A concerning sight in Beantown.
During the second period of Thursday night’s game against the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry exited the game after suffering a lower-body injury.
Calvin Pickard has taken over the crease after Tristan Jarry left due to a lower-body injury, per the broadcast.
: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/n3KA9ByTYl
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) December 19, 2025
Jarry appeared to have been hurt when attempting to make a save while sliding to his right. It resulted in Calvin Pickard entering the game in relief with the Oilers leading by a score of 2-1. Jarry stopped 12 of the 13 shots he faced in over 36 minutes of action.
The 30-year-old goaltender was acquired by Edmonton last week in a blockbuster deal that, among assets, sent Stuart Skinner to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a notable move as it was the first big change in the Oilers goaltending since the departure of Mike Smith.
Early returns for Jarry were solid. In his debut with his new team against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday, the Surrey, B.C. native made 28 saves in a 6-3 victory. Then, just a few nights later, against his former team, Jarry posted 30 stops in a 6-4 win over the Penguins.
Oilers fans are certainly hoping that Jarry’s injury isn’t severe, as they hope he can be the piece that further bolsters the team’s chances of being a championship contender.
In his first 16 appearances this season, 14 of which were with the Penguins, Jarry has a record of 11-3-1 with a 2.77 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage and a shutout. He’s helped his team earn points in five of his previous six starts as well.
Jarry is in the third year of his five-year contract that he signed with Pittsburgh in July 2023. The deal has a cap hit of $5.375 million through the 2027-28 campaign.
In 309 career regular-season games in the NHL, Jarry has a record of 163-100-32, a 2.75 GAA, a .909 SV% and 22 shutouts. He also has a record of 2-6 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, posting a 3.00 GAA and a .891 SV%.
The Oilers (16-12-6) came into Thursday night sitting third in the Pacific Division, four points out of first place.
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The Edmonton Oilers touched down in St. Paul for the fifth and final game of their road trip, squaring off against the Minnesota Wild for the first time since they acquired Quinn Hughes from Vancouver. And with the Wild coming into Saturday’s game riding a six-game winning streak, wrestling two points away from them was going to take a whole lot of effort and even better execution. Unfortunately, the Wild ended up with the advantage in execution, and it left the Oilers chasing for the entire game, outside of the rare moments when the game was tied. Oilers fall 5-2 in Minnesota.
CALVIN PICKARD’S TIME
With Tristan Jarry’s injury status still unknown and Connor Ingram recalled to fill the void, Calvin Pickard could be in line for a run of starts between the pipes that either makes or breaks his future with the organization. With Ingram up with the big club, it’s hard not to think that these two will be in direct competition for the same gig once Jarry can return, whenever that may be. Maybe I’m making more of the situation than is really happening behind the scenes, but I also don’t think it’s unrealistic to suggest the backup role is a spot Stan Bowman could still be looking to upgrade. But if this stretch of Jarry-less games is a test, Pickard had a tough task on his hands with the red-hot Minnesota Wild.
As expected, the Wild wasted no time getting after it in the offensive end, and I felt bad for Pickard that one of the first shots he faced was a clear cut breakaway for Matt Boldy. Same goes for the second goal Boldy scored on the power play, which was an absolute blast of a shot from the boards. Would you want Pickard to save that? Sure. But I wouldn’t call it a bad goal either. For the third goal by Hartman, my eyes are looking at the pinch by Riley Stillman that left the Wild to go into the zone with all kinds of space to close out the 2-on-1 chance. My point here is that the numbers aren’t spotless — 32 saves, four goals against, and a .889 save percentage — but there were bigger holes in the Oilers’ game that led to goals more so than what Pickard did or didn’t do in net. If anything, it sure would be nice if the skaters in front of the crease could do a little more to help him out.
ANDREW MANGIAPANE FINDS THE SCORESHEET
I don’t think I’m talking out of school when I say Andrew Mangiapane’s first season as an Oiler hasn’t exactly gone the smoothest for him. After roaring out of the gates with a few goals in the first handful of games, the Bread Man’s offence has gone ice cold ever since. To make matters worse, his offensive struggles were paired with getting handily outscored at the other end. I may not be the smartest guy, but even I can figure out that’s a tough combo. Numbers or eyeballs, our man was fighting it. As a result, we’ve seen Mangiapane bop all over the lineup over the last month and a half, as Kris Knoblauch continues to search for a combination to unlock his potential. I don’t think any of us expected Mangiapane to be the 35-goal guy he was in his last year as a Flame, but that doesn’t mean anyone was cool with four goals through the first 35 games.
The good news is that Mangiapane has been playing better over the last few games and looks to be more of a factor on a shift-by-shift basis than he has been for most of the year. There’s still plenty of work to do, but the baby steps forward are notable. That’s why I was pumped to see Mangiapane get on the board with his fifth goal of the season and first in 22 games on the back of a perfectly executed deflection on Evan Bouchard’s shot/pass from the point. You could almost see the 1000-pound weight lift off his shoulders. Like I said, there’s still plenty of room for improvement if Mangiapane is going to turn the tide on his season, but I’m also hopeful that scoring his first goal in more than a month can help relieve some of the pressure. I’d imagine he’s being as hard on himself as anyone, and maybe a goal can be a dose of confidence to keep moving forward.
