It’s kind of funny to think back a week ago. The Oilers were 2-1-0, but had just been blasted by the Buffalo Sabres on home ice. Cam Talbot had arguably his worst game as an Oiler and the team was in the middle of what would be known as practicegate.
Fast forward to today, seven days and three wins later, and any questions about Cam Talbot have been erased. He arguably stole Edmonton two points against Carolina on Tuesday night, then played great hockey on Thursday when the club knocked off St. Louis. Yesterday, on a big stage, Talbot blanked the Winnipeg Jets to win his fifth game of the season.
On Monday, Talbot was honored with the NHL’s First Star of the Week.
With three-straight wins & 96 saves on 99 shots, #Oilers goalie Cam Talbot is the @NHL‘s First Star of the Week! pic.twitter.com/AYjy4QdsXC
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 24, 2016
Talbot has been a huge reason for Edmonton’s great start. While he didn’t play well against Buffalo, he’s been really strong in the other five tilts for Edmonton. In the home-and-home sweep over Calgary, Talbot kept the club in those games when the Flames pushed hard in the middle period of the opener and the first period in Calgary.
Against Carolina, Talbot played his best game of the season, while he made some stellar saves both against St. Louis and Winnipeg to keep Edmonton on top. Along with Connor McDavid, Adam Larsson and Oscar Klefbom, he has been one of the best players on this roster through six games.
The big question is whether Talbot can keep this going. Last year, he had a great first four games before hitting a slump that lasted until the middle of December. The Oilers simply cannot afford for Talbot to slump like that this season. That said, for the most part, he’s looked like the goalie that was strong for the Oilers from December until April.
If Talbot can play at a high level throughout the course of the season, then this hockey club is going to be in the fight for a postseason spot. Goaltending is that important and Talbot has been that good for Edmonton so far. I’m glad that the concerns I had after Buffalo ran over Edmonton are subsiding.
Bottom line, the Oilers need Cam Talbot to play strong hockey. So far this season, they’ve gotten that out of him and as a result they are the first team in the NHL to reach ten points.
Talbot’s honor, which is much deserved after three stellar games, marks two straight first stars for Edmonton. Connor McDavid won it the first week of the season behind his six point performance in just three games. So far, so good for the Oilers.
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