At face value, the Oilers winning 2 of their last 5 games isn't anything remarkable but that wouldn't give this team the fair shake it deserves for it's (mostly) strong play in it's last 5 games. Let's quickly break each of the last 5 games down.
vs Winnipeg: The Oilers came out strong against the Jets in the first two periods of play and absolutely dominated, going up 3-0. In the third period the team sat back and allowed Winnipeg back into the game but the team was able to bend but not break and come out with 2 points.
vs Minnesota: The only awful game the Oilers played in their last 5. From the beginning it was clear the Oilers were fatigued and not playing their best and Mike Smith wasn't going to help the team out or give them a chance to get back into the game at all, nor would Koskinen when he came in late. Only potential good news here would be saying Minnesota only outscored the Oil 3-2 in the 2nd and 3rd periods.
vs Tampa: The Oilers controlled play for most of this game and this is a game that bare minimum should have gone to OT with Edmonton earning at least 1 point. Instead, once again, Mike Smith was the difference maker and not in the good way as he allowed 2 goals on 5 shots in the first period. Final chances had Edmonton 10-7 in high danger chances and an xGF% of 61.66%. Goaltending let the team down hard but the rest of the team played a strong game against the two time Stanley Cup Champs.
vs Florida: This was the anti Lightning game. The Panthers were the unrelenting team but it was Mikko Koskinen who stood on his head and played well enough to give the Oilers a chance to get back into the game. Derek Ryan scored his first career hat-trick making him the oldest Oiler to ever do so. This game also was the game where RNH left with a shoulder injury early in the 1st period.
vs Carolina: A weird but good game for the Oilers. Edmonton should have been on the board early but Foegele jumping the gun turned a 1-0 lead into a 0-0 game once more. Shortly after that McDavid had to leave the game from losing teeth due to a slash in the face and the Hurricanes had a 2-0 lead by the end of the first. However once the second period started the Oilers came out refreshed and fought tooth and nail against the Canes for the rest of the night in a great game. Derek Ryan stayed hot but the team would fall 2-1 at the end of the day. Still a great performance from a team without 3 of it's top 6 players.
Edmonton did not end up getting the points it would have hoped for out of that trip; I personally was hoping for 6 of 10 points but the overall team play, aside from the Wild game should be cause for celebration and hope. Despite playing long stretches without McDavid, RNH, Puljujarvi, and Yamamoto, Edmonton still was able to keep up with some really good teams.
Tonight Edmonton will have both Duncan Keith and Yamamoto back. RNH is still likely a week or two away and JP is at least two weeks away. As long as the team as a whole plays as they did against Tampa and Carolina, they will have a good chance to win on most nights... that is if they can get at least reliable goaltending. Koskinen will start against the Flyers.
As mentioned above, Duncan Keith will play his first game in nearly a month and will play his first game under Jay Woodcroft. I believe Woodcroft's style of standing players up at the blueline and less idle time in the defense and neutral zones will be beneficial for Keith. I have come down hard on Keith in the past but for decent stretches he was putting up reliable 5 on 5 minutes. With a better system in place Keith returning should be a huge boon for this team.
Woodcroft is still planning on running 11/7 with Keith returning which means Broberg gets sent down and Niemelainen stays. That is the right move. Niemelainen I have praised multiple times for his physical effectiveness and while there is still a high ceiling for Broberg, he simply isn't a difference maker at this stage of his career.
Hopefully the return of Keith will allow JW to lower Bouchard's minutes. Evan Bouchard is still an incredibly talented player but he has made some very obvious mistakes as of late and some of those are causing goals against. Dropping his ice time or even sitting him for a game or two won't hurt his development and might just be the reset he needs to play as he did earlier in the year.
If Edmonton plays as they did against the Lightning, Jets, and Hurricanes against the likes of Philly, Chicago, and Montreal than the Oil have a really good chance at starting another winning streak. The battle for a playoff spot remains tight and Edmonton cannot afford to let these points disappear.