanley Cup.

If Rantanen was adamant at $14 million, the Avalanche maneuver makes a lot more sense, since Nečas is in the bottom end of that range and seems to be clicking.

It certainly makes for compelling Colorado vs Dallas games for the next decade.

What that saved money isn’t helping with so far is their second-line center problem that they’ve struggled to fill since Nazem Kadri left in free agency.

Brock Nelson is slowly getting his scoring grip to him (3G, 1A) with two goals in his last four games, but the $7.5 million man for the next three seasons has not been spectacular in filling this void. He’s also 34.

Look, the Avalanche are rolling with an Expected Goals Percentage tops in the league and are right near the top at Goal Differential, too. It’s not doom and gloom here. But Gabriel Landeskog is also not that guy anymore, either.

The Avs are cruising. Just one regulation loss in 13 games. They’ve got their man in Nečas, but I remain curious about the roster construction for when the games get bigger.

Zegras is giving Philly life​

I’m a full dynasty hockey draft with nine other guys, took managerial duties over for a franchise that needed a rebuild.

How the league works is that we have a salary cap, and your top 10 forwards, top 5 defencemen, and top goaltender count for points. The only scoring modifier is that defenceman goals are worth two points. Otherwise, you just tally up points. No starting lineups, no head-to-head matchups. Whoever has the most points at the end of the year wins.

I drafted Trevor Zegras sixth overall in our league years ago and refused obscene offers (as well as for Jamie Drysdale, Moritz Seider, and Lucas Raymond) in hopes of everyone clicking at the same time. It’s hard to make deals in this league. There are no waivers. The only way you can acquire players is via trade or the draft.

Long story short: this past trade deadline, I had to cut money to fit under the cap for the long-term and ended up trading Trevor Zegras for Elias Lindholm and Rutger McGroarty. How could I justify Zegras’ money in a fantasy league, never mind what the Anaheim Ducks were doing in their own actual-hockey books?

Fast forward a few months later and this guy is back. Zegras is friggin’ back, and I’m upset. I knew he needed a change of scenery. I knew there was still a player there.

It became fashionable to dump on Zegras — and certainly his cockiness required a real-world comeuppance that swiftly came. With that said, he also battled seasonal depression with the no-weather of Anaheim.

“The last thing I was thinking about was actually playing hockey at times. That was hard for me,” he said about his time with the Ducks.

Now, he leads the Philadelphia Flyers in scoring with 13 points, but more than that, he is embracing being a Flyer, which that franchise values above all else. A Flyers team, by the way, that has been alright so far, 6-3-1 heading into Saturday. (Tough one to Toronto).

Matvei Michkov, on the other hand…just one goal this season. Classic sophomore slump. Rick Tocchet also isn’t the fun and cuddly, let’s-play-offence-just-for-the-fun-of-it type of coach, either.

Penguins win October​

In the state of Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins have reigned supreme for the share of 20 years. In the 2020s, it’s been a sad state of affairs.

Will Sidney Crosby be traded? Is this it for Evgeni Malkin?

Malkin has 18 points, tied for fourth best in the league, and Crosby has 16 points. Justin Brazeau with six goals and six assists. Erik Karlsson and Evan Bouchard seemed to body-switch again.

Not to start this season though, with the Pens off to an unexpectedly good start ___. I will say, watch out for their upcoming slate: Leafs, Capitals, Devils, Kings. Not the hardest, but not the easiest. I think the Penguins will come back down to earth.

The ever unknowable Tristan Jarry is rocking a .923 save percentage.

Yet I laugh. Is this ruining GM Kyle Dubas’ rebuild?

Dobeš stealing Montreal crease?​

In football, it’s a Quarterback Controversy. In hockey, we don’t get many Goaltending Controversies, but the Montreal Canadiens may have one on their hands.

Jakub Dobeš looks legit, and Sam Montembeault — who every Habs fan you know the past three years sang his good graces up and down — is struggling.

Dobeš is 6-0 with an all-world .930 save percentage. Montembeault got a much-needed win on Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators, but only faced 17 shots, and the game went to the wire.

So who the hell is Jakub Dobeš?

Beyond the NHL’s third Star of the Month, the 24-year-old Czech tender was drafted in the fifth round back in 2020 out of the USHL.

He proved to be a strong netminder with the Ohio State University and made the jump to pro with the Laval Rocket in 2023-24 solid, but necessarily elite numbers.

Dobeš backed up Montembeault last year 16 times, with a winning record of 7-4-3 and a .909 save percentage.

All this information everyone can gather. Really, I still dunno where this talent came from and how he’s been so solid. Habs fans are in love with him, and a picture he took in the off-season promoting a mattress company is taking Reddit netizens to new heights.

