The Oilers head into Anaheim this week for their first extended road trip of the season, and the matchup comes with a little extra bite. The Honda Center is the site of Wednesday night’s stop, and it’s also the building where Edmonton will see the Ducks team that knocked them out last spring.
Edmonton should have some help back in the lineup, too. Jason Dickinson appears set to return in Anaheim after missing the start of the season with the ankle injury that also kept him out earlier. Dickinson was strong in last April’s playoff series in the limited games he played, and he and the rest of the Oilers will have had three days off to get ready for a shot at payback against a Ducks club that has opened the year well.
Anaheim is unbeaten through two games, and the record comes with some real substance. The Ducks opened with a regulation win over Vegas and then followed it up with an overtime win against Florida.
Neither game was clean. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead against the Golden Knights before hanging on for a 4-3 win, then needed late heroics after the Panthers tied things with less than two minutes left before Anaheim finished it in overtime.
The early returns on Anaheim’s major commitments have been encouraging. The club matched the Philadelphia Flyers’ five-year, $90 million offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, the largest offer sheet ever, and also handed out major deals to Cutter Gauthier, Tristan Luneau and Pavel Mintyukov.
Gauthier’s six-year contract is worth $81 million, or $13.5 million annually. Luneau got six years and $43.2 million, which works out to a $7.1-million average annual value, while Mintyukov signed for five years and $36 million at $7.2 million per season.
Those players have backed up the investment early. Carlsson and Gauthier have led the offence through the first two games, with five points and four points respectively.
Luneau has also made a strong early case for the faith Anaheim showed in him. He has one assist and has logged almost 27 minutes a night.
Mintyukov has yet to record a point, but he is still playing 20:30 per game. Along with Jackson LaCombe, who is established as the Ducks’ top defenceman, that trio is carrying a blue line that still looks thin.
In goal, Lukas Dostal has taken both starts so far and is the likeliest option against Edmonton after two days off. His numbers through the first two games have been sharp, with a .918 save percentage and 1.9 goals saved above expected. Ville Husso is serving as his backup.
The Ducks’ power play has already shown it can do damage. After going scoreless on two chances against Vegas, Anaheim broke through in a big way against Florida, scoring three times on four opportunities.
That’s something Edmonton has to watch closely, especially with the Oilers’ penalty kill still struggling the way it did late last spring. Through three games, it ranks 31st in the league.
Anaheim’s penalty kill sits 14th so far, right in the middle of the pack, but the Ducks have also taken seven penalties in two games. If that trend continues, Edmonton’s power play needs to make them pay.
Both clubs have had uneven starts, but both have found a way to bank points. They’re rested, they’re fresh, and Wednesday night sets up as a lively one in Anaheim.
In Other News...
Oilers Trade Talks Are Heating Up Around One Hidden Target
Trade chatter around the Oilers has picked up again, and this time the focus is on a young forward who could give Edmonton some additional upside down the middle. TSN insider Darren Dreger reported that general manager Stan Bowman has been in detailed talks with an Eastern Conference club, with the organization also weighing its own crop of young players as it sorts through roster options.
The identity of the player has been kept quiet, which only adds to the sense that the discussions are delicate and getting serious. Dreger said the sides have been working on the deal for several weeks and that it could be close, a sign that Edmonton may be nearing a move that says as much about its long-term planning as it does about the immediate roster. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Make A Needed Depth Move As Injuries Keep Pressuring Forwards
The Oilers kept working to patch their forward group by dealing defenseman Spencer Stastney to the Penguins for Filip Hallander, a swap that fits a couple of pressing needs on both sides. Edmonton has been leaning hard on its roster depth as injuries continue to squeeze the forwards, while Pittsburgh gets a left-shot defenseman in a move that helps its own blue line picture.
Hallander has seen only limited NHL action with Pittsburgh this season, but Edmonton is clearly willing to take a look at another option who can help stabilize the middle and bottom of the lineup. For a team trying to stay afloat through the wear and tear of the early season, even a modest depth addition can matter, and this one gives the Oilers a little more flexibility as they wait on healthier bodies to return. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Just Made A Fringe Roster Move Worth Watching
The Oilers have made a small roster move that could end up being more interesting than it looks on the surface, swapping a defenseman for a forward in a deal with Pittsburgh. Edmonton sent Spencer Stastney to the Penguins and brought back Filip Hallander, with both clubs confirming the trade as the Oilers continue to tinker at the margins of the roster.
Stastney had made Edmontons opening-night roster, but he has not played in a game this season, which gives the move a little extra weight for a team always trying to balance depth now against flexibility later. Hallander arrives with his own career path and recent performance history, and for the Oilers the real question is whether this is simply a depth shuffle or the first sign of a broader look at how the bottom of the lineup is being shaped. [Read more 🡒]