Author: Stephen Vani

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

Oilers Game 9: Dallas Stars

Well, October was a long month. But at least it ended on a more positive note. This new month has to be a fresh start for Edmonton. Hopefully, they just got their “Up and down like a toilet seat” phase out of the way early, and they can now play some real hockey. Other than […]

Oilers Game 8: Calgary Flames

This historic hockey rivalry has it’s first of four meetings this Sunday. It’s one more than they had last season. In a couple of my articles from last year, I expressed how much I wanted to watch more than three games between these teams. I felt that the NHL sinned gravely against the hockey gods […]

Oilers Game 7: New York Rangers

Rather than calling this Game 7 of the regular season, we should call it Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Maybe if Edmonton pretends that’s what it is, we won’t see third periods like the one on Tuesday night. Jack Campbell was statistically bad, allowing 6 goals on 31 shots. But he was bailing […]

Oilers Game 6: Minnesota Wild

No F-bomb from the coach this time. The second game at Rogers Place was sort of like the first game at Rogers Place. The difference is the quality of shots, not just quantity, not finding the back of the net. Edmonton’s scoring chances looked more organized in this game than in their home opener, where […]

Oilers Game 5: Winnipeg Jets

Who had Jay Woodcroft dropping an F-bomb on their hockey season bingo card? A calmer, more optimistic coach had to lose his patience at some point. The sky is not falling, and there are still 78 games left to play. But for a team that said it’s “Cup or Bust,” they seem to be more […]

Oilers Game 4: Philadelphia Flyers

Oilers fans are sane again, splendid. Lose the first game by seven goals, then the next game by one goal, and win the next game by five goals. It’s just as the hockey gods intended. I didn’t realize this until the first goal was scored, but Leon Drasaitl is now Edmonton’s franchise leader in powerplay […]

Oilers Game 3: Nashville Predators

At least the second game was better than the first game. You know hockey season is back when Oilers fans lose their minds on Twitter/X. Edmonton seemed perfectly in control just a minute into the game when they’d already made it 1-0. Then momentum shifted, and Vancouver kept taking the lead back whenever the Oilers […]

Connor McDavid skating for the Edmonton Oilers

Oilers Game 2: Vancouver Canucks

If you’re an Oilers fan living in Vancouver or an Oilers fan who traveled to Vancouver and attended Wednesday night’s game, I am so terribly sorry. Every word I could use to describe Edmonton’s season opener would be an understatement. To put it politely, they just did not show up. Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner […]

Oilers Game 1: Vancouver Canucks

We’re back. We’re finally back. It’s Christmas in October, and we can cheer and rant about hockey games again. The Edmonton Oilers season opener starts on the road against a team vastly different from them with regard to leaguewide view. In one corner, we have a team with the biggest Stanley Cup aspirations in Canada. […]

Keys To The Oilers Success In 2023-2024

Heading into Thanksgiving weekend, let’s all be thankful that NHL hockey is coming back. Every offseason feels too long, and every first week feels like Christmas in October. Much has been said about how much hungrier Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. Last year’s second round […]