The Edmonton Oilers After 70 Games: Can You SMELL What the Playoffs Are Cooking?!

In games 61-70, the Edmonton Oilers went 5-3-2. During that timespan, they played without some key players including Connor McDavid and Oscar Klefbom but they also upgraded the overall talent on the roster with the acquisitions of Tyler Ennis, Andreas Athanasiou, and Mike Green.

I would say that the overall theme of these ten games was overachieving goaltenders. Both Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen had, in my opinion, their best games of the season. The rest of the team really shit the bed 5×5 and that is a problem because when the post-season starts the reffing isn’t going to be the same and they will not be able to solely rely on their special teams to carry them through.

What I am encouraged by though is the emergence of a bonafide 4th line. Coach Tippett said that he wanted to try out a heavy line and I don’t think you can get any heavier when you throw Jujhar Khaira, Alex Chiasson, and James Neal on the ice together. This, my friends, is a playoff line and every year there’s a line like this that catches fire in the post-season and by that, I mean that this combination of players will be able to really grind down the opposition in their own end.

It just really reminds me of the kind of 4th lines the Kings and Bruins were rolling when they were winning their Cups. How about yourself?

Record: 37-24-9 (9th)

The special teams didn’t flinch one bit during this stretch and Edmonton seemed to do a good job of putting the puck into the net and keeping it out of their own. Faceoffs continue to be a sore spot but with that said, the Washington Capitals aren’t that great on the dot either. The shots for/against took a hit this time around though and I wonder if that’s a result of some injuries to keep possession players?

The above stats are courtesy of NHL.com.

These numbers don’t mean a whole lot in the overall scheme of things, but I like to look at them to see where the Oilers sit in the land of grit and hard work. I think that these numbers are more for the blue-collar fan that anything.

The Fancies (5×5)

If any of these metrics are unfamiliar to you, please consult the Natural Stat Trick Glossary.

What jumps out at me here is the high-danger save percentage. The Oilers jumped up twelve spots in the overall standings there and what we know is that save for one dodgy performance from Mike Smith, both of Edmonton’s netminders stood on their heads for this bucket of games.

I’ll say this again (probably for the sixth or seventh time), the fancies still aren’t pretty but they haven’t been all year. Yet, the team sits pretty with regards to a playoff spot. How much do these numbers really mean in the grand scheme of things if a good team can have poor possession metrics but their location in the standings is this good?

We’re in do or die time now folks. The Oilers do have a 4pt lead on Calgary in the Pacific Division and a 5pt gap separates them from the nearest wildcard spot. They need all hands on deck for the next week-to-ten days because if they slip and somebody else catches fire, Tippett’s boys could still end up on the outside looking in.

What will a 100% healthy roster look like and what kind of damage will it be able to do come game one of the 2020 NHL playoffs?

Here’s what the path to the 82nd game of the looks like today,

The Next Twelve Games (71-82)

• 3/11 vs. Winnipeg Jets (36-28-6) – Winnipeg really gave it to the Oilers in their last game against each other but Edmonton’s goaltending was stellar and now McDavid is under the weather and Yamamoto is taking “maintenance days”? (LOSS)
• 3/13 vs. New York Islanders (35-23-9) – Who would’ve guessed that the Islanders would be fighting with the Rangers for a wildcard spot in 2020? (WIN)
• 3/15 @ Philadelphia Flyers (41-20-7) – The last back-to-back of the year starts here against the hottest team in the NHL. A lot of ppl ridiculed the Flyers when they picked up Justin Braun and Matt Niskanen, but they’ve proven to be very excellent additions so far. Top that off with some Carter Hart netminding and life is good in Philly. (LOSS)
• 3/16 @ Washington Capitals (41-20-8) – At the time of writing, the Caps are 4-3-3 in their last ten games and that’s generally not the kind of form you want to be in at the end of the regular season. What a great hockey team this is but unless they get great goaltending, I don’t think their defense is all that amazing aside from John Carlson. (WIN)
• 3/18 @ Ottawa Senators (25-32-12) – The Sens basically dealt away their best player and one of their most talented wingers at the deadline, in addition to that, Edmonton’s past would lead me to believe that the Sens should probably take this one. This is a different Oilers team though and I feel like they’ll win this one with ease. (WIN)
• 3/20 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (43-20-6) – Speaking of teams that are cooling off at the wrong time. The Lightning are 3-6-1 in their last ten, they’re without Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman, and the guys they picked up at the trade deadline have done diddly squat since then. Maybe by the time this game takes place Stamkos and Hedman are back in and their deadline acquisitions are scoring, but I hope not! HA! (OT LOSS)
• 3/23 vs. Anaheim Ducks (28-32-9) – Poor John Gibson. This team is a shell of its former self but the good thing is, they’re icing quite a few youngsters and for a draft geek like myself, I dig that. (WIN)
• 3/25 vs. Colorado Avalanche (41-20-8) – How healthy are the Avs in this one? When I was writing this on the 10th of March Nathan MacKinnon had gotten dinged up and this is a team that will only go as far as he takes them. (WIN)
• 3/27 vs. San Jose Sharks (29-35-5) – Do you recognize any of the names on this roster? Will Evander Kane concuss another Oiler in this one? Is anybody still laughing at the fact that their first-rounder belongs to the Ottawa Senators and it’s most likely going to net the Sens a future first-line forward or top-four defender? (WIN)
• 3/29 vs. Anaheim Ducks (28-32-9) – Might we start seeing some players getting rested around this time? You can be sure that the Ducks will be playing to win and doing it in the only way they know. The Oilers will need to be careful not to get hurt here. (WIN)
• 3/31 vs. Vegas Golden Knights (39-24-8) – I expect there to be some fire in this one. A Vegas/Edmonton playoff series would be some great entertainment, would it not? (LOSS)
• 4/4 vs. Calgary Flames (36-27-7) – This is how every year should end, with a final installment of the battle of Alberta. Where are the Flames in the standings in this game though? Regardless, it’ll be a very interesting game if both teams have clinched playoff spots. Not sure how physical it will be but one thing you can be sure of, Matthew Tkachuk will probably annoy Leon Draisaitl and Andrew Mangiapane will most likely score a goal. (WIN)

(Standings as of March 10th, 2020)