BEATING THE BIG DOGS
Is anyone else having a hard time ignoring the trend we’re seeing when the Oilers match up against the big dog teams in the Western Conference? By my count, Edmonton hasn’t won a game all season against Colorado (only one game so far), Dallas, or Minnesota. I don’t know how the Central Division is going to shake out with all three of those teams dismantling the rest of the league like it’s intramural sports, but the Oilers would have to get through at least one of them if they plan to get back to the Stanley Cup Final, and the early results haven’t been great. I know regular season records don’t matter much when the playoffs roll around, but knowing you stack up well against the best in the conference before getting there would be nice.
That’s why losing against the Wild makes Sunday’s matchup with the Golden Knights feel a bit more important, even though we still haven’t reached the midway point of the 2025-26 season. The Oilers are nipping at Vegas’ heels in the standings, and missing out on two points in Minnesota obviously opens the door for them to widen the gap. The Golden Knights face off in Calgary in the late slot on Hockey Night in Canada, and a win there would put them four points up on Edmonton ahead of their first meeting of the year. I’m not saying four points is an insurmountable problem, but it would have been a whole lot cooler had they been tied before tonight’s game in Calgary had even started.
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The Edmonton Oilers like to keep you on your toes — trades, goalie injuries, call-ups, and returns to the lineup, all during the busiest stretch leading up to Christmas. It’s pure hockey cinema.
To make things even spicier, add in the fact that Connor McDavid is playing lights out right now, and with the way he’s scoring, it’s like watching an Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul boxing match; it’s not if a knockout is coming, it’s just a matter of when. Having said that, it’s wild to think the Oilers’ captain could get any faster, but he certainly looks like he has, and we dive into that as he kicks off this edition of Oilers Thoughts.
Connor McDavid Looks Faster Than Ever
This is just your quarterly reminder not to take what we’re witnessing from Connor McDavid for granted. We’re so lucky to watch him make grown, professional hockey players — who’ve spent thousands of hours perfecting their craft — look like they just picked up the sport as a weekend hobby, the way he’s been flying around players lately, recording 26 points in his last ten games.
Now, over this last stretch of dominance, have you asked yourself, “Gee, does McDavid look even faster?” Because I know I have. There have been goals he’s scored that make it look like he was just shot out of a rocket — like his goal last week against the Pittsburgh Penguins, when he torched their defenders and tucked one past his former netminder, Stuart Skinner. Or the goal he scored last game against the Vegas Golden Knights, where he built speed through the neutral zone, received a pass from Draisaitl, flew around the Vegas defenders with ease, and tucked the puck past Carter Hart.
CONNOR MCDAVID OH MY GOODNESS! 1-0 OILERS!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) December 22, 2025
What’s also noticeable is the way he’s accelerating from a standstill, going from 0 to 100 with ease. On one occasion last game, he circled his zone a couple of times, almost like he was revving the engine, then hit full speed, blew past the defence, and nearly scored, drawing a penalty on the play.
Whatever he’s doing, I like it. My brain loves how aesthetically pleasing it is to watch this athlete just zig-zag around everyone on the frozen sheet of water with ease. And if you’re wondering whether McDavid is faster this season, he certainly is, at least according to the data.
Last season, his highest top speed was 23.97 MPH, whereas this season he’s already clocked 24.61 MPH, which is also the highest speed he’s reached since NHL EDGE began tracking the data in 2021-22.
McDavid’s Skating (via NHL Edge)
And to add to that, it’s not like you needed further proof of how fast the Oilers’ captain is, but in addition to leading the league in top speed this season, he also leads in two other skating categories: total skating distance at 147.27 miles this season, and speed bursts over 20 MPH, with 300.
McDavid has crept well into the league lead in points with 62 and currently sits third in the NHL in goals with 23. That said, since Dec. 4, he ranks first in the league with 12 goals, suggesting it likely won’t be long before he takes over the number one spot there as well.
Dec 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) skates up ice past fallen Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov (91) during the third period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Ingram’s Resilience Rewarded with a Win
Connor Ingram played in 22 games for Utah last season before entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on March 9 and was cleared on Aug. 20. The Oilers acquired him via trade on Oct. 1, and while playing for the Bakersfield Condors this season, he went 4-5-2 with a 4.04 goals-against average and an .856 save percentage. Those numbers didn’t exactly scream an NHL call-up, but the Oilers were forced to make one following Tristan Jarry’s injury.
He made his Oilers debut last game against the Golden Knights, his first since last February, and made 26 of 29 stops, finishing with a .897 SV%, and according to Natural Stat Trick, he stopped eight out of ten high danger shots against the Vegas Golden Knights and was a perfect 14 for 14 on long-distance shots against. In addition, he battled in the final frame, making 12 third-period stops, when his team could only muster three.
Simply put, Ingram made the stops he was expected to and gutted out the win for the Oilers. That said, he offered a unique perspective on his call-up back to the NHL, saying:
With Ingram’s 40th career NHL win, it was a feel-good story of perseverance and overcoming adversity. Head coach Kris Knoblauch mentioned Jarry will be out of the lineup for a couple of weeks, which, given Knoblauch’s history of estimating players’ return timelines, means it’s anyone’s guess. Still, the Oilers’ tale in net this season is shaping up to be a very intriguing one, and my gut tells me Ingram’s resilience story with the Oilers is far from over.
Spencer Stastney Appears to Be Earning the Trust of His Coaches
Defenceman Spencer Stastney has only played in six games since the Oilers acquired him from the Nashville Predators for a third-round draft pick, but in that time he’s shown he’s a reliable, low-event defender, moves the puck well, and is a great skater, as reflected by his 41 speed bursts above 20 mph, which rank in the 93rd percentile in the NHL, according to NHL EDGE.
