You always have to hedge your bets and temper your expectations with a team as inconsistent as the Edmonton Oilers have been this season, but things do seem to be trending in the right direction.
The key elements of what made the Oilers such a dominant team last year are showing signs of life. The penalty kill, the power play, the third-period poise, the kid they needed to come out of nowhere and be a top-six winger — they’re all poking through the dirt like seedlings in the spring.
There is still a long way to go before the roots take hold, but if what we saw in Edmonton’s 4-3 comeback win over Utah on Friday is a sign of what’s to come, the Oilers might finally be on their way back.
On the heels of a 6-2 win over the New York Rangers five days earlier, the Oilers made it two in a row and 6-2-1 in their last nine by dragging out the formula that worked so well for them last season.
“That’s what you’re hoping for,” said Leon Draisaitl. “You’re hoping to gather some momentum and for things to fall into place a little bit. That’s what teams are looking for at this time of year.”
After falling behind 2-0 in the first period the Oilers tore themselves a new five-hole during the first intermission and responded well to the self-analysis.
“Sometimes you need to have a hard talk within our group,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who scored the overtime winner. “Nobody was calling each other out, nothing like that, we just knew we had better and we showed that in the second and third.”
Draisaitl said the volume got turned up a bit during that impromptu heart-to-heart, but when players take it the right way meetings like that can have a big impact. And since the Oilers are long past the point of trying to kid themselves about what it takes to win, they really had no choice but to take it the right way.
“Sometimes there are moments where it gets louder and the uncomfortable things need to be said, unfortunately,” said Draisaitl. “But the one good thing about our team is there is no finger-pointing. If a guy decides to say something he puts himself into that conversation, as well.
