Greetings and salutations for the return of What The Hell Is Up With The Edmonton Oilers, the program in which we attempt to ascertain the cause of the team’s problems. It’s the hardest game show in North America, yet nobody has ever won.
The Oilers are on pace to score 100 points, one game away from the halfway point. Not even a close friend or relative would have laughed at your foolishness if you had stated this to someone two months ago. The Oil had a terrible start to the season, dropping 13 of their first 18 games and 10 of their first 12. They were getting the doors blown off in addition to simply losing. They were failing to score goals or stop pucks, and Jack Campbell was possibly permanently damaged.Maybe it was a sleepover pillow fight, but they were sparring in the league’s basement against the historically incompetent Sharks. It was nasty and horrible, and if it wasn’t too early, it appeared as though it may ruin the entire season because of how bad and ugly it was. At one time, the odds on them finishing with the worst record in the NHL were the same as the odds on them making the playoffs.
However, as we all experience regression over the course of a long season, the Oilers are now in postseason contention as of this morning. After Tuesday night’s thrilling 4-2 comeback victory over the Maple Leafs, they are currently riding an 11-game winning streak, which is the longest in the team’s historic history. They have streaked for three victories in a row, eight wins in a row, and now eleven games in a row. The depressing Oilers have become anything but depressing.
The Edmonton crowd was incredible, exuding a playoff atmosphere that determined the outcome of every rush and shot attempt. Many Leafs supporters were there in the building, and they made their voices known when Toronto jumped off to a 2-0 lead. However, the home team rallied, scoring four goals in the final 25 minutes, including a pivotal goal from Derek Ryan to tie the score and some brilliant play from Ryan McLeod to put Edmonton ahead with 3:05 remaining.
After receiving an empty letter, the once-vociferous visiting fans became reserved. Goalie Stuart Skinner, who stopped 25 of the 27 pucks he faced, remarked, “I’m glad we were able to beat Toronto and beat the Toronto fans out there.”
The game was typical of how Edmonton has been winning: a balanced offense, strong defense and goaltending, a late push (this was their third straight third-period comeback), and a low-scoring contest overall. The Oilers, who have won (and lost) with fireworks over the past almost ten years, are not usually associated with any of these things.
their megastar centers carrying a one-dimensional squad and producing gaudy numbers. These days, that’s not the Oilers. Evander Kane is hurt and unable to contribute, while Darren McDavid has had a disappointing season overall. Rather, they’re receiving goals from real depth scoring and Zach Hyman, who is enjoying a career year. This one was won by third-liners Ryan and McLeod, although Darnell Nurse won last Thursday and Evan Bouchard won in overtime on Saturday. Everyone is working hard at it. These Oilers are scrubbing away. Historically speaking, the Oilers don’t grind. Perhaps that makes more sense in hockey playoffs.