Could Dobeš play more games than Montembeault this year? There are worse things to have than a goalie controversy when both are going. Right now, sneaky-not-young Montembeault (28) has had a bad month.

Rapidfire round​

• I mentioned this in light of my recent column on McDavid and Draisaitl’s ice time, that NHL teams are a little frustrated with the lack of practice time the schedule is afforded. Hey, Olympic year. We get it. But man, taking out two weeks from the schedule is leading teams to feel the pinch. For example, the Oilers play 14 times in November. Half the season will be over by Christmas.
• Attending the Oilers-Blackhawks game was bizarre: a group of sports fans largely agreeing they were at the wrong game. The scoreboard showed the Blue Jays game for stretches, going full screen during the intermissions. Americans are clowning on us for cheering when the World Series-winning run was running toward home and appeared to score, but then the ump called out. I’m only a casual baseball fan. It’s not something I follow to great length. But if I were a die-hard, I’d be sick to my stomach. Among the gutwrenching World Series losses, this isn’t quite Bill Buckner, but it’s in the ballpark.
• Best wishes to Chris Tanev after the scary situation in Philadelphia on Saturday night. Matvei Mickov seemed to accidentally-on-purpose collide with Tanev, but after more than one glance, it looks like a dirty hit. The 35-year-old needed to be stretchered off the ice. There’s no update as of writing (early, early Sunday morning). I don’t like this collision, though. Michkov knows Tanev is there; he’s front-facing, and it’s a blindside hit. I would consider a suspension. Certainly, the result is brutal.
• The St. Louis Blues have been dreadful. A playoff team a year ago, one many thought could even challenge for home ice in the first round. Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Columbus was their seventh in a row. The prime example of how it’s going was Brayden Schenn’s complete bobble in the third round of the shootout vs Vancouver on Thursday, which directly preceded Kiefer Sherwood winning the game moments later. The advanced metrics suggest they’ve been unlucky: fourth in expected goals, according to Moneypuck, eighth in Corsi percentage, seventh in expected goals…but the wins, the wins are eluding them. Sitting 31st in the NHL ain’t great. Maybe they can rekindle some 2019 magic.
• Don’t look now, but the Columbus Blue Jackets have won four games in a row, sit 7-4, and are throwing the Metro for a loop. Meanwhile, Carolina has the same record, has scored more goals, but can’t score on the power play. Below 10 per cent. At the NHL level, for a good team, I’ll suggest it’s an indictment on Rod Brind’Amour that with the talent at their disposal, they can’t figure this out. Hurricanes’ power-play woes are not a new issue.
• Gary Bettman must be cackling in a high-rise somewhere. The Eastern Conference is full of parity. The New York Islanders are last…at .500!
• You love hits. How about this one in the KHL this week from a…goalie?! Adam Huska, who started one game with the Rangers back in 21-22, lays the body on Ilya Safonov. Rock’em, sock’em baby.

Goalie Adam Huska lays big hit on Ilya Safonov#KHL pic.twitter.com/3mM5e4hoL4

— Jégkorongblog (@Jegkorong_blog) October 26, 2025

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/sunda...is-mojo-back-and-dobes-is-stealing-the-crease

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Jack Roslovic finds new home on Oilers second line

It’s safe to say that Jack Roslovic has settled into life as an Edmonton Oiler.

Early in his time in Edmonton, he got a taste of the line blender as Kris Knoblauch and co. tried to find the right fit for the winger. Consider it found, as Roslovic has seemed to find a home on the Oilers’ second line alongside Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin.

The trio have now played 52 five-on-five minutes, outscoring their opposition 5-0 in those minutes, controlling 55 percent of the shot attempt share. While some of the other metrics, such as their 47.7 percent expected goal share and 45.7 percent scoring chance share leave room to be improved upon, their goalscoring has been undeniable.

Roslovic, specifically, has found his own stride over his last five games, taking 26 shot attempts and 14 shots on goal, scoring two goals and adding a pair of assists, too.

“Five games is great to… play those games well in a row,” he said Monday ahead of the Oilers visiting the St. Louis Blues. “But like I said, I think it’s about the team identity.”

That team identity has shifted positively for the Oilers, and Roslovic’s play has landed him a spot — at least for now — on the Oilers’ top power play unit, where he found himself Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, scoring with the man advantage.

His mantra there? Keep it simple.

“There’s one puck and two posts, so stay by those three things,” he said. “It’s funny, but, you know, a little bit stay out of the way.

“It’s hard to find those right spots, be in the right positions around the net. So you’re not in any shot lane… you’re always an available option.”

His ascent to the top power play spot came not only from his play as of late, but from him being a right-shot forward, Knoblauch said Monday.

