The Edmonton Oilers weren't nearly as bad as their original record suggested. Make no mistake, there were some massive issues with this team and Ken Holland still has to wear that badge of shame. The numbers suggested that Edmonton was going to regress back to the mean, but the hole they dug themselves into was deep and a tough one to pull themselves out of.
Today the Oilers find themselves 4th in the Pacific Division, tied with the Flames but with two games in hand and 3 points out of the last Wild Card spot currently held by the Coyotes. The Oilers have one game in hand on the Yotes too. This team is starting to look much more like the team that was one of the best teams in hockey down the stretch last season. There is still work that needs to be done, but let's talk a bit about what's happening - the good and the bad.
Let's start with the good and some specific players that are leading the way:
Zach Hyman: Most times these lists start with McDavid and me saying "obviously McDavid is an unreal talent," and he is but Hyman has been a force for the Oilers at 5 on 5 and is one of the best value contracts in the league, despite what a Leafs fan on Twitter may have said a couple years ago. Hyman leads the team with 15 goals on the season with 11 of them at even strength. He is a demon on the boards and his work ethic is second to no one.
Connor McDavid: Obviously McDavid is an unreal talent and after a slow start to the season, recovering from injury #97 is back at it and slowly working his way up the points ladder. Connor now sits 8th in scoring with 36 points and only 9 back on the league leader Kucherov despite playing 5 fewer games.
Evan Bouchard: 28 points in 25 games, Bouchard is having a dominant offensive season for the Oilers. Some people will always dislike this player because he isn't a typical blue collar hard hitting player. Teams need guys on the blueline who can make a sharp outlet pass and have elite instincts in the offensive end. Bouchard has both of those skills and now that he is cleaning up the glaring issues and the Oilers are getting better goaltending he is getting the love he deserves. Can't believe some idiots think that Edmonton should dump this player.
Darnell Nurse: Nurse will never be a 9.25 million dollar defenseman and it might be time to stop hating the player for signing the contract. Nurse has played like an elite defender over this 7 game stretch and is directly responsible for preventing a number of goals against. Nurse is at his best when he is playing sound positionally and not trying to do too much while he is on the ice. Knoblauch has found a way to settle down his game and the team is far better off for it.
Stuart Skinner: Skinner, like the whole team in front of him, started the season playing some horrendous hockey but the young netminder has found his game again and is playing like a starter once more. While his SV% is 0.887 on the year, he has a 0.925SV% in his last 6 starts, allowing 4 goals against only once in that time. The only thing Skinner needs now is a capable backup to give the kid some rest every once in awhile.
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Plenty of other players we could talk about in the good column, but it wouldn't be a Sean blog without some negativity so let's get to it.
Connor Brown: While the RNH-McDavid-Hyman line is firing on all cylinders, the Kane-Draisaitl-Brown line is coming up short and a big part of that is the lack of any finish from Connor Brown. Brown had a goal last night that was taken away (rightfully so) but the forward just doesn't seem to have any strong offensive instincts right now. He is aggressive on the forecheck but he is playing with Draisaitl and a great shooter in Kane and has 1 assist on the entire season. At some point this second line needs to start proving itself and I don't know how much more leash Brown is going to get. Once again I am a big proponent on calling up Lavoie and giving him a stint with skill.
Jack Campbell: The news in the last couple weeks has been that the Oilers do want to give Campbell a final kick at the can and call the veteran goalie back up to Edmonton. After another rough AHL outing and a great performance by Calvin Pickard against the Devils that plan may have changed. It seems likely that Pickard is going to get at least another couple games here to prove he can be a legitimate backup. If he shows well, I see no reason to roll the dice with Jack again.
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The Oilers have three more games on this homestand, against the 8th in the Central Blackhawks, the Lightning who are having troubles scoring, and a Panthers team playing some great hockey as of late. There is a chance that the Oilers can finish this homestand a perfect 6-0-0 and also do something no Oilers team in history has ever done; win 10 games in a row.
This 7 game winning streak has helped to off-set some of the struggles of the early season. Hopefully that embarrassment stays with these players all season and forced them to recognize how quickly it all can slip away.
Thanks for reading.