This season's first full game without superstar Connor McDavid was a roaring success. Now, the goal for the Edmonton Oilers is to replicate their latest performance when they visit the Calgary Flames on Sunday. The Oilers somewhat surprisingly limped out of the gates when the season kicked off, but thanks to a dominant 5-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday, they have won three of their past four games.
Winning in such emphatic fashion without McDavid, who is expected to miss two to three weeks due to an ankle injury, is a confidence boost. "We don't want to play without Connor, but everyone was just a bit better," Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said after his team's practice on Saturday. "Also, we were able to finish on our opportunities, which is something we haven't been able to do earlier.
" The Oilers had huge expectations after reaching the Stanley Cup Final last season but opened the new campaign with three straight losses, including a 4-1 setback against the Flames on Oct. 13. Edmonton managed only two victories in its first seven outings.
Beating the Predators has the Oilers believing the ship has been righted. "We're pretty confident. We're not just a one-man team," Edmonton forward Zach Hyman insisted.
"We have a lot of pieces that can step up. It's nice to get that win, and before that we were confident as a group. "Every team goes through injuries.
It's unfortunate we have the best player in the world and he's not playing. It doesn't help, but it does.
