Some Upcoming Edmonton Oilers Matchups to Keep an Eye On
The Edmonton Oilers are officially into the heart of the 2021-22 NHL season. Dave Tippett’s club currently sits 2nd in the Pacific Division and 3rd in the Western Conference.
A very respectable 16-7-0 record has kept the Oilers at or near the top through the first 2 months of the season. A recent shaky stretch has seen the team pick up 4 out of their total 7 losses in the last 9 games played.
The biggest negative is the losses to teams they “should” beat. Four of the Oilers’ losses have been at the hands of teams in the bottom ten of the NHL standings.
Edmonton has already won some key matchups this season, but this week is going to show what this team is really made of.
The Edmonton Oilers have 3 matchups in the next 8 days against teams above them in the standings, and 5 straight against Pacific Division foes starting December 18th.
Here are 3 must-watch matchups coming up in the next week:
Tuesday, December 7th vs Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are currently the team to beat in the West with 17-6-1 record. They’re on a 6 game win streak and have been off since Saturday night.
The Wild are the opposite of the Oilers: a very good 5-on-5 team. Minnesota is currently 2nd in 5v5 goals, 5th in Expected Goals, and to go along with 64% of their goals coming at even strength (compared to Edmonton’s 55%).
It’s the first matchup between the two since February 21st, 2021. Edmonton hosted Minnesota, where the Wild 5-3.
Saturday, December 11th vs Carolina Hurricanes
Oilers’ fans probably only think of one thing when it comes to the Carolina Hurricanes: The 2006 Stanley Cup Final… Let’s not talk about that though.
It is nice to see both of these teams back near the top of the NHL standings once again. Both teams had a lengthy unbeaten streak to start the season. The Oilers went 5 games, while the Hurricanes went 9 games without losing.
Only 1 point separates the two teams as of now so it will be a good matchup to watch. It’s also the first time Ethan Bear will be back in Edmonton to face his former team, along with Warren Foegele’s first against his old club.
It’s also the first time since February 2020 that these teams have met. The Oilers won on the road, 4-3 in overtime.
Tuesday, December 14th vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Last season the Leafs and Oilers got very familiar with each other. The two clubs battled it out all year for first place in the Scotia North Division.
Edmonton ended up going 3-5-1 against Toronto, who eventually won the division by 5 points. The Leafs also outscored the Oilers 31-20 in the 9 games series.
Toronto had a slow start to this season but have won 11 of their last 15 games played, while both clubs have lost 2 straight.
The Oilers recently lost back-to-back regular season games for the first time since March 2020.
Edmonton and Toronto both have huge star power with the likes of McDavid and Draisaitl on one side, and Matthews and Marner on the other. Hopefully the stars come as advertised.
Honourable Mention: December 27th @ Calgary Flames
The Edmonton Oilers need to finally bring a full 60-minute effort to get back in the win column.
If the Oilers want to win any of these key matchups, they need to start the game on time. It seems like every game, the other team comes out faster and stronger.
Early on in the season Edmonton would find ways around their slow starts to win games, but it’s evident that it’s catching up to them.
It’s not exactly obvious what this club needs to do to start games better but it has to start changing soon.
I’m no NHL coach but I feel like Dave Tippett has to keep lines together for more than one game. Keeping Draisaitl and McDavid apart is crucial for depth scoring, while contributing players need that stability to build chemistry, instead of always switching line-mates.
The Edmonton Oilers need to find inspiration somewhere because these upcoming weeks will be the biggest test of the season yet. It may very well be a defining moment for the Oilers’ entire season.
Stats provided by moneypuck.com