There’s something happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear. Mike Babcock has the high-octane Oilers playing organized hockey and lying in wait for chances off the rush. The sub-optimal roster, missing Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Matt Savoie, is off to a blazing 4-0-1 start. The chaos of the first two games has given way to structure, positioning and sound goaltending. It all seems repeatable. What in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is going on out here? Please read this.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN OCTOBER

• At home to: Vancouver (Expected 1-0) Actual 0-0-1¹
• On the road: Vancouver (Expected 1-0) Actual 1-0-0
• At home to: Seattle (Expected 1-0) Actual 1-0-0
• On the road to: Anaheim, San Jose, Los Angeles (1-1-1) Actual 2-0-0
• At home to: Mammoth (1-0)
• At home to: Minnesota, Carolina, Toronto, Detroit, Calgary (3-2)
• On the road to: New York Islanders (1-0)
• Expected Record: 9-4-1, 19 points in 14 games
• Actual Record: 4-0-1, nine points in five games

The Oilers have been able to sustain strong defensive play, for longer periods than five games, over the past decade. However, this does feel different. Why? Personnel and level of performance. The second-fourth lines feel interchangeable. They’re all getting results. The top line looks like money every shift, McDavid and Draisaitl having been joined by Frank Mahovlich (Vasily Podkolzin) in these early days. Quite the scene, this. Most encouraging five game run I can recall, partly because of the way it looks.

Oilers, right now, are a fierce forechecking, physical, fundamentally sound and responsible NHL team. Babcock’s hiring appears to have produced a sea change, as the kids say. Amazing.

• Podkolzin-McDavid-Draisaitl 16:07, 6-5 shots, 1-0 goals, 93X
• Formenton-Michaels-Joseph 10:46, 2-6 shots, 1-1 goals, 32X
• Hallander-Dickinson-Kapanen 10:42, 1-1 shots, 50X
• Howard-Samanski-Frederic 5:04, 2-3 shots, 1-0 goals 40X

How good is the No. 1 line? In 53 minutes five-on-five, the trio is 8-0 goals and 80 percent expected goals. XGA-60 is 0,89 and the goals-60 is 9.93! Music!

The hottest line I recall in recent Oilers history was Nuge-Draisaitl-Kailer Yamamoto leading up to the pandemic in 2019-20. That line played 318 minutes, scoring 5.29 goals-60, had a goal share of 78 percent with 56 expected.

The current group might be the best thing we’ve seen since Gretzky-to-Kurri.

The other lines look increasingly like a Babcock team. Aggressive forechecking, close coverage, closing gaps in the defensive zone like demons and forcing a decision from the puck carrier. All textbook, and the goaltending has held in recent games.

I know for a fact that some of the men who skated yesterday won’t be here for the playoffs (Babcock is still making decisions on things), but if this group played Game 1 of the postseason I’d give them a very good chance to win.

Among the forwards on lines 2-4, I thought Ike Howard had a very nice game, and will throw in Josh Samanski from that unit too. All of the middle-six wingers (Alex Formention, Mathieu Joseph, Filip Hallander, Kasperi Kapanen) did good work to my eye. Whatever Babcock told this group after the first period in Anaheim had sustain. The veteran forwards, seeing Hallander replace Max Jones, played (I thought) their best game in San Jose. I just love the hits with a purpose, which isn’t to knock the opponent into the middle of next week, but rather eliminate said opponent from involvement in the play for key seconds as the play develops. Hallander did that several times, Formenton too.

• Shea-Murphy 18:57, 4-8 shots, 1-1 goals, 47X
• Ekholm-Bouchard 17:19, 8-5 shots, 1-0 goals 94X
• Mukhamadullin-Emberson 10:27, 0-4 shots, 35X

There are some things to clean up, there was some chaos on the GA. You can always feel things going all “loose wagon wheel fell off and rolling down the hill” when the defense isn’t sure what to do and gets caught in no-man’s land. Babcock’s teams are aggressive, because even if you get shredded you were trying to make a legit play. Hesitation is death, and we saw it on the GA. Otherwise, it was pretty solid work by the group, Evan Bouchard is on another level now and Mattias Ekholm is the Swedish Rifleman with that shot.

Condors play today, Babcock says Zach Hyman should play Tuesday so we could see a roster move before the team leaves California. Janson Duench has an excellent summary of the game and Oilers thoughts at The Athletic.