“We want somebody preferably right shot. That’s why those two got the nod,” he said, referring to Roslovic and David Tomášek, who has totalled 35 minutes of ice-time on the top power play unit this season. “Last game, we felt Roslovic had been playing so well and giving him an opportunity to get a little more ice time and possibly a goal, and he delivered there.

“But not only the goal, but he did make some nice plays, even on the entry. On the Leon Draisaitl goal. He had a big role in that goal, even though he didn’t get an assist on it. I think the biggest thing is just when a player’s feeling well and playing well and they’re a good player, you know, he should be able to help contribute.”

The Oilers have seemingly settled in with the new look lines they’ve been running in recent games, and if Roslovic, Draisaitl and Podkolzin continue to produce as they have, it’ll be hard to split them up.

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Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, 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/jack-roslovic-finds-new-home-on-oilers-second-line

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Another Connor McDavid milestone, another blown lead, and the Oilers’ lack of killer instinct

After taking care of the Blackhawks on Saturday at Rogers Place, the Edmonton Oilers hit the road for a quick two-game trip that started Monday in St. Louis against the Blues. For whatever reason, the schedule makers dropped these two random road games to start the week, and then the Oilers won’t play again until the weekend back at home. Unfortunately, the opener of the two-day roadie did not go well, as Edmonton blew their early lead en route to another miserable and avoidable loss. Good times.

CONNOR McDAVID 1100th POINT​

With the assist he picked up on Jack Roslovic’s power play goal, Connor McDavid became the fourth fastest player in NHL history to reach 1100 points, behind only Wayne Gretzky (464 GP), Mario Lemieux (550 GP), and Mike Bossy (725 GP). McDavid hit the milestone in just his 726th game, which is ridiculous when you think about how casually he seems to add another hundred points every season. The wild part is that with a little luck and a few more goals, he’ll probably hit 1200 before this season’s over. I know I say this a lot around here, but it’s worth repeating how this is not normal stuff. Our man is a cheat code in the best hockey league on earth, and I feel like his 1100th point is a good time to remind us all to enjoy every single minute of watching him play that we can.

As much as it pains me to admit, there were times over the summer while we were waiting for his contract extension when I thought about what life might look like if he didn’t sign. Spoiler: It wasn’t very fun. For the last decade, No. 97 has dazzled us on a nightly basis, and I hated what my imagination spat out any time I tried to think of an Oilers universe without him. Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about that for a while. That’s why I decided I’m going to do my best to actively appreciate watching play as often as I can think about it. Monday was one of those nights. Having McDavid’s name flashed up on screen alongside some of the greatest to ever do it was one of those moments that makes you stop and take it all in. It’s easy to get caught up in the grind of a regular season, but milestones like this remind me how we’re watching history unfold in real time, and I don’t ever want to take that for granted.

BLOWING LEADS IS DRIVING ME NUTS​

The Edmonton Oilers are masters at finding ways to drive us nuts. For the second time in the last three games, they built a two-goal lead and somehow managed to piss it away, this time against a St. Louis Blues team that came into the night riding a seven-game losing streak. After building an early lead on goals from Jack Roslovic and Andrew Mangiapane, the Oilers seemingly decided to take their foot off the gas. I guess two goals were good enough. From there, Dalibor Dvorsky got the Blues on the board at 16:08 of the second period, and before anyone could even process it, Robert Thomas tied the game just two and a half minutes later. What should have been a routine night against a struggling team turned into another meltdown, and you could almost hear the collective groan from everyone who loves this time.

Yeah, the refs missed a couple of brutal calls in the third period, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Oilers have no one to blame but themselves. They were flat, careless, and once again guilty of taking their foot off the gas. I don’t know what it is about this team that makes them hang the “Mission Accomplished” banner halfway through games, but this was an even uglier rerun of what we saw against the Rangers last week. St. Louis only had four shots in the third period, and the worst part is that the last one — Pius Suter’s game-winner at 18:37 — found the back of the net. Another winnable game wasted. More lip service about learning from mistakes. At some point, the excuses stop mattering, and these collapses just become who you are.

WHERE’S THE KILLER INSTINCT?​

If the Oilers want to be Stanley Cup contenders, they need to start playing like it. Contending teams don’t hand out second chances to struggling opponents, and they sure don’t blow two-goal leads to teams on horrible runs like the Rangers and Blues. Contenders extend other teams’ losing streaks, not snap them. This group keeps talking about lessons and growth, but at some point, the talking has to stop, and the results have to show up on the scoreboard. The window for moral victories slammed shut a long time ago, and I’m having a really hard time trying to polish this early-season turd for the third year in a row. Good teams close the deal. Great teams push your head further under water when you’re drowning. Right now, the Oilers are stuck somewhere in between, and it’s incredibly annoying to watch.