Also, it seems Stastney is gaining the confidence of his coaches.
The newest Oiler was sent out with Darnell Nurse to protect the lead last game with just over a minute remaining in the third period. In that short time, he made a big block, pulled off a huge backhand clear with six Vegas attackers on the ice, and in the dying seconds of the game, dropped to the ice to block a shot, taking away the shooting option before the puck deflected out of play with just a second left. It was textbook defensive-style hockey.
That said, head coach Kris Knoblauch shared his thoughts on Stastney’s game against Vegas:
Not only does it speak volumes that Stastney was trusted to protect the lead with a minute left, but it speaks even louder that, as a left-handed shot, he was placed on the right side over right-handed blueliners like Evan Bouchard or Alec Regula.
Dec 20, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) reaches for the puck as Edmonton Oilers defenseman Spencer Stastney (24) defends during the first period at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Draisaitl Remains Productive Despite Goalless, ‘Pissy’ Stretch
You’d think after a guy records his 1000th career NHL point, that his demeanour would be pretty happy, but in a couple of games since Leon Draisaitl achieved the feat against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 16, he’s seemed to be a little ‘pissy’ on the ice — of course, the reference from 2022 when a reporter asked him why he was being so pissy, in an interview.
That said, he seems to have been a little crankier than usual over the last two games, something we’ve seen before. Against the Minnesota Wild, he gave a cross-check to Jonas Brodin, which was a questionable call, but received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty — likely for not asking what the officials’ plans were for the holidays — and something more nasty, which added two more minutes in penalties, during which the Wild scored.
Last game against Vegas, the newly minted 1,000-point man took a hit from Tomas Hertl, and Draisaitl retaliated by slashing the Golden Knight on the mitts, which earned him another penalty. Overall, Draisaitl has eight penalty minutes in his last four games, compared to just two in his previous 13.
Though this is purely speculation, maybe he’s a bit crankier due to his scoring drought. Draisaitl hasn’t scored in his last eight games, his longest regular-season scoreless stretch since 2021, as Zach Laing pointed out. Not tickling the twine for long stretches is something the former four-time 50-goal scorer isn’t used to, and the longer it goes, the tighter he grips his stick. Adding to the frustration, he missed a wide-open net from his office last game against as well.
Am I concerned about Draisaitl’s goal-scoring drought? Absolutely not. Even the greatest players have slumps, and despite maybe deserving a lump of coal for the number of penalties he’s taken over the last couple of games, I have a feeling Santa will deliver him a goal in the upcoming game against the Calgary Flames. Nevertheless, he’s probably on one of the most productive goalless streaks in the league, having registered 15 assists in his last eight games.
Zach Hyman’s Play Over the Last 10 Games Says He Belongs on Team Canada
Zach Hyman has been on fire since Dec. 4, coincidentally the day he was reunited on a line with McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. His captain has also gone supernova during that stretch, recording 26 points in ten games, and Hyman has been highly productive as well, tallying 12 points, 13th most in the NHL over the same period.
Additionally, Hyman’s eight goals since Dec. 4 are tied for second-most in the NHL, trailing only his captain’s 12. He’s heating up at the perfect time, and hopefully Hockey Canada is paying attention. If they’re looking for a player for the upcoming Olympics who hits, scores, wins board battles, and has undeniable chemistry with McDavid, the former 50-goal scorer checks every box.
Additionally, since Dec. 4, at 5v5 with McDavid, he’s posted the following underlying numbers:
• 54.92 CF%
• 53.53 SF%
• 53.51 SCF%
• 57.73 HDCF%
• 13-8 goal share
The deadline to submit the roster for the upcoming Olympics is Dec. 31. Hyman has been one of the NHL’s top scorers over the last month, and the part-time author couldn’t have scripted a better story to increase his chances of being selected for Team Canada. I, along with the rest of Oil Country, am crossing my fingers that he does.
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Since Calgary Flames president Don Maloney declared to the world that rebuilds are for losers in late November (I’m paraphrasing here), the team on the ice is backing it up, to both the excitement and chagrin of their fanbase.
They are 9-3-1 since the rejection of the rebuild, and visions of playoffs aren’t inconceivable anymore, entering tonight five points back of the last wildcard spot, and three wins behind the Edmonton Oilers.
The Flames also provide an elixir that causes the Oilers to trip up in the regular season: an hour of consistently hard work.
On Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday, they pounced on the Vegas Golden Knights early and often, with captain Mikael Backlund scoring twice, and depth forwards Adam Klapka and Ryan Lomberg making a difference in a sound 6-3 victory.
“Winning’s always fun,” Lomberg said post-game. “It felt like the ‘Dome was extra-special today, so it was great.”
How do they do it?
Calgary forechecks relentlessly. They simply don’t go away, and despite the lack of elite offensive talent, they find ways to manufacture goals. Their goaltending has gotten run support, too, with the Flames scoring four or more goals in six of their last 13 games.
Those aren’t gaudy numbers, but considering they’re bottom-5 in the NHL in goals-per-game, it’s impressive they’ve won nine out of 13.
And oh by the way, it’s not the method of playing Dustin Wolf until he breaks down like a rented mule – the Flames have two good goalies, as Devin Cooley has lightened the load on the franchise centrepiece.
