It’s been a long few weeks on the road, and the Oil Kings made the most of it by going 3-2-0 on the road trip. They started with the loss in Calgary, won their way through Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and then finished with another loss to Medicine Hat once they were back in Alberta. Now they are on home ground, and ready to bring some excitement to kick off the Edmonton sports triple-header today.

Edmonton managed to hand with the Tigers throughout the game, and a couple empty net goals while pressing for an equalizer late made the 5-2 final look worse than it truly was. Edmonton started hot, as has been their persona all season long, with an 8-2 shots advantage out of the gate but Medicine Hat weathered the storm and then took the wind out of the Oil Kings sails with a late first period goal to set the tone for the rest of the game. 

Edmonton’s top line just appeared outmatched and outskilled at times, with Medicine Hat’s stars stifling every opportunity and making the Oil Kings have to work twice as hard for every puck battle. They were aggressive on every play, and it paid off for them with some bounces and opportunities falling into their laps. The faceoff battle swayed heavily in the favor of the tigers as well, which is never a great sign.

Simcoe did what he could, but he just couldn’t stand up against the relentless pressure and gave up 3 goals on 30 shots. When the Oil Kings needed a big save, particularly after the 1-1 goal tied things early in the 2nd period, Simcoe couldn’t find the shot through traffic and it found it’s way to the net only 2 minutes after they had tied it up.

Arriving in Edmonton today are some familiar faces, as the Moose Jaw Warriors have made the trip looking for some revenge for the 5-1 loss they suffered to these Oil Kings last weekend. The Warriors had been on a downward trend ever since Edmonton handed them their first loss of the season, but they played last night in Red Deer and pulled out a victory. They’ll be looking to make it two in a row at Edmonton’s expense. They now sit at 4-2-1 to start the season.

On The Throne

Those players that are considered to be trending upwards, on a hot streak, or otherwise impressing will be seen as being On The Throne. 

Gavin Hodnett - The captain had a quiet start to the season before starting to find the points rolling in. Against Medicine Hat he made the most of a partial breakaway with a wicked shot the beat the Tigers goalkeeper. This was his 3rd game in a row with a point, and 4th of the 5 game road trip. Hodnett is a key piece of this team’s success, and seeing him rolling on the scoreboard is always one of those things that players look up to from their captain. If he’s racking up the points, the rest of the team will be looking to follow suit.

Landon Hanson - I was really high on Hanson coming into this season after his performance through the preseason. This is why it’s always advised to not put too much value in preseason performances, and wait until the games actually matter. Hanson is still looking to bury his first goal of the season, but he’s started to find his way onto the score sheet with more consistency over the road trip. Perhaps a home game in front of the Oil Kings faithful is just what Landon needs to turn these assists into goals

Adam Jecho - The return of the big man from his time in St.Louis has been quietly productive. He has 4 points in his 5 games, but it hasn’t been flashy by any means. He’s playing a positional game, being in the right places, steady on his stick, and making the right reads to get his name on the scoreboard by any means possible. If anyone has been underrated in their overall performance on this trip, I would suppose Jecho should be near the top of that list.

Off The Throne

Players that are struggling through a rough patch, on a cold streak, or possibly battling the puck at times will be viewed as being Off The Throne. 

The Team’s Centers  - Faceoffs are a key component of being successful in hockey, and when you are consistently losing those faceoffs it is always putting your team on the backfoot immediately from the drop of the puck. Against Medicine Hat, Edmonton found themselves really struggling in this area. Max Curran was the most successful of the main 4 centers, going 11 of 22 (50%) on the faceoff dot over the game. Cage Smith went 1 of 5 (20%), Miroslav Holinka went 4 of 16 (25%), and Andrew O’Neill was 5 of 17 (29%). None of these are good numbers, and this is definitely an area Edmonton will look to rectify. A rematch against Moose Jaw is a good place to start, as the last game in Moose Jaw saw the Oil Kings hold a slight 28-24 advantage on faceoffs through the game.

At the Gate

Who is the man standing between the pipes, the soldier standing between the opponent’s hopes and dreams? The man in the mask, and heavy padding, is the man At the Gate. This is our section where we will look at the starting goaltenders. 

