<p>The Edmonton Oilers played their first game <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/10/30/oilers-captain-connor-mcdavid-out-two-to-three-weeks-with-ankle-injury/">without Connor McDavid for the foreseeable future</a> last night at Bridgestone Arena against the Nashville Predators. But as we probably should have expected, Leon Draisaitl led the charge in what was a dominant performance by the Oilers en route to a <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/10/31/instant-reaction-oilers-dominate-without-mcdavid-beat-predators-5-1/">5-1 beatdown</a> over the Predators.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Recapping Nashville vs. Oilers | Oilersnation After Dark -  October 31, 2024" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HNSqlIXnFJ4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>I don&#8217;t want to be dramatic and suggest that Thursday&#8217;s game was a must-win for the Oilers, but it almost felt like it was in the sense that the boys needed to believe they could win without Connor McDavid. After looking awful when McDavid went down on Monday against Columbus, the boys needed to rally with a big performance. They needed to show themselves and everyone watching that they weren&#8217;t about to roll over and die.</p>
<p>Of course, it&#8217;s all well and good for us to say what the Oilers need to do from the comfort of our couches, but making it happen is another thing entirely. That&#8217;s why I loved seeing <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/10/31/viktor-arvidsson-scores-his-first-goal-with-the-oilers-noah-philp-gets-first-nhl-point/">Viktor Arvidsson get Edmonton on the board</a> only 37 seconds into the first period, giving his team a head start that they desperately needed. It wasn&#8217;t the first time the boys have had a hot start in terms of effort, but it was almost surprising to see them get something to stick, given the offensive struggles they&#8217;re working through.</p>
<p>What I liked most about the Oilers&#8217; start was how they seemed unfazed when Filip Forsberg tied the game on the power play. Instead of folding like we saw them do against Columbus, the boys got right back to work and kept battling. We didn&#8217;t get any lulls or lapses just because they gave up a goal, and that hard-hat mentality paid off with another go-ahead goal by Corey Perry that carried over into the break. It was the kind of bounce-back we got used to last season, but arguably one of the first times we&#8217;ve seen that level of resilience through the first 11 games.</p>
<p>Heading into the second period with a one-goal lead, the Oilers did a really nice job of keeping their foot on the gas without giving the Predators much time or space to mount a comeback. Instead of falling back into some kind of prevent defence, the visiting side kept attacking until finally Leon Draisaitl grabbed his 26th goal in 28 career games against Nashville to give his side some insurance. That said, the Predators were much better in the middle frame and outshot the Oilers by a 2:1 margin. The good news was that a lot of those shots came from the outside of the ice and were easily handled by Calvin Pickard.</p>
<p>Up by two goals with 20 minutes to play, the Oilers were in a really good spot with a chance to win provided that they kept battling and kept taking care of the puck. The good news was that they did exactly that. From the moment the puck dropped in the third until the final buzzer, Edmonton was the better team and it wasn&#8217;t particularly close. Instead of sitting back to run out the clock, the boys kept pushing for goals until (surprise, surprise) Leon Draisaitl increased the lead to three with a beautiful individual play.</p>
<p>With a sizeable lead in their pocket after Draisaitl&#8217;s second goal of the night, all that was left to do was take care of the puck and run out the clock. Yet, even with the Predators falling further and further behind, the Oilers kept pushing forward. This time around, it was Zach Hyman who picked up his first goal of the season after Darnell Nurse put him in all alone with a beautifully executed stretch pass. Once that fifth goal went in, you could see the Predators fans flocking to the exit, doing what they could to beat the traffic and get home early.</p>
<p>From an Oilers perspective, this was precisely the kind of effort we needed to see from them. It was the kind of game that showed just how good they can be even without their captain and best player in the lineup. While there&#8217;s no filling Connor McDavid&#8217;s shoes — it would take a village to do what he does — you have to love the way the boys worked together to pick up a big win. From start to finish, they were the better team and got the result they deserved. It was a hell of a rebound after a disastrous night in Columbus, and now the question becomes whether they can build on it. I&#8217;m betting that they can.</p>
