Oiler Fans Love Zack Kassian

As we near the one-year anniversary of the trade that saw the Edmonton Oilers send netminder Ben Scrivens to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Zack Kassian, one can’t help but to take a moment and reflect. While the former is currently playing goal for Minsk Dynamo in the KHL, the latter has managed to not only find himself a regular a spot in Todd McLellan’s starting lineup but also become a fan favourite in a city that once viewed him as Public Enemy No.1.

Perception vs Reality

Despite having had the privilege of watching some of the greatest players to ever play in the NHL and being handed the opportunity to see the game’s next generational talent develop in their own backyard, fans of the Edmonton Oilers have always seemed to hold a special place in the hearts for the so-called hard-working but less talented player. It has been that way since Day One and will likely continue to be the case till the end of time. 

Old-Time Hockey vs Common Sense

No matter how you slice it, last night was a tough one for the Edmonton Oilers. As if being shutout by a score of 3-0 by James Reimer and the visiting San Jose Sharks wasn’t already bad enough, rookie Darnell Nurse made things a little more uncomfortable with an ill-advised decision late in the third period. After watching Matt Hendricks crash into the end boards on what some thought to be a dirty play from Sharks blueliner Roman Polak, the tough as nails defenceman chose to take matters into his own hands. Problem being, the situation did not warrant such a response. 

Please...Not This Again

If the decision to use Taylor Hall at centre ice during yesterday’s 4-0 loss to the Calgary Flames was solely due to the fact Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was unable to suit up after taking a shot off his skate against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, than it is no big deal. 

The Finish Line Is Finally In Sight

While playing out the string is something the Edmonton Oilers have specialized in for far too long, the conclusion of their 2014-15 campaign simply cannot come soon enough. 

Six of Eight

After watching their goaltending cost them a number of points in the standings over the opening three months of the season, the Edmonton Oilers and their fans know exactly how the New York Islanders must be feeling following last night’s 5-2 loss to Todd Nelson’s crew. 

Boyd Gordon....

Much of the praise for the Edmonton Oilers recent run of finding ways to win hockey games has been given, right or wrong, to netminder Ben Scrivens. While the twenty-eight year old Spruce Grove native has rebounded quite nicely from an absolutely dreadful start to his 2014-15 campaign, as a collective unit the Oilers are playing a far more disciplined style of game in their own end of the rink and in turn, give themselves a far better chance of earning two points on a nightly basis. 

The Floodgates Open!!!

After coming out and playing what was easily their best hockey of the season over their last three games, the Edmonton Oilers were nowhere near their best on Friday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. 
Despite struggling mightily over the opening thirty minutes of play, the Oilers exploded for six goals over the final period and a half and cruise to a 6-3 win over the winless Eastern Conference cellar dwellers. 

Time For Pitlick To Claim A Roster Spot

The moment Edmonton Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish decided to bring Benoit Pouliot and Teddy Purcell on board for the upcoming 2014-15 campaign, Tyler Pitlick had to have been wondering if he had missed his opportunity to stick with the team that drafted him back in 2010. 

Time for Pitlick to sink or swim

It wasn’t supposed to go like this for Tyler Pitlick and the Edmonton Oilers. 

The Quick Fix

As of this moment the Edmonton Oilers top six forwards consists of Jordan Eberle, Sam Gagner, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, David Perron and Nail Yakupov. That said, if we are to take general manager Craig MacTavish at his word and do a little bit of reading between the lines, there will be at least one, if not two, different names as permanent fixtures on his first two lines 

UFA Market...here we come!!!

There is no question that the 2013-14 campaign will go down as one of the most disappointing in the history of the Edmonton Oilers. This was supposed to be the year the guys in Orange and Blue were going to push for a playoff spot and instead they did nothing more than push for yet another lottery pick.

So what gives?

After struggling through the opening two-thirds of their 2014-15 campaign, the Edmonton Oilers have sure picked a peculiar time to start trying to play a far more responsible style of game.

Bryz comes up large

It was far from a masterpiece and at times, it was frankly difficult to watch but in the end, the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres was two points Dallas Eakins crew had no business earning. After watching Ben Scrivens be peppered with 100 shots over his last two starts, the Oilers clearly didn’t want Ilya Bryzgalov to feel left out.

It pays to know Dallas Eakins

Another day and another deal involving the Edmonton Oilers and a player who had previously been coached by Dallas Eakins during his time as the Toronto Marlies bench boss. First came the free agent signings of Will Acton and Ryan Hamilton, then the trade for goaltender Ben Scrivens and today we saw the arrival of Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Mark Fraser in exchange for the rights to Teemu Hartikainen and minor leaguer Cameron Abney.

Improving the mix

From an Edmonton Oiler fans standpoint, last night’s 5-1 victory over the Nashville Predators was what most had hoped to see from their young squad on a far more regular basis. Two point efforts from the quartet of Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Justin Schultz, with a goal from Nail Yakupov mixed into boot. Not too shabby.

Dubnyk could be in tough

In a perfect world, former Edmonton Oilers netminder Devan Dubnyk would love to simply close his eyes and forget the 2013-14 campaign ever took place. The 2004 fourteenth overall pick not only blew a golden opportunity to prove he was a legitimate #1 NHL starter but was ultimately sent packing to the Nashville Predators in exchange for veteran role player Matt Hendricks.

Six games and counting

It was yet another disastrous start for the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night. After digging themselves a fairly deep hole over the opening thirty or so minutes of action, Dallas Eakins’ side would respond with their usual frenetic third period comeback but would ultimately end up short, falling 4-3 to the visiting Phoenix Coyotes.

Oilers lay yet another egg in Minnesota

The Edmonton Oilers are now fifty games into their 2013-14 campaign and following their disappointing 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night, this club has now lost a league worst thirty games in regulation time. While losing has almost become second nature for this group, the way in which they fell to a badly undermanned Wild side, has to be concerning to both head coach Dallas Eakins and general manager Craig MacTavish.

MacT is betting on both Scrivens and Hendricks being able to fill a void

Wednesday afternoon proved to be a rather busy time for the Edmonton Oilers Craig MacTavish.
The rookie GM managed to pull off not one but two deals in his ongoing quest to improve his club’s NHL roster.