The Oilers played a patient and well-rounded game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They found ways to get their chances while being stingy defensively. Stuart Skinner had another impressive outing, Darnell Nurse continues to play strong in all areas of the ice, and McDavid and Draisaitl both scored goals. Right now this team is playing great hockey.

Tonight we will see if that can continue against a dominant Minnesota Wild team that always seems to have the Oilers number, especially when they play in Minnesota. Edmonton has not won a game against the Wild on the road since 2019 - that was against Wild teams that are no where near as talented as this year's version.

Calvin Pickard gets the start tonight which I think is a smart move for a couple of reasons. The first is that Pickard needs to get reps in if he is going to be a regular backup for this team and he needs to be tested in tough situations against good teams and not only in back to back situations or against bottom feeder teams.

The second reason is Skinner is finally getting back into a groove and in case the Oilers once again lay an egg against the Wild, it won't be because of him.

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REGULA AND DERMOTT

The Oilers made a bit of a move in the past 24 hours. First they added big defenseman Alec Regula, claiming him off waivers. Earlier today they put Travis Dermott on waivers for the purpose of sending him down to the AHL. We will know tomorrow whether or not Dermott was claimed.

Regula is 6'4 211 lbs and a big physical defender with some NHL experience. the 24 year old has appeared in 22 games for the Hawks with his last NHL game back in 22/23. I won't pretend to know too much about him but he could certainly fill in as a #7 and potentially become a career bottom pairing player.

The interesting point here is the Oilers organization choosing to add another right shot and potentially risk losing a left shot. Right now in Bakersfield the Oilers have a few different potential callups on the right side in Kemp, Brown, and Wanner. Their left side however is weak with the likes of Dineen and Attard, neither really a legitimate option for callup at this stage.

If the Oilers were to have an injury on the left side than Dermott was the clear replacement. Now there really isn't a legitimate left shot option for the Oilers to bring up. Time will tell why Bowman believed that Regula was such an enticing option that he needed to risk losing his only other left shot.

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Last thought on Podkolzin and Kapanen. Both players have come in this season and been solid role players for the Oilers in different ways. Podkolzin is a physical presence and an absolute hound on the puck against the boards - he has also found some ways to score some goals.

Kapanen meanwhile is a fast player with a decent set of hands but also not afraid to go to the tough areas. Against the Lightning on the PK, Kapanen sacrificed the body and helped to get the puck out of the Oilers zone with the crowd cheering on his efforts.

Both players have been good additions to this team but neither player is a legitimate top six option. Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner were brought onto this team to finally give Leon Draisaitl actual skilled top six wingers so that he would not have to carry play on his own and while Leon is having a phenomenal year, he still has to shoulder much of the responsibility on his own. Hopefully that can change a bit when Arvidsson is eventually healthy enough to play.

Thanks for reading.

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