The Edmonton Oilers had the fourth-best points percentage in the month of November, going 8-4-1. They reduced their goals against, and most importantly, their vaunted offence emerged, especially in the latter half of the month.

Edmonton averaged 3.46 goals for/game, which was sixth most in November and they allowed 2.85 GA/GP to rank 12th. It was a solid month for the Orange and Blue.

The Oilers are back to playing to the level many expected them to be at, going 13-6-2 in their last 21 games, after a rough 0-3 start, and the biggest turnaround in November was when their offence got going.

They finished the month at 21.9% on the PP. They still aren’t at the level they want to be on the man advantage, but it looked much more dangerous this past weekend, and their 21.9% was 14th best in November. It is trending up, and with their talent, they should have a 25% PP regularly.

Their even-strength scoring was third-best in November averaging 2.53 EV goals/game behind only Washington and Dallas. They averaged 2.15 at 5×5 and scored two goals 4×4 and three 3×3. Last year they were third in 5×5 scoring with 193 goals (2.35/game). After a sluggish October (1.72/game) they scored almost half a goal more per game in November and they did that with their two best right wingers missing a combined 12 games. Zach Hyman is a possibility to return to the lineup tomorrow in Vegas, while Viktor Arvidsson has yet to return to regular practice with the team and there is no timeline for his return.

Their offence got back on track mainly because their best player was their best player. Connor McDavid produced nine goals and 21 points in 11 games. He had the second most points in the NHL in November, despite playing fewer games than all the other top scorers. The adage, ‘You need your best players to be your best players to win’ might be considered a cliché, but that’s because it is true. You will win some games without your stars dominating, but it won’t last.

McDavid is the best player in the NHL, and you saw that skill the majority of games in November. He is now just outside the top 10 in scoring.

McDavid had 10 points in 10 games in October and was tied for 54th in scoring, but his 21 points in November moved him up to 11th, but he only gained one point on league leader, Kirill Kaprizov, while Martin Necas actually outscored McDavid with 22 points in November and now sits second. Necas did play four more games than McDavid, while Kaprizov played three more as McDavid missed two games due to injury.

The climb from 11th to 1st would be more challenging than moving from 54th to 11th, but no one will be surprised to see McDavid in the top five or higher by the end of December.

Leon Draisaitl was no slouch either in November producing nine goals and 19 points and moved from 16th (end of October) to ninth at the end of November. Draisaitl is second in goals with 17, one behind Sam Reinhart with one game in hand. The race for the Rocket Richard trophy (most goals), should be great. It is too bad Alex Ovechkin got injured, or he’d likely be leading as he had 15 goals in 18 games before getting hurt.

In the first quarter of the season (21 GP) the Oilers most used top six wingers combined for a total of 11 goals. Jeff Skinner (4), Zach Hyman (3), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Viktor Arvidsson (2) and Vasily Podkolzin zero.

In the first three games of the second quarter, Podkolzin has three while RNH has two and Kasperi Kapanen, who was claimed on waivers and has filled in for Hyman, has one. It seemed impossible the wingers in the top six could repeat their first-quarter struggles, and the first three games of the second quarter have shown that to be true.

Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown each had six points 5×5 in November. Adam Henrique had four points, but most importantly, his line outscored the opposition 8-2 5×5, while Brown was 7-2 and Janmark 6-3. When your third line performs that well you will win more games.

The defence continues to produce goals. They scored seven goals in October as Evan Bouchard scored three and Brett Kulak and Mattias Ekholm each had a pair. In November they scored nine goals with Bouchard, Kulak and Darnell Nurse each scoring three. The Oilers are tied with Washington for most goals by D-men at 16. They are getting excellent goal production, although their blueline ranks 19th in assists with 36. That is mainly due to the Oilers forwards not finishing early in the season. Edmonton’s forwards only had 20 goals in October, but they almost doubled that last month scoring 36.

Kulak’s career high was six goals in 2019 with Montreal in only 57 games. He already has five goals through 24 games this season and nine points. He’s on pace to crush his career high in goals and points (21, set in 2022). Bouchard is tied for the league lead among D-men with six EV goals. His career high in EV goals is 10 which he did in 2022 and 2024. Yes, Bouchard has had a few defensive plays that were headline-grabbers, but I believe many have overreacted to those and overlooked how well he’s played overall. He’s made significantly more good plays than bad, and that’s why he’s a legit contender to make Team Canada. He can look nonchalant at times, but his last two playoff performances showed how well he can play in big games and combining that with his elite passing and shooting is why he’s on the radar for the 4 Nations Faceoff roster which will be announced on Wednesday.

The Oilers have rebounded from a slow start, and today they possess the first Wildcard spot. They are five points behind Vegas for the lead in the Pacific Division and they have a game in hand. A victory tomorrow in Vegas would move them within three points. The Oilers play 10 games before Christmas and eight are on home ice. They have a mix of teams they should beat on home ice in Columbus, San Jose, Ottawa and St. Louis, some tough games v. Tampa Bay, Florida and Minnesota (on the road) and they play in Vegas tomorrow and host them at home on December 14th.

A good month should put the Oilers in a position to take a strong run to win their division for the first time since 1987. It is time.