Oilers Secure Overtime Winner, Sow Excitement Post Game

Seven wins into the season, it's gotten pretty easy to see how light this team is, emotionally that is, compared to recent seasons.

The Edmonton Oilers improved to 7-1-1 with a 4-3 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild, while Evan Bouchard scored the winner on his 27th birthday. Devon Levi was among the first to praise his teammate afterward, having made several important saves himself to get the Oilers into overtime.

“He can sling that thing,” Levi said. “A super special player. I'm so happy for him that he got the overtime winner on his birthday.”

The Oilers have been playing solid defensive hockey under Mike Babcock, their goaltending has improved, and Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are producing at a ridiculous rate. They've also been getting contributions from the rest of the lineup, which has allowed them to win games even when their top players aren't having good nights at even strength.

Tuesday was one of those games. Minnesota's top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and, Matt Boldy scored twice at even strength, while the team. itself was all over McDavid's line.

“Every once in a while, you need to get fed your lunch,” Babcock said. “And when that happens to you, you say, ‘What are we going to do to fix it?’”

Babcock has been clear about what he expects from his team, especially on defence, puck protection, and winning battles. The Oilers have responded well to those expectations, and there's some evidence that the accountability they've been talking about is producing results.

“When you play a good team that's organized, there's no room,” Babcock said. “And if you don't look after the puck, if you don't play right, you get frustrated. The great thing about the real good players that have done a lot of winning is, they don't get frustrated. They just keep coming and keep coming, and they know it's a patient game.”

Edmonton certainly had opportunities to get frustrated against Minnesota, however, the Oilers scored three times on the power play, and Draisaitl recording two goals before Bouchard ended the game in overtime. McDavid finished with three assists, becoming the fastest player in NHL history to reach 20 assists in a season.

He now has 26 points through nine games, which is an absurd amount of production even by McDavid's standards.

“Any type of shot that he gets off is extremely dangerous,” Draisaitl said of Bouchard. “Accurate, hard, whatever it is. You name it, he's got it. He's pretty elite.”

By other standards, Levi's has the best start of his NHL career here in Edmonton.

The 24-year-old was traded from Buffalo after getting buried so deep in the Sabres depth chart that everyone forgot he was there. Originally, he was expected to sit behind Frederik Andersen and Tristan Jarry in Edmonton, but now he's getting most of the starts, and he's clearly earned them.

“I'm super grateful to be here,” Levi said. “This city is unbelievable, a true hockey city. I care a lot about these fans, they have welcomed me with open arms and the team here as well. I feel at home. I'm just super grateful for the way that everything kind of unfolded and I'm having a lot of fun every day.”

It's a refreshing attitude from a young goaltender who's finally getting a real chance to compete for a spot in the NHL.

He seems excited to show up to the rink, appreciates the opportunity he's been given, and has been playing up to the expectations placed on him.

The Oilers have been winning games in different ways, and Babcock's defensive system has been a significant part of that. The Oilers know when their offence needs to carry them, when their goaltenders need to make important saves, and when the team can comfortably protect a lead.

There has to be some additional motivation to make sure the same problems that followed the team last season don't continue.

Babcock has brought a different approach to Edmonton, one that the players seem willing to hold themselves accountable for when their performances aren't good enough.

Everybody knows winning cures all, and with seven victories in nine games, it's understandable why the mood around the dressing room has been so positive.

Still, there's something nice about hearing Levi talk about how grateful he is to be here, or watching him get excited about Bouchard scoring an overtime winner on his birthday.

The Oilers have been playing good hockey, they're getting results from the changes Babcock has introduced, and the players are happy for one another.

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