The best way I can describe the Oilers play through the first three games of the season is that the team is still in pre-season mode. Passes are not crisp, the team overall is not playing with any sense of urgency, and overall look like they are waiting for something more. Maybe a game against the strong Carolina Hurricanes will help to snap the team out of it. Regardless, something needs to change. A slow start to the season isn't a death sentence for a team with the depth that the Edmonton Oilers has. In the past, elite teams like the Lightning, Avalanche, and others have started slow before turning on the jets and dominating the league.

We have seen glimpses of that in these first few games and I thought Edmonton played their best hockey in the first and third periods against the Sabres and had just a brutal second period. If not for a brilliant performance by netminder Comrie, Edmonton could have won that game with 6 or 7 goals. That is a positive detail that I want to see the Oilers take into this fourth home game.

We will continue to talk about the defensive issues until they are no longer a concern. Darnell Nurse may have jumped up on the rush and scored a great goal but defensively he was a train wreck in his own end, responsible for far too many turnovers and failing to pick up his own man. It's great to see Nurse fully healed and having the ability to skate up and join the rush but he needs to remember that his primary job is first to defend.

Dylan Holloway will miss the game tonight and while it is not guaranteed that he has a concussion, it seems like at the very least he has concussion like symptoms after getting obliterated (a clean hit) against Buffalo. It was a suicide pass from Foegele that caused the hit to occur but Holloway also needed to keep his head on the players around him. An unfortunate injury that hopefully doesn't keep the young player out of the lineup for too long.

All of the wingers right now need to find a way to chip in more and cash on their chances. Yamamoto, Puljujarvi, Kane, and Hyman have all had some good opportunities that they simply have not been able to cash in on. I don't expect that to last forever and hopefully we can see at least one of these players score tonight.

Kane-McDavid-Yamamoto
RNH-Draisaitl-Hyman
Foegele-McLeod-Puljujarvi
Shore-Ryan

Nurse-Ceci
Kulak-Barrie
Murray-Bouchard
Niemelainen

Campbell

RNH does not push the pace by himself at 5 on 5 and hopefully could be a good complimentary option next to Hyman and Draisaitl. I have liked what I have seen in the past from Foegele with McLeod and JP and believe they could help be a solid 3rd line for the Oilers.

If this defense has another rough night the team is going to need to consider making some changes. Having these pairs all play together for a long time in pre-season should have been the call instead of switching things around the moment the regular season starts.

Not that I believe the team will lose tonight but if they do and start the season 1-3 that isn't a concern to me. If the team plays a strong 5 on 5 game and ends up losing by a goal than so be it. If they lose in a similar way as they did to Calgary that will be a much larger concern.

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