At the beginning of this season, I said that the year was going to be a rollercoaster for every team in the Canadian division. With each team having roughly ten games to go, I think it’s fair to say that has been absolutely true. All seven teams in the NHL’s North Division have gone through some major ups and some major downs throughout this shortened season.
The Leafs have been the best team in the division at their peak, but even they are currently on a run where they’ve lost five of their last seven and they have had two other three-game losing streaks this season.
The Jets have been arguably the most consistent team in the division, having just suffered their first three-game losing streak of the season. But they’ve had problems of their own and have a combined record of just 5-10-2 against the Leafs and Oilers with a goal differential of -14 in those games.
The Canucks have a little bit of life right now, but they have had their share of tough stretches this season. From the COVID situation to some big injuries, to a six-game losing streak in early February. It’s been a very up-and-down season for them.
The Flames have had a largely disappointing season, but they got a boost when they made their coaching change and still had an outside shot at a playoff spot until their most recent loss to Montreal.
The Senators have been surprisingly more competitive this season, except for when they play the Oilers. The future is bright in the Nation’s Capital and that has been clearly on display for some solid stretches this season.
That brings us to the Oilers. They started the season slowly, winning just three wins in their first nine games, but since that point, they have a record of 25-10-2. The only real down stretch since then has been their three straight losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Since that point, they have only lost back-to-back games once.
The Oilers have actually been fairly consistent when you compare them to the rest of the division and honestly, I did not think that would be something we’d be saying at the beginning of the season. That is thanks in large part to a historic season from Connor McDavid and the play of Mike Smith, who has surprisingly has the numbers of a top ten goaltender.
If you would have told me that the Oilers would have had a playoff spot essentially locked up with a month to go in the season, I wouldn’t have believed you. But they did.
Now, with just ten games to go, the talk around the fan base is about whether or not they should be resting players or if they should be giving some players like Evan Bouchard game action before the playoffs begin.
What a wonderful spot to be in. At the beginning of the campaign, I thought Oilers fans would be sweating the results of every single game right up until the end of the season and I must say, it feels good to see the fan base so relaxed as we head down the stretch.
McLEOD vs KULIKOV
The Oilers debut of @Dmitry Kulikov and NHL debut of @Ryan McLeod had the fan base buzzing earlier this week and led me to ask the question: which one will have the bigger impact on the Oilers as we head into the playoffs?
It’s an interesting question because even though they’ve only been in the lineup for one game, they both look like they could play key roles for this club.
Kulikov was solid defensively in his first game in orange and blue and I was personally surprised with how willing he was to jump up into the rush. He seems to think the game pretty well. He made some nice passes but also seemed to know when it was the right time to just carry the puck up across centre ice and get it deep. He and Larsson seem like they can form a dependable shutdown pairing and I can see Dave Tippett leaning on them heavily in the playoffs.
As for McLeod, I described him as a 6’3 eel on Twitter during the game. Yes, he got his bell rung once but other than that, he seemed to move around the ice with ease. When the puck was on his stick, the other team had a tough time forcing him to turn it over. He made a lot of smart plays and he was going to a lot of the right areas. It’s really only a matter of time until he starts producing some offensive.
You never want to jump the gun with a young player but his debut was so encouraging that it’s easy to envision a scenario where he’s playing a significant role with this team in the postseason.
Kulikov is certainly the safe answer to my question, but don’t sleep on McLeod just because he’s a rookie. Of course, if both of these players play key roles then we could be talking about the Oilers going on a really good playoff run.
RESTING PLAYERS
Nov 2, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) and center Leon Draisaitl (29) look on at the face-off circle against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG PAINTS Arena. The Oilers won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
This is a bit of a hot-button issue right now. Should Dave Tippett be making sure everyone who could potentially appear in a playoff game, get’s into some game action down the stretch? I think he should and if I were him, I wouldn’t hesitate to give some veteran players a few games off.
The last thing you’d want is to be put into a situation where one of Kris Russell, Evan Bouchard, or William Lagesson need to be put into a big playoff game and haven’t seen any game action in a month.
I totally understand waiting until home ice has been clinched but once that happens, I think the Oilers should seriously consider resting some regular players in favour of depth players who may have been sitting for too long.
I also think this is a good time to get some depth players going and elevate their minutes. I think Tippett is looking to do that with someone like James Neal, which makes sense. If Neal can find his form and start giving the Oilers some solid minutes and production in the bottom six, that could make a big difference come playoff time.
I also think he should be using this time to really test someone like Ryan McLeod. See what he can and can’t do, give him some tough assignments, and really push the young centreman. It’s important to know what kind of role he can play before the playoffs start.
Of course, getting home-ice advantage should still be the priority for now and that all starts tonight as the Oilers will be gunning for their seventh win over the Winnipeg Jets this season.
