The Edmonton Oilers have built plenty of success in recent years, but their track record in Columbus has a strange wrinkle attached to it.
At Nationwide Arena, the Oilers are stuck in a five-game losing streak against the Blue Jackets. That run stretches all the way back to October 30, 2019, when Leon Draisaitl scored twice and added an assist, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins chipped in with two assists in Edmonton’s last road win there.
That 2019 result came during a stretch when the Oilers had won three straight road games in Columbus. Before that, they had also taken a 4-0 victory on March 2, 2019, and a 7-2 win on December 12, 2017.
The current skid is not even Edmonton’s first long dry spell at Nationwide Arena. Prior to that earlier run of success, the Oilers had already gone five straight road games without beating Columbus there, with the last win before that stretch coming on February 10, 2013. Edmonton won that game 3-1, and Devan Dubnyk stopped 40 shots while posting a .975 save percentage.
The broader head-to-head numbers match the oddity. Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the home team has won 26 of the 35 meetings between the Oilers and Blue Jackets. Right now, the home side has taken the last seven matchups, a streak that began with Edmonton’s most recent road win in Columbus.
The Oilers will get another shot to break the pattern on December 27. That game will be their first after the holiday break and the opener of a six-game World Juniors road trip.
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Connor Ingrams Sudden Ending Leaves Oilers With An Unexpected Goalie Question
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Ingrams next move is a deeply personal one, since he plans to return to school to study psychology and eventually use that path to help others. He has spoken openly about his mental health battles, including diagnoses of obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression, and his retirement closes the book on a career that carried both the pressures of the NHL and the weight of those off-ice challenges. [Read more 🡒]
Connor Ingrams NHL Exit Leaves Coyotes Fans With One Big Question
Connor Ingrams pro hockey run has come to a sudden close, with the goalie announcing his retirement on Instagram after not landing a contract for the upcoming season. The decision brings an end to a five-season NHL career that took him through Nashville, Arizona and, briefly, Edmonton, where he finished last season in a depth role before the offseason market dried up.
For Oilers fans, Ingrams time in Edmonton was short but noticeable, another reminder of how quickly the goaltending carousel can spin in the NHL. His last stretch with the club featured steady enough numbers to keep him in the conversation, but the bigger takeaway now is where he goes next, as he plans to leave the game and return to school to study psychology. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face A Big Question About Babcock And Their Biggest Stars
The Oilers are entering the season with a familiar kind of spotlight on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and this time it comes with a coaching wrinkle attached. Mike Babcocks reputation has always been built on demanding buy-in from his best players, and in Edmonton that naturally raises the question of how his approach will mesh with two stars who already set the standard every night. It is the kind of dynamic that can shape a room long before the first important game is played.
Jeff ONeill has made clear he is not sold on the idea that Babcock will be able to apply the same hard-nosed discipline to McDavid or Draisaitl that he once expected from other marquee names. Still, both players have already spoken positively about their new coach, which only adds another layer to the intrigue. For the Oilers, the real test is whether that public respect turns into the kind of accountability that holds up when the season starts to bite. [Read more 🡒]