There have been plenty of clutch playoff performances in NHL history and today I’ll be looking at the top single season playoff clutch performances by the Edmonton Oilers. In the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl era, the Oilers have appeared in the postseason seven times and the last six in a row.
The Oilers made the playoffs for the first time with McDavid in 2016–17 and then there was a two year gap before Edmonton made it back in 2019–20 through to 2024–25. In the last four playoff runs, the Oilers have played a total of 70 games and have made it to the Conference Finals in three of the last four years.
Clutch moments in 2016–17
2016–17 was the first career playoffs appearance for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. You never truly know what to expect as a rookie heading into the post season, but it had its moments and the Oilers made a decent push. They had beaten the San Jose Sharks in six games and then went on to lose to the Anaheim Ducks in seven games. Two overtime games were played in each series, with Edmonton only winning one.
Clutch moments in 2021–22
After the 2016–17 playoffs, there would be a two year gap before the Oilers would make the post season again in 2019–20. There weren’t really any clutch moments that I saw, so let’s jump right to the 2021–22 season. This was the first official Oilers postseason that I got to watch and boy was I in for a treat.
This was the first of four straight playoff opening meetings against the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton was able to take the series in a nail-biting seven games. Next up, was my hometown Calgary Flames and that first game was all over the place, with the Flames taking it 9–6. Edmonton would then go on to complete what we are calling the Gentleman’s sweep and finished the Flames in four straight. In the four games, the Oilers outscored Calgary 19–11, with the Captain getting the series winning goal in OT.
Clutch moments in 2022–23
2022–23 saw a rematch of the Oilers and Kings rivalry, with the Oilers taking the series a season later in only six games. 50% of the first round games were played in OT, with Edmonton winning only one of those games. Unfortunately, that would be all that the season wrote, as the Oilers would go on to lose to the eventual Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights in six games.
Clutch moments in 2023–24
Last year, there were definitely some clutch moments for the Oilers. Yet again, for only the third season in a row, would Edmonton face off against Los Angeles. This time, they would only need five games to move on and win the series.
In the second round was a team no one would have thought the Oilers were going to face. They struggled against the Vancouver Canucks in the regular season and found themselves facing off again in the playoffs. This series would go the distance, with the Orange and Blue winning in a back and forth seven games.
Next up, was the Texan Dallas Stars, who the Oilers beat in six games and outscored 10–4 in their three straight victories, to win the series and move on to the Stanley Cup Final. Evan Bouchard was quite the storyline in these playoffs.
This was the first Final appearance for the Oilers since 2006 and first for McDavid and Draisaitl. Edmonton found themselves down 3–0 to the Florida Panthers pretty quickly in the series, but would have a monster comeback by outscoring their opponents 18–5 in just three games. Game 7 was a fantastic final game, with the Cats winning the Stanley Cup thanks to a 2–1 victory.
Clutch moments in 2024–25 so far
This year, has seen nothing but clutch moments and performances from the Oilers. Fourth times the charm, the Kings thought as they lost to Oil Country yet again. This year wasn’t a four game series, but it still only took six.
Rematch of 2023! The Oilers found themselves facing up against the Golden Knights, hoping to change the tides in their favour. They would definitely turn the tides and do it impressively, eliminating Vegas in just five games.
Next, we saw a repeat of last year’s Western Conference Final between Dallas and Edmonton. We would see a Gentleman’s sweep, thanks to a combined score of 19–5 and Edmonton winning four straight. A repeat in the Stanley Cup Final.
We are only two games into this series and have already seen Leon Draisaitl score the OT winner in Game 1. In Game 2 we saw yet another overtime, this time falling in favour of the Panthers in double OT, all thanks to Brad “The Rat” Marchand.
Leon Draisaitl has had clutch moments galore in these playoffs and has actually tied the record for most overtime goals in one playoff year with three. Kasperi Kapanen also came in very clutch, with his game-winning goal winning the series and setting up Edmonton to face the Dallas Stars yet again.
There are still a long ways to go, but let’s see if the Oilers can finish their season off as high as they can, by winning the Stanley Cup.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
