Edmonton Oilers’ must-see games of 2022-23
Finally, the new season is about to start, and aren’t we all excited to see some Edmonton Oilers games after the incredible run from last year. We want to watch some more Battle of Alberta, we want to face the Avalanche again and of course, we want to see how far the team can reach this time.
But without further ado, let’s check some regular season games that any Oilers’ fan can’t miss.
October, 12th. Vs Vancouver Canucks, in Edmonton
We have to start from the beginning. After more than three months waiting for the season opener, it will be amazing to see the Oilers back on ice.
The Rogers Place was almost full on the preseason, and a lot of Oilers’ fans followed the 8 preseason games (too much games, by the way). So imagine how it will be when it’s for real. And for the fourth time in a row, it’s against the Vancouver Canucks, it is almost becoming a tradition.
How will Jay Woodcroft set up the lines? Is Jack Campbell the goalie that the team needed? Will we see an even better season from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl? And how about Jesse Puljujarvi? The Dylan Holloway time has finally come?
All these questions and so many other ones will start to be answered on the opening day against the Canucks, on November, 12th at 8 PM (MT) on the Rogers Place, in Edmonton.
October, 15th. Edmonton Oilers Vs Calgary Flames, in Edmonton
And right after the season opener, the first Battle of Alberta of the season will be upon us. Any Battle of Alberta is a must see, at any time on history. Even when the two teams weren’t anything near to be a contender, it was one of the best games on the NHL, so now the “derby” becomes even better.
And just thinking about the Calgary Flames already brings a smile to my face. The “We Want Ten” chants at the game 1 of the playoffs. The Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal on the final moments of game 4 and, of course, the Connor McDavid goal on game 5 to end the series.
Without Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, this is a different Calgary Flames. And everybody wants so see how a matchup against Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau will be. Will the Kassian vs. Tkachuk rivalry be replaced by a Kane vs. Kadri one? Can the Oilers’ have a fourth Battle of Alberta win in a row? We’ll see on the second Oilers’ game of the regular season
October, 24th. Vs Pittsburgh Penguins, in Edmonton
Doesn’t matter if you’re an Oilers or a Penguins fan. When two players like Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby are on ice, any hockey fan has to stop and take a look at this matchup.
They are two generational players and future Hall of Fame, and with Crosby being 35 years old, any chance to see these two playing on the same arena is pure joy for the hockey fans.
October, 29th. Vs Calgary Flames, in Calgary
Any of the three Battle of Alberta of 2022-23 doesn’t need an introduction, they are simply one of the best classical matches of the NHL and all the sports of the world.
This one will be the return of the Oilers to the Saddledome for the first time since the Connor McDavid goal on the OT of the game 5. And winning is good, but winning against the Calgary Flames is even better.
November, 3rd. Vs New Jersey Devils, in Edmonton
For this one, all the attention will be directed off the side, because it’s the induction night of Ryan Smyth and Lee Fogolin to the Oilers Hall of Fame.
They will be alongside the names of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey, Glenn Anderson, Al Hamilton, Kevin Lowe, Glen Sather and Rod Phillips.
Here we have some details about Smyth and Fogolin great careers with the Edmonton Oilers:
"Ryan Smyth was the heartbeat of the Edmonton Oilers for 14 seasons. Edmonton selected him 6th overall in the 1994 NHL entry draft. (…) In 1997 he exploded with 39 goals and became a fan favourite for most Oilers fans due to his dogged work ethic and relentless effort. He played 971 games for the Oilers, second only to Lowe. He is 5th all-time in goals with 296, and 6th in points with 631. Smyth not only shined for the Oilers he lived in the community. He and his wife Stacey worked with numerous charities in Edmonton and gave lots of time and money to various causes."
"Fogolin was acquired by the Oilers from the Buffalo Sabres in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft. He played 586 regular season games with Edmonton recording 36 goals and 124 assists along with an impressive +153. He was the Oilers’ Captain for a few seasons and won Stanley Cups in 1984 and 1985. “He was the foundation for all of us,” Kevin Lowe said in a text. “He was a driven, blue collar, hardworking leader on the ice, and off the ice he was respectful, honest and a great family man we could all look up to,” Lowe added."
November, 7th. Vs Washington Capitals, in Washington
The exactly same reason as the Penguins game, but with Alex Ovechkin and Connor McDavid.
But with the Russian player being 37 years old, we will not see this matchup for long. It will be great to see Ovechkin keeping the dream of catch the goals’ record from Gretzky, and will be a good away game to test the whole team.
November, 10th. Vs Carolina Hurricanes, in Raleigh
In the same week, the Oilers have four away games, the one against the Capitals we just wrote about, and others against the Lightning, Hurricanes and Panthers.
And all the games are going to be away from Edmonton. This week will be one of the hardest of the season, if not the hardest. Carolina is a strong team and will be an interesting match. And since 2006, it’s always good to beat the Hurricanes.
November, 26th. Vs New York Rangers, in New York
Just like the week previous wrote about, another difficult series of games will be when the Oilers go to New York to play the three teams of the town. On the 21st Edmonton plays against the New Jersey Devils, on the 23rd against the New York Islanders and on the 26th the team faces the Rangers.
This will be interesting because it’s the last of the series, and the Oilers can be way comfortable is these away games or not. Besides that, the Rangers are an excellent team as well, and any game of any sport on the Madison Square Garden is different.