The Edmonton Oilers have won three games in a row and, suddenly, are alive again in the playoff race. The Oilers sit at 11-15-2 and already have more wins in December (3) this year than they had last year (2). It’s only been seven days too, meaning Edmonton is looking like a good bet to be well ahead of where they were last season at the end of the month.
Fans are noticing too. The four wins in five games stretch has been coupled with a lengthy losing skid by both the Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks, the second and third place teams in the Pacific Division. This has allowed Edmonton to gain considerable ground, going from nine points back of Arizona to just three points in a single week.
Edmonton has beaten some good teams too. The Boston Bruins had won five in a row before coming to Edmonton while Dallas is arguably the NHL’s best team. Buffalo, the third team beaten in this stretch, has shown vast improvement this season and was playing good hockey before coming out west.
That said, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Oilers fans. Yes, the team is in the playoff chase again, but let’s not plan a parade or put money down on post-season tickets.
A Lot Left To Prove:
The Oilers recent string of games has been a nice thing to see. The team has played hard, played with structure and gotten great goaltending. That said, they need to prove it is more than a hot stretch before I can truly believe in them. Is this the real Anders Nilsson, or is this simply a hot streak by the goaltender? Can Edmonton’s secondary scorers keep up their recent pace, or are they just getting bounces right now?
What about Edmonton’s young defensive group? Can Darnell Nurse, Oscar Klefbom and Brandon Davidson keep playing steady hockey, even as the competition ramps up and the Oilers go into some very tough buildings? How about some wins against the division, the Oilers still need to prove that they can beat the teams they compete with in the standings every night.
Like I said, it’s been a nice little run here, but I need to see the Oilers do it for more than a five game window before I believe in them. If Nilsson stays steady and the defense and bottom-six keep playing well, well then we can talk about bigger things for this team. They need to prove it first, however.
Banged Up!:
The Oilers are still a banged up hockey team. At the earliest we will see McDavid on New Year’s Eve, although I’m starting to think it’s going to be mid-January before he returns. Nail Yakupov still isn’t skating and now people are talking about him returning after Christmas, another three weeks. Benoit Pouliot is a few weeks off too.
That’s Edmonton’s entire second line just sitting on the IR. Tough to win with that kind of fire power sitting on the injured reserve for an extended period. Oh, solid depth forward Rob Klinkhammer is out of the lineup still too.
Tough Schedule Upcoming:
Edmonton will close out it’s homestand by hosting the Sharks on Wednesday and the Rangers on Friday. San Jose has owned Edmonton over the years, while the Rangers are one of hockey’s best teams. Next week, the Oilers will visit the Bruins, Rangers and Blackhawks. That is not easy by any means.
This isn’t an impossible stretch, but it’s going to be very difficult. The Sharks aren’t exactly playing great hockey, while the Oilers already beat the Bruins once this season and have played the Blackhawks quite well in the two previous contests. It’s possible to come out of this feeling well, but as mentioned it will be tough.
Final Thoughts:
Having the Oilers only three points out of a playoff spot is a lot of fun right now. The games are meaningful and there is an intensity among the players that we haven’t really seen for a few years now, they can sense the opportunity too. I’m not trying to downplay this, it’s a massive opportunity for the organization and the rebuild.
The said, we need to keep things in check. The Oilers are an injured team that is in the middle of their best stretch of hockey all season. It’s easy to get caught up and think that this group has a real chance to make up ground. With a tough schedule coming up, those injuries could really hurt this team and we could be crying in our coffee every morning again by Christmas time.
If the Oilers, banged up, can hang in this race until early January when McDavid, Pouliot and Yakupov return, then we can start talking about the race and possibly a playoff spot. If they are still there when that happens, then I’ll get excited.
Until then, I’ll look at this as a quality opportunity for this organization to send a message to the rest of the NHL, but I’m not giving them the benefit of the doubt. I’ve been burnt on that too many times before. Quietly, I hope, but I’m not getting ahead of myself.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
