The Leafs face the Oilers Wednesday night for the first of nine games this season, and four of those nine are over the next eleven days. Yes, we will see the Oilers at Scotiabank Arena twice this week, and then watch the Leafs at Rogers Arena in Edmonton twice next week. Welcome to the compressed and shortened NHL season, and also the reason why we are experimenting with game previews in pairs today.
Let’s begin this series with a very simplified analysis of the Oilers’ start to the season: they have one win in four games played. The Red Wings, the consensus worst team in the league—though the Blackhawks and Kings might have something to say about that—also have four points in four games.