I keep waiting for some kind of killer instinct to show up, but we haven’t seen anything close to it. I’m talking about the kind of fire that separates the teams that talk about winning from the ones that actually do it. Where is the team that smells blood and finishes the job without hesitation? The Oilers, somehow, keep choosing mercy over murder, and it’s driving me nuts. They keep breathing life into opponents that should already be done and dusted instead of actually closing the deal. And until they start playing like every shift matters and every lead is sacred, they’re going to keep finding new and agonizing ways to lose games that should have been two points in the bank. The talent isn’t the issue — everyone knows it’s there — but the hunger, the urgency, the edge that makes a team dangerous is missing. And until that shows up, the only thing standing between the Oilers and success will continue to be the reflection staring back at them.

THE SAUCE W/ RYDER AND LISA​

Wake up with Ryder and Lisa on The Sauce! Your new chaotic morning show streaming live from 8-10AM MST every weekday on Oilersnation YouTube starting Monday November 3rd. It’s unpredictable, unfiltered, and totally them. Like, follow and subscribe to never miss an episode!

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/conno...own-lead-edmonton-oilers-lack-killer-instinct

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilersnation Radio: Why can’t the Oilers play a full 60 minutes?

It’s Tuesday afternoon, and there’s a fresh episode of Oilersnation Radio set, which means the boys were back in the studio to recap the week that was. On today’s episode, the guys discussed the Oilers’ inability to close games, Connor McDavid’s 1100th NHL point, Evan Bouchard’s struggles, and much more.

We kicked off the Friday episode of ONR with a delicious debate over what has caused the Oilers’ inconsistencies through the first 14 games of the year. Whether it’s a lack of killer instinct, the inability to put in a full 60 minutes, or a lack of physicality, it’s incredibly frustrating that a team this talented struggles to live up to the level everyone expects of them. Regardless of what frustrates you, there are plenty of issues happening with the Oilers right now that are completely fixable.

Changing gears, we kept the breakdown going of Tuesday’s loss against the St. Louis Blues. Starting with the defence making life more difficult than it needs to be with their lack of physicality in front of the net. Are the Oilers’ defenders too soft when players are in their goalie’s face? Changing gears, we looked at Jack Roslovic starting to settle into his role in the top-six, which prompted a conversation about whether the Oilers should look at an extension.

Finally, we wrapped up the Tuesday episode of ONR with another round of Baggedmilk’s Trivia, including some Oilers vs. Utah-specific questions ahead of tonight’s game. If you listened to the last two weeks, you’ll know that BM was way off on one of the questions, which prompted Liam to take on the role of trivia marshal and auditor. Did Baggedmilk get his questions right? You’ll have to listen to find out for sure.

Listen to the Tuesday episode of Oilersnation Radio below:

Subscribe to Oilersnation Radio for FREE on Soundcloud here, on Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts from!

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/oilersnation-radio-why-cant-edmonton-oilers-play-full-60-minutes

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers can’t stop blowing leads, Leon Draisaitl’s ridiculous goal, and more on Jack Roslovic

After pissing away what looked like a sure thing against the St. Louis Blues on Monday, the Edmonton Oilers were back on the ice in Dallas to close out the second half of their back-to-back. And while we all knew beating the Stars would be a tall task, what I didn’t expect was to watch a near carbon copy of what happened against the Blues.

DIFFERENT DAY, SAME HORRIBLE RESULT​

I honestly cannot believe that I’m talking about the Oilers blowing another two-goal lead in a game where it looked like they were well on their way to tucking two points in their pocket. For the third time in the last four games, the Oilers found a way to build themselves a multi-goal lead only to blow it for a loss with time winding down. I literally wrote about this on Tuesday when the St. Louis Blues erased Edmonton’s two-goal lead in the back half of the game, and on Tuesday night they did the exact same thing again.

Only this time, the Oilers had a two-goal lead with 11 minutes left in the game and fumbled the bag once again. And just like we saw against New York and St. Louis, the Oilers got burned by avoidable mistakes and the inability to get a key save when they needed it. Sure, you could argue that Dallas was the better team all night — they were — but when you get the chance to steal a win, you have to find a way to make it happen. I don’t know how often we need to keep rewatching this movie, but I’m really getting tired of seeing the same results over and over again without the team doing anything about it. True contenders don’t let points slip away like this, and it’s getting to the point where the lip service from the team is starting to feel more and more hollow.

JACK ROSLOVIC IS TAKING OVER MY BRAIN​

Jack Roslovic has been on fire over the last week, and even though I know you fine folks are probably tired of me talking about him, I most certainly am not. With the two assists he picked up on Podkolzin and Draisaitl’s first-period goals, Roslovic extended his point streak to four games, where he’s produced five points. What I like the most is how he’s fitting in so well on the power play after replacing David Tomasek on the top unit, while also starting to build some nice chemistry on the second line with Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin. I know heaters don’t last forever, but it’s hard not to be excited about a guy who is finding ways to produce in different situations.

