Just as the race was heating up and the Edmonton Oilers grip on a playoff spot was starting to slip, the club decided to turn it on. It is the actual best time for things to be clicking and they truly are.
After a spotty record of 2-6-0 from January 31st until the trade deadline on March 6th, things looked bleak for the copper and blue. The team made a change behind the bench over the Olympic break, bringing back assistant coach Paul Coffey to help settle the defence.
The Oilers then bolstered their defence further through player acquisitions, nabbing a shutdown third line centre in Jason Dickinson and a shutdown top-four defenceman in Connor Murphy. These moves look like they’re beginning to pay off and it is at just the right time.
Oilers find groove amidst playoff race
In back-to-back games the Oilers have been able to beat very formidable opponents in convincing fashion, facing the Vegas Golden Knights and winning 4-2 and then the Colorado Avalanche, winning 4-3. Both games come against teams that they could face in a run for the Stanley Cup.
These games were not high-flying track meets that the Oilers have been forced into this season either, both were relatively low event, low scoring affairs that brought an almost playoff-like atmosphere. Seeing the Oilers perform well in these settings is a very good sign and one that is much needed around this time, especially with the low of the recent trade deadline performance.
Oilers goaltending controversy
Although things might change based on the possible injury that Oilers netminder Connor Ingram may have sustained after being ran into by Avalanche captain, Nathan MacKinnon, there is a goaltending controversy once again in Edmonton.
Many are down on Tristan Jarry, who the Oilers acquired in December to take over the starting role between the pipes. Even with the advanced stats backing up Jarry's play, many still feel that Ingram is the best option. This is especially true with the rumoured rifts between Jarry and the Oilers core and with him carrying a .862 save percentage through 13 starts as an Oiler.
As the playoffs approach, the Oilers will hopefully be able to find stability between the pipes but even if they do not, they have been able to make a Stanley Cup Finals run with a tandem as well. The main goal is that they are able to finally lift Lord Stanley in June.