Author: Stephen Vani

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

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Thoughts: Round 1, Game 6

I remember this quote from TSN’s Craig Button about Edmonton Oilers Mattias Janmark during a home game against the Montreal Canadiens in March. “You wanna know what a 2 goal scorer looks like?” My friends, that is what a 2 goal scorer looks like. Never forget how much of an impact your bottom six can make in Playoff […]

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Thoughts: Round 1, Game 5

As I pointed out in my Game 2 preview, the Edmonton Oilers are obsessed with adversity. They’ll start off playing average or terrible hockey, but then suddenly turn into the Harlem Globetrotters on ice when everybody on social media loses their minds prematurely. They went from hating Evan Bouchard’s defense to loving how he kept […]

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Thoughts: Round 1, Game 4

It’s always nicer to write these after a win when everyone’s happier. Calvin Pickard got the start in Game 3, and I’m not too picky about how he played. The only goal out of 4 that I completely blame him for was the 4th one. The Oilers had just tied the game 3-3, and then the […]

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Thoughts: Round 1, Game 3

We need another camera shot of Leon Draisaitl yelling on the bench, and another viral video of Connor McDavid dropping angry F-bombs in the locker room. Since the 2005 lockout, the Edmonton Oilers have only one series win after going down 2-0. That was in 2006 against the San Jose Sharks in the second round, […]

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Thoughts: Round 1, Game 2

It’s easier to have a more rational take a day or two after that kind of game happens. They very nearly pulled off the Miracle on Manchester in reverse. In Round 2 of 2022, the Oilers blew a 3-0 lead in Game 4, but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the game-winning goal late and won the series […]

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Thoughts: Round 1, Game 1

Having the same Round 1 every year has gotten boring. But the games need to be played, so what can you do? The LA Kings meeting our Edmonton Oilers for a fourth straight year is similar to the late 90s and early 2000s Oilers, when they were always meeting the Dallas Stars in the Playoffs. […]

The Connor McDavid Lottery, 10 Years Later

When you have a job writing about the Edmonton Oilers, it’s hard not to type out his name at least once in every article. April 18th, 2015, the 9th year in our team’s Decade of Darkness had just come to a close, finishing 3rd last league-wide. Connor McDavid was the projected top prospect in that year’s […]

Connor McDavid skating for the Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

I had fairly low expectations for Monday night, but I still feel bad for the Edmonton Oilers fans who attended the game. They were without two of their top 4 defensemen, and the Kings had Drew Doughty back in theirs. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was Edmonton’s only top 6 center in the lineup while LA has Anze […]

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 […]