The Edmonton Oilers will head into the playoffs on a nine game winning streak, as they were able to take down the San Jose Sharks by a 5-2 final in their regular season finale. This team has been absolutely incredible for some time now, and have as good of a shot as anybody in the Western Conference to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
While there were some lapses from the Oilers in Thursday night’s outing, they were solid for the majority of the 60 minutes. They simply could not be heating up at a better time with playoffs up next, and their fan base is (rightfully so) very excited for the coming weeks. With all that said, here are the three main takeaways from this win over the Sharks.
Skinner Red Hot Heading Into Playoffs
It feels repetitive at this point, but it is simply impossible to ignore how good Stuart Skinner has been as of late. The 24-year-old has impressed for the majority of the 2022-23 campaign, and ends his season with a rock solid 2.73 goals- against average (GAA) along with a .914 save percentage (SV%) and a 28-14-5 record.
In this particular game, Skinner kicked aside 27 of the 29 shots the Sharks fired his way. He has allowed just five goals over his past five starts, and at this point may be the frontrunner for the Calder Trophy. Regardless of whether or not he wins the award, Oilers fans know just how valuable he has been this season. The question waiting to be answered is whether or not he can continue this play into the postseason.
Draisaitl Continuing to Pour It On
Despite the fact he has been second in league scoring for the majority of the season, Leon Draisaitl has often been overshadowed by Connor McDavid’s historic year. Lately, however, the German forward is on a tear that is simply too good to ignore. With a goal and two assists versus the Sharks, he now finds himself with a ridiculous 15 goals and 36 points over his past 20 games.
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After reportedly playing some of the 2022-23 season in pain due to the ankle injury he suffered in last year’s playoffs, it is clear that he is now back to full health. Given how well he played when hurt in last year’s postseason, it has to be downright scary for opposing teams to think of what he may be capable of this time around.
Depth Scoring Better Than Ever
In seasons past, the knock on this Oilers team was that outside of Draisaitl and McDavid, they lacked scoring. That is far from the case now, as they have several other star-caliber players up front in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman and Evander Kane. As good as those five are on their own, they are not the only players up front getting it done offensively for this squad.
Heading into Thursday night’s game, the Oilers had 11 skaters with 10 or more goals, and they were able to add a 12th to the list as Mattias Janmark scored not one, but two in the contest to give him 10 on the year. That depth scoring played a huge role in why they led the league this season with a goals-per-game rate of 3.96. Safe to say, any team matched up against them in the playoffs will have to be at their very best defensively if they hope to advance.
Looking Ahead for the Oilers
Despite winning their final game of the season, the Oilers were unable to capture a Pacific Division title as the Vegas Golden Knights also picked up a win in their final game over the Seattle Kraken. What this means is that the Oilers will face off against the L.A. Kings in the opening round, in what promises to be a thrilling series. The two have split their four-game series with two wins apiece this season, with the Kings outscoring the Oilers by a 10-9 margin. The best of seven between these two talented clubs will kick off on Monday night (April 17) at Rogers Place.