The Edmonton Oilers have 91 points and only one game remaining, and it’s all a bit crazy.
Frank Seravalli explained on Wednesday that Edmonton could end up in several spots, from first in the Pacific division to the second wild card position. That gives them four different places they could land. They could finish first in their division, second which means they would have home advantage, third, or face Colorado on the road in the Central division.
Think about how different these results feel. One option means they get to play at home in the first round, which hasn’t happened since 1987. Another option means they’d have to go to Denver and play against a really strong team with 117 points.
Sunday’s shootout loss to the Avalanche was tough to take. Colorado had already beaten them badly this season, 9-1 back in November.
This year, the Oilers’ record against Colorado is 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 overtime loss. If they end up in the Wild Card 2 position, they could have to play a full series against Colorado.
Connor McDavid has been keeping the Oilers going even without Draisaitl or Hyman. He scored 10 goals in his last 10 games, bringing his total for the year to 48 goals and 134 points in 81 games.
McDavid and Evan Bouchard, who has scored 92 points as a defenseman, are really the ones driving the team’s offense.
Kris Knoblauch’s team has a record of 6 wins, 2 losses, and 2 overtime losses in their last 10 games. That’s pretty good for a team that’s mostly held together with effort and a great center.
Their last regular-season game is on Thursday night at Rogers Place against the Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver is at the bottom of the Pacific division with just 56 points.
This should be an easy win. However, the Oilers’ future doesn’t depend only on them. The results from Vegas, Anaheim, and Los Angeles are just as important.
The Kings have won five games in a row and have 89 points. Anaheim has 90 points after 80 games. Vegas is at the top of the Pacific with 93 points.
Edmonton has a goal difference of plus-8. In contrast, Colorado’s goal difference is plus-67. If these two teams play against each other in the first round, the difference in their team strength will be very obvious.
There is one game remaining. There are four different results that could happen. The most unfavorable outcome would put Edmonton up against the challenging team that just defeated them.
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