Anders Nilsson gunning for Oilers' No. 1 job

Anders Nilsson has some company in the Edmonton Oilers' crease, but he has one goal in mind.

“My mindset is to challenge for the No. 1 job,” Nilsson told Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. “That’s why I signed the one-year contract and it’s up to me to perform.”

The Oilers acquired Nilsson's rights from the Chicago Blackhawks in July, then signed him to the one-year, one-way deal.

Edmonton also landed netminder Cam Talbot in a June trade with the New York Rangers, and incumbent Ben Scrivens is under contract for one more season.

Nilsson opted not to re-sign with the Islanders after splitting the 2013-14 season between New York and its AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, Conn. He left for the KHL, where he went 20-9-8 and posted a 1.71 GAA and .936 save percentage with five shutouts in 38 games with Ak Bars Kazan.

The 25-year-old said he needed a change of scenery last season.

“You feel you are going over the same ground," he said. "You aren’t moving forward or developing anymore. I told the Islanders I wasn’t going back to Bridgeport. I needed an environment change, which is why I went to the KHL."

Nilsson is no stranger to facing competition for playing time at the NHL level.

“The Islanders had problems with their goaltending my first few years there," he said. "My first year, they had six goalies in (training) camp and all six ended up playing in the NHL. I enjoyed being there, but it was a bit of a roller-coaster.”

He admitted inconsistency was his downfall in the organization that drafted him in the third round in 2009.

“I was very inconsistent in the minors through my three years there,” Nilsson said. “I certainly could have played better."

- With h/t to Pro Hockey Talk