Turns out, all the Edmonton Oilers had to do was trade Justin Schultz.
In all seriousness, the Oilers wrapped up a four-game road trip with a 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. Edmonton recorded three wins and a loss on the trip, and they have goaltender Cam Talbot to thank.
Talbot's been a wall of late. He stopped a remarkable 105 of 107 shots in three games on the trip, good for an astounding .981 save percentage. He's won four in a row, allowing a goal or less in each start, and has a .979 save percentage over his last four games, and a .967 save percentage over his last six games. Phenomenal numbers, yeah.
After a slow start to his career in Edmonton, Talbot's been heating up since December. He's proving he's a No. 1 goalie, and proving he's worth the draft picks the Oilers used to trade for him, and the faith the club showed in him by signing him to a three-year contract extension.
| Month | Starts | SV% |
|---|---|---|
| October | 9 | .897 |
| November | 3 | .864 |
| December | 6 | .934 |
| January | 9 | .932 |
| February | 12 | .914 |
| March | 3 | .981 |
"Things are going in the right direction right now," Talbot said after Sunday's win. "I just want to keep it up."
"It's almost becoming routine for him, but I don't think it's easy by any means," said head coach Todd McLellan.
They're almost alarming words to write: The Oilers may have themselves a goalie.
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This is what the Oilers do every year. Once out of the playoffs the show sparks of what the team could potentially do next year… Then next year comes after another first overall draft choice only to be at the bottom of the league the same time next season.
Time for the Oilers to step up or blow up the team and start over… Keeping Conner of course.