Oilers Edge Out Kraken: Crucial Win and Playoff Implications

The Edmonton Oilers played a game that was good enough for them to win this afternoon against the Seattle Kraken. In their 2-1 win against the Kraken, they played well for the first couple of periods but needed a stellar 3rd period from Stuart Skinner to walk out with 2 points.

It was a much-needed two points in the standings as coming into the day the Oilers were 1 point behind the Golden Knights for 2nd spot in the Pacific Division with the win the Oilers passed the Golden Knights, but the Knights still had a game later in the night to regain that lead.

The good news for the Oilers and their fans is that the Buffalo Sabres did them a huge favour by steamrolling the Knights 7-2. The Sabres scored 4 goals in the third period in the win. The Golden Knights have now gone 1-4-1 in their last 6 games. The Oilers have gone 3-2-1 in their last 6 and have won 3 in a row.

The Oilers haven't been playing their best hockey as of late and neither have the Golden Knights. While I think no matter what happens these two teams will likely be playing each other in the first round, the Oilers having home ice would be a huge advantage in this series.

The Edmonton Oilers currently have a 19-8-2 record at home, while their away record is 17-12-2. On the other side of things, the Knights road record is 14-12-5 while they are 19-9-2 at home. Whichever of these teams would end up with home-ice advantage would be the favourite going into the series with how much better each one of them is in their hometown.

While it is still a long way till the playoffs and with the trade deadline to come a lot of things can happen from now to then, but no matter how things work out the Edmonton Oilers should not coast to the end of the season. Home ice will be a major advantage for them.