Chase for first place continues in Colorado for Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers head into the last of a four-game road trip against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, two points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for top spot in the Pacific Division
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With two games left in the regular season, there are still balls on the table to sink for the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers head into the last of a four-game road trip against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday (7:30 p.m.) at the Ball Arena in Denver, two points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for top spot in the Pacific Division.
The Oilers conclude the regular season Thursday by hosting the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Place. Vegas rounds out the regular season, hosting the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, and then playing the second half of a home-and-home Saturday.
“It matters, we want to finish as high as we possibly can in the standings and (Tuesday) we have a good team that is also looking to do the very same thing,” Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft told Oilers TV on Monday in Denver. “It should be a good game between two teams that know each other well and that will be rested.”
The Oilers are going into the game off a 6-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday afternoon. They had two days between games heading in to face the Avalanche, who are trying to hold off the Dallas Stars for top spot in the Central Division.
Going into the playoffs, the Oilers are playing their best hockey of the season and have clamped down defensively, giving up three goals in their past five games. The Oilers are currently on a seven-game winning streak and have won 12 of their past 13 games, with an overtime loss to the Golden Knights as their only blemish.
“I think that’s a positive sign for our team, we’ve continuously worked on that through the season,” Woodcroft said. “I think specifically post-Christmas, if you were to look up high-chances against, or those types of numbers, we’ve seen some real positive traction and certainly in the last few games, the goals-against have been way down and I think it’s a credit to everybody.
“I think our goaltenders have played excellent, our D have played great and our forwards have really committed to working back into our zone and I think that’s a positive sign.”
The Oilers are well aware playoff success will be dependent on play in their own zone. The Oilers are the highest-scoring team in the NHL, but also give up more goals than any other team heading into the post season.
Down the stretch, they have been much better defensively, with goaltenders Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner posting back-to-back shutouts before embarking on the final road trip of the season. Skinner will get the start against the Avalanche and is expected to get the call for the opening game of the playoffs, starting next week.
“That’s just a huge byproduct of what the guys are doing in front of us,” Skinner told Oilers TV on Monday. “They blocked shots, work hard defensively boxing out guys, not giving guys second chances, and then when there are chances, it’s our job to make the save.
“I know for Jack and I, we’re extremely thankful to the guys in front of us of how hard they work for us and how competitive they are, and how much they work back into the zone. Games aren’t going to be blowouts — they’re going to be a little tighter and playoffs are going to be hard-fought and grind games. Hopefully, we keep going in the right direction here.”
The Oilers made it to the Western Conference Final last season for the first time since their run to the final in 2006. They are looking to take another step forward this year and anything less than an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final would probably be considered disappointing.
Things have not always been smooth for the Oilers, but in the last half of the season, they were able to put together an impressive run.
“You’re trying to add layers to your game as the season goes on, and I think there have been positive signs at different points during the season,” Woodcroft said. “I think in the end, our team has been fairly consistent, say for the games 11-20 segment, where we were banged up and took on some water with some injuries — we went 3-7 in that segment.
“But after that point, we’ve been fairly steady on the rudder and on the defensive side of things, and we’re really seeing a difference post-Christmas.”
Post-Easter is when things really matter for the Oilers, who will face the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round of the playoffs if they are unable to reel in the Golden Knights for top spot in the division.
“I think we’re just having a lot of fun right now; we feel good about where we are, we feel good about the chemistry we’ve been building with each other,” Skinner said. “We’ve been having a lot of fun on the plane rides, being on the road, being able to go home and be with our families, but when we get to the rink, we’re just having so much fun with each other. We’ve been bonding and the team atmosphere, it’s been fun — it’s been a good feeling.”
Email: dvandiest@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @DerekVanDiest
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