It's a case of deja vu for the Edmonton Oilers, with them overcoming a poor start for a second consecutive season and now beginning to find their form as we approach Christmas time. Although it's fair to note they are actually better-placed than at the same point last season.
Last season the Oilers began 2-9-1, which was the worst start in franchise history through 12 games. However, thanks in large part to an eight-game winning streak, they recovered and had a record of 13-15-1 after 29 games.
This time around, Kris Knoblauch's team found themselves at 6-7-1 following 14 games. Since then though they've been on a tear which includes winning seven of their past eight games, and they are at 17-10-2 through 29 games.
As a result, it stands to reason that the Oilers have trended in a positive direction when it comes to the NHL power rankings. In this respect, let's take a look at the latest round of rankings, to see just how well the team is doing at the moment.
A top 10 theme for the Oilers
We begin with The Athletic (subscription required), who move the Oilers up from 13th to 10th place. Individually speaking Dom Luszczyszyn rates them more highly at eighth, while Sean Gentille has them at number 11.
This week's theme for The Athletic is a Christmas wish list for each team, with them looking for any five-on-five offence from anyone other than Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton. In particular they are looking for a lot more from the likes of Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and you'll find no such disagreement from us.
Next we turn to Sportsnet, who also have the Oilers at 10th spot in their weekly power rankings. Similarly going with a Christmas wish list theme, they have the team wanting another 16-game winning streak, which of course is extremely unlikely, but also isn't as much of a need as last season.
Oilers' lowest ranking of the week
Next up it's NHL.com and their Super 16 rankings, with the Oilers in 12th place, as they were last week. Among the 15 voters on an individual basis, Mike Zeisberger has them ranked highest at number nine, while Brian Compton is the only one not to include the team at all in his Super 16.
This time around NHL.com examined stats for each team garnered from NHL EDGE, with the Oilers specifically leading the NHL with 43 90-plus mph shot attempts prior to their most recent game against the Minnesota Wild. They also note the Oilers have two of the top 10 players in offensive zone time percentage, including McDavid at fifth, with 49.8 percent.
Finally we come to CBS Sports who, like The Athletic and Sportsnet, have the Oilers ranked 10th. This represents an improvement of one place, after being in 11th spot last week.
Austin Nivison focuses on the goaltending being the Oilers' number one issue in respect of why the team is currently contending for a wild card spot as opposed to a divisional tile. However, Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have both improved of late, and at the time of writing the team's 2.79 Goals Against Average is eighth-best in the NHL.
Overall, we can find no fault with the Oilers' power rankings this week, and that's regardless of this being a fun weekly exercise by the various major sports media outlets. All that should matter to fans is that the team is improving, and as a result is continuing to gradually trend in the right direction.