The Edmonton Oilers keep banking points, even when the week gets messy.
At 12-3-3, they’re still rolling despite dropping two games last week. They grabbed a point in a 4-3 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils, then nearly pulled off a wild comeback after falling behind 5-2 against the Anaheim Ducks before losing 5-4. They wrapped things up with a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
Now the focus shifts to a three-game week from Nov. 8 to Nov. 14, and there’s plenty to watch beyond the standings.
One of the biggest questions is what exactly the Oilers are doing with Trent Frederic. Head coach Mike Babcock scratched him twice last week, then put him back in on Saturday.
Frederic logged three shots, four hits, and just 6:52 of ice time. That kind of usage says plenty about where he stands with the staff.
The strange part is that Frederic hasn’t really played poorly enough to justify being pushed aside. Max Jones got the nod over him, which doesn’t make much sense.
Alex Formenton continues to hold down a regular third-line role despite underperforming. Formenton does kill penalties, but Edmonton’s penalty kill has still been lacklustre, so the benefit there is hard to see.
Owen Michaels is dealing with a different problem: the league is starting to feel like a lot.
He was one of the early feel-good stories of the season after making the team out of training camp and making noise right away. Michaels scored twice in his first three games, looked like a hidden gem, and even carved out a role on the penalty kill. A defensive-minded centre, he began the year on the third line while Jason Dickinson was out, but has since slid to the fourth line as the roster has gotten healthier.
The numbers have turned sharply against him. At 5-on-5, the Oilers have been outshot 102-51, outchanced 94-40, and outscored 11-5 with Michaels on the ice.
The opposition also owns a 32-15 edge in high-danger chances, and Michaels is sitting at just 48.9 percent in the faceoff circle. That’s a rough stretch by any measure.
The bigger picture is pretty clear: he probably shouldn’t be in the lineup every night. Michaels jumped straight into the NHL after college, which is rare, and he spent the last three seasons at Western Michigan University without playing more than 42 games in any one season.
The NHL grind is a different animal, and the travel and workload are starting to show. A stint with the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League could be the next step.
There was better news on the injury front, too. Devon Levi and Zach Hyman both returned against Vancouver.
Levi was needed with Tristan Jarry dealing with an illness, and he stopped 20 of 22 shots in the win for a .909 save percentage. It was his seventh victory of the season, and he’s continued to provide quality goaltending.
Hyman made his presence felt right away in his return. He finished with one assist and two shots in 20:56 of ice time, and his energy stood out.
The Oilers also had a scare with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He left Saturday’s game 45 seconds into the second period after being hit in the head by an attempted clear from Oilers defenceman Ryan Shea.
Asked after the game how long Nugent-Hopkins might be out, Babcock said, “I don’t think he will, actually. Initially, you’re worried about a broken jaw, and they assessed that.
Just knowing our medical guys, there will probably be more assessments tomorrow. But I just shook his hand; he was in the hallway and seemed to be doing Ok,” Babcock stated postgame against Vancouver.
The week ahead is a busy one. Edmonton has 14 games coming in a 25-game stretch, and this week closes out a four-game homestand before a six-game trip out east.
The Oilers face the Rangers for the second time in eight days after beating New York 4-1 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 1.
Then they meet the Flyers for the first time this season.
The week ends in Toronto on Saturday Night Hockey, where the Maple Leafs will get another shot at Edmonton after their 7-2 win in the last meeting.
In Other News...
Oilers Get The Win They Needed But One Concern Just Grew
The Oilers got the result they needed with a 4-2 win over Vancouver, and the night had the familiar fingerprints of Connor McDavid all over it. He kept his point and assist streak rolling to 18 games, setting up goals for Mattias Ekholm and Leon Draisaitl, while Zach Hyman returned to the lineup and chipped in an assist as Edmonton continued to lean on its top-end talent to get through a tight divisional matchup.
But the bigger picture for Edmonton was not just the two points. Devon Levi was back in goal and stopped 20 of 22 shots, giving the Oilers a steadier look in net, yet the game still carried a late concern that could matter more than the standings in the short term. One of their regular forwards left with an issue after taking a puck to the face, and his status will be worth watching as the Oilers try to keep building momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Win Came With A Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Scare
The Oilers got the result they wanted in a recent win, but it came with a jolt when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was hurt early enough to miss most of the contest. Edmonton still found enough production from its line combinations to survive the loss of one of its most trusted forwards, and the postgame read was as much about how the group adjusted as it was about the final score. Several combinations held up well, giving the coaching staff a useful snapshot of what worked when the lineup was forced to shift on the fly.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins status adds another layer to a roster that already has some moving parts, especially with the organization keeping an eye on Bakersfield as well. The Condors recent loss and the goaltending performance there are part of the broader picture, but the bigger question for Edmonton is how it manages its forward group if the injury lingers. With potential changes looming once Matt Savoie is back, the Oilers could be looking at another round of line juggling before long. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres May Have A Trade Chance With Ryan McLeod Suddenly In Limbo
Ryan McLeods place in Buffalo has become a little less certain of late, with the forward recently sitting as a healthy scratch and no longer looking like a regular fixture in the Sabres lineup. For Edmonton, that kind of uncertainty naturally invites a familiar kind of conversation, since center depth is always a topic worth revisiting and McLeods name still carries some appeal in Oil Country.
The trade angle here is still just that, an angle, with no confirmed indication that the Oilers and Sabres are actually working on anything. Even so, McLeods contract and the kind of assets it might take to pry him loose make for an interesting fit check, especially for a team that could always use another option down the middle if the opportunity ever becomes real. [Read more 🡒]