Kris Knoblauch plans to elevate depth forwards, like Vasily Podkolzin, by double-shifting them when the Oilers go 11-7.

The Oilers will go with 11 forwards & seven defencemen for the second straight game when Adam Henrique receives the Silver Stick for reaching 1,000 NHL games before facing the Rangers

This might sound unlikely, but the Edmonton Oilers are off to their best start in three seasons. The Oilers currently sit at 5–4–2 through their first 11 games.

The Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers are both coming off a solid outing that helped them snap a skid, and each will look to keep it going when the two squads square off in Edmonton on Thursday.

On the day the Edmonton Oilers acquired Vasily Podkolzin, the only real question about the winger involved offence. No matter a winger’s size, speed or two-way acumen, forwards are expected to move the needle offensively. By the time the Vancouver Canucks dealt him, management felt like they had their answer.

For better or worse, the Edmonton Oilers have cultivated a reputation over the last few seasons as being extremely slow starters. Back in 2022-23, the Oilers went 10-10-0 in their first 20 games before finishing with a 50-23-9 record and 109 points.

The Edmonton Oilers have worked hard to become a defensively tougher squad over the last couple of seasons. Their efforts have yet to translate to a Stanley Cup, as they fell to the Florida Panthers two years in a row,

The Oilers have used 27 different trios to begin their 10 games, a jaw-dropping total without even considering how often they’ve altered lines within specific contests as well. The start of the season was always going to be about exploration, but Knoblauch has taken that idea to the extreme.

A player that the Edmonton Oilers have been rumoured to be connected with is goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. He is currently the number one goalie for the Columbus Blue Jackets and has had a strong start to the season.

Edmonton’s Captain Connor McDavid leads all active Oilers in career points (7) while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leads all active Oilers in career goals (3) versus Utah. McDavid has registered a multi-point effort in all three career games he has played against Utah (per Oilers PR).

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch has a disappointing update on the status of Zach Hyman, who hasn't played since May.