OilersNation has reported:

The Edmonton Oilers opened the Mike Babcock era with a 3-0-1 record in their first four games, a welcome change for a team that has struggled to start seasons in recent years. The early run has come despite injuries to key forwards and strong individual performances across the lineup. It also puts the current start alongside several notable openings in franchise history, including seasons that produced Stanley Cups, records and playoff runs.

Matt Savoie, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, an entire top-six line, have each missed time. Jason Dickinson is only beginning to ramp up after setbacks with an ankle injury that dates to last season. The team’s first four games also included a high-scoring start against Vancouver before a defensive improvement.

The Oilers outscored the Vancouver Canucks 14-13 over their first two games. Edmonton has since gone two games without allowing a five-on-five goal. Goaltender Devon Levi has shown confidence and became the first Oilers netminder since Mikko Koskinen to win his first three starts with the team. Beyond Koskinen, only Andy Moog has won his first four starts in Edmonton.

On offence, Evan Bouchard is breaking NHL records in defenceman scoring that have stood for more than a century. Connor McDavid recorded a career-best 12 points through four games, while Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin have also started strongly and dominated while on the ice.

The club has had other impressive opening stretches. The 1983-84 Oilers began the season determined to finish the job after losing in their first Stanley Cup Final the previous year. They won their first seven games, including an 8-6 victory over Winnipeg, an 8-3 win against Detroit and a 10-7 result over Vancouver.

Edmonton then lost or tied its next three games before starting an eight-game winning streak. By Nov. 12, the team stood at 15-2-1. The season ended with a franchise-record 57 wins, a mark that still stands, and 446 goals, an NHL record that remains unbroken.

Wayne Gretzky had a point in each of the first 51 games, a streak that has not been approached. He scored 61 goals and 153 points before going pointless until Jan. 28. The team went on to win the Stanley Cup.

The next season, 1984-85, began with a 2-2 tie against the Los Angeles Kings. The Oilers followed with winning streaks of six and four games, separated by another tie, and went unbeaten in their first 15 games. Their first loss came Nov. 11 against the Philadelphia Flyers, after a 12-0-3 start.

That unbeaten opening was an NHL record at the time. It has since been surpassed by the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks and the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks. Edmonton went largely unchallenged through the playoffs, and the team was voted the greatest of all time in 2017 during the NHL’s centennial celebrations.

A later strong start came in 2001-02, following a season in which Edmonton opened with a win and a tie against perennial powers Detroit and Colorado and finished with its most points in 13 years. The 2001-02 club, led by Craig MacTavish, began with a 1-0 loss in the Battle of Alberta after Doug Weight had been traded in the off-season.

The Oilers then won four straight games against Phoenix, Chicago, Colorado and Nashville, scoring 16 goals over that span. They started 6-2-1 and later reached 13-5-2-1, sitting first in the Northwest Division on Dec. 16. Their momentum faded in January and early February, when they managed only two wins in a 14-game stretch.

Despite finishing with the league’s second-best goals-against total and receiving all-star-calibre goaltending from Tommy Salo, Edmonton narrowly missed the playoffs. The season’s strong start could not offset the mid-season slide.

The 2016-17 campaign brought a new building, a healthy McDavid and a different atmosphere. Edmonton opened with back-to-back wins against Calgary and went 7-1 in its first eight games, contending for the Pacific Division lead through the season.

Cam Talbot’s goaltending provided the foundation for the team’s return to the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06. The Oilers also surpassed 100 points for the first time since 1986-87.

In 2021-22, Edmonton began with five consecutive wins as it tried to build on two straight playoff appearances that had ended early. The team won nine of its first 10 games and was 16-5 at roughly the quarter point of the season. A sharp downturn followed, with only two wins in the next 15 games, erasing the standings cushion and costing coach Dave Tippett his job.

Jay Woodcroft took over and steadied the team. Under his direction, Edmonton went 26-9-3 and advanced to the Western Conference Final.

Michael Menzies, an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of Pregaming and Postgaming, has also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. He has seven years of news experience as Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, collects vinyl and books, and can be followed on X at Menzies_4.

The article was presented by Derrick Dodge. The dealership said it has new ownership, fresh energy, a renewed focus on customer experience and a forward-looking approach to vehicle buying, centred on transparency, trust and putting customers first. To mark the change, every vehicle purchase comes with a trip for two to Las Vegas; the dealership invited shoppers and curious visitors to see what has changed as it moves ahead with a stated vision for the future.