The Edmonton Oilers have bounced back in a big way since starting the season roughly, and fans were questioning whether they’d even be able to make the playoffs after a 3-9-1 start saw them at the bottom of the standings. Since firing Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson, the team has bounced back in a big way and has found themselves on a big winning streak and back in a wild card spot.
Related: Oilers Should Avoid Elvis Merzlikins Trade With Blue Jackets
In this edition of Oilers’ 3 Up, 3 Down, I will look at the team’s winning streak, Ryan McLeod‘s strong play, a top-six player’s lack of production as of late, and more.
Plus One: 11 Game Winning Streak
With a massive comeback victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in their previous game, the Oilers extended their franchise-best winning streak to 11 games. With the team having a slow start and having to fight their way back to the top, a winning streak of this caliber has to bode well for their confidence as they enter into the second half of the season. Everyone is pulling their weight and there seems to be no major issues that the team needs to address any time soon.
With the Seattle Kraken as their next opponent, hopefully, they can extend the streak to 12 games and continue riding their momentum to turn this into one of the best streaks not only in franchise history but league history as well.
Minus One: Kane’s Offensive Struggles Continue
While Evander Kane has been playing well this season, his recent stretch of games has not been good offensively. He has only recorded one point in his previous six games and only five points in his last 17. He has been demoted to the third line during the team’s winning streak but recently got a chance to play on the second line again in their recent matchup against the Maple Leafs and while he didn’t register a point, he had five shots on goal.
With 14 goals and 11 assists for 25 points through 39 games this season, Kane has produced well overall and seems to be in a bit of a slump right now. Fans have seen how much of an impact he can have at both ends of the ice, so with the team getting back to full strength with the return of Dylan Holloway expected soon, hopefully, Kane can bounce back and make a difference in the second half of the season.
Plus Two: McLeod’s Strong Stretch Of Games
Starting the season, McLeod wasn’t the most offensive player on the team by any means. He has a total of eight goals and ten assists for 18 points through 39 games. In his past nine games with the Oilers, he has four goals and five assists for nine points and has been one of the team’s best players earning himself a spot in the top six as of late. He got the game-winning goal in the Oilers’ last game against the Maple Leafs and he continues to play well in the defensive zone as well.
With Holloway returning soon, McLeod has shown he deserves to stay in the top six when the lines get shuffled again. Hopefully, he can continue this type of play and continue his massive breakout season to be a big part of the Oilers’ second-half run.
Minus Two: Power Play Has Taken Small Step Back
Coming off of a season where they had the best power play in the NHL, the Oilers’ man advantage has taken a minor step back. In their previous five games, they are three for 12 and through their previous ten games, they have five goals through 27 attempts on the man advantage. While they sit in the top ten teams for power play percentage, it’d be nice if they could capitalize a bit more and get back to the way they played at the end of last season.
Plus Three: Oilers Back In Playoff Spot
The final positive we will touch on in this segment is that the Oilers are finally back in a playoff spot which is huge for this team after their terrible start. They currently hold the first wild card spot in the Western Conference, and with the way they’ve been playing combined with how poorly the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights have been as of late, we could see the Oilers move into one of the top three spots in the Pacific Division sooner rather than later.
The Oilers had high hopes coming into the season and with their strong play as of late, it seems as though the high expectations they had for themselves could be met. This team has what it takes to win a Stanley Cup, it will just require a huge second half of their 2023-24 campaign.
Minus Three: Sam Gagner Remains Day-To-Day
While there isn’t any reason to move the lineup around right now, it would be nice if the Oilers could get veteran forward Sam Gagner back into the lineup. The bad timing of his injury has continued to hold him out, as he got hurt just before the Oilers began their 11-game heater, so changing the lineup in any way wouldn’t make any sense right now, and it gives him even more time to recover from his injury.
When the Oilers are back to 100% and are fully healthy, Gagner should step back into the lineup. He has been more productive than Connor Brown this season and if the team continues to win and Gagner gets back to 100%, those two should be switched for each other. It’s the only change I would make right now, and it’s one I think would benefit the team’s bottom-six offensive production.
The Oilers need a massive second half of their 2023-24 campaign if they want to make a deep run into the postseason. They’ve bounced back well, but there are still plenty of games left. Hopefully, they can make the right moves as we near the trade deadline and have a team that has a chance to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1990.
