After suffering a 9-1 loss earlier this season, the Edmonton Oilers finally got to enjoy the other side of a 9-something beatdown, defeating the Seattle Kraken 9-4 in their most recent outing.

They battled their way through a tough start to the season with lengthy road trips, and now, with some time to settle in at home and get in some practice time, it seems like the team is finally starting to click, with Evan Bouchard saying after the last game against the Kraken, “We’re all on the same page.”

That said, while the team is playing better, a few Oilers are starting to stand out individually, with their play trending upward in recent games, and we take a look at five of them below.

If I were to summarize Vasily Podkolzin’s play in one word in his native Russian, Google Translate helped me translate the word I had in mind —‘Твёрдый,’ which simply means ‘solid.’

The 24-year-old forechecks hard, hits, and blocks shots, and on the recent road trip, he started to show leadership qualities by saying he’d have his leaders’ backs no matter what, after a tussle with Peyton Krebs on Nov. 17. And now, a new pattern is emerging — he’s starting to score goals from tough angles.

Last game against the Kraken, Podkolzin and his centerman, Leon Draisaitl, pulled off a bit of a role reversal. This time, it was Draisaitl who rented out his office around the net to Podkolzin. He found the rugged winger near the goal line, made the pass, and Podkolzin didn’t dust it off, he let it rip and snuck one past Joey Daccord.

Moreover, just five games ago, the Moscow, Russia, native sniped another one from a near-impossible angle, barreling down on Florida Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky and ripped one high over him, with his skills coach Ned Lukacevic noting that Podkolzin “saw a spot and took the opportunity, and maybe a year ago, he might not even have shot that puck.”

That said, Podkolzin is feeling it, and while he’s currently on a 32-point pace, I’d guess that with the confidence that has him feeling good to shoot from any angle, ‘Pods’ will see an uptick in points soon — with Santa likely gifting him even more goals this holiday season.

Zach Hyman missed the first 19 games of the season, and while that hard work and effort seem built into his genetic makeup, his scoring is now on the rise.

Hyman scored his first goal of the season against the Kraken on Nov. 29, when Draisaitl’s pass redirected off Hyman’s skate on the power play and in. That tally seemed to give him some jump because after that play, the 33-year-old got on his horse, won a race, and found his captain, who buried a goal, earning Hyman an assist, finishing the night with two points.

In the rematch against the Kraken on Dec. 4, Hyman once again got his wheels moving, chasing down a loose puck, creating separation, and roofed a wicked backhand over Phillip Grubauer, who was in net in relief after the Oilers chased Joey Daccord following the fifth goal.

On Hyman’s two most recent plays that led to goals — one being the assist to his captain and the other his roofed goal — the standout trait was his wheels were moving fast, and after nine games to shake off the rust, the former 50-goal man looks like he’s found that extra gear.

Alec Regula missed time after taking a heavy hit from Evander Kane in early October, and when he returned on Nov. 4, it seemed to take him a while to regain the momentum he had heading into the season. At first, he looked a step behind, and his plays and passes weren’t as sharp as they were in the preseason; however, over the last few games, his play has noticeably taken a step forward.

He dropped the mitts with the Kraken’s Tye Kartye three games ago, and I feel his game has been sharper ever since. In the rematch against Seattle last game, a common theme I had scribbled all over my notes was, ‘Regula makes a nice pass.’ The D-man threaded crisp passes all night, a few coming out of his own zone to kickstart the Oilers’ rush, and he also landed two hits, including a big one on Berkley Catton.

Additionally, the advanced metrics, according to Natural Stat Trick, over the last three games show that Regula has helped push the pace for the Oilers at 5v5, posting the following:

• 60.97 xGF% (3rd on the team)
• 60.98 SF% (5th best on the team)
• 55.26 SCF% (5th on the team)
• 56.41 CF% (7th best on the team)

He’s skated primarily with Darnell Nurse over the last three games, and with Nurse not giving up a goal at 5v5 during that span, they’ve been a surprisingly steady pairing. That said, when Jake Walman returns to the lineup from injury, the coaching staff will have some decisions to make about their blue line. But if Regula can keep the momentum going, we could be looking at a new candidate to slap the “Nurse Whisperer” tag on.

Matt Savoie has played steady hockey all season, and now it seems the points are starting to come for the Oilers winger, who’s second among the team’s forwards in PK minutes.

On the recent seven-game road trip, he picked up four points in seven games, and he buried two beauty goals last game against the Kraken. That said, earlier in that same game, he had a breakaway and chose not to get fancy, opting for a simple five-hole shot that didn’t go in.

On that note, he mentioned in the postgame interview that he spent the entire intermission thinking about missing his golden first-period chance to bury. However, credit goes to Stuart Skinner, as Savoie said the netminder gave him advice to try a backhand on the next attempt, and wouldn’t you know it, he seized the next opportunity, adjusting the next period with a slick forehand-to-backhand deke to score the Oilers’ second shorthanded goal of the season. Moreover, he scored another goal on the power play later in the game, becoming the third youngest player in franchise history to record a SHG and PPG in the same game, behind only Glenn Anderson and Paul Coffey.

With the 21-year-old’s recent tallies — true goal-scorer-type finishes — I can’t help but wonder if we’re on the cusp of a major Savoie breakout. Nevertheless, he has a fantastic opportunity in front of him to play alongside Draisaitl on the second line, a spot he’ll likely hold for the rest of the homestand. He needs to keep that confidence rolling, keep filling the net, and leave the coaching staff with a real dilemma about taking him out of the top six when Jack Roslovic is set to return to the lineup.

No one on this planet is really in a position to tell Connor McDavid what to do on the ice. But if there’s one thing fans at Rogers Place have yelled louder than at a Dave Chappelle show in Edmonton, it’s ‘shooooot!’ Against the Kraken last game, he didn’t disappoint.

The captain led the way with seven shots on net last game against the Kraken, firing from any angle. No matter how near-impossible the shot, he took it and, as a result, recorded his 13th career hat trick — with the third goal coming from so far out he could’ve extended his hand and grabbed a handful of popcorn from the person in row 2, seat 3, in section 105 at Rogers Place.

This comes after he didn’t register a shot on net against the Minnesota Wild in a 1-0 loss. After scoring a hat trick against the Kraken, the former Rocket Richard winner explained, “I felt I passed a couple away the other night; it ultimately cost us, losing a 1-0 game.” He added, “I definitely thought about shooting a little more.” That said, it feels a little funny to say Connor McDavid’s play is trending upward, because he’s almost always playing at a ridiculous level much higher than his peers. But from last game’s sample, it seems he’s finally following through on his preseason plan to shoot more.

All in all, the Oilers as a whole seem to be on the rise. They’re playing better defensively, working as a unit, and with the best player on the planet remembering he can torch goaltenders at will, Oilers fans might just find a few extra wins tucked in their stockings this holiday season.

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