Oil Spills: A podcast on the Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers have come crashing back to earth after a good showing in October, when they posted a 6-4-1 record while beating strong teams such as the Winnipeg Jets, the Nashville Predators and the Washington Capitals, the defending Stanley Cup champions no less, along the way.

Heading into their Nov. 13 home game against the Montreal Canadiens, the Oilers had lost four games in a row in rather convincing fashion, harkening back to memories of last season’s adrift squad.

Host Craig Ellingson talks

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The carousel at right-wing keeps turning for the Edmonton Oilers, with Drake Caggiula catching fire in back-to-back games and hanging onto a spot on the top line alongside star Connor McDavid, even though Ty Rattie — the regular on McDavid’s right-hand flank — was ready to return to the lineup.

So there’s that, and there’s also the strong play of a couple of others on the right side, Alex Chiasson and Zack Kassian, who for the moment are entrenched on the second- and fourth lines, respectively.

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The goaltending’s been the big thing lately for the Edmonton Oilers.

While many things have gone right for the Oilers, particularly in their last four games, to go 6-3-1 in their first 10 games of the season, the play of starting goalie Cam Talbot as well as backup Mikko Koskinen in his single appearance have backstopped the team to its winning record.

Remember: many a pundit and average fan on the street weren’t giving the Oilers much of a chance to win games in October, much less come out of it wit

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It’s the heart of the order for the Edmonton Oilers in October — three games in a row against some of the NHL’s heavyweight teams — and the big question is how they will do against them.

If last Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators, a shutout loss, is any indication, the games against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Washington Capitals and the Predators again will prove thought tests for an Oilers squad that has bared its flaws.

Oil Spills podcast host Craig Ellingson talks to NHL beat w

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Leon Draisaitl, the centre of the Oilers’ second line that includes wingers Milan Lucic and Kailer Yamamoto, has failed to muster offence with his even-strength linemates to start the new NHL season.

So it comes as little surprise the idea of once again moving Draisaitl onto Connor McDavid’s wing — something the Oilers have done in the past to generate goals — has come up again in the media as an option for head coach Todd McLellan, who has summarily dismissed it.

The team wants Draisaitl to be

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NHL beat writer Jim Matheson has been on the road with the Edmonton Oilers for the last week and a half, starting in Germany, where the team played an exhibition game in centre Leon Draisaitl’s home town of Cologne, followed by their regular-season debut in Gothenburg, Sweden, against the New Jersey Devils, a 5-2 loss. And now, the Oilers will make their debut on North American ice on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, facing the host Boston Bruins — a potentially tough matchup as are most of their games at the

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They’ve made the big jump across the pond, and now the Edmonton Oilers are preparing for a big challenge to start the N-H-L season — four games on the road, with the first one in Sweden, all against what should prove to be stiff competition.

That’s this backdrop for the Oilers as they continue to make final adjustments to the lineup, such as waiving players such as Pontus Aberg, who was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, and trading defenceman Jakub Jerabek, who they had waived on Sunday to send

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Decisions, decisions.

The Edmonton Oilers are about halfway through training camp, and while the NHL team has made a number of roster cuts already — sending players in bunches back to junior clubs and to the minor league in Bakersfield for the AHL team camp — the hard work deciding who stays and who goes starts now.

The Oilers have three pre-season games left before they depart for Europe, where they’ll play an exhibition in Cologne, Germany, before starting the 2018-19 season in Gothenburg, Swede

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Darnell Nurse has finally signed a new contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

It’ll be a big boost for the N-H-L team’s blue-line as Nurse played some important minutes for the club last season.

He’ll slot into the team’s top four and take some pressure off prospects such as Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones and recent first-round draft pick Evan Bouchard.

Host Craig Ellingson talks to hockey writers Jim Matheson and Derek Van Diest all about the Oilers’ defence and the challenges the players face as they

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The gang’s almost all here! Edmonton Oilers prospects have reported to rookie camp ahead of the opening of main camp later this week. It features the likes of Evan Bouchard, the Oilers’ first-round draft pick this past June, as well as other hopefuls who have an opportunity to make an impact and get a longer look as the team readies for the season. Tyler Benson, the Oilers’ second-round pick two years ago, is playing in his first pre-season games after missing action the past couple of Septembers beca

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