Cooley has started 10 games to Wolf’s 26 contests, as the 24-year-old has seen his numbers drop off from a year ago.
In fact, Cooley has a better save percentage (.914 percent) and goals against average (2.40) than Wolf, but obviously with a smaller sample size. In the last 10 games, Cooley ranks as one of the better goalies in the league in Goals Saved Above Expected, according to Moneypuck.
For a cheap off-season signing at a measly $775,000 for the next two seasons, Cooley has paid off big dividends. Wolf got the night off of Saturday, but who starts tonight hasn’t been revealed yet.
Kadri leads the way
Nazem Kadri continues to be the offensive centrepiece, leading the club with 31 points, and showing no signs of slowing down as he creeps closer to 40-years-old than 30. In the month of December, he has 10 points in nine games.
Jonathan Huberdeau is also on a four-game point streak, but his game is still nowhere close to the highs of his Florida Panthers days. Last year, he collected 62 points, his best season as a Flame. But this season, he’s on pace for 50 points, which would be the lowest total with CGY. He is who he is right now.
The will-they, won’t-they question still looms around defenceman Rasmus Andersson, but there’s been so little news about his future. It hasn’t affected his play clearly, as he’s second on the Flames in points with 25, and is trending towards a career year.
I happened to catch his appearance on After Hours after the game on HNIC and thought his quote saying, “It takes two to tango,” was revealing. He remains a top name on hockey website trade boards, but the news out of Calgary has not materialized.
Dangerous PK
In many ways, the Flames are right where they should be. Their underlying metrics in several categories are ranked in the 20s league-wide; they aren’t totally bereft of talent and work hard, and they receive timely saves.
If there’s one area they shine, it’s the penalty kill. The Flames boast an 82.1 percent penalty kill, eighth best in the league, but find ways to score while shorthanded.
Joel Farabee did again for the third time on the kill against VGK on Saturday, tied for the most in the league. Calgary has scored six times shorthanded, also tied for the most in the NHL.
It’s helping – because the power play ranks in the cellar, 31st overall, at 14 per cent. Only the Leafs are worse.
Earlier
This is an intriguing matchup, not only because it’s a rivalry game in the time-honoured Battle of Alberta, but because these teams are diametrically opposed to each other. These teams will go home-and-home with Christmas to cool them off before the rubber match of Saturday, Dec. 27.
Of course, night one of the regular season saw the Flames snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, overcoming a 3-0 deficit in the third period, and winning in the shootout. We hope to see one fewer goalie turnover in tonight’s game…
Notes:
- Jonathan Huberdeau recorded his 800th point last Thursday, achieving the feat in 942 games.
- Mackenzie Weegar recently eclipsed the 200-assist milestone (201) and joined Anton Stralman (230) as the second defenseman to hit the mark after being drafted in the seventh round since 2005, when the NHL Draft was standardized to seven rounds.
- Defenceman Jake Bean is out indefinitely requiring surgery for an unspecified injury. He’s played 16 games this season.
- Forward Martin Pospisil hasn’t played a game this season after suffering an undisclosed injury on Oct. 1. Reports are he should be “ramping up soon” and CGY could use him as utility piece, who provided 25 points in his second full NHL season, tenth in team scoring. It can’t be too bad, though, as he’s already been named to Slovakia’s roster at the upcoming Olympics.
- Rasmus Andersson was vocal about his Olympic aspirations for Sweden. He was added to Sweden’s roster at the Four Nations last season. If selected, he would follow in his father Peter’s footsteps, who won bronze in 1988 in Calgary, coincidentally.
- If nothing else, the video the Flames social media team did of a ten-hour loop of Andersson beside a yule log, was pretty funny.
- Matt Coronato has had a rather streaky season, following his 7-year, $45.5 million extension in the summer. Dealing with these newfound expectations though, de does lead CGY with 11 goals.
- Flames fans will be watching the World Juniors closely. After playing 11 games with the Flames this season, Zayne Perekh was loaned to Team Canada for the tournament that begins Boxing Day. He’ll be joined by fellow Calgary prospect Cole Reschny.
- Overall, in the last 10 head-to-head matchups, the Oilers are 7-2-1 vs the Flames.
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The Battle of Alberta is so back.
On Tuesday evening, the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames were not in a festive mood on Festivus, as the Oilers beat their division rivals 5-1. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one!
Seven minutes into the first period, the Oilers opened the scoring. After sustained zone time, the puck found its way back to the point to Evan Bouchard. The right-shot defenceman slapped it on net, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins picking up the rebound and firing it into the back of the net.
Dustin Wolf couldn't handle a blast from Evan Bouchard, resulting in Nugent-Hopkins picking up the rebound and scoring.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) December 24, 2025
With four minutes left in the first period, the Flames got on the board. MacKenzie Weegar’s shot from the point took a deflection off Darnell Nurse and past Connor Ingram. That was basically it for the Flames, as Leon Draisaitl’s goalless drought came to an end, firing home a nice pass from Zach Hyman in his office into the gapping net.
DRAI-SPELL OVER
Leon Draisaitl with his first goal in nine games! Giving the Oilers a 2-1 lead.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) December 24, 2025
Early in the second, Draisaitl picked up his second of the game, also on the power play. He received a nice pass from Connor McDavid while cutting to the net, tapping it past Dustin Wolf to make it 3-1.
This is why you don't forget about Drai.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) December 24, 2025
With eight minutes left in the second, the Oilers made it 4-1, as McDavid picked up his fourth assist of the game thanks to a simple pass on the two-on-one alongside Zach Hyman.
