The Oilers close out an overtime victory against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, take all four possible points on the road this week, setting up a matchup that will have grave importance on the Pacific Division winner. They played well in both games.

“We’re looking more like we’re playing a playoff game, like things matter. Attention to detail and we’re simplifying our game. It’s nice to see,” said coach Kris Knoblauch.

But we’ve seen this movie before.

These Oilers have resisted winning streaks all season long, going 1-9-2 after winning two in a row. It’s a matinee game which repeals Oilers success historically, going 1-6 this season in the afternoon. The first home game after success on the road…

From the time that Evan Bouchard scored his seventh career overtime goal in Sin City, to opening warmups back at Rogers Place this afternoon, the Oilers will not have touched the ice.

It reeks of a flat spot. And this team has not dealt well with “flat” or “trap” spots on their schedule at all.

But…

There are signs

…The Oilers are putting together a strong structured game more often than not in the month of March.

After a tough call on Zach Hyman in overtime, the penalty kill stepped up for their biggest sequence of the season. Connor Murphy, Darnell Nurse, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were stranded for the full two minutes, as Vegas fired four shots in overtime onto Connor Ingram.

Ingram, nor the skaters in front of him, got rattled. After a quick transition up ice, the Oilers turned the tables for an offensive zone draw, leading to the Bouchard blast to claim victory.

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That penalty kill in overtime may have been the most important PK of the season. Oilersnation After Dark Presented by @GMCcanada #TruckMonth

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5:45 PM · Mar 27, 2026

Comeback kids

These comebacking, never-say-dying Anaheim Ducks. Up five points on the Oilers for tops in the Pacific Division, they steal points late in games and if they force a game to overtime, they’ll win.

Rinse and repeat against the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. Stuck a goal late in regulation, the team found a way to tie, and win in overtime. That was the 25th comeback victory of the season, one away from the team’s franchise record.

“There’s easier ways to find a way to win a game, but that’s how it’s been,” said Mikael Granlund, who scored all three Ducks goals. “I think we need to try to get better starts and score the first goal. We know in the playoffs that’s going to be really important.”

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Mikael Granlund competes the hat trick and wins the game in overtime for the Ducks 🎥: Sportsnet | #Flames

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3:52 AM · Mar 27, 2026

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This type of lead-changing, high-scoring hockey doesn’t typically work in the playoffs. But there has been a distinct clutch gene shared by these young players. Granlund’s goal with just one second left in overtime improved Anaheim’s record to 17-4 in games decided past regulation, the most in the NHL.

There’s a belief they’re never out of a game.

“Again we magically tied it late and we scored late, late in overtime. We’ll take it, but I still think it would be nice to clean some things up,” said coach Joel Quenneville.

Winners of five of their last six games, this Oilers contest wraps up a three-game road trip. Six of their last nine after today are at the Honda Center.

Overhyped?

But are these traits of the Ducks really true?

Well, they aren’t quite in the elite tier necessarily in goal scoring, 11th in the league at 3.26 per game. The Oilers have them beat there, but still mighty dangerous.

Each team is in the bottom-five of goals allowed in the season. And although the Ducks come back a lot, they’ve been outscored in third periods this year 86-83.

In five-on-five offence, the Ducks have a 47.62 per cent goal share, a tick lower than the Oilers for the season. Similar to Edmonton, their expected goal share is top-10.

Much has been made about Anaheim leading the division with a minus-4 goal differential. Their 7.32 expected goal differential is 10th best in the league, and it’s strongly correlated to a strong playoff performance amongst past Stanley Cup champions. The Oilers are eighth in expected goal differential.

Dostwall vs Ingo?

Lukas Dostal got the night off against the Flames, so Oilers fans should expect to see him. He’s won four of his last five starts against Edmonton, and twice in his career has he made 45-plus saves to goalie the Oil.

Tristan Jarry started both matchups earlier this season, but was yanked in the February 25 game, where the Oilers blew a two-goal lead to lose in regulation 6-5. Connor Ingram was terrific against the Golden Knights, making 26 saves, for his third victory against the VGK. I would be shocked if he doesn’t start this game.

“The last two games have been both really good. We found a way to play that’s giving us success and now it’s just not being stubborn and sticking with it, just playing simple,” said Ingram. “We’re a good enough hockey club where we’re going to get our chances, so as long as we don’t give them any, we’re going to be just fine.”

This game will decide the season-series.

If the Oilers lose in regulation, it’s high unlikely they can catch the Ducks for first. Although, the Oilers dominance over the Knights might alleviate some of the pressure of needing to win this game, as they’ll be comfortable in that playoff matchup if it comes to fruition.

However, I’ve wrote in more depth about the Oilers’ splits between home and road performance.

Sitting at 8-9-1 in the calendar year at Rogers Place, that mark must improve. But boasting a 7-0-2 against divisional opponents is pretty damn strong.

Notes:

Cutter Gauthier is four goals away from 40, which is mightily impressive.
Leo Carlsson has five points in his last three games, and has only been held pointless once in his last six games.
Radko Gudas returned from his five-game suspension, but left the Flames game and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Troy Terry missed that game as well, listed as day-to-day.
Everything about Mason McTavish has been off. From the contract holdout that went deep into training camp, to now his performance this season, he isn’t providing to the level neither party hoped. He was scratch twice last week for the first time in his career.
He finally snapped a 14-game goalscoring drought against the Canucks on Tuesday. “It’s been pretty hard,” McTavish said afterwards. “It’s been a tough couple weeks, stretch of games for me, so it’s nice to get that (goal) for sure.”
John Carlson’s acquisition was the stunner of the Trade Deadline. He has five assists in his last two games, becoming the oldest Ducks blueliner to record a three assist game and multi-assist period.
There’s been 22 goals in the two matchups combined.
Evan Bouchard is now tied for third with Jari Kurri in franchise history in overtime goals. Only active teammates Leon Draisaitl (20) and Connor McDavid (17) have more.
Bouchard is currently 11th in the league in points with 84. It’s the sixth highest single-season point total for an Oilers defenceman. The top five seasons are all Paul Coffey.
Fresh off of 400-goal, 800-assist, and 1200-point plateaus attained, Connor McDavid is 53rd all-time in points. Next on the hit list? Vincent Damphousse.
Mattias Ekholm hasn’t scored since his hat trick against the Ducks, going on a 19-game drought. He’s accumulated 13 assists, however.
Paging Adam Henrique. It’s been 48 games since his last goal, October 23 against the Montreal Canadiens.
After this game, the Oilers got the stuff dreams are made of…two whole days between games…

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and has been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, he also collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.