Win and you're in.
The task for the Edmonton Oilers last night was simple. Get even just a single point against the Colorado Avalanche, and they would've clinched their 5th straight playoff berth.* And not only did they get one, they got two. And in convincing fashion too.
After an absolutely ABYSMAL performance that resulted in a 5-0 loss to the Dallas Stars, a game that arguably, only Calvin Pickard showed up for, the Oilers had to face the elite Colorado Avalanche. A team that has had their number since 2019, including a 4-game sweep in the 2022 WCF. A team that Edmonton needs to measure up to to even sniff a Stanley Cup.
And not only did Edmonton measure up to Colorado last night, they absolutely crushed them. Edmonton had twice as many shots as Colorado, thrice as many goals, and were the better team from the drop of the puck to the final buzzer. And it was a win where they had everything. Depth scoring (Kane x 2, Perry x 1), elite scoring (McDavid 2 goals), solid defensive work from their pairings (Bouchard 2A, +2, Ceci 2A, +4, Ekholm 1G 1A +1, Nurse 1A +3, Kulak 1A -1, Desharnais -1) and excellent goaltending (Skinner 21/23 .913 sv%). All-in-all, Edmonton responded as they should have, cruising to a 6-2 victory over the Avalanche.
Not to bad for a club that at one point in time was tied for 31st in the NHL with a 3-9-1 record. Not too bad at all. So with their playoff tickets punched, there are only a handful of questions that remain for the Oilers. What is their ideal Round 1 Game 1 lineup going to be? Who is going to be their opponent? Are they going to pull up their socks and win their remaining games to clinch their first divisional title since the 80's? Some of those questions can only be answered by the Oilers players themselves. And with 7 games remaining in their regular season schedule, only time will tell.
*I say 5th straight, but technically the Oilers didn't make it in 2019 as COVID forced a "play-in" round, which means if you won said round, you made the playoffs. Edmonton lost their play-in round to Chicago, so they technically didn't make it. But the NHL says those count towards playoff stats, so Edmonton made it, but didn't make it...it's confusing to say the least. My stance is that if you don't win the play-in round, you didn't make the playoffs. So in my opinion, Edmonton missed in 2019, giving them 4 straight playoff appearances, not 5.
