A short two-game homestand was split with a win and a loss. While the Kings forced the Oilers into a boring loss, Edmonton’s first period against the Golden Knights, aside from the 1-1 goal, is exactly the way they need to play every period. They even scored the first goal? BLASPHEMY! Where was that kind of start to a game when the season began? The Oil showcased their Reverse Retro jersey against L.A. I didn’t initially like the Todd McFarlane design when I first saw it in the 2000s, but then it grew on me as time passed. I even got myself an Oilers mask with that design during the pandemic. Now that we’ve seen the players wear this new rendition, it has started growing on some fans. I’d still prefer it if the oil drop stayed the same as before instead of having it be orange, but I don’t hate the jersey overall. I’d still take it over the weird silver and gold helmets that the Kings and Golden Knights sometimes wear.
On a more serious note, Saturday night’s game was Hockey Fights Cancer night for the Oilers. Ben Stelter will be the first name that comes to mind in Oil Country regarding cancer awareness. I lost one grandparent to cancer and had another grandparent who, fortunately, beat cancer twice. A terribly severe and unfair disease, and who knows how long it’ll take to find any possible cure. For the sake of those who battle, win, or lose the fight, we can only hope for that day to be a dream come true. This week’s opponents are…
Monday, November 21st at 7 pm VS New Jersey Devils
The second and final meeting against these teams. In the first meeting, the Oilers surrendered a 3-1 lead in the third period, including a sequence where they allowed two goals in seven seconds to lose in regulation. This was after Edmonton had won five straight games. Were it not for that winning streak, and they wouldn’t be in a Wild Card spot right now. Meanwhile, New Jersey is the hottest team in the league, winning 12 games in a row. Unlike the old Devils, they’re not boring while winning. They are a fun and exciting team to watch. But long winning streaks have to end eventually. May our tilt be the night that happens?
Wednesday, November 23th at 7:30 pm VS New York Islanders
Mathew Barzal didn’t have a single goal for the first month and a half of the season and then finally got the monkey off his back against the Stars with two goals. Despite this, he still had 19 assists. Whether you’re scoring the goals or setting them up, PP or even strength, with star linemates or without, points are points and better than none at all. They don’t ask how; they ask how many. You could look at this matchup in two ways. Either Barzal will start looking for consistency after finally scoring, or he may settle down with some pressure lifted off him. Defend well against him and make the second scenario a reality.
Saturday, November 26th at 1 pm VS New York Rangers
We will end the three-game road trip with a Broadway show. Suppose Oilers fans on Twitter want a reason not to be overly paranoid about the standings right now. In that case, a team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals last year and has last year’s Vezina trophy winner is holding on to the second Wild Card spot by only two points. They were below that for a bit before. The regular season is long, too long, in my opinion. But that’s another discussion for another day. I’m not expecting Chris Kreider to score 52 goals again. But he, Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Adam Fox on the backend still make for a potent offense. When their kids Filip Chytil, Alexis Lafreniere, and Kaapo Kaako find more consistency on the scoresheet, and of course, with Igor Shesterkin between the pipes, this roster should be in for another deep playoff run.
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