Oil Spills: A podcast on the Edmonton Oilers

It’s the heart of the order for the Edmonton Oilers in October — three games in a row against some of the NHL’s heavyweight teams — and the big question is how they will do against them. If last Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators, a shutout loss, is any indication, the games against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Washington Capitals and the Predators again will prove thought tests for an Oilers squad that has bared its flaws. Oil Spills podcast host Craig Ellingson talks to NHL beat writers Jim Matheson and Rob Tychkowski about these early warts in the Oilers lineup which are particularly evident both at forward and on defence — a severe lack of depth, highlighted by the heavy reliance on Connor McDavid to score and on using rookie Evan Bouchard as their No. 5 defenceman.