Connor McDavid’s New Deal Gets Instant Stress Test After Oilers Goalie Blunder Blows Opener
The Oilers got another reminder of why they need to improve their play in net
Edmonton Oilers… what are we doing?
The Oilers opened their 2025-26 NHL season on Wednesday night with the latest installment of the Battle of Alberta against their arch-rivals, the Calgary Flames. This comes just days after captain Connor McDavid signed a two-year extension with the team — for no raise — that basically said in no uncertain terms, "Show me you can win a Stanley Cup."
One of the biggest areas the Oilers needed to improve after losing their second straight Stanley Cup Final was goaltending. Sure, the goalie market over the summer wasn't particularly robust, but the Stuart Skinner/Calvin Pickard tandem wasn't cutting it.
Naturally, the team made no changes, and what bit them square in the ass in Game 1 of 82?
Yup; goaltending.
The Flames dumped a puck in on Skinner, who stopped it, and appeared to think that Evan Bouchard was going to take it off his hands.
He didn't, and so Skinner let the puck sit there, which allowed Flames forward Blake Coleman to knock it into the back of the net.
I don't know if some synapses failed to fire, or if this was just a gargantuan brain fart, but this proved to be a costly error.
That goal, which came right at the start of the third period, tied the game at 3-3. This turned out to be the score at the end of regulation and the end of overtime.
In the shootout, Edmonton caught another stroke of bad luck when Kasperi Kapanen's attempt caught iron.
Iron that earned a smooch from Flames netminder Dustin Wolf.
Considering how the night was going for the Oilers, I think you know how this one shook out. The very next shooter was Nazem Kadri, and, welp…
Now, every team has bad nights, but that was a rough start for the Oilers, a team that has started slowly the last couple of seasons.
Skinner had 32 saves on 35 shots, which isn't bad, but that mistake was costly. Hopefully, that error doesn't snowball on him.
Otherwise, the Oilers will have to use some of the money McDavid left on the table to beef up their goaltending and prove to him that they're serious about winning the Stanley Cup.