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Morning, folks!
Lovely little rout last night for our heroes as they beat the brakes off the Winnipeg Jets in a game we, as Oilers fans, can only hope is a playoff preview. Mike Smith was good early and late, Connor McDavid was superlative throughout, and the Oilers didn’t even have to try in the third period.
That’s Ryan McLeod talking about his NHL debut post game. Hard to imagine it going much better for a kid who didn’t factor on the score sheet. McLeod managed more than 13 minutes and, despite coming out on the wrong end of the fancies, managed to draw a penalty and otherwise make a couple of solid plays, flashing his effortless stride and a bit of skill with the rock throughout. Welcome.
Now for Evan Bouchard’s debut. I mean, I know he’s played some NHL games this year, but it’s been about a full season since his last one so it’s basically like he’s starting over. Maybe he gets in on Wednesday.
Speaking of debuts, Dmitry Kulikov was more effective last night than Kris Russell ever has been. He flashed some good puck movement in P1 and was maybe a bit sloppier in that regard as the game went on, but that pairing was good for ~70% of the expected goals.
And hey, because I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t remind everyone that not everything is rosy, check out this mind-bending stat:
Unreal Connor McDavid stat:
— Matt Larkin (@THNMattLarkin) April 26, 2021
At 5-on-5, Oilers are plus-88 in scoring chances with him on the ice. Without him, they're minus-183
Good job, Ken.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Episode 8: The Fast Jedi
(I’m losing steam here.)
The Oilers split a playoff-like series against the Canadiens, Ryan McLeod’s set to make his NHL debut, Oscar Klefbom could be exempt in the expansion draft, and much, much more in this week’s episode of the CB Podcast!
GAME RECAP: Oilers 6, Jets 1. (Copper and Blue)
GAME THREAD: Game 46/56 Edmonton Oilers @ Winnipeg Jets (Copper and Blue)
The SuperFan Podcast – Episode 24 – Zach Laing, OilersNation (Copper and Blue)
Copper & Blue Podcast: EP. 8 (Copper and Blue)
Weekly Odds Forecast April 26-May 2 (Copper and Blue)
Hot Links: Monday, April 26 (Copper and Blue)
The Day After: The Best German There Ever Has Been, Leon Draisaitl (ON)
Player grades: Connor McDavid leads the charge yet again as Oilers fly past Jets into second place (EJ)
McDavid Takes Over Again As Oilers Continue To Own Hellebuyck, Jets (SN)
Edmonton Oilers Crush Winnipeg Jets In Lopsided Playoff Preview (ES)
Sometimes Stars Like Mark Scheifele Get Benched (ES)
Oilers Prospect Update: House Griffith-Dor (ON)
Oilers Development Pipeline Continues To Produce NHL’ers (TOR)
An Obscure Name has Entered the Hart Trophy Race. Heard of Him? (SI)
A 2nd Hart Trophy Is Firmly In Connor McDavid’s Grasp After Yet Another Dominant Performance (TA)
Pressure Index: Which Oilers Need To Step Up Down The Stretch? (TA)