When Roslovic showed up in Edmonton, the book on him was that he can be effective at producing offence at even strength, and that was a super exciting proposition considering how badly Edmonton struggles in this domain. So, it’s hard not to get excited when you see that he’s slowly starting to figure it out at even strength while also excelling in Zach Hyman’s spot on the power play. At $1.5 million for the season, it’s hard to argue that Roslovic isn’t already providing the team with plenty of value. The tricky part will be whether or not he can keep it going. If he can, it won’t be long until we start wondering what it’s going to take for the Oilers to keep him around beyond this year.

AT LEAST WE HAVE LEON DRAISAITL​

Doesn’t the world make a little more sense when Leon Draisaitl is on a heater? It does to me. He’s just one of those guys who always seems to perform well even when the players around him aren’t matching suit, and our handsome German warlord has been on a tear lately. Even if we ignore the pointless, shotless performance against the Blues — it’s not fair to expect perfection every night — Draisaitl has been playing like a man possessed over the last few weeks. Even with a real lack of consistency around him, Draisaitl has found a way to get his name on the scoresheet more often than not.

Knowing that being held pointless is only a speed bump for Draisaitl, I legitimately laughed out loud when I saw him score from the absurd angle he did in the first period. We all know how dangerous Drai can be from his spot in the right circle, but this goal was something different. He basically scored this one from the parking lot. With both feet below the goal line, Draisaitl took the feed from Roslovic and unleashed a shot that most players wouldn’t even consider, let alone score on. If you’re a Stars fan, you can’t even be mad if you’re the goalie on that one. Sometimes, all you can do is tip your cap to a world-class talent doing world-class things.

THE SAUCE W/ RYDER AND LISA​

Wake up with Ryder and Lisa on The Sauce! Your new chaotic morning show streaming live from 8-10AM MST every weekday on Oilersnation YouTube starting Monday November 3rd. It’s unpredictable, unfiltered, and totally them. Like, follow and subscribe to never miss an episode!

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-blowing-another-lead-leon-draisaitl-goal-jack-roslovic

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

A closer look at Jack Roslovic’s recent hot streak with the Oilers

Between the Edmonton Oilers’ inconsistent play as of late and the Blue Jays’ Game 7 heartbreak, it’s been a tough stretch if you’re a fan of both teams. For Oilers fans, though, one bright spot has been the red-hot play of Jack Roslovic over the last seven games. Heading into the Oct. 25 matchup against the Seattle Kraken, he had only recorded a single assist up until that point, which is understandable, considering he missed all of training camp and needed time to get back into game shape.

But in that game against the Kraken, it seemed like he flipped the ‘on’ switch — his legs were moving, he was making plays, and he nearly scored his first of the season, ringing one off the post with just a second remaining in the second period.

Now, analytics can be a valuable tool — they help support a case and add context to what the eye test is showing, and when evaluating a player, I tend to trust what I see first, and sometimes, the metrics back up those observations. Roslovic didn’t register any points against Seattle on Oct. 25, but after the strong game he had, I checked his underlying metrics on Natural Stat Trick, and his numbers immediately jumped out at me.

Last night was one of Jack Roslovic's best games as an Oiler. He had a couple of Grade-A scoring chances and these stats at 5v5:

14–2 in scoring chances
5–0 in high-danger chances
89.74 xGF%

He missed all of training camp and last night could be a sign of things to come.

— seanpangs (@seanpangs) October 26, 2025

At 5v5, he was dominant, posting a 14–2 in scoring chances, 5–0 in high-danger chances, and an 89.74 expected goals-for percentage against the Kraken. Those were eye-popping numbers that suggested Roslovic was on the verge of a breakout, and boy, has he ever.

Since then, the 28-year-old has been tearing it up. Over the last seven games, he’s tied for third on the team in that span in points with seven (3G, 4A), trailing only the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and he’s also tied for first in shots on goal (20) during that stretch.

On that note, I wrote in mid-October about what a successful season could look like for Roslovic, and when I did a deeper dive into the types of goals he’s capable of scoring, I wrote:

“For starters, the new Oiler has a very quick release, beating goaltenders clean on several occasions without even dusting the puck off. He can also score from a distance while streaking down the wing and is effective in front of the net, with four of his goals coming off rebounds and a couple from nice moves in tight.”

And so far, we’ve seen him score those exact types of goals. His first as an Oiler, against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 26, was lethal — he read the play, picked up the puck, and unleashed a quick release that beat Thatcher Demko from distance.