MCDAVID WITH HIS FOURTH ASSIST
As he gives Zach Hyman his 10th of the season!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) December 24, 2025
Five minutes into the third period, the Oilers put the game away. McDavid burst into the Flames’ zone with speed on the power play. The puck took a deflection to the other side of the net, where Draisaitl was waiting to tap it in for the hat trick.
IT'S A HAT-TRICK FOR LEON DRAISAITL!
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) December 24, 2025
Takeaways…
The Flames didn’t have a ton of scoring chances, but Connor Ingram had a good game when called upon, stopping 19 of 20 shots for a .950 save percentage. If he keeps playing like this, there’s a strong possibility that he’ll serve as the Oilers’ backup for the remainder of the season.
Connor McDavid extended his point streak, and did so in style as he picked up five assists. Since the Oilers fell 1-0 to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 2, McDavid has played 11 games, scoring 12 goals and 31 points. Just incredible.
The last time Leon Draisaitl went nine or more games without scoring a goal was all the way back in his sophomore season during the 2016-17 season. Thankfully, he got off the schneid and then some, scoring his 11th hat trick of his career (ninth in the regular season).
Zach Hyman quietly had a three point game, scoring a goal and picking up two assists. There’s been a lot made of the Oilers’ annual early season struggles, but a big part of that was because Hyman was missing. The same argument can be made for the Oilers’ 2025 Stanley Cup Finals loss.
Max Jones has played well since his recall. On the broadcast, the winger was compared to Kasperi Kapanen, and you can see it. He played with Trent Frederic and Mattias Janmark on the fourth line, and they looked solid. Wagon Line version two?
Hockey is great when the Battle of Alberta is hot. Down 3-1 in the first period, the Flames were trying to get something going when the two fourth lines were on the ice. Nothing happened on that shift, but once Kevin Bahl hit Hyman up high, you knew it was going to be a chippy game.
On that same shift, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins slashed the stick out of a Flames’ players hand, leading to a four-on-four. Eventually, that became a four-one-three as Flames’ defender MacKenzie Weegar did the same. However, he started banging the glass with his stick and eventually received a game-misconduct. Hilarious.
The Flames went down to four defencemen, as Bahl answered for his fight with a spirited fight with Trent Frederic, with the Oilers’ forward playing his first game of the season getting the better of the large defender.
After that, the game settled down… briefly. In the third period, Flames’ defender Rasmus Andersson stepped into the path of Hyman, tripping him with his knee and receiving a two-minute minor.
Darnell Nurse took exception to that and got a cross-checking minor. Nothing really came of that at the time, despite both Nurse and Flames’ Adam Klapka looking for a fight all night long. Finally, the two were on the ice in the final seconds of the game when all hell broke loose. A nice dog pile and 10 different 10-minute misconducts were handed out, including one to Matthew Savoie.
THE BATTLE OF ALBERTA ENDS IN CHAOSpic.twitter.com/bYKtXS1ZR2
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 24, 2025
The two teams don’t have to stew on this game long, as they’re each other’s first opponent when the holiday break is over. It’s a home-and-home, as the Oilers head down Highway 2 to face the Flames on Saturday at 8:00 PM MT. Expect fireworks.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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Is there anything better than a Battle of Alberta as the last Oilers game before the Christmas break? Not to me. There’s just something about a home-and-home to bookend the break that makes sense to me, and last night at Rogers Place, the boys took on the Flames for their first meeting since the season opener. Clearly, the Oilers remembered. But instead of a repeat performance, Edmonton dominated round two of the Battle of Alberta from opening draw to the final buzzer, demolishing the Flames by a 5-1 score.
LEON DRAISAITL REMEMBERED HOW TO SCORE
I’m joking, of course. But after eight games without a goal — an eternity for Leon Draisaitl — our handsome German snapped his goalless drought in the most Draisaitl way possible. Not only did he score a power play, but he went out and scored three, triggering a wave of hats to hit the ice at Rogers Place in the game before Christmas. Perfect timing for the player, and for the team store as people left the rink. The funny thing about Leon’s goalless streak was that he still put up points at a rate most players could only dream of. Even without a goal, Draisaitl put 15 assists on the board, and it was almost getting comical that he couldn’t find the back of the net.
The wild thing about that stretch for me was how pucks weren’t going in for Draisaitl even though he was manufacturing all kinds of chances. But even when he was missing nets or having pucks bobble off his stick at the worst time, No. 29 was still driving play and doing all the things we love about him. I think that’s a sign of how he’s maturing as a player. Instead of letting his own struggles derail his game, Draisaitl kept producing, kept working, and kept giving his linemates quality looks to score. Outside of Connor McDavid, I’ve never seen a player on this team be able to do that before. And with this three-goal performance happening in the last game before the break, I’m hopeful that this was the boost Drai needs as we head into the back half of the season.
CONNOR McDAVID IS NOT HUMAN
There are nights where Connor McDavid is good, nights where he’s ridiculous, and then there are nights like Tuesday against the Flames where your brain simply taps out on what you’re watching. Five assists in 20:37, and not just five assists, which is nuts, but assists on every single Oilers goal. All five. If the puck went in the net, McDavid was there and left his fingerprints all over the play. Every shift felt dangerous. Every puck touch felt like it could wind up in the net. No matter who the Flames had up against him, they were getting ripped apart by a player who saw the ice two steps ahead of everyone else. He was Neo in the Matrix. He was the architect. He was a destroyer of worlds.
