Professor’s Press Box: Last Night in Canadian Hockey – Nov.

Some nights in Canadian hockey feel a little heavier than others, and last night was one of those. Two Western Canadian teams stepped onto the ice looking for answers. Each was trying to address a different question, but the same kind of pressure was humming under their skates. The Edmonton Oilers needed steadiness; the Calgary Flames needed a spark. Both found out, in their own way, just how thin the line can be between progress and frustration.

If you're the kind of reader who likes to dig in deeper, full game reviews are linked for each section below. What follows here is the “walk around the rink” version—what stood out, what mattered, and what it felt like from the press box seat where the coffee’s always tasty and the notebook begins to fill itself.

Game One: Capitals 7, Oilers 4 – Edmonton Pushback Undone by Leaks

The Edmonton Oilers spent the night chasing a game they never quite caught. Washington came out flying—quick touches, traffic in front, bodies everywhere—and Stuart Skinner never really looked settled. Still, the Oilers hung around. Darnell Nurse, who’s been taking more heat than most lately, put two behind Charlie Lindgren. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl kept dragging the group forward. And when David Tomasek pulled it to 4–3 early in the third, you could almost feel the momentum teasing an Edmonton comeback.

But that’s the trouble with this team right now: a few good pushes keep getting undone by small, fatal lapses. Evan Bouchard lost the battle on the Ryan Leonard goal that made it 4–2. A couple of neutral-zone giveaways turned into odd-man rushes. And once Tom Wilson pumped in two empty-netters, the Oilers were left shrugging through another night where scoring four somehow still wasn’t enough.

If you want the full breakdown and deeper detail, follow the link to the complete review. But the short version is simple: the effort was there; the details weren’t.

Capitals 7, Oilers 4: Edmonton Pushback Undone by Leaks

Game Two: Flames 6, Sabres 2 – Calgary’s Third Period Steals the Game

Calgary, on the other hand, looked like a team that finally exhaled. After grinding through a rough stretch, the Flames found something familiar in Buffalo—a sense of rhythm, some steadiness, even a bit of swagger. Rasmus Andersson’s early goal seemed to snap the tension on the bench, and Devin Cooley looked calm in a way that spreads through a group quickly.

And then came Joel Farabee, skating just down the road from where he grew up: two goals, non-stop hustle, and a little close-to-home electricity. Matt Coronato and Morgan Frost chipped in, too, including Coronato’s strange one off the end boards and a skate—exactly the kind of bounce Calgary hasn’t seen much of lately.

For the full Flames game story, hit the link. But here’s the gist: Calgary didn’t just win—they looked like themselves again.

Flames 6, Sabres 2: Calgary's Wild Third-Period Carries the Game

Summarizing What Happened Across Canada Last Night

Put simply: two Western teams took two very different turns. Edmonton showed fight, but tripped over the same cracks that have haunted them all season. Calgary blew the doors off a game and finally got rewarded for sticking with it. Across Canada, it was a night of reminders—some encouraging, some frustrating—that November can be a cruel month but also the place where a season often finds its shape.