Jack Roslovic scores his first goal as an Oiler! ️ pic.twitter.com/RQPSbdTKec

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 27, 2025

And his two other tallies came from goals in tight, right in front of the net. He was given a golden opportunity on the power play, taking the net-front presence role against the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 1, replacing David Tomášek. He capitalized on McDavid’s pass in front of the net on the PP against Chicago, and two nights later, on the man advantage against the St. Louis Blues, he used a vet-like move, pushing off Philip Broberg to create space and buried the puck.

Jack Roslovic stays hot and gives the Oilers a 1-0 lead over the blues

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/7ewZCq5poJ

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 4, 2025

That said, despite the Oilers’ inconsistent play, one thing has stayed steady over the last several games: their power play. It was already starting to gain traction before Roslovic joined the mix, but with him on it, the heat’s been dialled up another notch or two, from sizzling to scorching.

A Look at Roslovic’s 5v5 Play and His Chemistry with Draisaitl and Podkolzin​

During his seven-game hot streak, Roslovic has flashed his skill and shown off his bag of tricks, and even at one point during the Sportsnet broadcast last game against the Dallas Stars, play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels said, “I look at Roslovic and one word comes to mind, slick, at almost everything he does, from skating to stickhandling.”

The former first-round draft pick certainly looks slick and slippery, and at times, the way he darts in and out of traffic is downright McDavid-esque, with the way he changes gears on a dime. He’s even created a couple of breakaway chances for himself, and in just 13 games, according to NHL Edge, he’s already reached a top speed of 22.75 MPH — 90th percentile in the NHL — and that’s despite missing an entire training camp and preseason. Perhaps with more games under his belt, he might even find another gear.

Also, over the last seven games, he’s been one of the most consistent Oilers. Over that stretch at 5v5, he ranks:

– 1st on the team in shots on goal (18)
– Tied for 1st on the team with four points
– Tied for 1st on the team with an 8–4 goal share

What’s more, we’ve mentioned his slickness and quick shot, but the Columbus, Ohio native has also shown off his superb playmaking skills, with two wonderful setups in the first period last game against Dallas.

Jack Roslovic outmuscles Thomas Harley and sets up Vasily Podkolzin to give the Oilers an early lead.

: Sportsnet / #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/cYvehlIhRJ

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 5, 2025

That one-handed pass to Vasily Podkolzin at 5v5 was just a thing of beauty and a perfect example of how in sync that line is at 5v5 — which brings us to the chemistry he’s building with his linemates, Podkolzin and Leon Draisaitl.

Over the last several years, there’s almost been a revolving door of players the Oilers have tried on the right side of Draisaitl, though most have only delivered in brief spurts; players like Kailer Yamamoto or Viktor Arvidsson come to mind.

With Roslovic, it’s still early to deem him a bona fide long-term solution on the second line after just six games, but it’s certainly hard to ignore how seamlessly he’s gelled on that line. He reads both Draisaitl and Podkolzin very well, and the trio is very in sync — the one-touch passes, the quick give-and-gos — and together they can attack off the rush and have shown strength working the cycle. And over the last six games they’ve played together, that second line has outshot the opposition 50–32 and outscored them 6–2.

As a whole, things haven’t gone exactly the Oilers’ way as of late with their inconsistency, but just think — when Zach Hyman returns and gets into game shape, the Oilers will be able to ice a powerhouse top six: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman on the first line, with the trio of Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Roslovic rounding out the second. Moreover, a fun problem when Hyman returns will be deciding who takes the net-front role on PP1, currently held by Roslovic. My vote? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — keep Roslovic there until the wheels fall off.

That said, the Oilers have been looking for a one-shot scorer with a shoot-first mentality to play alongside Draisaitl at 5v5 for quite a while, and Roslovic, so far, looks like a natural fit. The only knock on him is that he has a history of being streaky — last season, he posted 25 points in his first 37 games with the Carolina Hurricanes, then went the next 12 games without registering a point.

Still, a contract year provides plenty of motivation, and with his hockey IQ, skill, speed, and shot, he’s got the tools to keep it rolling, and let’s hope he does. Right now, that second line looks like the right mix. With Podkolzin as the skilled, hardworking puck retriever, Draisaitl as the playmaking and scoring maestro, and Roslovic as the one-shot threat, you’ve got all the ingredients for a truly dynamic line.

---

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/closer-look-jack-roslovic-recent-hot-streak-edmonton-oilers

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

The Oilers and Connor McDavid will be fine

Remember six weeks ago when Connor McDavid said he believes in this year’s version of the Edmonton Oilers and their chances of winning the Stanley Cup?

Well, people seem to be forgetting that pretty quickly.

We’re not even one full month into the NHL season, and already there are people, both inside and outside of Edmonton, pushing this ridiculous narrative that the Oilers captain won’t just sit around patiently while the team pushes through a mediocre start.

