A first period. My kingdom for a first period. Only two games into the season, 80 games left, nobody panic. That being said, this team still has yet to move on from shaky starts. Not starting games on time has plagued the Oilers as much as other things for quite a few years and was most evident last season. No, the game’s not over till it’s over. But it sometimes helps a team’s confidence when they have the lead once in a while rather than constantly chasing games. They went down 3-0 in their season opener against the Canucks (2-0 within only the first two minutes) but came back to win it 5-3. That was impressive. Then they played their provincial rivals and went down 4-1 within the first ten minutes. They made it 4-3 at the end, but comebacks aren’t always in the cards.
Campbell started rough against Vancouver, then rebounded beautifully after the third goal he allowed. He followed that up by allowing four goals on 11 shots on Saturday night, leading to him being switched out for Skinner, who was excellent in relief, not allowing a single goal and making some good saves. They initially asked for Stu on the menu but got their order mixed up. It’s expected that as rosters grow and mature, they eventually learn the importance of a good start. It’s one thing to out chance the opponent and just not get the right bounces, and of course, you must also give credit when your opponent does good things as well. But you have to show up at the very least. This roster has not grown into that mentality just yet. They may have needed a game like Saturday night to teach them a lesson. I’m not throwing Jack Campbell entirely under the bus because the players in front of him didn’t show their best effort, either. If they did, they waited until after they were in too big a hole. To be a good team, night in and night out, you have to play a full 60 minutes and not just show up when you’re down a few goals. Oilers fans wouldn’t overreact after just the first two games if they hadn’t seen this movie before. This week’s games are…
Tuesday, October 18th at 7pm VS Buffalo Sabres
I’ve thought this club kind of has an American Oilers feel to it. Currently has the longest-serving playoff drought and has not yet succeeded with multiple high draft picks. Jack Eichel got the Taylor Hall treatment for as long as he was a Sabre and has the same playoff-less curse that Hall used to have. They’re not a playoff team yet, but they are expected to improve. They have a decent offense, and they’ve got a promising young defense to build a future on with Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. Jason Gregor tweeted that Stuart Skinner is expected to get the start in goal for this game. It makes the most sense when you look back at the Calgary game. He needs more NHL starts, anyway.
Thursday, October 20th at 7pm VS Carolina Hurricanes
A team in the East that’s expected to make some strides come postseason time. Brent Burns was an intriguing addition. The 37-year-old, former Norris winner, still has an offensive game in him, joining a blue line with Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin and an opportunity to feed Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. And if Frederick Andersen gets the start in net this night, he usually has Edmonton’s number.
Saturday, October 22nd at 2pm VS St. Louis Blues
Remember when other teams could’ve traded for Vladimir Tarasenko? And then they didn’t? And then he had an 82 point season? That was fun. His injury woes in 2020 and 2021 didn’t change him at all. There were questions last year as to whether they’d move on from Jordan Binnington in favor of Ville Husso in net. That did not happen. Husso is a Red Wing, and Binnington is still a Blue. He had a great playoff up until being sidelined with an injury in the second round. He’ll have to get back to the Binnington that led his team out of the basement and into a Stanley Cup parade back in 2019. Just not against us, of course.
