Maxwell: Another week goes by, and it’s another week where the Oilers haven’t really made up any ground in the playoff race. Suddenly, their typical slow start in October has carried over into November, and there’s a lot more to be concerned about with this group. They didn’t exactly have a busy schedule this week (only two games) to start on that, but an 8-3 loss to Dallas being one of the two isn’t exactly an encouraging start. The worst part? The solution isn’t even as easy as finding a goalie… They lack scoring depth beyond the usual crew and Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse have struggled, so Edmonton may need help on the back end, too. I still think Connor and Leon drag the team to the playoffs, but it’s getting far too close for comfort.

Crowther: Speaking of Roslovic, the Oilers will be without him for the next several weeks after he blocked a shot against the Stars. I don’t know how this group allowed itself to go into the season with almost nothing in their bottom six beyond a last-minute signing of said Roslovic.

Maxwell: Just like their goaltending plans, the Oilers’ bottom-six plans involved hope, only this time it was in Issac Howard and Matt Savoie.