<h1>OTHER THINGS WORTH MENTIONING&#8230;</h1>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="qme" dir="ltr">😴 <a href="https://t.co/kOM4DfAEIM">pic.twitter.com/kOM4DfAEIM</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Baggedmilk (@jsbmbaggedmilk) <a href="https://twitter.com/jsbmbaggedmilk/status/1852173242179686834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<ul>
<li>Viktor Arvidsson opened the scoring (1-0) only 37 seconds into the game after a forecheck by Podkolzin freed the puck up for Leon Draisaitl, who found the former Pred wide open in front of the net.</li>
<li>Filip Forsberg picked up the equalizer (1-1) just past the five-minute mark with a power play goal, as the Oilers continue to be insufferable when down a man. This time, Brett Kulak tried to clear the puck but threw it right up the middle to the awaiting Forsberg, who promptly deposited the puck into the back of the net. At some point, Daryl Katz should consider bringing a shaman in or something because the boys are simply awful while shorthanded right now.</li>
<li>Corey Perry restored Edmonton&#8217;s lead (2-1) on the back of a hardworking shift by the 4th line, and it was great to see that trio get some success after stringing together a handful of quality shifts to that point.</li>
<li>Death, taxes, and Leon Draisaitl making the Nashville Predators call him daddy. Draisaitl extended the Oilers&#8217; lead (3-1) with a breakaway goal after grabbing the puck along the boards, walking into the zone alone, and picking his spot low on the blocker side. Draisaitl wasn&#8217;t done with a single goal, however, as he put the Oilers up by a field goal (4-1) in the third period after a wonderfully skilled play that the Preds had no answer for. With McDavid out for the next couple of weeks, the Oilers need Draisaitl to elevate his game, and the former MVP looked like he was more than game last night in Nashville.</li>
<li>After what I can only estimate as 200,000 chances to score, Zach Hyman finally picked up his first goal of the season (5-1) after a pretty pass by Darnell Nurse put him in all alone on Juuse Saros. Once in on the breakaway, Hyman didn&#8217;t try to get fancy at all, but rather just pumped a quick shot past the goalie high on the glove-hand side.</li>
<li>Shout out to <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/10/31/what-to-expect-from-noah-philp-in-the-oilers-lineup/">Noah Philp for playing in his first NHL game</a>. Like many Oilers fans, I fell in love with the kid during the pre-season, and I was pretty pumped to see him get his first taste of the big leagues. Not only did he get into his first game, but he also picked up his first assist on Corey Perry&#8217;s first period goal that restored Edmonton&#8217;s lead. Philp played 11:50 in TOI, had three shots on goal, and finished at 71% on the faceoff dot.</li>
<li>Props to <a href="https://www.hockeyfights.com/teams/12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ty Emberson for dropping the mitts</a> and holding his own with a tough customer in Cole Smith. Emberson laid out a Nashville forward in the corner, and was forced to fight after Smith came rushing in to defend his teammate, and I thought he handled himself well.</li>
<li>Vasily Podkolzin hit Jeremy Lauzon into the end boards, and for some reason Lauzon felt the need to fight about it. Unfortunately for him, Vasily Podkolzin landed one right on the button that sent Lauzon crashing down to the ice in a head. Pretty embarrassing for Lauzon since he was the one that wanted that fight.  FAFO, my boy.</li>
<li>Another game, another night where the special teams were a dark spot on the Oilers&#8217; night. Even though they only got a single chance on the power play, Edmonton wasn&#8217;t able to get much of anything done. While they were better on the PK — Edmonton killed two of three — a tough mistake by Brett Kulak led to the lone Nashville goal, and it was the kind of mistake that cannot happen.</li>
<li>While you were busy eating candy last night, I occupied my evening with dancing and joyful screaming after finding out the Oilers won 54% of the faceoffs.</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>Presented by Amazon Prime Video</strong></h2>
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The Edmonton Oilers played their first game <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/10/30/oilers-captain-connor-mcdavid-out-two-to-three-weeks-with-ankle-injury/">without Connor McDavid for the foreseeable future</a> last night at Bridgestone Arena against the Nashville Predators. But as we probably should have expected, Leon Draisaitl led the charge in what was a dominant performance by the Oilers en route to a <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/10/31/instant-reaction-oilers-dominate-without-mcdavid-beat-predators-5-1/">5-1 beatdown</a> over the Predators.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNSqlIXnFJ4

