Tonight, the Edmonton Oilers begin their final extended road trip of the 2015-16 season. Even though expectations weren’t met, another season went down the tubes relatively early and the team battled horrendous injuries, this hockey season once again flew by. The next three games represent this club’s final road trip of the year, wow.
On Sunday night, it became official, the Oilers were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. We knew it was coming, but it still hurts nonetheless. We knew better, but we had hoped that this season would be different. Alas, the Oilers were in the chase longer than in years past and, while it can be tough to see, improvements were in fact made. More on that in a few weeks, however.
Edmonton’s road trip will take them to three different cities with teams in three totally different situations. The first will be Glendale, Arizona where the Coyotes await. Like Edmonton, the Coyotes will miss the playoffs this season and have their eye towards the future. They are playing out the string and looking for a few positives before a lengthy off-season.
Then it’s off to San Jose on Thursday night for a date with the Sharks. Shockingly, Edmonton has done okay against San Jose this season. They beat the Sharks in the first meeting between the sides and then lost in a shootout before getting shutout in meeting number three. The Sharks are currently in a playoff spot and are battling for seeding, so this game means something to them.
Lastly, the Oilers will head to Los Angeles on Saturday to battle the playoff-bound Kings. LA clinched this past weekend and, currently, they are working on sealing up the Pacific Division and possibly home ice throughout the NHL’s postseason. They aren’t desperate, but they too have something to play for and need these two points from Edmonton.
What To Watch For:
It’s going to be awfully easy for Edmonton to go on this road trip and simply fold up shop. Nice weather in the southwest and a taste of the off-season will certainly test this team’s mental state. Can the Oilers go out and play three solid games against, for the most part, competitive teams? That will be a challenge.
In addition to that, can Edmonton finally solve the Arizona Coyotes? For some reason, the Yotes simply have owned the Oilers for what seems like six straight seasons now. Arizona has gained at least a point in the last 20+ meetings between the sides, which seems almost impossible. Yes, it’s a bad matchup, but how Edmonton hasn’t had a single regulation win against them in years is beyond me.
Lastly, I want to watch for how Edmonton handles themselves in San Jose and Los Angeles. Like I mentioned above, both of those teams are playoff bound and have something to play for. Obviously, the Oilers are just playing out the stretch, but this will be a good test for them. Can these guys hang with some of the big boys in the NHL?
Just Win Baby Win:
I wrote last week about what I think is best for the Oilers down the stretch, and that was winning. I’d like to see them take two out of three on this road trip, beating Arizona and then splitting in San Jose and LA. To me, that would show some fight and would signify that Edmonton is getting a little closer to keeping up with the teams that have bullied them for years.
Realistically, however, this could be a very tough week for Edmonton. The Oilers are still banged up and, quite frankly, just aren’t good enough. Combine that with some desperation from all three clubs and you get a recipe for disaster. Hope for the best but expect the worst, that’s what they say, right?
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