Author: Stephen Vani

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

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

You won’t win every game, but for the Oilers, some wins feel way better than others. First of all, if you’re a Wild fan reading this, whether you saw Thursday’s game in person or on TV or on the radio, I’m sorry you had to sit through that. No team enjoys getting blown out; this […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

People are liking 25 and 74 again, I think that’s nice. In his last five starts, Stuart Skinner is 4-1 with a .947 SV% and a 1.40 GAA. Only citing these games seems like a cherry pick, as his overall stats still don’t look great this season. But what matters is they are trending in […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

The boobirds won. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% on the side of booing players who used to be on your team. But I understand the reasons why fans are doing it. Sometimes when fans boo, it’s not always because they dislike the player(s). It could be a more cynical acknowledgment and appreciation, like, “Hey, I […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Zach Hyman wasn’t picked for Team Canada, and he took that personally. Thursday night was his first game back from his injury and he came up with a 2 goal performance. He was even part of a successful coach’s challenge made by the other team, that never happens. On second thought, maybe that’s why he […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

A Playoff type of game in early December, that’s pretty cool. Edmonton failed to sweep their three game road trip, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. In the first two periods, both the Oilers and Golden Knights were playing a tight defensive game. Then the third period made it possibly the most entertaining […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Who told them to play a game as good as that one? That’s unfathomable. How dare they confuse Oilers fans like that. Edmonton entered the second half of a back-to-back road trip and held it together against an elite offensive team. Though the Avalanche have been dealing with depth injuries and have had as unideal […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

They overcame the US turkey legs coming from the other side of the border. Edmonton started last night’s game playing like they’d just taken a week off. It’s normal, layoffs aren’t always kind to any team. Goals against came off of turnovers and bad line changes. A 2-0 deficit in the first period wasn’t part […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

I hope you all had a nice week away from hockey. I hope any American hockey fans possibly reading this enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday with their families. I also learned that former Oilers goalie prospect Kristian Antila, a 4th round pick (113th overall) in 1998 tragically passed away a couple of weeks ago. Condolences to […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

At least the opening goal was funny. On a night where Marc-Andre Fleury moved up to third all-time in NHL games played with 1,030 and 4th in games started among goaltenders with 1,000, he allowed possibly the goofiest goal that’s ever been scored on him. Leon Draisaitl cleared the puck from his own team’s blue […]

Edmonton Oilers Pregame Thoughts

Oilers fans are happy again… For now. Before I talk hockey, in case you missed it, Edmonton claimed forward Kasperi Kapanen on Tuesday before their Ottawa game started. He was placed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues. Picked 22nd overall by the Maple Leafs in 2014, he has played 470 NHL games, putting up […]