Between the Edmonton Oilers’ inconsistent play as of late and the Blue Jays’ Game 7 heartbreak, it’s been a tough stretch if you’re a fan of both teams. For Oilers fans, though, one bright spot has been the red-hot play of Jack Roslovic over the last seven games. Heading into the Oct. 25 matchup against the Seattle Kraken, he had only recorded a single assist up until that point, which is understandable, considering he missed all of training camp and needed time to get back into game shape.

But in that game against the Kraken, it seemed like he flipped the ‘on’ switch — his legs were moving, he was making plays, and he nearly scored his first of the season, ringing one off the post with just a second remaining in the second period.

Now, analytics can be a valuable tool — they help support a case and add context to what the eye test is showing, and when evaluating a player, I tend to trust what I see first, and sometimes, the metrics back up those observations. Roslovic didn’t register any points against Seattle on Oct. 25, but after the strong game he had, I checked his underlying metrics on Natural Stat Trick, and his numbers immediately jumped out at me.

At 5v5, he was dominant, posting a 14–2 in scoring chances, 5–0 in high-danger chances, and an 89.74 expected goals-for percentage against the Kraken. Those were eye-popping numbers that suggested Roslovic was on the verge of a breakout, and boy, has he ever.

Since then, the 28-year-old has been tearing it up. Over the last seven games, he’s tied for third on the team in that span in points with seven (3G, 4A), trailing only the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and he’s also tied for first in shots on goal (20) during that stretch.

On that note, I wrote in mid-October about what a successful season could look like for Roslovic, and when I did a deeper dive into the types of goals he’s capable of scoring, I wrote:

And so far, we’ve seen him score those exact types of goals. His first as an Oiler, against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 26, was lethal — he read the play, picked up the puck, and unleashed a quick release that beat Thatcher Demko from distance.

And his two other tallies came from goals in tight, right in front of the net. He was given a golden opportunity on the power play, taking the net-front presence role against the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 1, replacing David Tomášek. He capitalized on McDavid’s pass in front of the net on the PP against Chicago, and two nights later, on the man advantage against the St. Louis Blues, he used a vet-like move, pushing off Philip Broberg to create space and buried the puck.

That said, despite the Oilers’ inconsistent play, one thing has stayed steady over the last several games: their power play. It was already starting to gain traction before Roslovic joined the mix, but with him on it, the heat’s been dialled up another notch or two, from sizzling to scorching.

During his seven-game hot streak, Roslovic has flashed his skill and shown off his bag of tricks, and even at one point during the Sportsnet broadcast last game against the Dallas Stars, play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels said, “I look at Roslovic and one word comes to mind, slick, at almost everything he does, from skating to stickhandling.”

The former first-round draft pick certainly looks slick and slippery, and at times, the way he darts in and out of traffic is downright McDavid-esque, with the way he changes gears on a dime. He’s even created a couple of breakaway chances for himself, and in just 13 games, according to NHL Edge, he’s already reached a top speed of 22.75 MPH — 90th percentile in the NHL — and that’s despite missing an entire training camp and preseason. Perhaps with more games under his belt, he might even find another gear.

Also, over the last seven games, he’s been one of the most consistent Oilers. Over that stretch at 5v5, he ranks:

– 1st on the team in shots on goal (18)
– Tied for 1st on the team with four points
– Tied for 1st on the team with an 8–4 goal share

What’s more, we’ve mentioned his slickness and quick shot, but the Columbus, Ohio native has also shown off his superb playmaking skills, with two wonderful setups in the first period last game against Dallas.

That one-handed pass to Vasily Podkolzin at 5v5 was just a thing of beauty and a perfect example of how in sync that line is at 5v5 — which brings us to the chemistry he’s building with his linemates, Podkolzin and Leon Draisaitl.

Over the last several years, there’s almost been a revolving door of players the Oilers have tried on the right side of Draisaitl, though most have only delivered in brief spurts; players like Kailer Yamamoto or Viktor Arvidsson come to mind.

With Roslovic, it’s still early to deem him a bona fide long-term solution on the second line after just six games, but it’s certainly hard to ignore how seamlessly he’s gelled on that line. He reads both Draisaitl and Podkolzin very well, and the trio is very in sync — the one-touch passes, the quick give-and-gos — and together they can attack off the rush and have shown strength working the cycle. And over the last six games they’ve played together, that second line has outshot the opposition 50–32 and outscored them 6–2.

As a whole, things haven’t gone exactly the Oilers’ way as of late with their inconsistency, but just think — when Zach Hyman returns and gets into game shape, the Oilers will be able to ice a powerhouse top six: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman on the first line, with the trio of Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Roslovic rounding out the second. Moreover, a fun problem when Hyman returns will be deciding who takes the net-front role on PP1, currently held by Roslovic. My vote? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — keep Roslovic there until the wheels fall off.

That said, the Oilers have been looking for a one-shot scorer with a shoot-first mentality to play alongside Draisaitl at 5v5 for quite a while, and Roslovic, so far, looks like a natural fit. The only knock on him is that he has a history of being streaky — last season, he posted 25 points in his first 37 games with the Carolina Hurricanes, then went the next 12 games without registering a point.

Still, a contract year provides plenty of motivation, and with his hockey IQ, skill, speed, and shot, he’s got the tools to keep it rolling, and let’s hope he does. Right now, that second line looks like the right mix. With Podkolzin as the skilled, hardworking puck retriever, Draisaitl as the playmaking and scoring maestro, and Roslovic as the one-shot threat, you’ve got all the ingredients for a truly dynamic line.

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