By Lyle Richardson, Featurd
On Saturday, the Edmonton Oilers edged the New York Rangers 2-1 to pick up their first victory of the season.
Coming off consecutive season-opening losses to the New Jersey Devils (5-2) and Boston Bruins (4-1), defeating the Rangers provided a measure of relief for a club under pressure to rebound from last season's disheartening performance.
Entering October, there were assurances from management, coaches, and players that this season would be different. So far, however, the Oilers looked less like the promising team that rolled to an impressive 103-point campaign in 2016-17 and more like the bunch that stumbled through last season's dispiriting 78-point effort.