Author: Stephen Vani

Oilers fan in Toronto. Staying up past my bedtime for Western games since the mid 2000s.

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

The battle of the depleted lineups was amusing. Winnipeg didn’t have Josh Morrissey or Connor Hellebuyck playing last night, just for Playoff resting reasons. But they do have injuries to Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers. And now, Dylan Samberg is bound to miss time due to leaving the game after blocking a slap shot. Adam […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

The day after has to be the saddest I’ve ever felt about clinching a Playoff spot. Mattias Ekholm returned to the lineup on Friday night. It only lasted for less than 2 minutes because he reaggravated his previous injury. Via a tweet from Ryan Rishaug, there’s a good chance he’s out for the rest of […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Only Edmonton Oilers fans would find it controversial for the best player in the world to come back after missing eight straight games. I also want the best version of a rested Connor McDavid in the Playoffs. But we also haven’t officially clinched the Playoffs yet, and star players don’t want to sit out every […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Edmonton Oilers fans stayed up past 1 AM Eastern Time for that? Just once, I’d like Lukas Dostal to play one bad game against the Oilers. Is only one bad game too much to ask? The final shots total was 47-21, favouring Edmonton, and, if you like to go by the Deserve To Win O’Meter, […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

At least one unpleasant result without the Edmonton Oilers stars was bound to happen. I feel bad for Jeff Malott. Even if you’re the team that gets scored on, having someone’s first NHL goal get called back is the most uncool thing ever. He joined the Kings in late March and has played in 7 […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

For the next two weeks before the Playoffs start, I call on a mandate for every player on the team to wear bubble wrap on their equipment. At one point in the second period, when the Oilers had a power play opportunity, I noticed Adam Henrique taking a one-timer on the spot where we’d normally […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Bruce McCurdy, a long-time hockey writer for the Edmonton Journal, passed away on Tuesday night shortly after the Oilers win in Vegas. Along with the journal, he also co-hosted the Cult Of Hockey podcast with fellow Oilers writer David Staples. His son Kevin tweeted out this news yesterday. Our thoughts, prayers and well wishes go […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

It’s my job to talk hockey, but before I do, I hope the fan who had the medical emergency at Saturday night’s game is healing okay. It happened just 1:15 into the first period, and not having a commercial break while the medical staff was working on it made it scarier for the viewers. The […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

In 2023, I attended an Oilers game in my home city of Toronto. That is still the longest second period I’ve ever sat through, but Thursday night was pretty close. Put aside the trip to Seattle, this team has actually done a solid job at gutting it out and scoring goals without Connor McDavid or […]

Edmonton Oilers vs. Seattle Kraken Post-Game Recap

After valiantly attempting a third period comeback against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night, the Edmonton Oilers took on the Kraken in Seattle. Calvin Pickard started the game in net, and Bakersfield callup Olivier Rodrigue took the backup role. Stuart Skinner didn’t make the trip due to a concussion he sustained after making contact with […]