Oilers seek to string together good outings against like-minded Rangers
The Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers are both coming off a solid outing that helped them snap a skid, and each will look to keep it going when the two squads square off in Edmonton on Thursday.
Trailing 2-0 after the first period against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, the Oilers took control in the second. They scored twice in three minutes early in the frame to tie it before Utah regained the lead midway through. But then three goals in five minutes late in the period gave Edmonton a lead it would never relinquish in a 6-3 victory.
"You don't want to put yourselves in these situations too often," forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. "This league is so good. Every team can make you pay for that. But the way we responded is obviously a great sign, and it's something we've excelled at over the past few years. ... To be able to show up after a poor first period like that is a good sign for our team."
The win halted a two-game skid for the Oilers, who have had a bit of a bumpy first month of the season with a 5-4-2 record thus far. They haven't been able to string together more than two wins in a row. They've scored first in only four of their first 11 games, winning three of them. Slow starts have been an issue, with only five of their 35 goals on the season coming in the first period.
"I think that there is a quiet confidence in here," defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. "I don't necessarily think it was nervousness or panicking or anything like that just because we had a .500 start after 10 games, but you never know, right? And to be honest with you, this was one game. We need to follow this up on Thursday, so that's where I'll leave it."
The Rangers, meanwhile, arrive in Edmonton after a 2-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday to snap a three-game losing streak. They returned to the defensive structure that coach Mike Sullivan has preached in the win, after allowing a combined 14 goals over the course of their slide.
"That's the game that we put on the ice for most of this year," Sullivan said. "When we play that way, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win every night. And I thought the guys played really hard. I thought their intentions and our mindset was in the right place."
At the other end of the ice, offense remains a concern for the Rangers. They've managed just 24 goals through 11 games, tied for the fewest in the NHL. It's an average of 2.18 per game, which ranks 31st in the league.
A woeful power play hasn't helped. New York has scored on only four of its 28 opportunities with the man advantage, a mere 14.3 percent clip that puts them 28th in the NHL.
"We had a lot of good looks (against Vancouver)," Sullivan said. "J.T. had one on the back door, for example, on the power play that he just missed on. (Artemi Panarin) had two of them on the power play. ... Usually those guys get in those circumstances, more often than not, they're going to score. So, I believe they're going to score."
Seahawks Named Trade Fit for 7-Time Pro Bowl Lineman
Upgrading the interior of their offensive line remains one of the obvious needs for the Seattle Seahawks ahead of the 2025 NFL trade deadline, and a seven-time Pro Bowl guard could be on the block as an ideal replacement for beleaguered starter Anthony Bradford.
It’s Cleveland Browns veteran Joel Bitonio who makes sense as a trade target, according to ESPN’s Seth Walder. He pointed out how “The Seahawks are in a much better place with their offensive line now compared to a year ago, but it would be worthwhile for them to make a short-term upgrade at the deadline since they are a contender. That’s what this would be, with Bitonio coming in to replace Anthony Bradford (by shifting either him or Grey Zabel to right guard). Bitonio, 34, is in the last year of his contract and would be a significant boost in both run and pass blocking.”
Bitonio has enough of a pedigree to offset any concerns about his age. The two-time first-team All-Pro might even give the Seahawks the extra bulk up front they need to improve a sluggish running game.
Joel Bitonio Trade Makes a Lot of Sense for Seahawks
There’s a good deal of logic behind any trade proposal involving Bitonio and the Seahawks. For one thing, “the Seahawks have $21.5 million in salary-cap space, according to Over the Cap. As for assets, Seattle has one pick in each of the first six rounds of the 2026 draft,” per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic.
General manager John Schneider has the assets to swing a mid-season swap, but the talent on a 5-2 roster means he doesn’t need to swing for the fences with a headline-grabbing move. Snagging ageing but still effective Bitonio off a losing Browns team would be low-cost, lower risk and addressing an obvious deficiency.
Bitonio is still moving people in the trenches, and playing for Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski means he’s well-versed knocking open holes for the run. The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder would add the greater size the Seahawks need to help a transition away from their flailing zone-stretch schemes to more straight-ahead power on the ground.
Dugar noted how Seattle’s offense tried more runs “between the tackles” against the Houston Texans in Week 7. Bitonio’s presence would help after he’s played 542 snaps at left guard this season, per Pro Football Focus.
Putting the 12-year pro into the same spot in Seattle would allow the Seahawks to make another shift up front.
Trade Would Let Seahawks Change O-Line
Walder’s suggestion about the Seahawks moving Grey Zabel to the right side has a lot of merit. The 2025 NFL draft first-round pick has already proved a capable starter, so moving him across the front, following any deal for Bitonio, would instantly upgrade two positions.
A pairing of Zabel and Bitonio would also send Bradford to the bench. He’s been finding it difficult to win one-on-one matchups and move defenders in space.
Getting to the second level in a hurry is a key tenant of the zone-based system preferred by offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. A change to more counter and gap concepts is likely needed to revive this dormant ground game, but it will require bulkier blockers at the point of attack.
