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    Jonathan Willis

    Jonathan Willis

  • Oilers' greatness, Ducks' viability on the line in Game 7

    In a pivotal moment for each franchise, the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks square off in Game 7 of their second-round series on Wednesday night.

  • Oilers must find a way to shut Getzlaf down if they hope to beat the Ducks

    Through four games, Ryan Getzlaf has put up seven points at even strength against Edmonton. The Oilers are going to have to find a way to slow Getzlaf down if they wish to advance to the Western Conference final.

  • Cam Talbot deal has been Peter Chiarelli’s most important Oilers trade

    The 2015 deal that brought Cam Talbot to Edmonton has been the most important move made by Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli during his two years at the helm.

  • McDavid vs. Kesler a pivotal matchup for Oilers, Ducks

    Oilers superstar Connor McDavid will face a stiff challenge in Round 2 against Selke candidate Ryan Kesler.

  • NHL had no choice but to condone Leon Draisaitl's spear

    The only reason Leon Drasaitl wasn't suspended for spearing Chris Tierney is because the NHL has refused to take this sort of thing more seriously.

  • Zack Kassian finally realizing dynamic potential in Edmonton

    Zack Kassian's performance in Game 2 of Edmonton's first-round series with the Sharks gave the Oilers a glimpse into the force he's capable of becoming.

  • Edmonton Oilers must beat Brent Burns if they hope to beat the San Jose Sharks

    Entering the series between the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid looked like the impact player who might be unstoppable. Instead, it turned out that the player nobody had an answer for was San Jose defenceman Brent Burns.

  • Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers marching in the footsteps of team history

    It’s been quite a year for Connor McDavid, and it isn’t over yet. The Oilers captain, who was 19 when the season started, finds himself chasing history already.

  • Who's closer to the Stanley Cup: Leafs or Oilers?

    Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid are the cornerstones of the rebuilds in Toronto and Edmonton. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers have a lot in common. Since the 2005 lockout, Toronto has appeared in the playoffs just once, falling to Boston in the first round of 2013.

  • What do Leafs' struggles against good teams mean for their playoff chances?

    Pittsburgh Penguins’ Chris Kunitz (14) celebrates his goal with teammates as Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitchell Marner skates back to his bench. The final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference currently belongs to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The stakes are high and the margins narrow, and success or failure will almost certainly come down to the four-game homestand which closes out Toronto’s regular season.

  • Can Iginla recapture his former glory with Kings?

    Los Angeles Kings right wing Jarome Iginla skates during the second period of the team’s NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2013, the Calgary Flames made a tough decision and dealt Jarome Iginla at the NHL trade deadline. The deal netted the Flames two prospects and a first-round pick and was a pretty good haul for a 35-year-old rental player, though a relatively pitiable one given how important Iginla had been to the franchise over his career.

  • Why the Flames should be buyers and sellers at the trade deadline

    Dennis Wideman could attract some interest as a backup plan for teams looking for a power-play specialist. For Stanley Cup contenders and NHL cellar dwellers, the league’s annual trade deadline features few complex decisions. Teams like the Calgary Flames have it tougher.

  • Why the Canucks should trade the Sedin twins

    Daniel and Henrik Sedin would be ideal candidates for a team looking for playoff mercenaries. There are a lot of impediments standing in the way of the Vancouver Canucks trading Henrik and Daniel Sedin. General manager Jim Benning is on record saying the brothers should retire as Canucks.

  • Maple Leafs' rookie trio on pace to join elite company

    Maple Leafs rookies Auston Matthews (background) and Mitch Marner (foreground) are leading the turnaround in Toronto. After two straight seasons in the NHL cellar, the Leafs are challenging for a playoff spot, largely thanks to the offensive contributions of a trio of top rookies: Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander. Comparing the first seasons of those players to past NHLers at the same age leads to one inevitable conclusion: The Leafs have struck gold here, especially with Matthews and Marner.

  • What we learned about hockey analytics in 2016

    Less than a decade ago, the hockey analytics community was centered on a handful of blogs and data-scraping websites. Today the field is far more diverse, with people of differing background and experience contributing new ideas and an increasing amount of overlap between the numbers people and the professional hockey men at the top of the NHL food-chain. The explosion in the field over the last 10 years, along with the steadily increasing number of top contributors disappearing into NHL organizations make it difficult to offer a capsule summary of everything that’s going on across the league.