The focus needs to be on this season as the Oilers face the Florida Panthers for the first time since June.
The focus needs to be on this season as the Oilers face the Florida Panthers for the first time since June.
You want to look your best when you run into your ex.
That's the situation the Oilers find themselves in today, as tonight marks their first matchup with the Florida Panthers since game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals in June. It was always going to be a painful reminder of what could've been, so the least they can do is show the Panthers that they're better than ever.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwDmf7e_I4A[/embed]
They just might be. The Oilers are the hottest team in the NHL right now, winning eight of their past nine games by a combined score of 39-17, including five wins in a row. They've bounced all the way back from their mediocre start to sit second in the Pacific Division and in the top ten league-wide.
Their 38 points place them in a tie with Florida, though they've gotten there in a slightly different fashion.
It's been a season of ups and downs for the defending champions. They won eight of their first nine, then followed that up by losing six of seven. They rebounded with six wins in their next seven games, but they enter tonight's game on the heels of back-to-back shutouts at the hands of the Canucks and Flames.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqvV1CLaFuY[/embed]
On the ice, they're basically unchanged from the team that the Oilers saw in June. Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk are still two of the best two-way forwards in the league, and Sam Reinhart is still scoring at a ridiculous pace. They're still a top-10 team by expected goals both for and against.
Their weak point is in net, where neither Sergei Bobrovsky nor Spencer Knight have been up to par, with save percentages of .892 and .890, respectively. Their duo ranks bottom-five in the league, while the Oilers are more middle-of-the-pack.
That all makes tonight's game more mental than physical for the Oilers. They know this team, their strengths and weaknesses. They have to prove that they've gotten over last season's heartbreak and are able to move forward. What's done is done; the focus needs to be getting back to that point and standing alone on the mountaintop.
Tonight's game gets underway at 6:30, on Prime Video.
Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss news, interviews, or any other updates on the Oilers.
Related: Oilers Continue On With Demotion Carousel
Related: Leon Draisaitl Makes His Case As The NHL's MVP
Related: Former Oiler's Vezina-Worthy Season On Hold