Connor McDavid isn't going to stop scoring goals and piling up points, but the Edmonton Oilers need Cam Talbot to keep playing at an elite level if they hope to sustain their scorching start.
Talbot and the Oilers won their fifth straight game and improved to 7-1-0 with a victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night, continuing the franchise's best opening run since 1985.
The Edmonton goaltender has two shutouts in his last three contests, leads the NHL with seven victories, has a 2.17 GAA and .934 save percentage, and has started each of the Oilers' five consecutive wins.
However, Edmonton has several reasons for concern that make Talbot's strong play critical to its hopes of remaining at or near the top of the Western Conference standings.
Firstly, Edmonton is allowing 32.5 shots on goal per game, the sixth-worst average in the NHL through seven games.
The Oilers are losing the possession game as well. They're the sixth-worst team in the league in terms of Corsi For percentage at even strength (47.22), according to Corsica.Hockey.
They also have the fifth-highest PDO (103.48) - a combination of shooting percentage and save percentage that typically regresses over time if it's more than 100.
McDavid is leading the league in points and is tied for second in goals, and he's not the only one fueling Edmonton's offense. His linemate, Milan Lucic, is second on the team with four goals and seven points, while Jordan Eberle and Leon Draisaitl have six points apiece. But the Oilers could be in for a reality check if they continue playing without the puck as much as they have, and if they don't give Talbot a rest.
Talbot's started every game for Edmonton so far, and was merely average last season when given the heaviest workload of his career. Prior to that 56-game campaign, the 29-year-old had played more than 36 games in a season only once at any level, posting similarly pedestrian figures with the AHL's Connecticut Whale in 55 contests.
The Oilers have won four of five at home and all three on the road so far, but their November schedule includes 10 road games, or twice as many as they'll play at Rogers Place next month.
All of these factors put additional pressure on Talbot to maintain his stellar early-season play, and the soaring Oilers might be headed back down to Earth if he's unable to keep it up.
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