Oilers can still claim conference crown at the wire in last game of regular season
Oilers can claim conference crown in last game of regular season with win against Sharks and Golden Knights loss
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There is still a chance for the Edmonton Oilers to pull the rug out from under the Vegas Golden Knights.
By virtue of their 2-1 overtime win, on the road, against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, the Oilers are in position to win a photo finish for top spot in the Pacific Division and Western Conference.
The top of the Western Conference would give the Oilers home-ice advantage through the first three rounds of the playoffs if they were to get that far. All they need is to finished tied on points with the Golden Knights and they would finish first with more regulation wins, which acts as the tie breaker.
The Oilers conclude the regular season on Thursday by hosting the San Jose Sharks, while the Golden Knights are on the road to face the Seattle Kraken in the second half of a home-and-home series. Edmonton needs to beat the Sharks and hope the Golden Knights lose in regulation to finish first.
“It matters a little bit, but I don’t think it’s a huge deal,” Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm said after the win in Colorado. “I think home ice in the first round is the biggest key. We don’t know what happens to Vegas if they end up winning the division or what happens to them in the first round.
“We’re just trying to focus on being as good as we can heading into the post-season. I know that if you can come in with a good feeling and play good hockey, you can get off to a good start (in playoffs) and that’s the focus right now.”
The Oilers are playing as well as any team in the NHL at the moment. They have the best record in the league down the stretch and, since Ekholm joined the squad, are 17-2-1. The win against the Avalanche extended their winning streak to eight games.
All the pieces are starting to come together as the Oilers swept through California and then knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champions in Colorado on a four-game road trip.
“We’ve seen some results here and I think it’s a credit to the leadership in the dressing room,” said Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft after the win. “I really like our patience, I think we’re playing a patient game and taken what’s given to us — at the same time, still being on the front foot, not just accepting pressure or another team coming at us.
“We’re on the front foot, but we’re not forcing anything. We gave up a goal (Tuesday), it went off our own stick and in the net, but I was quite pleased with the way we worked. I was quite pleased with the way we checked, and I thought our special teams and our penalty kill was excellent against an unbelievable power play, and our power play got it down when it mattered most.”
The Oilers have the highest scoring team in the league with three 100-point players in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. A handful of other players have also achieved career-high offensive totals.
It was the other end the Oilers needed to shore up and seem to have taken a big step in that direction by conceding just four goals in their last six games.
Ekholm has been a bit part of that, but the entire team is buying in, knowing success in the playoffs is dependent on defensive responsibility.
“We realize who we have in our dressing room, we have quite a number of guys who can break open games,” Woodcroft said. “There is no need to be impatient — just continue to stick with it and play a game where you continue to gain territory.
“I thought in the second period, we did an excellent job of that and we kind of took the game over. They got back into it with a couple of late power plays in the third period, but it was the type of game that we have to get comfortable in, because that’s the way we have to play in the playoffs.”
The Oilers are going into the post-season as a Stanley Cup contender and Tuesday’s victory against the Avalanche was another example of how far they have come this season. The goal set at the start of the year was to improve on a Western Conference Final appearance last season. But things were shaky at the start until the Oilers were able to find their stride in the new year.
“It’s a good time for us to get rolling and a good time for us to definitely feel good about your game,” said Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, who was outstanding in the win against the Avalanche, making 29 saves. “I think everyone in here has been feeling that way and it’s important to feel that kind of feeling. It’s kind of an unspoken feeling, but it’s important to have that, especially going into the first round.”
There seems to be few weaknesses for the Oilers heading into the playoffs and the question of whether the team can be successful with a rookie goaltender has been answered by Skinner. He has given up three goals through his last four starts and the one goal conceded to Colorado went in off a skate after being swept toward the net by forward Nick Bjugstad.
Skinner took the unlucky goal in stride and shut the door on the Avalanche the rest of the way.
“I’ve come to expect that,” Woodcroft said. “I’ve seen it at the American League level and I’ve seen it through his progression here in the National Hockey League. He’s someone that puts a lot of work in his craft, he’s a mature individual, he’s wise beyond his years, his preparation is meticulous and we get to see the end result, which is how he played the game (Tuesday), but I’m fortunate because I get to see all the stuff that goes into it.”
Email: dvandiest@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @DerekVanDiest
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