Go ahead and bore me.
Please.
That and more in this edition of…
9 Things
9. After their impressive win in San Jose Saturday, the Edmonton Oilers are the only National Hockey League team remaining this season without a regulation loss.
8. A big part of that success is the superlative play of Evan Bouchard. His +12 in the first five games of the season is an NHL record, previously held by four others: Pierre Pilote (CHI, 1966-67), Bob Dailey (PHI, 1977-78), Brian Engblom (MTL, 1981-82), and Bob Manno (TOR, 1981-82).
7. In pre-season, I wrote that it would take Alex Formenton some time to re-adapt to NHL play, even half a season. I do not think most of the criticism of his early on-ice play has been particularly unfair. I just believe patience will tell the full story. But that spectacular breakaway goal Saturday was an encouraging chapter.
6. Newly acquired Filip Hallander played his first game as an Oiler Saturday. Not everyone was a fan of this trade, and I only wish Spencer Stastney well. But one game in, it sure appears as if Edmonton got the better player in the deal. While probably best suited as a bottom six guy, Hallander’s size, wheels and hands suggest a guy who could play up and down the lineup.
5. Unless you have an elite goaltender, an NHL team in 2026 really needs (at least) two goalies. That goes double for the Oilers who annually have one of the toughest travel schedules in the league. So as exciting as Devon Levi’s start has been for Edmonton fans this season, the solid performance by embattled Tristan Jarry on Saturday was equally important. And we do not exactly know when Freddie Andersen will return. So, in the meantime, more please.
4. Among the impressive aspects of the Oilers start is how they have fared despite the injuries to key players. But now, those guys are starting to return. Jason Dickinson was the first back. But Zach Hyman is expected to play in Los Angeles Tuesday and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will follow. So, the battle to stay in the lineup really begins. And it is that type of internal competition that makes teams better. And along the way, you discover just how deep your club really is.
3. The scrum exchange between former Oiler Darnell Nurse and SportsNet reporter Mark Spector sure attracted a storm of reaction on-line. The money quote, from Nurse, in reference to articles and comments concerning Nurse’s Hockey IQ: “With my low IQ, I do not know if I am able to answer your questions. I figure your questions are a little above my head.” I had no problem with Nurse’s approach. He has a right to defend himself. But I felt Spector took an unreasonable amount of criticism from fans. Spector’s actual job is to ask the tough questions. And, unlike some who often hide behind their keyboards, Mark routinely ends up face-to-face with the athletes he writes about. Like this time. Trust me, as someone who has done it…it ain’t so easy.
2. There was a lot written and said about how things might go for new Head Coach Mike Babcock if the season did not start off well. But I do not remember a river of articles about how things would be if it went well…which it (small sample) has so far. The Oilers are first overall, after all! It has not been picture-perfect. With a new coach, new systems, and many fresh players this was always going to be a work in progress. But progress there has been. Back-to-back 3-1 wins over fast and talented Pacific Division rivals on the first protracted road trip of the season may foreshadow how this team might succeed. The real trick will be how Mike Babcock can coach them into playing this way consistently. The Oilers have shown they can be a top tier team, with two Stanley Cup Final berths in the last three seasons. Can this approach put them up and over the top?
1.An unusual descriptor has seeped into the lexicon surrounding this Oilers team that I never dreamed that I would encounter during the McDavid era: Boring. In reality, no one expects a team with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard on it to be the slightest bit boring. But for those who might not be purists of the game of hockey, maybe the defensive game Mike Babcock is asking these guys to play is a little…un-exciting at times. After all, things like safe chips up the wall, a backtrack to your goalie’s crease and stopping and starting on defence are things that tend not to end up on SportsCenter. They are certainly not the sexiest parts of the game for most. After all, while many of us as kids imagined scoring the big goal in the championship game few of us dream about getting in a lane (Ty Emberson) or D-zone draw (here’s looking at you, Owen Michaels).
But when you closely watch talented teams that never quite achieve their potential (yes, like the Oilers), it is often those little things that are missing. Or if they are there, they show up in games all too inconsistently. But the clubs that win it all? They seem to manage to figure out just how critical “the little details of the game” are. They grind. And they execute. Especially at the most critical times.
Look: No one is asking Connor McDavid to not “Connor McDavid”, or Evan Bouchard to not “Bouch Bomb” one from the point.
So, then what is the message to the Edmonton Oilers here?
Go ahead and bore us just a little…please!
This article is not AI generated.
Leavins Cult of Hockey
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Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.
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