The Edmonton Oilers fell to 1-3-0 earlier this season when they dropped both games in a two-game set against the Montreal Canadiens at Rogers Place. Tonight, the Oilers will take on the Canadiens for the first time since that early season series. The Oilers firmly believe they are a better team and are ready to prove a point.
“We’re playing better now than we were early on,” Dave Tippett told reporters Wednesday. “The two games against Montreal, the one we got behind early and the second one was early in the season in three of four nights. We looked fatigued and got behind and chased the game again.”
Since starting 1-3-0, the Oilers are 7-4-0, and now 8-7-0 on the season. In their last six games, Edmonton has won five of them. Yes, four of those games were against the Ottawa Senators, but the Oilers earned a win over the division-leading Maple Leafs as well.
The also outplayed the Calgary Flames, but didn’t get any saves last Saturday night in a 6-4 loss.
Even though the Canadiens are the surprise team of the year in the North, the Oilers aren’t intimidated. Instead, they view tonight’s date in Quebec as an opportunity.
“They’re a good team,” Tippett continued. “They got out to a great start this year. They’ve got real good balance in goaltending, D and their forward lines. It will be a great challenge for us. I’m looking forward to it. I think we have an opportunity to hopefully play better tomorrow and we’ll see how the results go.”
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