"Haven't had our full team on the ice yet": GM Bowman yearns for post-trade deadline Edmonton Oilers squad to push for No. 1 spot in Pacific Division

The Edmonton Oilers want to finish first in the Pacific Division. General Manager Stan Bowman hopes to see the full team play together. With key players returning and new trade deadline additions, the Edmonton Oilers aim to overtake the Vegas Golden Knights.

They are four points behind Vegas and want to close the gap. On Monday, GM Stan Bowman joined Domino’s That’s Hockey and said having the full roster will help the team compete better.

(3:56 )"We want to try to get first place—our goal is to win the division. We’ve got four points to make up on Vegas, and that’s really what we’re pushing for. The other thing is we want to get our full group together—we haven’t had that yet. We made some additions at the deadline, but we haven’t had our full team on the ice," Bowman said.

Defenseman Mattias Ekholm is expected to return by Thursday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. Head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed this and said Ekholm’s return will help the defense. Ekholm has been out due to illness, which got worse after the 4 Nations Face-Off.

In his absence, Jake Walman played alongside Evan Bouchard on the top defensive pairing. This duo has performed well, and Bowman wants to see how the defense looks with a full lineup.

(4:20) "Yep, they will be. And then Frederic hasn’t played yet for us. We got him from Boston at the deadline. We haven’t had all those guys. Walman was a nice addition for our group—I think he’s played excellent," Bowman added.

Bowman said the team has not played with all its trade deadline acquisitions. Frederic, who was traded from the Boston Bruins, has not played for the Edmonton Oilers yet. He can play both center and wing, giving the coaches more options. The Oilers also added Max Jones to bring a different playing style. Bowman believes Frederic and Jones will give the team more variety.

Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner wanted a shutout against New York Rangers

Stuart Skinner was happy with the Edmonton Oilers' 3-1 win over the New York Rangers, but he wanted a shutout. He made 21 saves and in an interview with The Athletic, he mentioned that he felt good in the net.

“I felt good,” Skinner said. “I felt calm in there. I felt like I made saves when I needed to.”

Skinner admits he hasn’t met his own expectations but stays focused on winning.

“I don’t think I’ve really met the expectations of myself, but I’m also one of those guys that’s very hard on myself,” Skinner said about his expectations. “If we’d won all the games that I’ve lost, I’m sure I’d tell you that I expect more out of myself and can still do better.”

Skinner wants to win after last season’s game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup finals.