The first full game of the season without superstar Connor McDavid was a roaring success. Now, the goal of the Edmonton Oilers is to repeat their recent performance when they visit the Calgary Flames on Sunday.
The Oilers had a surprising start to the season, but thanks to a big 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday, they have won three of their last four games.
Winning in such emphatic fashion without McDavid, who is expected to miss two to three weeks with an ankle injury, is a confidence booster.
“We don’t want to play without Connor, but everybody was a little bit better,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said after his team’s practice on Saturday. “Also, we were able to finish with our chances, which is something we couldn’t do before.”
The Oilers had high expectations after reaching the Stanley Cup Final last season but opened the new campaign with three straight losses, including a 4-1 setback against the Flames on Oct. 13. Edmonton has managed just two wins in its first seven outings.
Beating the Predators has the Oilers believing the ship is righted.
“We’re very confident. We’re not just a one-man team,” stressed Edmonton forward Zach Hyman. “We have a lot of pieces that can step up. It’s nice to get that win, and before that we were confident as a team.
“All teams face injuries. It’s sad that we have the best player in the world and he’s not playing. It doesn’t help but it gives other opportunities to step up and play better. That’s a good thing for this team. . . . I hope that when he comes back, we’re a better team.”
The Flames would go on to win in impressive fashion, winning 3-0 at home against the New Jersey Devils on Friday, snapping a four game streak.
“We deserved to win, I thought our effort was better all around,” said Calgary forward Blake Coleman, who scored twice against New Jersey. “I thought we checked, we didn’t give up, and when we did, Vladdy (goalie Dan Vladar) was great. That’s the way we have to play, we know that, and we know we went from there. It’s a tough type of hockey, but when we play, that’s what we look like.
Vladar, who stopped 22 shots for a shutout, is likely to be in net against the Oilers, breaking up the rotation the Flames have been using.
“It’s a big win for us after losing a couple in a row. I want to point that out,” said Vladar. “Obviously, this is a good day for me … but the most important thing is the two points.”
The Flames returned home after a two-game losing streak by a combined score of 10-1, the second coming back to Calgary captain Mikael Backlund’s 1,000th game. Backlund was honored before puck drop against the Devils.
“Mikael’s an emotional guy, too, so I think it probably meant a lot more to him than people thought, because of the way he is,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “We didn’t play well in the last game in Utah, and I felt like we were a little bit closer to how our team needs to play to be successful, and it was great to see it done on Mikael’s special night. .”
–Field Level Media
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