And because this is Connor McDavid, the numbers somehow make this heater even more absurd. His five-point night extended his point streak to 11 games, during which he’s put up 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points. Let me give you a second to re-read that last sentence… Crazy right? McDavid now sits at 67 points at the Christmas break, six clear of Nathan MacKinnon, and the most anyone has had at this point in the season since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr were causing chaos with the Penguins in 1995–96. It’s also the highest total in the last 25 years, beating McDavid’s own mark of 61 from 2019–20. This run isn’t just another dose of McDavid dominance. This is a player single-handedly running the entire game, and nights like Tuesday against Calgary are exactly why you should be dropping whatever you’re doing to watch when the Oilers are on. He’s dishing out lessons all over these days, and it’s so much damned fun to watch every opponent have to pay the tuition.
CONNOR INGRAM GETS THE NOD
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised to see Connor Ingram get a second straight start after he locked in his first win as an Oiler on Sunday night against Vegas. It’s not that I didn’t think Ingram was worthy of another start, but I thought the team would go into some kind of Pickard/Ingram rotation instead. Clearly, the Oilers want to see what they have in Connor Ingram, and I wonder if his getting consecutive starts is a signal that the organization really wants to see what they have in him. We’ve all heard the Alex Lyon rumours, and we all know that Tristan Jarry will be out for a few weeks, but what we don’t know is how the current backup tandem factors into the equation. Are the Oilers tipping their hand here a little bit? Am I overthinking it?
But even as we’re dissecting the Oilers’ goalie situation, Connor Ingram was out there doing exactly what the team needed him to do. It may not have been the busiest night of his NHL career, but Ingram stopped all but one of the shots he faced, including some big saves sprinkled throughout the game. In the end, he stopped 18 of 19 shots to finish with a .947 save percentage, which are obviously sparkling numbers. That’s a pretty damned solid way to follow up your first career game (and win) as an Oiler. If anything, playing like this will probably get people’s hopes up way faster than they probably should, but since goaltending has been such an issue over the last few weeks, my body is here for an unexpected heater.
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Oilersnation is reviving the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All Time list, a project originally created by the late Robin Brownlee in 2015. Adam Larsson comes in at No. 59 on our updated 2025 list. He was not ranked on Brownlee’s original list.
The infamous Taylor Hall-Adam Larsson trade was one of the first Remember-where-you-were when-you-heard-the-news type of deals I can recall. Do you remember where you were when you heard the news in 2016?
I was walking to work that afternoon at my Dad’s shop when he texted me:
“Hall got traded.”
“What?! For who?”
“Larsson.”
Oh, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, that’s a good trade! No, apparently not. Another different Larsson was the newest Edmonton Oiler I discovered when I arrived at work and heard 630 CHED.
As a big of a moment that was, the trade doesn’t have the same gusto all these years later, especially since Larsson is long gone.
The 24-year-old (at the time) became a productive and useful defenceman for the Oilers, particularly in the 2016-17 playoffs. The next year, Taylor Hall won the Hart Trophy in 2018. However, injuries, inconsistency, and Larsson’s eventual departure, makes this trade more footnote than narrative these years later.
For as mad as many Oilers fans were that they didn’t get more for Taylor Hall, Larsson provided quality play for his five seasons in the orange and blue, and we were just as upset that he chose Seattle over Edmonton in free agency.
Larsson was a top prospect in the 2011 NHL Draft, selected fourth overall by the New Jersey Devils after Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Gabriel Landeskog, and Jonathan Huberdeau.
He made a quick jump to North America and played 65 games in 2011-12 and scored 18 points, but the next few seasons saw him split time between New Jersey and their AHL affiliate the Albany Devils.
His game began to click in 2014-15, sticking in the NHL for 64 games, and also providing what would be his second-highest point total in a season with 24.
Then the trade happened June 29, 2016. Like the Tristan Jarry trade from Pittsburgh, the league’s attention whiplashed in the span of an hour, as PK Subban was also dealt from Montreal to Nashville for Shea Weber, and Steven Stamkos avoided free agency and re-signed with Tampa Bay.
However, I can’t quite recall running to the radio to hear Bob Stauffer with the quite same fervour before or since.
It’s easy to forget the state of the blueline that general manager Peter Chiarelli inherited. Larsson was one of the key fixtures to jump-starting a turnaround, and for a little while, it worked.
Notable
From 2016-17 to 2020-21, Larsson was a fixture in the Oilers top-4. Paired with Oscar Klefbom when he arrived, the duo was a mix of good defending with quality offence (Klefbom never had a better season than 16-17).
Larsson provided sandpaper with the ability to lay a big hit, but direct net-front traffic as well in front of Cam Talbot. He was the team’s go-to shutdown defenceman, admired with his play without the puck more than with it.
After the signing of Andrej Sekera the year before, and deals with Kris Russell and Matt Benning before the season began, Larsson was a piece that could focus on defending first, which at times made his statistics hard to gauge.
He would also soak pucks like nobody’s business, willing and able to throw his body in front of a loose biscuit. His impact was felt best watching the games and fans were quick to forget about Hall once the Oilers made the playoffs for the first time in 11 calendar years.
“He’s been so good for us all year, playing a physical game,” Klefbom said of Larsson in April 2017. “For me as a player, (I) can just focus on my game and you know he’s going to take care of his business.”