I don't want to be dramatic and suggest that Thursday's game was a must-win for the Oilers, but it almost felt like it was in the sense that the boys needed to believe they could win without Connor McDavid. After looking awful when McDavid went down on Monday against Columbus, the boys needed to rally with a big performance. They needed to show themselves and everyone watching that they weren't about to roll over and die.

Of course, it's all well and good for us to say what the Oilers need to do from the comfort of our couches, but making it happen is another thing entirely. That's why I loved seeing <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/10/31/viktor-arvidsson-scores-his-first-goal-with-the-oilers-noah-philp-gets-first-nhl-point/">Viktor Arvidsson get Edmonton on the board</a> only 37 seconds into the first period, giving his team a head start that they desperately needed. It wasn't the first time the boys have had a hot start in terms of effort, but it was almost surprising to see them get something to stick, given the offensive struggles they're working through.

What I liked most about the Oilers' start was how they seemed unfazed when Filip Forsberg tied the game on the power play. Instead of folding like we saw them do against Columbus, the boys got right back to work and kept battling. We didn't get any lulls or lapses just because they gave up a goal, and that hard-hat mentality paid off with another go-ahead goal by Corey Perry that carried over into the break. It was the kind of bounce-back we got used to last season, but arguably one of the first times we've seen that level of resilience through the first 11 games.

Heading into the second period with a one-goal lead, the Oilers did a really nice job of keeping their foot on the gas without giving the Predators much time or space to mount a comeback. Instead of falling back into some kind of prevent defence, the visiting side kept attacking until finally Leon Draisaitl grabbed his 26th goal in 28 career games against Nashville to give his side some insurance. That said, the Predators were much better in the middle frame and outshot the Oilers by a 2:1 margin. The good news was that a lot of those shots came from the outside of the ice and were easily handled by Calvin Pickard.

Up by two goals with 20 minutes to play, the Oilers were in a really good spot with a chance to win provided that they kept battling and kept taking care of the puck. The good news was that they did exactly that. From the moment the puck dropped in the third until the final buzzer, Edmonton was the better team and it wasn't particularly close. Instead of sitting back to run out the clock, the boys kept pushing for goals until (surprise, surprise) Leon Draisaitl increased the lead to three with a beautiful individual play.

With a sizeable lead in their pocket after Draisaitl's second goal of the night, all that was left to do was take care of the puck and run out the clock. Yet, even with the Predators falling further and further behind, the Oilers kept pushing forward. This time around, it was Zach Hyman who picked up his first goal of the season after Darnell Nurse put him in all alone with a beautifully executed stretch pass. Once that fifth goal went in, you could see the Predators fans flocking to the exit, doing what they could to beat the traffic and get home early.

