The Edmonton Oilers close out the calendar year with six straight games on the road, beginning tonight (Dec. 19) against the New York Islanders.
Their itinerary includes a pair of three-game trips, through the Tri-State Area and California, sandwiched around Christmas.
The Oilers are coming off a six-game homestand, in which they won four times but lost their last two contests. Overall, they are 10-5-0 since Kris Knoblauch replaced Jay Woodcroft as head coach following a terrible 3-9-1 start to the 2023-24 NHL season.
Not even four weeks ago, the season looked lost when Edmonton had fallen to 10 points out of the wild card playoff spots in the Western Conference. But with their recent success, the Oilers have closed to within five points of a wild card position.
Now Edmonton aims to not lose any ground over this challenging road schedule before the ball drops on 2024. Here’s a look at the next six games for the Oilers:
Oilers at New York Islanders – Tuesday, Dec. 19
Edmonton is 9-3-1 in its last 13 meetings with the New York Islanders, including a 4-1 victory at Rogers Place in Knoblauch’s debut behind the bench on Nov. 13 when Leon Draisaitl led the Oilers with four points. Since then, the Islanders have been on a roll, picking up points in 14 of 15 games before losing 5-3 to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday (Dec. 16). They are 4-0-1 in their last five home games.
Edmonton has only won three times on Long Island since 1992. On their most recent visit to UBS Arena, Nov. 23, 2022, the Oilers were shut out by the Islanders 3-0.
Oilers at New Jersey Devils – Thursday, Dec. 21
The New Jersey Devils are also hot, with a record over their last 11 games of 8-3-0. One of those three losses came to the Oilers, who beat New Jersey 4-1 at Rogers Place on Dec. 10.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Oilers’ 4-1 Win Against Devils
Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist in that victory for the Oilers. Edmonton’s captain has at least one point in all 14 of his career games against New Jersey, totaling six goals and 19 assists.
New Jersey has struggled somewhat this season at Prudential Center, where they are 6-7-1. As of Sunday (Dec. 17), the Devils were tied for the fewest home wins in the Eastern Conference.
Oilers at New York Rangers – Friday, Dec. 22
Edmonton was soundly outplayed in a 3-0 loss to the New York Rangers at Rogers Place on Oct. 26. That dispiriting defeat came while the Oilers were in the throes of their terrible start and is the only time so far this season that they have been shut out.
The Rangers have been neck-and-neck with the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference’s best record this season and are 10-3-0 at Madison Square Garden in 2023-24.
Edmonton has won three of its last four road games against the Rangers, including last season’s epic 4-3 comeback victory on Nov. 26, 2022. That unforgettable game saw Evan Bouchard score twice and Ryan McLeod pick up three assists as the Oilers stormed back from a 3-0 deficit after two periods.
Oilers at San Jose Sharks – Thursday, Dec. 28
Edmonton’s last game in San Jose, a 3-2 victory for the Sharks on Nov. 9, effectively sealed the fate of Woodcroft. At that time the Oilers were 31st in the overall NHL standings, and San Jose was dead last at No. 32. Seeing his squad lose to the only team with fewer points was the last straw for Edmonton general manager Ken Holland, who three days later made the coaching change.
Like Edmonton, the Sharks have improved, going 6-4-1 over their last 11 games. San Jose hasn’t lost in regulation at the SAP Center since Nov. 14 and has home wins over top-tier teams such as the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.
Oilers at Los Angeles Kings – Saturday, Dec. 30
This marks the first meeting on the 2023-24 schedule between longtime division rivals that battled in the first round of the playoffs each of the last two springs, with Edmonton winning both series, 4-3 in 2022 and 4-2 in 2023. The Los Angeles Kings have spent the first third of the schedule near the top of the Western Conference standings, thanks largely to their incredible 12-1-1 road record. Los Angeles made NHL history with 11 consecutive road wins to start the season.
But the Kings have been very beatable at Crypto.com Arena, where they are just 5-5-3. Combining the regular season and postseason, the Oilers have won eight of their last 11 games in L.A.
Oilers at Anaheim Ducks – Sunday, Dec. 31
This will be the second New Year’s Eve affair pitting Edmonton against the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim goalie John Gibson, then just a 22-year-old rookie, stopped all 21 shots by the Oilers in Anaheim’s 1-0 victory at Rexall Place on Dec. 31, 2015.
Gibson wasn’t the goalie of record but came on in relief of Lukas Dostal when Edmonton blasted the Ducks 8-2 on Nov. 26 at Rogers Place. That victory saw McDavid rack up five points in what is Edmonton’s highest-scoring game of the season thus far.
Overall, the Oilers have won four straight games against the Ducks and are 15-4-3 in their last 22 meetings with Anaheim. They have picked up at least one point on each of their last eight trips to Anaheim, going 6-1-1 at Honda Center over that span.
If the Oilers want to still be within striking distance of a wild card spot when they next play at home on Jan. 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers, they should get at least six points over these next six games.