5) Will the Oilers win the overall road trip?
While this is technically the Oilers’ longest road trip of the season, it’s not all in one stretch. They will play three games out East, then return home for five days during the Christmas period, before completing the road schedule on the West coast.
Regardless, this will still be a demanding stretch for the Oilers, even more so now after losing their last two games at home. Heading onto the road with a 10-game winning streak would have had us a lot more confident about what they’re capable of doing on this trip.
We’ve already referenced the Oilers’ superior road record last season, so we know what they are capable of. However, it’s about what this season’s version of the team can do, and so far they’ve quite simply not been good enough.
First up there’s a trip to the Islanders on Tuesday night, who are 8-3-6 at home so far in 2023-24 and currently holding onto a playoff spot. Further, it doesn’t bode well that the Oilers were blanked 3-0 last season at UBS Arena.
Next up it’s the Devils on Thursday night, who are 6-7-1 at home so far, and just one point out of a playoff spot at the time of posting. As a point of reference they also beat the Oilers at home last season, 5-2.
Then, after facing the Rangers and returning home for Christmas, it’s onto San Jose, the scene for the lowest point of this season as they lost 3-2 and cost Jay Woodcroft his job. To give you an idea of how different things were last season, the Oilers beat the Sharks 6-1 and 7-1 respectively at SAP Center.
Next it’s onto Los Angeles and the Kings, who they split the two away games with last season. The Kings are pretty average at home so far with a 5-5-3 record, although their outstanding road record has them in a playoff position, so who knows what to expect.
Finally, the Oilers will go to Anaheim, to face a Ducks side they’ve already dominated this season. The Ducks are one of the worst teams in the NHL and this is reflected in their 5-10-0 record at home.
Overall, if we had to make a prediction, the Oilers won’t win this six-game road trip, although there would be no issue with being proven wrong. However, we believe they have an excellent chance to go .500, which would actually be a success given how this season has gone to date.