Exceptionally interesting Oilers tilt tonight versus Detroit Red Wings. Edmonton coming off a 7-2 loss to Toronto. Was that the usual home loss to Leafs (12-2-1 record visiting Roger’s Place) or the start of a skid? Mike Babcock, bottom six and goaltending will be a study tonight

Just a terrific opening for the 8th Heritage Classic and Edmonton’s gift of outdoor hockey games to the NHL. Winnipeg did a great job.

McDavid (33) Draisaitl (23) Bouchard (21) now 1-2-3 in NHL scoring race. With two goals Draisaitl (12) now tied for first. Second line with Nuge, Hyman should be good. Goaltending with Anderson, Levi should be good. GM Bowman now knows bottom six needs to be fixed. Again. Relax.

Seven of Oilers 11 games vs playoff positioned teams. Despite 7-2 drubbing by Maple Leafs, Edmonton is 8-2-1 to open season and undefeated on road. Five of next eight vs out-of-playoff position teams. Then play Leafs in Toronto Nov. 14. Relax.

This worthy of a major study. Since Oilers moved into Rogers Place they are 2-12-1 vs Toronto Maple Leafs. And it was 7-2 last night.

Edmonton thumped 7-2 by Toronto and after 8-1-1 start I’m not going to spit all over the Oilers although obvious bottom six missing in action again. To me it was more about Maple Leafs. Damn impressed with Toronto.

Saskatchewan 16 Edmonton 9 in the last game of CFL regular season that looked and felt like first game of preseason. Riders end up third and play Lions in semi in Vancouver. Winner meets EE in first playoff game in about 10,000 days in Commonwealth Stadium in Western Final.

EE in Regina this afternoon for final game of regular season. Saskatchewan needs win to stay in West and play semi final in Vancouver to play Lions. Lose and they go East and play Argos in Toronto. Means a zilch to Edmonton in final for first time since 2015. No. QBs not playing.

Last day of CFL regular season. Winnipeg big win over BC last night to clinch playoff spot and eliminated Grey Cup host Calgary. Today Edmonton at Saskatchewan. A Rider win would create Rider-Lions semi with Bombers crossing over to play Toronto in East semi.

Not much buzz about the World Series. Tampa Bay vs Milwaukee in Game 1 tonight. Having grown up when all were day games and my mom writing absence slips says “Terry stayed home to watch the World Series and growing up to cover106 WS games, I’ll be watching. Brew Crew in six.

If you subscribe to the theory that the team that gets the best player wins a trade, there’s no way the Winnipeg Jets were going to win any deal for goalie Connor Hellebucyk. Deal with Devils just announced. Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Nick Bjustad and low draft picks. Meh.

McDavid’s 31 points combined with Draisaitl’s 21 and Bouchard’s 19 equals 71 points. Draisaitl has 10 goals, McDavid 8 and Bouchard 7. That’s a combined 25 in 10 games. That’s two more than the Calgary Flames.

NHL scoring race this morning after Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl both had two goal, three assist five-point games in OT win over Stanley Cup champions. 1. McDavid 31 2. Draisaitl 21 T3. Bouchard 19 Seventy four games to play.

Already 8-1-1

So far so good.

The most unforgettable games end 6-5. All three Canada-Russia Canada Cup games in that unforgettable series. In this one both goalies played great … 6-5 and goalies deserved praise. These two team play again in November. And in June?

How would you like to watch that seven times in June? Wonderful, wonderful hockey game. Oilers beat Stanley Cup champs 6-5 in a damn shootout. Deserved to be settled 5-on-5. Nuge with one in regulation and only goal of shootout. McDavid and Draisaitl both 5 point nights McD 32pts

Connor McDavid is now a point per period player 10 games into the season thirty points in 10 games. Only Gretzky, Lemieux and Bossy have done it. It’s 4-4 and he has four points with 15 minutes to go vs Stanley Cu champs.

Tonight is a “circle the game on your calendar” tilt vs Stanley Cup champions. Carolina off to 8-2-1 start. Oil 7-1-1. Nuge back at centre on second line and back on power play but not penalty kill. And HC Babcock just made statement re goaltending. Levy gets the net. Big game.