What a playoffs Larsson had in 2017. After beating the Sharks in six games, Edmonton went up 1-0 against Anaheim in a career night for the Swedish tower, scoring twice and adding an assist, including the game-winning-goal he banked in off of Josh Manson.
Game 5 was a novel of its own. With the series tied 2-2, Andrej Sekera gets injured in the 1st period, leaving the Oilers with five defencemen. Edmonton had a three goal lead, but it’s a game best remembered for the egregious no-calls for goalie interference that allowed a Ducks comeback.
In the eventual double-overtime loss, Larsson played an astounding 44:58 of TOI, nine minutes more than the second highest in Connor McDavid, and 12 minutes more than the next defenceman in Kris Russell. Larsson was doing everything he could in a series that eventually went Anaheim’s way.
Over the next four seasons, his play didn’t quite reach those same highs. In February 2018, his 50-year-old father Robert came to Edmonton for a visit, but a sudden heart attack claimed his life, something that understandably shook Larsson up emotionally.
In 2018-19, he played all 82 games. Often believed to be playing through a back injury, the results were not the same. While he scored a high of 20 points with the Oilers, he was -28 and allowed the most goals against while at 5-on-5in the NHL. It couldn’t all be laid at his feet, the Oilers blueline was brutal, with 11 rearguards suiting up that season. (Remember Kevin Gravel playing 36 games?)
The season began on the wrong foot literally in 2019-20 after fracturing his right fibula when blocking a shot against Vancouver, but he recovered and still played 49 games.
I thought Larsson came back in 2020-21 with a renewed presence to his game, with some of the TOI pressure being taken away with Darnell Nurse, and the all-Canadian division being the game du jour in the return from COVID.
The Story
But alas, after the season was up, he was looking for a change. He was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 expansion draft, and signed a four-year, $21 million pact with the Seattle Kraken. It was a blow in the short-term for the Oilers.
The truth is, over that five-year span no one played more hard minutes than Adam Larsson. His game was not sexy, but those punishing hits in the corner were met with rousing cheers. Larsson is on the Mount Rushmore of Peter Chiarelli acquisitions (although I don’t believe any rocks will be carved soon), as few players can shake off the expectations of overcoming a trade like that.
He was as honest a hockey player as you can imagine. He represents the good and bad of those teams, from the unexpected highs of the 2017 playoffs to the subsequent sequels and dismissal of Todd McLellan. But for a little while, we watched as Larsson and Klefbom looked like a top pair for many years to come. I respect the hell out of him for it.
What Brownlee said
The Last 10
- No. 69 — Vincent Damphousse
- No. 68 — Dustin Penner
- No. 67 — Roman Hamrlík
- No. 66 — Pat Hughes
- No. 65 — Dave Brown
- No. 64 — Tom Gilbert
- No. 63 — Mike Grier
- No. 62 — Marty McSorley
- No. 61 — Ken Linseman
- No. 60 — Evander Kane
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Oilersnation is reviving the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All Time list, a project originally created by the late Robin Brownlee in 2015. Cam Talbot comes in at No. 58 on our updated 2025 list. He was not ranked on Brownlee’s original list.
Cam Talbot was the best Edmonton Oilers goalie of the 2010s and the best the franchise had since Dwayne Roloson.
Granted, there isn’t a murderer’s row of choices, but the 2016-17 season of Talbot alone places him amongst the best Edmonton Oilers goalies of all-time, as evidenced by being our 58th greatest Edmonton Oiler of all-time.
Now, Talbot had his ups and downs, as did the team in the Peter Chiarelli era, but make no mistake – the ability for an Oilers goaltender to play an NHL-leading 72 games in a single season, and win a franchise record 42 games in 2016-17, was unforeseen and simply awesome.
The Oilers got the best version of Cam Talbot there’s ever been, and in the spring of 2017, he was a true reason to have hope in a long-forsaken organization.
Notable
There was no NHL path laid out for Talbot. He played Junior A hockey in Hamilton and went undrafted, going to the University of Alabama-Huntsville of the NCAA where he was named All-College Hockey America Second Team and MVP in the 2010 CHA tournament.
His third college season was standout, and he got a chance to play with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League, after signing a pro contract with the New York Rangers.
He grinded in the AHL to eventually earn a backup role with the Rangers. That turned into a starting job after a bizarre neck injury took Henrik Lundqvist out of action. Talbot performed extremely well, posting a .926 save percentage and started 24 out of 26 games.
That’s when the Oilers came calling. In the off-season, Chiarelli traded a 2nd, 3rd, and 7th round picks to acquire Talbot to become the Oilers’ next starter, as Ben Scrivens et al tended the nets in a horrid 2014-15 season.
Talbot played three-and-a-half seasons with the Oilers, providing a couple of quality years and one outstanding season, before struggling in his final year in Edmonton.
He was traded to Philadelphia for Anthony Stolarz (remember the Oilers had Stolarz!) and has been used as a backup or platoon starter for Calgary, Minnesota, Ottawa, Los Angeles, and now Detroit.
The Story
The move to get Talbot to Edmonton was shrewd and required, and it worked wonders out of the gates. For a team that was second from last overall in 2015-16, he gave the Oilers a .917 save percentage.
As the Oilers improved their blueline with Adam Larsson and got impressive offensive seasons from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Talbot was the backbone of a team that would improve from 29th to 8th overall in the NHL, and was only two points back of Anaheim for a division title.
