The Edmonton Oilers are 4-1-0

[Box Score]
[Oilers Nation]

The Oilers get so little coverage, I couldn't even find photos of this game worthy of going on the blog. But alas, we've reached a high point in my fandom of the Edmonton Oilers since I started following them in 2010. It was 2011 that they began the season 8-4 and I thought the likes of Taylor Hall, Teddy Peckham and others were onto something. They finished that season 32-40-10. It blended in with all the other Oilers seasons.

But the Oilers have a new feel, a mostly new roster, and a new arena they're defending with an attitude.

Tonight, Connor McDavid refused to go scoreless for a third straight game which he has never done in his career. He set up on a Milan Lucic goal (Lucic's second as an Oiler) to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead and scored an empty netter which leads off this post in the game's final minute to seal the 3-1 win.

The Blues are a solid club to beat, entering the game at 3-0-1.

The Blues only goal was of course, a Nail Yakupov goal to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead. Pitlick scored quickly after that to tie it, and how nice; the Oilers seem to answer scores this season.

At the moment, Edmonton only trails Vancouver in the division standings. They take on the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday in the outdoor Heritage Classic.

Linkies

The Edmonton Oilers play again tonight at 9:00 PM. It's our job to carry over until that point and get some quality hockey links up. Every year this time of year we write a lot about hockey.

• Auston Matthews is ready (four goals, NHL Debut ready). [Deadspin]
• Evander Kane, hurt real bad. [Twitter]
• The Columbus Blue Jackets lost the most Columbus Blue Jacket game ever in their home opener last night. [Puck Rakers]
• Top analytics expert rips Oilers for Taylor Hall trade to New Jersey Devils. [Cult of Hockey]
• Jack Eichel is hurt pretty bad, which sucks for my fantasy team. [Die by the Blade]
• The Pens raised their Stanley Cup banner. [Puck Daddy]

Oilers win the first game at Rogers Place 7-4 behind Captain Connor

[Box Score]
[Cult of Hockey]

Connor McDavid had two goals and an assist last night. Milan Lucic got in a fight to defend the Edmonton captain, and the Oilers are 1-0 in their new arena and with McDavid wearing the 'C'.

Here's McDavid's game-winning goal against Brian Elliot on a penalty shot:

Connor McDavid is named the Oilers Captain

McDavid joins a legendary group of #Oilers captains. pic.twitter.com/sizbyIwtsR

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 5, 2016

Connor McDavid has deservingly been named the youngest team captain in NHL History.

Here's the list:

Connor McDavid – 19 years, 266 days
Gabriel Landeskog – 19 years, 286 days
Sidney Crosby – 19 years, 297 days
Vincent Lecavalier – 19 years, 315 days
Jonathan Toews – 20 years, 80 days
Steve Yzerman – 21 years, 151 days
Jim Schoenfeld – 21 years, 362 days

I saw Connor McDavid play live

There's a lot of cool places in this world I haven't been to yet. There's a lot of athletes I'll never see play. But I will live and die knowing I saw Connor McDavid play and score his 13th goal of his career live. Here it was:

Some other notes from the game:

• The head linesman Darren Gibbs got hit with a puck off the stick of Mark Fayne and had to leave the game.
• I caught a Blue Jackets t-shirt. 
• Taylor Hall scored on a powerplay, his 22nd of the season. Connor McDavid on the assist.

• Leon Draisatl had his 17th goal of the season.
• The Oilers gifted three goals back to Columbus within :45 of scoring each of their own. Totally pathetic. 

Connor McDavid: 1, Jack Eichel: 0

[Event Summary]

[Cult of Hockey] [Die by the Blade]

I'm sad I wasn't watching this one on NHL Gamecentre. I missed one of Connor McDavid's first true great moments. 

He opened up scoring with his quickest goal to open a game in his career. Just :22 into the ballgame, McDavid got his 11th goal of the season on a little backhander. It looked easy. 

Then in overtime with about 80 seconds left before a shootout, Jack Eichel missed the Oilers goal. McDavid gets the puck at the bottom of the screen and decided to use his speed; his finest tool, to take the game and deliver it to the Oilers.



It was McDavid's second goal of the night, the game-winner in OT; and his 12th of the season. Clearly, the guy has the edge over a fine young player in Jack Eichel.

In what is shaping up to be another miserable season for the 24-34-7 Oilers, McDavid did all the work and delivered the Oilers a win in Buffalo.

Connor McDavid's first Five-Point Game

[Event Summary]

[Cult of Hockey]

Connor McDavid notched his first five-point game of his young career, and his eighth and ninth goals of his rookie season in a 5-2 Oilers win against the team that felt it was their given right to have him. 

The night was special because he set up Jordan Eberle three times for Eberle's first hat-trick of his career. 

Goal #1


Goal #2 (One of the first real shots I've seen him score on)


The Oilers lost a few tough games since this one. But this will no doubt go down of the first HUGE game of McDavid's career and it came against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Connor McDavid returns in Edmonton with a Goal

[Event Summary]

[Cult of Hockey] [CBC] [NHL.com]

You just knew it was coming last night. When it was announced that Connor McDavid would make his return against the Columbus Blue Jackets, you knew he was going to do something dramatic. That's the way he is. 

He scored his sixth goal of the season, possibly his most jaw-dropping one yet in his career; and it ripped the roof off Rexall place as the Oilers won the game 5-1 and took a 2-1 lead on the McDavid score tally.

He also added two other assists, which is a pretty common occurrence/just another night at the office for McJesus. The Oilers sit at 20-26-5 and have to keep it going to get back in things. It's great to see McDavid back on the ice at full speed and continuing his magical rookie year just as he was before he got hurt.