Oilers starting to creep closer to Canucks for top spot in division
The Edmonton Oilers are starting to make the race to the top of the Pacific Division a lot closer than the Vancouver Canucks may want.
After starting the season 2-9-1 and firing head coach Jay Woodcroft, the Oilers have gone ballistic. They have since gone on a torrid 34-11-1 tear and now find themselves second in the Pacific Division with 76 points, passing both the LA Kings and Vegas Golden Knights.
The Oilers now have their sights set on the Canucks as they try to win their first divisional title since 1987. It’s not as far-fetched as you might think.
NHL.com
The Canucks currently hold a nine-point lead over the Oilers for first place. While that may sound like a comfortable lead, it doesn’t take into account the amount of games played by each team. Edmonton currently has four games in hand over Vancouver, which will make a big difference down the stretch.
If you give Edmonton wins in all of those games in hand — which isn’t unreasonable considering how well they’ve been playing — the gap between the two teams becomes a measly one point. Even if the Oilers only capitalize with two wins on those four games in hand, it still shrinks the difference to five points, which isn’t that far ahead.
There’s also the fact that these two teams seem to be trending in opposite directions of late. While the Oilers had a difficult post-All-Star stint, the team has rebounded with four straight wins and looks to be getting back to the top of their game. The Canucks, on the other hand, have a disappointing 4-5-1 record over their last 10 games and seem to be hitting a mid-season skid.
The strength of the schedule for each team is also interesting. According to Tankathon.com, Vancouver has the ninth-hardest schedule for the rest of the season while Edmonton sits at 22nd.
The Canucks are undoubtedly having a great season, but the Oilers have found another gear to their game. Vancouver has so far fended off a 16-game winning streak, but if things continue as they have over the past few weeks, the race for the top spot in the division is about to get very interesting.
These two teams will meet one more time this season in Edmonton on April 13, which could wind up being the biggest game of the season for both the Oilers and Canucks.