Why the Oilers are a favorite to win it all; Oilers +750
If you haven’t been following the Oilers this season then the fact that they’re listed as
one of the favorites to win it all might not come as a surprise. They have two of the top
players across the board in Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, making them a
perennial favorite to hoist hockey’s holy grail. But when you take a closer look, the fact
that they’re even in the top ten is incredible.
From Rags to Riches
The club got off to a horrendous start with just two wins through their first twelve games
and depending on the book, you could get the Oilers at +2000 by November. McDavid
was dealing with an injury early on and all hope seemed to be lost on the season. But
the boys from oil town have flipped the script on the league. December 21st, 2023 they
won in New Jersey and didn’t stop winning until February 6th in Vegas. That’s a
16-game win streak, the longest for a Canadian team in league history and they were
one victory from tying the overall record at 17. They started this streak with a 13-15-1
record, were 27th in the league and were 5 spots back of the final Wild Card spot in the
West. Cut to now and they are 41-21-4, sit 9th in the league and are second in the
division.
The Firepower
It’s no surprise that the Oilers are top heavy, it’s something that they’ve been known for
over the past decade. McDavid leads the team with 108 points, good for third in the
league and Zach Hyman—yes, Zach Hyman—leads the squad with 46 goals. Draisaitl
is tops on the team with 17 power play goals and has 34 tucks overall on the year. They
recently signed Corey Perry who could provide the dirt and grit that their bottom-six was
desperately lacking. They also went out and added centers Adam Henrique and Sam
Carrick for depth down the middle. On the backend, they grabbed right-handed blueliner
Troy Stecher from Arizona. Speaking of the backend, Evan Bouchard has taken to the
role of power play quarterback like a duck to water. Bouchard is tied for third in terms of
power play points by a defenceman and has 15 goals and 50 points in just 65 games
this season.
Strength in Skinner
The weak spot during McDavid’s tenure with the team has been the goaltending. He’s
seen 15 different goalies take the crease during his time with the Oilers. Edmonton
thought they had something when they signed Jack Campbell to a 5 million dollar per
year deal but the starter faltered early on. After the team sent Campbell down to their
AHL squad, Stuart Skinner took the ball and has really stepped up. Skinner has 30 wins
and has only given up more than 2 goals just once over his past 8 appearances. While
he isn’t in a Vezina tier, he’s playing like a netminder that will definitely have people
talking.
Edmonton Oilers +750
While there is still plenty of hockey left to go, the Oilers are on track to finally live up to
expectations. While it won’t be anywhere close to McDavid’s best year statistically,
that’s not what it’s about. Yes, they have the star power but now they’re getting the
goaltending and taking the pressure off their top guns with a little ancillary scoring. The
top guns will have more left in the tank come the postseason instead of being burnt out
and blown up.
For all the latest NHL Stanley Cup odds visit BetOnline.