A Small Window To Win Crucial Games For The Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers were finally able to put an end to their six-game losing streak after defeating the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. And thanks to the NHL schedule makers, they may have a small window of opportunity to string together some crucial wins; even with their number one defencemen still out of the lineup. 

The play of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl led the Edmonton Oilers to a victory against Arizona. While they have still struggled to get any help from the supporting cast, the play of Edmonton’s top three forwards might be enough to squeeze out some victories this week.  Here’s a brief analysis of the team’s upcoming matchups:

Saturday: Los Angeles Kings

Edmonton’s next game is against the Los Angeles Kings. A team that was just freshly handed a 6-2 loss by none other than the Tampa Bay Lightning, and have been holding vacancy in the basement of the league all season long. The Oilers have an opportunity to hand the Kings their 3rd straight loss, and I don’t think these injuries can even be used as an excuse for them not to do precisely that.

Sunday: Anaheim Ducks

If Chiarelli thinks his teams’ injuries are severe, he needs to take a look at what Bob Murray is working within Anaheim, who Edmonton is set to face on Sunday.  The Ducks have been missing stud defencemen Cam Fowler since November 14, and are currently without top forwards Rickard Rakell and Corey Perry.

Anaheim ranks dead last in Shots For per Game, and 3rd last in Goals For per game. While somehow still holding onto a wildcard spot.

Even the sub-par group of defencemen (a generous “sub-par” at that) the Oilers have managed to ice up should still be able to handle the minimal offense being produced by the forward corps of the Ducks.

Tuesday: San Jose Sharks

Nobody should expect the Oilers to win this game. Don’t think I need to explain why. But hey, if the team could pull off an upset for the first time in a while, it could help them try and maintain competitive in the West. I suspect they get eaten alive though.

Thursday: Florida Panthers 

A team that has struggled to make any strides in a stacked Atlantic Division, the Florida Panthers have been hovering around a .500 record for quite a while now. They have a wealth of offensive weapons in Barkov, Huberdeau, Dadonov, and Hoffman, which has allowed them to put together the 3rd best powerplay percentage in the league. Only behind the Lightning and the Jets.

Any team who can shore up guys like Ekblad and Yandle on their blueline should never be taken with ease. However, they are missing Trochek and Bjustad, who both play crucial roles in both 5on5 and special teams situations.

By no means would I bet on the Oilers winning this game, but any matchup against the Panthers should be looked at as a win-able game especially since they are only 17-16-6 this season.

Saturday: Arizona Coyotes

After barely being able to manage a win against the Coyotes last Wednesday, the Oilers should be coming out flying in this one. The Coyotes are not a team that should be holding a team to just 24 shots in a game. Edmonton knows they got lucky.

This is a team that is without their number one goaltender — a guy who they have relied on heavily in the past to put up dependable numbers. You can also add Schmaltz, Demers, and Grabner to the list of reliable NHL regulars the Coyotes are missing from their lineup; although there is an unlikely chance one of them may return by the time they face the Oilers next week.

A young team, struggling with injuries, and is hovering around last in the league… there is no question about it, this is a must-win game.

Quick Notes

The Oilers should theoretically be able to get  8 of a possible 10 points up for grabs this week. Although I think 6 points is something Oilers fans can live with given the circumstances of the team’s blueline.

This is a crucial week for the Oilers; it’s not often you get a week of matchups like these in a season. So it is vital they get as many points as possible to keep the playoffs within reach for when Klefbom and Russell return.

Edmonton also faces Carolina and Detroit later on in the month, which should also help their case. All these upcoming games hold a lot of significance since it appears that the Oilers could be in the works of a deal to bring in a proven scorer to the lineup.

Winning or losing these next few games could have a significant impact on whether management decides to pull the trigger or not. Or who’s pulling the trigger…

Elliot Friedman mentioned in his 31 Thoughts that Jesse Puljujarvi could be a guy the Oilers may look to move on from.  It’s been suggested that he has garnered quite a bit of interest from around the league.

There’s no question this team is in dire need of a top-six forward who can put up 20 goals. And Puljujarvi is the piece to move as it seems like the Oilers have hindered his development to the point of no return, but he still holds good value. I don’t think there is a single Oilers fan out there who trusts Chiarelli in making that trade.

Either way, some intriguing times to come in Oil Country.  The next few games could without a doubt make or break the Oilers season.