That narrative is absolutely insane. And it’s not the only one that’s been irritating me lately.

First off, the Oilers’ start to the season hasn’t been bad. It’s been average.

There are some concerning signs, sure, but this is mainly the same group that’s rebounded from truly horrendous starts in previous seasons.

Last year, through 15 games, the Oilers had 15 points, one less than they do right now.

Back in 2023-24, they had just 11 points through 15 games. They needed a coaching change to spark them, but they eventually turned things around.

This group always starts slow. Whether it’s the goaltending, the lacklustre 5v5 play, sloppy defensive-zone mistakes, or whatever issue is plaguing them in a given year, there’s always something. And they always bounce back.

Do you really think Connor McDavid is sitting there right now questioning whether he should have signed his extension because the Oilers had a bad first month? There’s no chance. He knows this team is more than capable of figuring things out as the season goes on, just like they have in each of the last two years.

They’ll be fine, and their captain knows that.

Secondly, the idea that there’s pressure on Stan Bowman to do something drastic to fix this start is also ridiculous.

Less than a month ago, he signed Jack Roslovic to a bargain one-year, $1.5 million deal that already looks like a great move. He’s the only GM in the league who’s made a significant addition so far this season, and people are still criticizing him.

The Oilers have limited cap space and limited assets. They can’t do anything major until much closer to the trade deadline.

Is there pressure on the front office to win this season? Of course. But that pressure has always been there. It has nothing to do with McDavid’s extension or his discount.

The pressure exists because Edmonton is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. They’re facing pressure the same way Colorado or Dallas is facing pressure.

Speaking of McDavid’s extension, the notion that he’ll be more frustrated because he took less or that the front office feels extra pressure because of it is idiotic.

His new deal doesn’t even kick in until next summer. He’s still playing on his old contract. There are no cap savings this season. Next year, sure, they’ll have extra money and need to use it wisely. But right now, McDavid’s extension has zero impact on what the front office can or can’t do.

The Oilers haven’t played great hockey yet, and there are multiple reasons for that.

When McDavid and Draisaitl are off the ice, they’re really struggling to generate 5v5 offense. Without those two, they’ve been outscored 16-8 in 367 minutes. That’s flat-out not good enough.

Defensively, they do well in preventing shots, but the breakdowns they do have are brutal and lead directly to goals. The issue isn’t the volume of chances, it’s the quality and timing.

The goaltending has been inconsistent too, but we’ll save that discussion for another day.

There are things they need to clean up, but this team has proven time and time again that they know how to find their game when it matters.

Forget the garbage narratives. Connor McDavid isn’t losing his patience. Stan Bowman doesn’t need to make a panic trade. Kris Knoblauch doesn’t need to be fired. It’s November 5th. The season isn’t even a month old.

If you don’t have confidence in this Oilers team, you simply haven’t been paying attention for the last two years.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-and-connor-mcdavid-will-be-fine

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers Thoughts: Bouchard looking to build off last game, Henrique solid and Frederic needs to bring more

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.

Adam Henrique is playing really well this season and it’s only partly because of how handsome he is. Something to think about.

— Baggedmilk (@jsbmbaggedmilk) November 4, 2025

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.

Trent Frederic needs to embrace the pest role.

(H/t @JasonGregor | @Sports1440) pic.twitter.com/cbPpaKahEH

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 6, 2025

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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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/oiler...nrique-solid-and-frederic-needs-to-bring-more

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers Prospect Update: Goaltenders Samuel Jonsson and Nathaniel Day off to dominant starts in ECHL

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.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmon...el-jonsson-nathaniel-day-dominant-echl-starts

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilersnation Radio: The boys did not want to talk about the Oilers

It’s Friday afternoon, which means a fresh episode of Oilersnation Radio is ready to massage your eardrums with an hour of off-season Oilers talk. On today’s podcast, the fellas discussed the Oilers losing three of four games they should have won, goaltending rumours that are popping up, playing soft, line combos, and much more.

We kicked off the Friday episode of ONR with a delicious debate over whether everyone would rather have a driver seven days a week or a personal chef three times a week. For the second delicious debate, Dan wanted to know what everyone thought about the new PWHL logos for the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes.

Shifting gears to the Edmonton Oilers, the guys started the discussion with a look at the Oilers’ dreadful run of giving up multi-goal leads when it seemed they had wins in the bank. According to Jason Gregor, the Oilers lead the league in blowing multi-goal leads while also being unable to score in the shootout. To put it lightly, Edmonton is not playing up to its own standards, and it’s incredibly frustrating to watch it piss away points that should have been tucked away.

