Are the Edmonton Oilers For Real?

Kyle W. BrownOct 9, 2010

Alright, so the Edmonton Oilers are only one game into the season. Butttt, did they ever look good in that first game.

Now I don't agree with the CBC analysts saying that there could be an Edmonton-Toronto Stanley Cup (before you comment, yes I know they were joking!), but these Oilers could make a lot of noise this season and help bring back some of that old Edmonton tradition.

First off, Taylor Hall looked very, very confident. One of the toughest things for rookies to do is feel comfortable stepping up in the NHL, but on a team as young as Edmonton, Hall fit right in during the game, starting plays and making some brave moves.

But, it was Jordan Eberle who really brought the crowd into the game, scoring a goal that will surely be on the season highlight reel when June rolls around.

Ales Hemsky and Sam Gagner concerned the Flames defense as solid scoring threats, while the older, grittier Oilers set the tone with big hits.

Between the pipes Nikolai Khabibulin looked like the Bhulin Wall of old, recording his first shutout of the season while making 37 stops.

Though the Oilers looked to fall asleep in the second period when they allowed Calgary to walk all over them, the effort in the first and third periods should concern other teams in the Northwest Division. The defense shut down the Flames scorers like Olli Jokinen and Jarome Iginla, surprising most fans who thought that Calgary would take it easily.

While the Oilers do not have the same raw talent that the Penguins of the early decade had with Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury, the similarities between the two teams are there.

Both teams saw tremendous success with their greats in years past, went through a number of years of mediocre to just plain bad play, and then drafted up a team that could compete. It certainly worked for the Pens who have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals twice in the past three years, and won it once.

Last year's Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks also proved that drafting a strong team can result in success.

Edmonton's young players like Hall, Eberle, and even still Gagner will need a couple of years to develop, but in as early to three years I could see the Oilers returning to the greatness that was brought to that city by the likes of Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, and Fuhr.