Author: Stephen Vani

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

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Unlike pregame articles in the past, this one will exclude a recap of the previous game. Not because it was a really bad loss, as I’ve never shied away from writing about ugly Oilers hockey. Related Post: Connor McDavid Leaves Game With Injury; Returns to Edmonton for Evaluation The team announced that Connor McDavid is […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Leon Draisaitl had himself a nice birthday, didn’t he? #29 had his best game of the season so far on his 29th birthday. He scored a tying goal, assisted on a tying goal, and scored the winning goal in Overtime. Per a tweet from the Sportsnet Twitter account, he is the 11th player in NHL […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

A shutout? I mean, a shutout. After the first period, every Oilers fan started fearing that Pittsburgh’s goaltender Joel Blomqvist would get the shutout instead. There’s always something about backup/third-string goalies who look like Vezina trophy winners whenever they play against Edmonton. Stuart Skinner, as referenced, had a great night in net. He didn’t face […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

The only old habit we didn’t revisit before Tuesday night resurfaced on Tuesday night. You have a 2 goal lead after two periods? Connor McDavid scored both goals? Life was pretty decent until the third period happened. For all the criticism Stuart Skinner has gotten(rightfully so), you can’t possibly pin the loss to the Hurricanes […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Going 1-1 on a road trip is better than going 0-2. Up until the third period on Saturday, the Oilers didn’t play a terrible game against the Stars. It was really just the powerplay goal they allowed in the last minute of the second period that might’ve deflated them. Edmonton’s penalty kill is so bad […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Two wins in a row? What’s going on here? Last season, it took Edmonton until the end of October to get their second win. It was also technically their first home win, but it was played in Commonwealth Stadium, not in their actual NHL rink. The Oilers got both their first home and road wins […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

They finally played the first La Bamba, and everybody rejoiced. That was a pretty nerve-wracking way to get the first win of the season, but we’ll take it. It was a weird game as far as officiating was concerned. Both teams scored at least one goal that shouldn’t have counted. Congrats to Matvey Mitchkov for […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Before I criticize the team for doing an impression of last season, I’m going to congratulate a couple of milestones that were reached this past weekend. Saturday night was Brett Kulak’s 500th NHL game. That same night, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins recorded his 700th NHL point. And don’t forget Jeff Skinner scoring his first goal on his […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

This is the first Battle Of Alberta since the sudden passing of former Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew in a car-on-bike collision. It’s not a key to the game, but how can it not cross your mind? It’s normal for Edmonton and Calgary fans to throw friendly jabs at each other, but […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Oilers fans on Twitter jumping into paranoia after only the first game of the season? It’s good to be back. My apologies to fans who attended that game, I’d guess you’d rather have spent the money on something else. Look at it this way, the Oilers allowed eight goals in last year’s season opener and […]