After a monstrous start to the week that saw the Oilers demolish the Nashville Predators and steal a win from the Dallas Stars, the boys will be looking to extend their winning streak to four games tonight when they face off against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Over the past three games, the most impressive thing, for me, has to be the number of ways that the Oilers have been able to close out wins. Whether it was getting two points via their special teams as they did against the Jets, beating the opponent into the ground as we saw in Nashville, or having the goalie steal one as Koskinen did against the Stars, the Oilers are doing what it takes to get the job done when it counts the most and that’s exactly what they need to keep doing down the stretch. Against the Blackhawks, the Oilers will, once again, be facing an opponent that’s below them in the standings but one that is also riding into tonight’s contest on a three-game winning streak. Over those three wins, the Blackhawks have put 14 goals up on the board while also getting stellar goaltending from Corey Crawford, and it’s going to be a challenge for the Oilers to squash that trend at both ends of rink regardless of where Chicago sits in the standings.
Sticking with the standings, the Oilers have a chance to catch the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division if they can beat the Blackhawks tonight, and I’m thinking this should be more than enough motivation to get the boys firing on all cylinders. Vegas is idle tonight and the Oilers have a major opportunity to use their game in hand to catch up to the division leader. I’d love to see that happen to not only maintain pace but also to put space between themselves and the teams chasing behind. Standings aside, the Oilers need to keep winning to save our sanity and lower the pressure building on our collective hearts that’s caused by scoreboard watching. Last night, I was out having a drink and was overcome with rage as I looked up at the TV and saw that the Flames came back to beat the Blue Jackets even though they’re still three points behind with an extra game played. Again, the best way to solve this issue is for our boys to keep winning and I believe they will do so against Chicago. Just keep winning, baby!
One of the biggest questions I had leading up to tonight’s game was who Dave Tippett was going to start in net. Both guys have had statement games during this winning streak and it felt like a coin flip for whoever deserved the crease against Chicago. That’s a good problem to have, friends. According to Bob Stauffer, Smith will be getting the start tonight but we’ll have to see if that changes as Mr. Smith left practice this morning after taking a shot under the blocker. That said, he did return to practice and Tippett expects him to play so we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
After being sellers at the NHL trade deadline, the last thing anyone in Chicago predicted was a winning streak. Yet, after three great games from Corey Crawford — in peak form with a 3.39 goals-saved above expected and .949 save percentage — and the offense regaining composure, that’s where the Blackhawks stand.
The Blackhawks have had encouraging puck possession metrics during their streak with a 50.2-percent Corsi-For and a 52.4-percent expected goal share at even strength. Both figures are significantly above their season averages, and their push is a result of those numbers becoming better.
The best line in this run has been the combination of Dylan Strome, Patrick Kane and Alex Nylander. A surprising development, particularly for that last member of the trio, but the Blackhawks are getting success from unconventional lines.
Photoshop: Tom Kostiuk
Game Day Prediction: I’m liking the Oilers extending their win streak tonight with a big 4-2 win. Deep dish pizza party for the boys!
Obvious Game Day Prediction: Drake Caggiula will score a goal against his former team while Brandon Manning will enjoy a BLT that he made all by himself.
Not-So-Obvious Game Day Prediction: Kanye West decides to watch tonight’s game out of pure coincidence and after seeing McDrai’s dominance pledges allegiance to the Oilers despite being from Chicago.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
