A Big Win Before The Oilers Head Out On The Highway

Now, I'm no Zsolt Munoz but I hope this post gamer will suffice.

Highlights

The Good

Leon Draisaitl is a beast. No, not even a beast. An absolute monster. His time spent in the gym over the summer has clearly paid off, because he is playing at another level. When Connor McDavid went down with his broken clavicle, the last thing I expected was for Neon Leon to step up and score at the pace he has.

Tonight was no different as he potted three points. Draisaitl has continued to look very strong through his first ten games this season. Who knows where he can go from here upon McDavid's eventual return but I do not see envision an Oilers lineup in the future without Draisaitl in the Oilers top six. 

One of the nice things was to see the team winning lots of battles tonight. Hard work along the boards paid off.

Jordan Eberle's scored his second goal in two games tonight and while it may not have been the prettiest of goals, it proved to be the dagger in the heart of the Devil(s). While it has taken him a little while to get back after recovering from his shoulder injury I think it is fair to say that he is back. Mark Letestu created a great turnover and thus scored the Oilers fourth goal of the game. It was nice to see the Oilers keep the gas pedal down in the 3rd period.

The Bad

Is there anyone actually in Rexall place? Watching the game on Sportsnet, I don't think the Oilers fans made any noise whatsoever tonight. There really wasn't very much bad tonight.

What's with Jordin Tootoo giving Darnell Nurse those shots with 1:17 to go? Good on Darnell for keeping a cool head. His play has been exceptional this season. The time spent back in the OHL following his draft year, as well as the time spent in the AHL has clearly paid off. For Nurse to come in this season

The Ugly

For some reason, the Devils decided to pull Keith Kinkaid with about 3:30 left in the 3rd period. They were down 4-1 already, so why not make it 5? Hall happily obliged as he and Draisaitl each got another point.

Thoughts

Despite the fact that at times the Oilers looked sloppy, I felt that tonight was a really solid effort from the whole team. Each of our four lines keep the pressure on during the forecheck, and all were in a good position to support defencemen and limit shots in the game.

Up Next

The Oilers head out on the road again for a 5-game trip to the East coast. The team will face Washington, Carolina, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Toronto. So far this season the Oilers are 4-2 against Eastern Conference teams, so here's to hoping the team can continue to find success there and build confidence for when they return from the road. When they do come back, they will face Boston, Dallas, Buffalo, San Jose and the Rangers, so a few road wins would certainly help get the team ready to face some strong opponents.

What did you make of tonight's win?