The Good Cam Talbot

It was by no means a perfect performance but the Edmonton Oilers could not have asked for the opening of their new shiny barn to have gone much better than it did.  With the anticipation surrounding the official unveiling of Rogers Place at a fevered pitch, the team did not disappoint by handing the Calgary Flames a 7-4 thumping to ring in another NHL season.  Not surprisingly, Connor McDavid led the offensive barrage in what turned out to be a night much of Oilers Nation won’t soon forgot. It may have only been one night but it was one this fan base was starving for. 

Mission Accomplished

It appears as though Peter Chiarelli has decided to take the lead of some of his counterparts and get a jump-start on next week’s NHL Trade Deadline. After sending backup netminder Anders Nilsson to the St. Louis Blues earlier Saturday for a prospect and pick, the first year general manager wasted little time in moving what was arguably his only two real trading chips in forward Teddy Purcell and defenceman Justin Schultz. 

A Dose Of Reality

When it comes to the 2015-16 NHL season, not much has gone according to plan for either the Edmonton Oilers or current Montreal Canadiens netminder Ben Scrivens. While the Oilers continue to spin their wheels when it comes to moving up the Western Conference standings, the 29-year old has watched his career continue to spiral out of control following what was a rather forgettable 2014-15 campaign. With that said, the comments Scrivens made about his former organization following his first win of the season in the Canadiens 5-1 victory over the Oilers on Saturday afternoon were not only surprising but frankly laughable. 

Is Talbot The Right Man For The Job?

Heading into the 2015-16 season, the Edmonton Oilers were hoping they had solved their problem in goal with the acquisition of Cam Talbot. The 28-year old was coming off an awfully impressive campaign with the New York Rangers but had a grand total 57 NHL appearances to his name prior to this season. On paper, it appeared to be a match made in heaven that would allow both sides to test drive one another for a year before deciding what direction to ultimately go. 

A Lost Opportunity

Despite heading into the Christmas break with a 3-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets and having put together a 7-3 record over their previous ten outings, theEdmonton Oilers had not been playing fundamentally sound hockey for some time. While the occasional timely goal from their talented forward group and fantastic netminding from the tandem of Anders Nilsson and Cam Talbot helped mask many of this group’s shortcomings, everyone knew Todd McLellan’s crew was going to have to improve their overall game and do so in a rather timely manner. 

Talbot's Time To Shine

While a large portion of this fan base were ready to throw netminder Cam Talbot to the curb following a rather difficult stretch of games mere weeks into his Edmonton Oilers career, my guess is they are likely singing a different tune after watching the 28-year old do his thing over the past seven days. Anders Nilsson may have carried the load for the better part of six weeks, but it looks as though No. 33 is ready to reclaim his job as this team’s go-to-guy for the foreseeable future. 

Talbot To The Rescue

It had been quite some time since Cam Talbot started a game for the Edmonton Oilers and even longer since he actually played a part in helping his team take home two points. Prior to last night’s tilt with the Boston Bruins, the former New York Rangers backup netminder had started exactly one of Edmonton’s last 12 games, dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to the Detroit Red Wings on November 27th. 

Making Their Mark

Anyone who looked at the Edmonton Oilers schedule heading into the current NHL campaign knew exactly where things stood. In order for this group to have any hope of staying in contention for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, they were going to have to find a way to survive the opening three months of the season. Typically, that would be far easier said than done. 

Snipe

One would think after leading the Edmonton Oilers in scoring for three of the last five seasons that Jordan Eberle would have bought himself a little bit of rope, but apparently that is not the case. Since making his season debut on November 2nd against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the silky smooth sniper has struggled mightily to find his game. Combine that with the Oilers inability to move up the Western Conference standings and suddenly all that anyone wants to talk about is trading one or both of Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. 

Is Anders Nilsson The Real Deal?

When general manager Peter Chiarelli decided to part ways with a pair of draft picks to acquire netminder Cam Talbot from the New York Rangers, the hope was the Edmonton Oilers had finally found a goalie capable of handling the responsibility that comes with being the go-to-guy for a struggling hockey team. Unfortunately, the 28-year old has been unable to deliver on that promise and has essentially handed Anders Nilsson the opportunity of a lifetime. 

A Breath Of Fresh Air

It may sound odd to say about a team who currently sits in a tie for last place in the overall standings, but the 2015-16 edition of the Edmonton Oilers deserve some credit. After kicking off their year with what has been an almost obscene schedule over the opening eight weeks of the season and being forced to deal with injuries to key personnel, aka Connor McDavid, this group has managed to find a way to stay in hockey games on a nightly basis.

Now Is Not The Time For Laurent Brossoit

When it comes to up and coming prospects currently in the Edmonton Oilers farm system, few appear to have this fan base as excited as netminder Laurent Brossoit. While the organization has been looking for a No. 1 goaltender since parting ways with Dwayne Roloson following the 2008-09 campaign, they have yet to hit the jackpot when it comes to finding their go-to-guy in between the pipes. 

Nilsson Time

We are now 23 days into the month of November and the Edmonton Oilers have played nine games, posting a 3-5-1 mark. While their record may not be where they want it to be, the fact the Oilers have handed over the starters role to Anders Nilsson over the past three weeks is nothing short of astonishing. After all, the 2015-16 campaign was supposed to be a coming-out party for one Cam Talbot. 

Paging Cam Talbot

When the Edmonton Oilers decided to jump into to the off-season trade market and acquire Cam Talbot from the New York Rangers, this organization was hoping they had finally acquired a No. 1 netminder. While it was far from a guarantee, many felt parting ways with a pair of draft picks was a risk well worth taking.

Road Warriors

After kicking off their 2015-16 schedule with five of their first six games on the road, the Edmonton Oilers played seven of their next eight on home ice. That run came to an end on Friday evening when Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins paid their one and only visit of the season to Rexall Place. 

Lesson Learned

For the first time this season, the 2015-16 addition of the Edmonton Oilers were handed the challenge of facing on offence juggernaut on Friday night over at Rexall Place. Despite having won three straight games and showing moderate improvement on a nightly basis, Todd McLellan’s side was brought back down to earth by the visiting Washington Capitals. 

Getting On The Board

It is no secret the Edmonton Oilers still have a fair bit of work in front them before becoming one of the better teams in the NHL. However, with the likes of Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov now in place, it really is not a matter of if this team will become a force to be reckoned with but rather when. 

So Far, So Good

After dropping their home opener to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night, the Edmonton Oilers have essentially mirrored their start from 2014-15. While last year’s 0-3-1 record isn’t much different from this October’s 0-4 mark, there has been one major difference…the play of their netminders. 

Game 3 - A Two Man Show

On an evening in which Connor McDavid potted the first goal of his career, the Edmonton Oilers were badly outclassed by the Dallas Stars. While a final score of 4-2 may suggest a different story, in actuality it was the performance of netminder Anders Nilsson that kept this one from being a blowout. 

Nilsson Continues To Impress

It may have been pitched to the masses as a battle heading into training camp but in actuality it was nothing of the sort. After agreeing to leave the KHL and signing a one-year/one-way deal in hopes of securing a spot on the Edmonton Oilers opening night roster, this was always about Anders Nilsson and no one else.