Chiarelli campaigned in the media for Talbot to get Vezina consideration (he finished 4th in voting), and it makes sense why.
He played damn near every game, providing an absurd 42-22-8 record, 2.21 goals against average, and .919 save percentage. That broke a nearly 30-year franchise record set by Grant Fuhr for wins in a season with 40 in 1987-88. He even received one vote for the Hart Trophy.
That set up a playoff run where he played outstanding. Against San Jose, he brickwalled the Sharks for back-to-back shutouts in Games 2 and 3, and only three times in 13 games was his save percentage below .900.
The Oilers advanced to play the Ducks. Unfortunately, the biggest single moment involving Talbot was Ryan Kesler holding his pad open to tie the game in Game 5 and complete a three-goal comeback, (inexplicably uncalled for goalie interference) and eventually win in double OT.
Talbot was sensational in that game, though. He made 60 saves in 84:57 of game action. Of course, the Oilers would fall in seven games, and Talbot would never see the playoffs again with Edmonton, but performances, including Game 2 of that series, were tremendous.
He finished the post-season with a .924 save percentage, and is in the same ballpark of Bill Ranford, Grant Fuhr, Curtis Joseph, Andy Moog, and Dwayne Roloson, as best playoff goaltenders in franchise history.
Early in his tenure, Talbot had a penchant for making huge saves. The one I remember the most is the snow angel stop on Dmitri Kulikov in Florida in January 2016.
He could bail out the team and often did with spectacular efforts.
However, the next season was less Cinderella and a lot more pumpkin for the Oilers, who came crashing back to earth to finish 23rd overall in the league. Talbot played 67 games, but there was some frustration to his game, as the Oilers allowed a goal on the first shot against 14 times that season.
Looking for a bounce-back in 2018-19, it wouldn’t materialize, but neither would the team. Todd McLellan was fired early on after a 9-10-1 start, but Chiarelli would be dismissed just a couple of months later in Janaury.
Talbot had struggled, and before Chiarelli’s dismissal as GM and President of Hockey Ops, he had taken a liking to newcomer Mikko Koskinen, whom he extended to a three-year contract in what would be one of his final acts. The writing was on the wall.
On Feb. 16, 2019, Talbot was shipped out by interim GM Keith Gretzky before Ken Holland took over in May.
The rapid ascension of the Oilers from cellar-dweller to playoff hopeful (and even betting favourite to win the Stanley Cup after leading the Duck series 2-0) has everything to do with Cam Talbot’s play.
He was exactly what the Oilers needed at the time. The idea of an Oilers goaltender finishing 4th in Vezina voting was a foreign concept to fans after the Decade of Darkness, and even now seems implausible.
Talbot continues to plug away in the league at 38-years-old and has played 552 games. For an undrafted, unheralded netminder — that’s impressive. This season, with former adversary John Gibson, they might end the Detroit Red Wings’ playoff drought of nine seasons. Sounds eerily familiar.
The Last 10
If you’re a Battle of Alberta fan, tonight’s the night.
The Edmonton Oilers visit the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome for game two, and if last game said anything, it’s that this one should be worth watching.
Last game, in Edmonton on Tuesday, Leon Draisaitl scored a hat trick — all three goals on the power play — passing Glenn Anderson for third in Oilers franchise history with 419 career goals. Connor McDavid had five assists, becoming the first player with 67 or more points entering the holiday break since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in 1995-96. And if you care about the score too, the Oilers won 5-1.
But there’s more.
Trent Frederic fought Kevin Bahl after a blindside hit on Zach Hyman. Frederic had been a healthy scratch the game before, came back in, and immediately decided it was time to throw hands. It was the seventh time in Battle of Alberta history that a fight broke out on the day before Christmas Eve.
Mackenzie Weegar took a two-minute minor for whacking away Darnell Nurse’s stick, then earned a 10-minute misconduct and got kicked out for bashing his stick in protest toward the referee.
So yeah, Calgary should be upset. They sure looked like it.
We can only hope that carries over into tonight.
McDavid is playing the best hockey of his career right now. He’s on an 11-game point streak with 31 points. He’s leading the NHL with 67 points through 38 games. The puck follows him everywhere. Defenders can’t keep up. It’s not fair, Calgary thinks so.
Draisaitl ended a nine-game goalless drought with his hat trick but had nine assists over his previous four games before that. He’s on a five-game point streak. He now sits third in Oilers franchise history with 419 career goals behind Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri.
The Oilers went 3-for-6 on the power play Tuesday. Their man advantage registered 40.5 percent in December.
Calgary remembers.
The Flames are 15-18-4 and outside the playoff picture. But they’ve been good at home lately—5-1-0 at Scotiabank Saddledome since December started with 26 goals in those six games. They’ve outscored opponents 13-2 in third periods at home this month. Dustin Wolf has been solid with a .926 save percentage on home ice.
Not only did Calgary get embarrassed at Rogers Place in front of their own fans who travelled to Edmonton, but so did Wold. They’ll want to return the favour on home ice.
Tonight’s game starts at 8 PM MST. And we can only hope that intensity carries over into tonight. Because if Calgary comes out as upset as they looked leaving Rogers Place on Tuesday, this game could get very entertaining very quickly.
Lines and Pairings
RNH-McDavid-Hyman
Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Roslovic
Mangiapane-Henrique-Savoie
Jones-Frederic-Janmark
Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Regula
Stastney-Emberson
Ingram
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