The Edmonton Oilers practice at 2 p.m. MT on Tuesday. NHL teams are not allowed to skate until 2 p.m. (in their time zones).

The Oilers will skate today, practice tomorrow, fly to Philadelphia on Thursday, practice Friday, and then play in Philly on Saturday (11 a.m. MT) and in Washington on Sunday (11 a.m. MT). Edmonton exits the 4 Nations Face-off break with a five-game road trip that also includes stops in Tampa Bay, Florida, and Carolina.

Edmonton is one of 16 teams who will play back-to-back to start the final third of the season. Only four teams (Flames, Islanders, Lightning and Sharks) don’t play this coming Saturday, but those four play Sunday, while the Oilers, Capitals, Rangers, Penguins, Ducks, Red Wings, Avalanche, Blues, Devils, Predators, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Canucks, Kraken, Stars and Utah HC play both days this weekend.

Edmonton is one of 12 teams that return from the break playing three games in four nights. The Oilers, along with Anaheim, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Seattle, St. Louis, Toronto, Utah, Washington and the New York Rangers, will jump right into the hectic final 54 days of the regular season.

The playoff race in the East is much more congested than the West, where Vancouver, without Quinn Hughes, went 3-0-1 before the break to create a six-point gap on 10th place Utah. Calgary is three back, and one could argue they are the only team with a realistic chance, albeit it slim (from my perspective) to pressure Vancouver for the final playoff spot. The more interesting race in the Western Conference will be for home-ice advantage. Edmonton and Vegas are tied for the lead in the Pacific Division with 72 points, while Dallas, Minnesota and Colorado are separated by four points for second place in the Central.

Ottawa and Detroit currently hold down the two Wild Card spots, but Columbus, Boston, the Rangers, and the Islanders are still in the hunt. The next two weeks leading up to the trade deadline could determine if these teams are buyers, sellers, or if they’ll just stick with what they have. Sometimes the mistake is trading a bonafide NHLer for draft picks, as the odds those picks pan out are low. And how big of a swing will any of the top-six teams take?

In the West, the race isn’t as intriguing as only Calgary is within five points of Vancouver for the final Wild Card position…

Despite being six points back, there are rumblings Utah is still looking to add rather than subtract. They have loads of cap space, so I could see them making a move they feel helps them more long-term, but those types of trades are rare at the deadline.

Outside of the playoff race, the schedule will play a factor down the stretch.

All 32 teams have between 25 and 29 games remaining.

The LA Kings have the busiest final few months playing 29 games.

ANA, BUF and NSH play 28.

CHI, CGY, DAL, DET, EDM, NYI, NYR, TB, TOR, VAN and WSH play 27.

CAR, CBJ, MIN, MTL, OTT, STL, UTA, VGK and WPG play 26.

BOS, COL, FLA, NJ, PHI, PIT, SJ and SEA play 25.

While the Kings play 29 games, 19 of them occur on home ice. They don’t travel much with only four games outside the Pacific or Mountain Time zones, and those four are all in the Central. They are done travelling out East.

Ottawa plays 16 of their final 26 at home, and they only have one game outside the Eastern time zone and that’s in Chicago on March 5th.

Seattle (31) has played the most home games to date, and I’m more interested to see if they trade anyone else besides pending UFAs, Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev. I fully expect those two to be traded, but the Kraken need to shake up the rest of their roster.

The Oilers have played the second-most home games (30), and only 11 of their final 27 are at home. Nine of their next 12 games are on the road, and by St. Patrick’s Day, Oilersnation should have a good sense of how realistic a division title will be.

— Edmonton would love a winger who can bury a few more goals 5×5 while skating on Leon Draisaitl’s wing. However, it has to be a shooter who isn’t a high-volume shooter. Draisaitl flourishes with puck possession. He needs wingers who can cycle the puck, make good passes and allow him to possess the puck more. I don’t believe he will have success with a scorer who likes to shoot a lot and just put pucks on net. He needs a player who can make plays but has the ability to finish when given the chance.

Viktor Arvidsson (10.25) is 10th in the NHL in shots/60 at 5×5 among forwards. Jeff Skinner is 13th at 10.02. Both like to shoot, which often is great, but in the case of playing with Draisaitl I’m not sold it is the best complement to have. Zach Hyman has had success with McDavid, because of where he shoots from. He’s always around the net, but you rarely see Hyman shoot from distance. Arvidsson hasn’t finished as often as he’d like, and historically he’s been a better finisher. He has always shot a lot 5×5 (six of his other nine seasons he’s had a higher S/60), he’s just scored more than this season. Maybe it is just an oddity, or maybe he isn’t the best fit? We’ll see if he can finish better down the stretch, but any winger the Oilers are looking to add to complement Draisaitl, they likely will look for someone who is a good player, with a decent finishing touch, rather than a high-volume shooter.

— I believe you will see Mathew Savoie before the trade deadline. When he’s recalled he will play in the top nine. I don’t know if he’ll automatically start with Draisaitl, although it would be nice to see, but it’s more about how he fits with and without the puck. Edmonton has developed him very well. He could have started the season in Edmonton, but he wasn’t going to get power play time, so it was wiser to play him in Bakersfield — and play him a lot. He’s been very good on the penalty kill, as well as 5×5 and on the PP. The organization has been very happy with his progress and how on the PK, he’s approached it more as a checker, in terms of ensuring he’s blocking shots and being in the right lanes, which has led to some good offensive production.

Savoie is third in rookie scoring with 37 points. He is 32nd in league scoring. He has six shorthanded points, which is tied for sixth in the AHL. Noah Philp got a look before the break, and I expect Savoie to get one after. And with his recall, I always remind people to have realistic expectations. The NHL is a very difficult league, and it’s even harder for younger players. Be patient and just enjoy how Edmonton has developed their best young prospect. He wasn’t rushed, he was put in a situation to succeed and build confidence, and he’s responded with a great season thus far.

— John Klingberg will continue to improve. He’s shown lots of good signs, but he’s only played five games. He will need time. Remember how the Oilers looked in October — it took time for some players to find their games. Klingberg is still in his “early season” phase, while trying to play against players in mid-season form. I expect the Oilers to add some depth on left defence, but I don’t expect a big move on the right side (unless an injury occurs before the deadline).

— The Oilers would like to add a veteran fourth line centre, preferably a right shot. Philp showed he can play in the league, but I sense they will want a player with a bit more experience if they can find one for the right price.

— I can’t wait for Thursday’s game between Canada and the United States. Their first meeting was electric. I loved the three tilts in the first nine seconds. Canada didn’t play its best game. I expect they will generate more quality chances, and they won’t pass up some of their best looks like they did in the 3-1 loss. I think it will be a great game. I fully expect Canada to win, and they will — BOOK IT.