From an Oilers perspective, this was precisely the kind of effort we needed to see from them. It was the kind of game that showed just how good they can be even without their captain and best player in the lineup. While there's no filling Connor McDavid's shoes — it would take a village to do what he does — you have to love the way the boys worked together to pick up a big win. From start to finish, they were the better team and got the result they deserved. It was a hell of a rebound after a disastrous night in Columbus, and now the question becomes whether they can build on it. I'm betting that they can.
<h1>OTHER THINGS WORTH MENTIONING...</h1>
https://twitter.com/jsbmbaggedmilk/status/1852173242179686834
<ul>
 	<li>Viktor Arvidsson opened the scoring (1-0) only 37 seconds into the game after a forecheck by Podkolzin freed the puck up for Leon Draisaitl, who found the former Pred wide open in front of the net.</li>
 	<li>Filip Forsberg picked up the equalizer (1-1) just past the five-minute mark with a power play goal, as the Oilers continue to be insufferable when down a man. This time, Brett Kulak tried to clear the puck but threw it right up the middle to the awaiting Forsberg, who promptly deposited the puck into the back of the net. At some point, Daryl Katz should consider bringing a shaman in or something because the boys are simply awful while shorthanded right now.</li>
 	<li>Corey Perry restored Edmonton's lead (2-1) on the back of a hardworking shift by the 4th line, and it was great to see that trio get some success after stringing together a handful of quality shifts to that point.</li>
 	<li>Death, taxes, and Leon Draisaitl making the Nashville Predators call him daddy. Draisaitl extended the Oilers' lead (3-1) with a breakaway goal after grabbing the puck along the boards, walking into the zone alone, and picking his spot low on the blocker side. Draisaitl wasn't done with a single goal, however, as he put the Oilers up by a field goal (4-1) in the third period after a wonderfully skilled play that the Preds had no answer for. With McDavid out for the next couple of weeks, the Oilers need Draisaitl to elevate his game, and the former MVP looked like he was more than game last night in Nashville.</li>
 	<li>After what I can only estimate as 200,000 chances to score, Zach Hyman finally picked up his first goal of the season (5-1) after a pretty pass by Darnell Nurse put him in all alone on Juuse Saros. Once in on the breakaway, Hyman didn't try to get fancy at all, but rather just pumped a quick shot past the goalie high on the glove-hand side.</li>
 	<li>Shout out to <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/10/31/what-to-expect-from-noah-philp-in-the-oilers-lineup/">Noah Philp for playing in his first NHL game</a>. Like many Oilers fans, I fell in love with the kid during the pre-season, and I was pretty pumped to see him get his first taste of the big leagues. Not only did he get into his first game, but he also picked up his first assist on Corey Perry's first period goal that restored Edmonton's lead. Philp played 11:50 in TOI, had three shots on goal, and finished at 71% on the faceoff dot.</li>
 	<li>Props to <a href="https://www.hockeyfights.com/teams/12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ty Emberson for dropping the mitts</a> and holding his own with a tough customer in Cole Smith. Emberson laid out a Nashville forward in the corner, and was forced to fight after Smith came rushing in to defend his teammate, and I thought he handled himself well.</li>
 	<li>Vasily Podkolzin hit Jeremy Lauzon into the end boards, and for some reason Lauzon felt the need to fight about it. Unfortunately for him, Vasily Podkolzin landed one right on the button that sent Lauzon crashing down to the ice in a head. Pretty embarrassing for Lauzon since he was the one that wanted that fight.  FAFO, my boy.</li>
 	<li>Another game, another night where the special teams were a dark spot on the Oilers' night. Even though they only got a single chance on the power play, Edmonton wasn't able to get much of anything done. While they were better on the PK — Edmonton killed two of three — a tough mistake by Brett Kulak led to the lone Nashville goal, and it was the kind of mistake that cannot happen.</li>
 	<li>While you were busy eating candy last night, I occupied my evening with dancing and joyful screaming after finding out the Oilers won 54% of the faceoffs.</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>Presented by Amazon Prime Video</strong></h2>
<a href="https://primevideo-row.pxf.io/c/5560083/2159842/20020"><img class="size-full wp-image-162341 aligncenter" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/PRIMN_24_HED_727x404_POST_Final_en-CA_GSS00011213-1.jpg" alt="" width="795" height="404" /></a>

This Article is a Presentation of Prime Video. Catch Prime Monday Night Hockey, all season long. <a href="https://primevideo-row.pxf.io/c/5560083/2159842/20020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Claim your free trial today</a>.

Leon Draisaitl’s three-point night leads Oilers to 5-1 beatdown over the Predators

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