Edmonton Oilers Accomplished Many Regular Season Feats
By Sammi Silber
As the Edmonton Oilers kick off their 2017 Stanley Cup Playoff run Wednesday, they leave behind an outstanding season.
They finished with 103 points, their first 100-point campaign since 1986-87. Additionally, a number of players on the team hit huge milestones, and overall, the team had an accomplished season. Before the playoffs kick off, let’s take a minute to look at just how well the Oilers performed this season.
Edmonton Oilers
Connor McDavid
Obviously, the biggest star was Connor McDavid. Winning the Art Ross Trophy with a 100-point campaign, McDavid became the eighth Oilers player to reach the century mark, joining the elite company of Wayne Gretzky, Glenn Anderson, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Jimmy Carson and Doug Weight.
Also, he is the sixth-youngest player to reach 100 points in a single season at 20 years and two months, and the 107th player in NHL history to reach that mark. McDavid also ended the season riding a 14-game point streak, the longest since Mark Messier’s 14-game streak in 1987-88. If he scores in another game, he will tie Gretzky’s 15-game record.
Overall, he is by far the Oilers top player in recent years. His 100 points are a feat that no other Oiler has reached in years, and he is going above and beyond in his first year as captain.
Leon Draisaitl
In his first true full year with the Oilers, Draisaitl proved his worth to the team and showed himself to be an elite forward. He finished the year with 29 goals and 77 points in 82 games and proved to be the answer to the dynamic player to put on McDavid’s line. Both of them combined to put up 177 points, the most points between any other duo in the NHL.
Additionally, Draisaitl reached a personal record. He broke the record for the highest single-season scoring record amongst German players. Marco Sturm originally held that record with 59 points between the Sharks and Bruins in 2005-06. Draisaitl broke that record with 12 games still remaining in the regular season and then went on to score 77 points. He is the first German player in league history to reach the 60-point mark.
Cam Talbot
Proving the naysayers wrong, Talbot showed his worth as an NHL starting goaltender. He went from an undrafted backup netminder to one of the most impressive goalies in the league. His most notable feat this season came in becoming the Oilers’ franchise leader in single-season victories, putting up 42 wins and passing Grant Fuhr’s record (41).
Not only that, he finished with a 2.39 GAA and .919 save percentage. Both of these stats are among the top 20 in the NHL. Easily, he has made himself more prominent and is making a case for Vezina consideration. He kept the Oilers in multiple games this season and is one of the reasons that they are seeing their first playoff run since 2006.
Kris Russell
Russell had an outstanding season with the Oilers, despite what his NHL analytics had to say. His greatest ability comes in the art of blocking shots. The 29-year-old blueliner finished first among NHL players, posting 213 blocks in 82 games this season.