When they arrived in D.C. two years ago, the Edmonton Oilers were reeling. After losing the first three games of their four-game road trip, they had fallen to 10 points out of the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. With a 5-12-1 record, Edmonton sat 30th in the NHL’s overall standings going into a Black Friday game against one of the Eastern Conference’s top teams, the Washington Capitals.
Fast-forward to Wednesday (Nov. 19), and once again the Oilers find themselves on another lengthy November road trip with a visit to Washington. And just like in 2023, Edmonton is reeling.
The Oilers’ record (9-8-4) isn’t as poor as it was two years ago, and they’re currently just one point out of a postseason position. But the sense of concern about this team feels the same.
Oilers Rank Among Worst Teams in NHL
Their place in the standings flatters the Oilers. This is a team that has just four regulation wins, tied for fewest in the NHL, and a goal-differential of minus-12, fourth worst in the league. Edmonton is more than a quarter of the way through its 2025-26 schedule, and there have been two, maybe three, games in which the Oilers have played good from start to finish.
Edmonton’s latest setback came Monday (Nov. 17) at KeyBank Center, where the Oilers got completely outplayed by the Buffalo Sabres and wound up losing 5-1 to the last-place team in the Eastern Conference standings.
That dreadful performance snuffed out any momentum that Edmonton had been building with three wins in its previous four games. But while they aren’t exactly riding a wave into Washington, the Oilers can use history for a spark.
Oilers Made Historic Turnaround in 2023-24
On Nov. 24, 2023, the Oilers blanked the Capitals 5-0 at Capital One Arena. Edmonton forward Leon Draisiatl scored twice in what was a dominant performance by the visitors, who were up five goals before the second intermission.
Related: Revisiting the Oilers’ Incredible Thanksgiving Turnaround of 2023
That marked the beginning of an eight-game winning streak and a 24-3-0 stretch for the Oilers, who never looked back. Edmonton climbed to second in the Pacific Division standings by season’s end, then went on a playoff run all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, before ultimately coming up just short against the Florida Panthers.
The Oilers became the first NHL team since the 1968 St. Louis Blues to reach the championship series after starting the season with less than 12 points through its first 18 games. Simply put, it’s one of the greatest turnarounds in hockey history, and Edmonton’s Black Friday victory in Washington is cited as the turning point.
Oilers vs. Capitals Is a Marquee Matchup
There are 11 players still with the Oilers who were part of the roster in November 2023, meaning virtually half of the current lineup can tap into that experience.
It’s easy to see how a win in Washington can serve as a flashpoint. Ever since Connor McDavid’s arrival in Edmonton, every matchup between these teams has been a highlight on the NHL calendar. It’s McDavid, this generation’s top player, against Washington forward Alexander Ovechkin, history’s greatest goal scorer. Wednesday’s game is getting the big-time treatment as the first game on the weekly NHL on TNT doubleheader.
But there’s a major difference between the Edmonton team that took the ice at Capital One Arena in November 2023 and today’s Oilers.
In their prior game before taking on Washington two years ago, the Oilers were beaten 6-3 by the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh. During the final moments of that loss, cameras caught a moment between McDavid and Draisaitl on the visitor’s bench. There were no words, but their gestures spoke volumes: they were going to get out of this mess.
That was a moment of truth for Edmonton’s two superstars. But watching the Oilers trudge off the ice after getting waxed by the Sabres on Monday, it was hard to imagine that this team is anywhere near a similar breaking point.
It doesn’t matter the opponent, the location, or the time. Until the Oilers say “enough is enough”, they’re not getting out of their funk. Wednesday night in Washington would be a good time to flip the switch.
