Progress isn’t measured in declarations, or promises or locker room speeches. It’s tracked through results, through effort, through exceeding expectations

Which makes tonight’s clash between the Oilers and Boston Bruins exactly what Edmonton needs.

The Oilers carry a 16-12-6 record into Boston, sitting in the playoff picture but far from where they were expected to occupy. For a team that reached back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, those numbers feel a little hollow. The expectations were cup or bust. Instead, they’ve spent much of this season looking ordinary, still haunted by those consecutive losses to Florida.

Boston enters with momentum that nobody predicted. After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016 last season, after roster turnover and a coaching change to Marco Sturm, the Bruins were supposed to struggle. Instead, they’ve been competitive, structured, and difficult to play against. They’ve exceeded projections by refusing to accept them.

So here’s Edmonton, the underachiever, visiting Boston, the overachiever. One team is desperately trying to recapture some consistent competitiveness. The other is proving it belongs in the conversation without the pedigree.

“(They’re) always going to be a hard-working team,” began Ryan Nugent-Hopkins post morning skate. “It’s always going to be a hard game to play. They’re not going to give you easy looks all the time. So you just have to play hard.”

Be cautious, but stay optimistic. The Oilers have gone 5-1-1 in their past seven games while playing their best hockey of the season. The December 12 trade that sent Stuart Skinner to Pittsburgh for Tristan Jarry has already changed the dynamic. Jarry won his Oilers debut against Toronto 6-3, making 25 saves as Connor McDavid scored twice.

Two nights later in Pittsburgh, Edmonton won 6-4 as Leon Draisaitl reached 1,000 NHL points. He finished with four assists and now has 1,003 points in 824 career games. McDavid extended his point streak to seven games with two goals and two assists in that win, giving him 20 goals on the season.

“You have set plays and you have set positions, but when things break down, (the power play) is when we take advantage,” added Nugent-Hopkins. “I think if anything we can still put more pucks on net and take more rebounds, and find the open guy to make the play that’s available.”

But none of this erases important questions. Can Edmonton handle a team that won’t give them easy ice? Can they generate sustained pressure against a defensive system designed to frustrate skill players? Can Jarry prove his early success wasn’t just new-team energy?

These aren’t academic questions. They’re the difference between a legitimate contender and a talented disappointment.

Boston won’t be intimidated by McDavid or Draisaitl. They’ll play tight, structured hockey. They’ll force Edmonton to win through commitment and discipline rather than individual brilliance. They’ll test whether the Jarry trade was a catalyst for genuine change or just a temporary spark.

If the Oilers control tonight from start to finish, if they limit Boston’s chances while converting their own, it suggests real growth. It means those wins in Toronto and Pittsburgh weren’t outliers but evidence of systemic improvement.

If they struggle, if old habits resurface, if they need late heroics to salvage points, that tells the real story about where Edmonton stands.