Oil Spills: Friday Links - Draisaitl Leads the Way

About Last Night

Oh, What a Night -- The Copper & Blue
The Oilers started well enough against the Canadiens. Then it got ugly. Then it got less ugly. Then it got awesome.

Canadiens vs Oilers recap: How The West Was Lost -- Eyes On The Prize
The dreaded western swing continues as the Canadiens rolled into Edmonton Thursday evening

Player grades: Draisaitl, McDavid lead stirring comeback as Oilers stun first place Habs - Bruce McCurdy -- Cult of Hockey
There’s an old axiom that a team has to fail before it can succeed. On Thursday night Edmonton Oilers compressed that process into a single 60-minute hockey game. After crashing to a 3-0 deficit before the first period was done, the Oilers spun their wheels for much of the second before pouring it on with four consecutive goals in the last 21 minutes of regulation to steal a dramatic 4-3 win against the NHL’s first place club, the Montreal Canadiens.

Oilers youth injection makes difference as they overtake Canadiens to win 4-3 - John MacKinnon -- Edmonton Journal
It was passion over reason. Youth over experience. Raw brilliance over team play. It was, in a word, extraordinary.Call-up Leon Draisaitl scores twice in Oilers comeback victory - Rob Tychkowski -- Edmonton Sun

This wasn’t the first time most of the fans at Rexall Place went home angry.

Draisaitl rallies Edmonton Oilers with last-minute goal to shock Canadiens 4-3 - Jim Matheson -- Edmonton Journal
3-0 lead? Worst lead in hockey, right?

Canadiens cooled off big-time after first period - Derek Van Diest -- Edmonton Sun
The Montreal Canadiens looked home and cooled after the first period Thursday at Rexall Place, much to the delight of thousands of their fans who were in attendance.

GDB 11.0 Wrap Up: Habs @ Oilers -- OilersNation
What a comeback! That was emotional. Final Score: 4-3 Oilers

Edmonton Oilers Storm Back To Halt Habs 4-3 -- Oil On Whyte
The kids are all right.

Nail Yakupov reaching his potential on line with Connor McDavid - David Staples -- Cult of Hockey
Has the real Nail Yakupov finally stood up?

Around the NHL

What is wrong with Sidney Crosby? -- TSN
Sidney Crosby does not have a point in eight of nine games this season, the first time that has ever happened at any point in his career - not just to start a campaign. His run with long-awaited supporting cast member Phil Kessel lasted just seven games.

Eyes on the Dollar: Nashville Predators -- NHLNumbers.com
Earlier this week, the Nashville Predators locked Mattias Ekholm to a six-year extension, meaning they have the brunt of their defensive core locked up long-term. The only core defenceman who isn't under control for the foreseeable future is Seth Jones, who's entry-level deal expires at the end of the season. Along with Jones, Filip Forsberg will also need a new deal this summer, but thanks to a bunch of team-friendly deals, the Preds should have no problem getting their star young players signed.

3-on-3 overtime is doing exactly what the NHL hoped it would do -- CBSSports.com
The NHL's attempt at 3-on-3 overtime hockey is doing exactly what it was designed to do. Cut down on the number of shootouts.

Exploring the Impact of New NHL Coaches and GMs -- Hockey Graphs
With Todd Richards being let go after a disastrous 0-7 start by the Blue Jackets, and Bruce Boudreau on the hot seat (heck, he might be out of a job by the time I finish writing this), coaching is once again in the spotlight. After Richards was fired, I went on a mini rant about how I believe having a good GM is more important than having a good coach, and while I still believe this is true, I wouldn’t be a data person unless I tried to prove it.

Your NHL Stock Report -- Grantland
It’s the end of October, which means two things for NHL fans: Your Twitter feed is being overtaken by awkward photos of your favorite players in horrible Halloween costumes, and it’s time to take stock of the first month of regular-season action.

If NHL Teams Were Scary Movies - The Hockey Writers
It is that time of year. It is starting to get a little chilly outside and everyone is warming up on their couches and putting all the scary movies on as Halloween is just a few days away. So what if NHL teams were some of those movies? Let’s find out.