The Edmonton Oilers got a lot out of a strong night against the red-hot Calgary Flames, and the result came with plenty of encouraging signs scattered throughout the lineup. Tristan Jarry posted the shutout, the Nuge line and the Shea-Murphy pairing both stood out, and a penalty kill that wasn’t overworked did its part to keep things stable.
At 9-2-2, with Halloween getting closer, the Mike Babcock era is settling into a strong first chapter. That doesn’t mean everything is clean. Outlet passes, injuries, consistency and roster depth remain major concerns for this team in 2026-27.
The Oilers also hit the point total expectation I had for them at 20 points in 14 games, and they did it with a game still left against the Islanders. What matters now is whether the second line can score and whether the second pairing can both suppress chances and move the puck north under control.
Last night helped. The outlets to nowhere may still be the last hurdle on the path to greatness, and Damien Carfagna could be a useful recall later in the year to help solve that issue.
From a five-on-five standpoint, there was a lot to like. All four lines sat around 50 percent, the second and third lines were on the ice for a five-on-five goal, and nothing in the four stat sets looked alarming.
Calgary may not be the league’s best team, but they came in hot and Edmonton handled the game with a rugged, strong approach. The Oilers finished with a 52 percent share of the five-on-five expected goals, though the second-period issues kept it from looking even better.
That has been a lingering problem and may not get fully sorted out until the new year.
The top line did its job. McDavid’s five-on-five assist came with 97 and Podkolzin on the ice with the goal scorer, Joseph, while the Podkolzin-McDavid-Draisaitl combination generated seven shots and eight high-danger chances.
The second line had a productive night too. Nuge picked up an assist on Mattias Ekholm’s seeing-eye shot, Kapanen scored on the power play with an assist from 93, and Dach played with enough edge to make a real impact, including knocking Cooley out of the game.
The third line may have been the most encouraging story of the night. Jason Dickinson set up the fourth goal, while Mathieu Joseph opened the scoring and Alex Formenton finished it, with both coming at five-on-five.
If all three of those players can get to 12-15 goals this season, the idea of three scoring lines starts to feel very real. The fourth line didn’t produce much offensively, with three shots and one HDSC, but it also didn’t give up much.
That matters. Satisfactory game across the board.
Good arrows.
Mattias Ekholm looked like himself again in his return, scoring a goal and holding things down alongside Evan Bouchard. Ekholm-Bouchard, by the way, is one of the all-time best pairings in Oilers history.
Shea and Murphy also gave the team a little extra offense while continuing to do the defensive work that has defined them. Shea has been a player to watch, and Stan Bowman’s biggest success has been Vasily Podkolzin, but Shea and Devon Levi have a chance to join that list of real wins.
The third pair had its moments too, with Ty Emberson dropping the gloves and Shakir Mukhamadullin making the simple play. Sometimes the best sign from a third pair is that you barely notice it, and that was mostly the case here despite the workload.
Jarry deserved star consideration. He stopped six high-danger chances, earned the shutout and stayed composed even when the Oilers were in their high-anxiety “deer in the headlights” mode in their own end. He was good last night, plain and simple.
All told, it was a business-like performance from Edmonton. The second period got a little shaky, some of the passers need to be better and the forwards have to present themselves as more inviting targets.
But the controllable parts were mostly handled, and Jarry took care of the rest. Most nights, all four lines and all three pairings playing at that level should make the Oilers competitive.
The players deserve most of the credit, though Mike Babcock and his dancing “healthy scratch machine” surely have a hand in it too.
In Other News...
Oilers May Be Finding Goalie Stability At Exactly The Right Time
Tristan Jarry gave the Oilers exactly what they needed in a 4-0 win over Calgary, turning aside 24 shots and delivering a composed, timely shutout. It was the kind of performance Edmonton has been hoping to find amid a shaky stretch in goal, and one that fit neatly with the rest of the clubs work in front of him.
Jarrys strong night comes at a critical moment for Edmonton, which is leaning on him more heavily than it planned to because of injuries and absences elsewhere in the crease. Head coach Mike Babcock and Connor McDavid both praised the effort, and if the Oilers can keep getting that kind of stability from Jarry, it could buy them some much-needed breathing room while they wait for their depth to return. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Crease Picture Gets More Uncertain As Devon Levi Waits
The Oilers goaltending picture remains a little murkier than they would like as Devon Levi continues to work back from an undisclosed injury he picked up last week. Edmonton has not had much clarity on when hell be ready to return, and the timing matters with the club still sorting out its crease usage as the schedule keeps moving.
Matt Tomkins traveling with the team on the three-game road trip suggests the Oilers are preparing for the possibility Levi needs a bit more time. For a team trying to keep its rotation stable, that kind of uncertainty is hardly ideal, especially when a quick return is not yet guaranteed. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Trade Theory Has Fans Wondering What Team USA Stars Know
Mike Babcock has been sending a message from the bench as well as behind the microphone, and it has little to do with salary. The Oilers coach has already shown he is willing to sit Jake Walman when the mistakes keep showing up on video, a reminder that a bigger contract does not buy automatic ice time. For a team trying to keep standards tight, that kind of hard line matters almost as much as the results on the scoreboard.
The same sort of blunt roster reality is making the rounds elsewhere in the league, where Vancouver is said to be weighing veteran trade possibilities after a rough skid and New Jersey has suddenly become the center of some unusual Olympic-era chatter. The Devils recent move for Connor Hellebuyck has only fueled speculation that Team USA names like Dylan Larkin and Quinn Hughes could be looking at the same destination, though nothing has been confirmed. For Edmonton fans, it is another reminder that the leagues rumor mill can turn fast, even when the real answer is still sitting a long way from public view. [Read more 🡒]