Oilers Game 11: Vancouver Canucks

During my day, when I was scrolling through social media, there was a post about yesterday being the two-year anniversary of Connor McDavid scoring what’s arguably the best goal of his career against the New York Rangers. If you’re a fan of another team reading this and, for whatever reason, haven’t seen that goal, just look it up on YouTube; it never gets old. That was in the 2021/2022 season, and in the first ten games of it, the Edmonton Oilers went 9-1. You’d expect more joy from a fanbase with that kind of start, right? No. Perhaps with another fanbase. Oilers fans were also divided at this time two years ago despite a winning record. They were still hating on management’s moves in the offseason; they still reminded themselves of what being a fan was like in the Tambellini/MacTavish/Eakins/Chiarelli years. They weren’t perfect that season, but wouldn’t you rather watch your team succeed? No matter how they did it? I kept thinking to myself, if these fans are never happy when they win, I would really hate to see them when they lose.

Two seasons later, we are seeing it. The first ten games of 2023/2024 saw the Oilers go 2-7-1. A roster that could absolutely trash the pre-McDavid Oilers suddenly traveled back in time to the Decade Of Darkness when Oilers hockey was over before you picked out your Halloween costume. And now, that imperfect 9-1 start doesn’t seem so bad anymore. Every Oilers fan would welcome that start right now. Maybe we owe Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen separate apologies because Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner have been no better so far. As I’ve brought up in other articles, this sort of rough stretch is not new in Edmonton. For the last few years, there has always been a time in the season when the team looks like they forgot how to play hockey before getting on the win column consistently again. What is new is that phase happened way earlier than normal this season. It’s too bad this is how Raphael Lavoie will remember his first NHL game. I’m just impressed that fans haven’t started tossing their jerseys on the ice yet.

After the 5-2 loss against Nashville on Saturday, Elliotte Friedman stated that no big news was coming out of Edmonton that night. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug stated that the chances of Jay Woodcroft getting fired could be 7.5-8 out of 10. Any professional team sport is a results inspired business, and Edmonton’s results so far are not good, so of course that idea would come about. But honestly, the idea of firing another head coach makes my eyes roll. Oilers history has shown us that constant coaching changes change nothing. They’re still left with the same flaws on and off the ice. That has to be eradicated before anything else. And it might still be early for any team to make an average trade. It’s not 100% the same roster as last season; they did lose a few decent players. But did any of you expect them to start off being the second-worst team in the league? Show of hands, who thought they’d be in 31st place? How did they go from having Cup contending aspirations to this dumpster fire overnight? Wouldn’t we all love to be a fly on the wall during player meetings?

While it’s not the game I’m prepping for with this article, it is absolutely inevitable that the San Jose Sharks will get their first win of the season against the Oilers. It would be the most Edmonton thing to happen. But for now, let’s try… TRY, to get revenge on another division rival. The keys to the game are…

The Iron Goalie: Thatcher Demko looks like he can never let in a goal, with a .947 SV% to start the season. That number can’t hold up over the course of an 82-game schedule, but he always had to be a big part in Vancouver’s resurgence. If Edmonton keeps losing to backup goalies, maybe they can beat a legit starting goalie? Unless the Canucks put in Casey DeSmith again…

Pistol Pette: Elias Petterson has been the second-best forward in the league after Jack Hughes. His linemates Ilya Mikheyev and Andrei Kuzmenko have averaged a point in every game they’ve played. Petterson asserted himself last year with a 102-point season and is looking even better than that this year.

It’s Miller Time: J.T. Miller’s leadership, or lack thereof, in Vancouver, was questioned heavily last season. This year, he’s a completely changed man. It’s not the same Miller anyone saw having temper tantrums or giving up skating on defensive situations. He’s become a more responsible veteran for a younger Canucks team looking to take steps forward.