After the Edmonton Oilers got off to a, shall we say rocky, start to the 2023–24 season, fortunes were looking bad all around. Players looked frustrated and baffled by the mysterious slump. And fans were reliving formerly repressed memories from the Decade of Darkness.
But ever since the third period of a blowout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on November 22, everything has changed.
All of the little plays that weren’t working before are suddenly working. The energy and swagger on the ice is back. The team is getting saves, and important ones too. And overall, the Oilers have been dominating.
Currently 9–3–0 in their last 12, we took to Twitter this week to ask the fans a more positive question. We want to know what your favourite part of this winning streak is.
Want to take part in Saturday Census polls? We send them out every week on our Twitter at @oilrigEDM. Follow along or send in ideas for the next poll!
McJesus has risen
Connor McDavid started the season with a pedestrian 13 points in 14 games. A mere 76 point pace over the full season.
Sure, maybe 80% of the league would be ecstatic if that’s what they were projected to score over a full season. But for McDavid, who has 153 points last season, that drop is massive.
Over the current hot streak we have seen the return of the McDavid we know best. 21 points over the last eight games has very quickly put him back in the discussion for the individual scoring race. It has helped propel the Oilers in the opposite direction as they slowly start to crawl up the standings. And, for us, it has helped him take first place in this week’s poll with a narrow victory. McDavid’s hot streak has won with 37.6% of the vote.
Everyone is joining the scoring party
It’s not just McDavid that is scoring more lately—a whole bunch of the depth players have been contributing as well.
Vincent Desharnais had his first multi-point game. Ryan McLeod finally broke his scoring slump with a huge empty net goal back against the Winnipeg Jets and a few more points mixed in. Mattias Janmark has five points in the last three games, including a three assist game against the Hurricanes.
It’s great when the top players are producing, it is a general sign of the overall performance of the team when the stars are shining.
But it is oh so important when the players in the bottom half of the lineup are doing more than just not playing at a deficit. It makes the entire game more exciting to watch.
And that is why all the depth scoring came in a close second in this week’s poll with 36.5% of the vote.
Hot Stu is back on the menu
The early season goaltending woes led many directly into panic mode. And for good reason. The Oilers spent a while near or at the bottom of the league in save percentage. Jack Campbell, who was brought in to be the starter, faltered once again and was sent to the AHL. And last season’s Calder Trophy runner-up, Stuart Skinner, was looking no better.
But in this hot streak, Skinner has turned his game around immensely. In his recent six-game winning streak, he has a .932 SV% and has given up just 11 goals.
His performance has helped give the skaters some confidence in their game. And in turn, that confidence is helping the skaters better support their goalie. It’s a wonderful upward spiral of improved performance.
And seeing the hometown hero back on top of his game was the favourite part of this winning streak for 21.2% of the voters, finishing in third on this week’s poll.
Hyman’s Hatties
Zach Hyman‘s hat tricks lately may have finished last in this week’s fan poll, but they are most certainly not the least.
In two of the last 12 games, Hyman has recorded a hat trick, against the Seattle Kraken and against the Carolina Hurricanes. In two other games, against the Anaheim Ducks and again against the Hurricanes, he had two goals.
All in all, he has 11 goals in the past 13 games.
Hyman’s energy and drive has been one of the primary factors behind the turning point in this Oilers season. And it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving or better person.
Since being signed to a long-term deal, Hyman’s career has been on an upward trajectory as he sets career highs and has earned the favour of Oil Country.
What would you pick as your favourite part of the recent hot streak? Drop a comment down below or over on Twitter! Stay tuned there for next week’s Saturday Census poll.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