Finally, we wrapped up the Friday episode of ONR with another round of Ask the Idiots, betting talk for our friends at bet365, and Hot and Cold Performers to look back on the week. With the 2025-26 season well underway, the guys spent the bulk of the Friday episode discussing a range of topics, some related to the Oilers and others not, but that’s what happens when the team is playing as poorly as they are right now.

Listen to the Friday episode of Oilersnation Radio below:

Subscribe to Oilersnation Radio for FREE on Soundcloud here, on Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts from!

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/oilersnation-radio-the-boys-did-not-want-to-talk-about-the-oilers

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Connor McDavid Discusses His Journey to 1,100 NHL Points

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/connor-mcdavid-discusses-journey-1100-nhl-points-edmonton-oilers

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers handed worst loss since 2009 in 9-1 walloping by Avalanche: Recap, Reaction and Highlights

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.

: Sportsnet | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/GOLoZu1jos

— 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.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/Z67D2d3bEI

— 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.

: Sportsnet | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/S6P8VZ8O0q

— 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.

: Sportsnet | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/4yL1vy1pEp

— 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.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/giL5GAWNYu

— 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.

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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/edmon...orado-avalanche-recap-reaction-and-highlights

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

‘Something needs to change’: Fans react as Oilers suffer worst home loss since Decade of Darkness

Throughout the years, the Oilers have had some stinky games, but none have been as embarrassing as the one on Saturday night against the Colorado Avalanche. According to Sportsnet, this 9-1 loss is tied for the franchise’s most significant home-ice defeat in history. The only other time this happened was on January 27, 2009, against the Buffalo Sabres.

No fanbase would stand for a loss like this, and Oilers fans were loud and clear online throughout Colorado’s demolition of Edmonton.

“I’m going to sound like a caveman here, but the Oilers have zero emotional leadership. They need to add someone that will kick some ass both literally and figuratively.” – AdamsOnHockey via X

“This version of the Edmonton Oilers is embarrassing. Humiliating performance tonight. Something needs to change. On the brink of a free fall into oblivion.” – Elliotte Knopp via X

“So nobody with an ‘A’ or ‘C’ or a goalie faced the media post-game? Awesome, great, got it.” – NHL_Bouchard via X

“Pain is realizing how privileged Oilers fans were to even witness back-to-back SCF appearances. Now we’ll be lucky to see a first-round exit.” – SchmiddyG via X

“The good news is that we have hit rock bottom.” – Thesquireyeg via X

“Is DNF a valid outcome for this game?” – Kevin McCurdy via X

Fans have been searching for a turning point this year, given how things have gone, and a reason for the organization to make a splash for a goaltender. Fingers were certainly pointed toward Skinner, Pickard, and others.

“We’re good guys, don’t worry, we’ve got Frederic for another 7 years.” – harl000__ via Instagram

“OOF WOULD BE NICE IF WE HAD A TEAM THAT PLAYED WITH SOME HEART.” – jkthsnk via Instagram

“I’ve never in my 30-plus years of watching the NHL seen a goalie with that poor mobility. Pickard can’t play another game as an Oiler. Stuey at this point needs to be a backup to someone else.” – Kiatt_nonos_ via Instagram

“Skinner should be selling used cars on White Ave. Bouchard should be the sales manager, talking about how they almost won, and every now and then they bring Grant Fuhr in to sign autographs. I understand there are no goalies, but at this point send either goalie to Bakersfield. No one’s taking them off waivers, and if they do, good. Send up Ingram, he makes it or he doesn’t. Expose the group and the depth we have, and if that doesn’t work, start trading.” – Paul Oneski via Facebook

“Ok, let’s get a goalie just to expose that it’s not just the goalie that’s the problem. The team sucks. No depth. We have so many players of the same type. No grit. No heart. So soft all over.” – Barret Gerlitz via Facebook

“Still need a goalie and defensemen if they want a Cup. When they get a 2 or 3 goal lead, McDavid and Draisaitl need to help lock it down by backchecking.” – Bryan Leitch via X

“This may actually be Pickard’s last NHL game.” – StuThePenguin via X

“Ekholm kinda looks… done. Despite the underlyings.” – TheLineBlender via X

“This Oilers team looks like a team that is just done for the season. They play each game as if it’s a Sunday public skate, have an early spring in April, and just make their money. Have a summer to rest and recover. New goaltending and coaching staff in Edmonton next season.” – Oilers_Fan_30 via X

Oilers fans have every right to be upset. This is a team that has been labeled as a contender nearly every season with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They’ve had flashes of brilliance, but right now, they look more like pretenders than anything. A lack of identity, a lack of structure, and ongoing goaltending issues have all been long-term concerns the fanbase has been vocal about for years.

Edmonton will lick its wounds before facing the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night at Rogers Place.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmon...-suffer-worst-home-loss-since-decade-darkness