Simcoe got the start in Medicine Hat, which would suggest we’re in line for Parker Snell to get the start at home for the Saturday matinee. Snell is coming off a shutout against Brandon last weekend, and will look to keep the brick wall up in this one.

Simcoe had the start in Moose Jaw and stopped 30 of 31 shots for the win. Coach Smith could look to give him the rematch to bounce back quickly from the loss to the Tigers, but he has seemed firm in his goalie rotation so far this year and I see no reason for him to change it now.

The Roil Ledger

How well do the Oil Kings match up with their opponents? How have they fared against them in recent seasons? Is there a lot of red in that ledger, or have the results been more positive? We’ll take a look at recent history and notable stats between the two teams.

The game in Moose Jaw last weekend saw Edmonton jump out to a 5-0 lead in the 2nd period, and hold on for a 5-1 victory. The recently traded Jack Toogood had 2 goals, Joe Iginla, Miroslav Holinka, and Ethan Mackenzie rounded out the scoring for the Oil Kings. Moose Jaw’s lone goal came on a 3rd period powerplay from defenseman Aiden Ziprick.

In the 2024-25 season these teams met 4 times, and the Oil Kings dominated the season series outscoring Moose Jaw 22-4 as they swept all 4 games. Simcoe took the Shutouts in both games played in Moose Jaw, winning 7-0 in the first and 4-0 in the second games to be played there. The games in Edmonton were wins of 5-1 and then 6-3 for the Oil Kings.

The all-time series is currently heavily leaned towards Edmonton, as they are 34-24-8-3 all time against Moose Jaw. Do the Oil Kings continue this dominant trend and build this lead even further?

The Threats Beyond the Wall

What awaits the Oil Kings on the other side of the ice? Who should they be keeping an eye on? How has the opponent stacked up around the league? We’ll be looking at the players to watch, those high on prospect draft boards, and the ones already drafted by NHL teams. The team’s place in the standings, win or loss streaks, and other important information to prime everyone to be ready for the opposition.

The Warriors are still being led by their rookie sensation Colt Carter, as he makes his case to be a future high draft pick. He has 8 points through 7 games, although he’s currently on a 2 game quiet streak. With the skill he’s shown to start the season, it’s probably a safe bet that he won’t be interested in extending that cold streak to 3 games and will be on the hunt for points today.

Forward Pavel McKenzie is tied with Carter at 8 points, and leading all forwards as well. The 20-year-old winger is one of the older veterans on this Moose Jaw team and looking for his opportunities to help this Warrior team turn it’s fortunes around into wins and glory.

Goaltender Mathew Hutchison is still the guy for Moose Jaw, and that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon. However, he played last night in Red Deer, and was pulled in the Edmonton game after allowing 5 goals on 13 shots. Meanwhile, backup Kyle Jones stopped all 7 shots he faced in relief against Edmonton and will probably be tapped to make his 3rd start of the season. 

Remember that this matchup got rough near the end of the game in Moose Jaw, with over 60 penalty minutes being handed out between the 2nd and 3rd periods only. The game ended with a fight between Brady Craik and Brady Ness, which saw both combatants land some solid punches, and Ness pulling Craik’s helmet off his head after the refs had tried to separate them. Emotions could run high again in this game, and Ness could be someone for Oil Kings fans and players to keep an eye on his shenanigans.

Brandon sits at 4-2-1, Edmonton is sitting at 5-2-0, so it should be another quality match between these 2. You can watch the game for free on Victory+, or listen along on iHeartRadio, head on down to Rogers Place to grab a ticket and take in all the action live. Puck Drop is at 2pm local Edmonton time. The next game will be Monday Afternoon in Edmonton as the Oil Kings stay home for a Thanksgiving game against Jack Toogood and the Lethbridge Hurricanes.Tonight is another chance to secure a Power Saturday prize, so get your predictions in on Facebook, X, or BlueSky before puck drop to be entered in the contest! Make sure you’re following us here at The Roil Line for all future Roil Briefings!