The Edmonton Oilers‘ season is about to kick off, and the excitement level is very high for this team. Expectations are also high and I am going to predict the outcome of every game for the Oilers this season. They have struggled for a stretch during each of the past two seasons and made it harder for themselves, but have also gone on amazing runs in those same seasons.
This Oilers team has elite talent, breakout candidates, bounce-back candidates, a better lineup and an expectation to win it all this season. I will break the season up below in intervals of 10 games. A team being bolded means it will be a win for the Oilers. To indicate home and away games, the games where the Oilers play on the road will have an “at” before them. The home games will not. Lastly, an overtime or shootout loss will be indicated by an asterisk beside it. Now let’s dive in.
Games 1-10
Games: at Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Canucks, at Nashville Predators, at Philadelphia Flyers, Winnipeg Jets, at Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators.
Results: 8-2-0
The Oilers have an opportunity to start hot again this season. Six of their 10 games are against non-playoff teams from a season ago and the Jets, one of the four playoff teams, got worse. The Oilers have had the number of teams like the Canucks, Flames, and Predators in recent seasons, and they get to kick off the season with five games against these teams. Regardless of the skill level of the Wild, the Oilers always seem to struggle against them.
After going 5-0 against weaker opponents, this is where they will suffer their first loss of the season. The Oilers and Rangers will have a great game as the teams always do, but I think the Oilers come out on top at home. Edmonton wraps up the first 10 games with their second loss to the powerhouse Stars and then beats up on the Predators again.
Record through 10 games: 8-2-0
Games 11-20
Games: at Vancouver Canucks*, at San Jose Sharks, at Seattle Kraken, New York Islanders, Seattle Kraken, at Tampa Bay Lightning, at Florida Panthers*, at Carolina Hurricanes, at Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks.
Results: 6-2-2
After going 2-0 against the Canucks to open the season, the Oilers will have a tough time sweeping and may lose in extra time. They split the next two away games against divisional opponents before heading back home and getting revenge on the Kraken. The Oilers then take their team down south to match up against some tough opponents. The Hurricanes normally get the best of them and it’s no easy task going into Florida to face both teams on the road. The Oilers will finish strong against two weaker opponents in the Capitals and the Ducks. The Ducks will be no match for the Oilers again this season.
Record through 20 games: 14-4-2
Games 21-30
Games: Vegas Golden Knights, at Winnipeg Jets, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild*, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, at New York Islanders, at New Jersey Devils.
Results: 5-4-1
This may very well be the stretch of games where the Oilers come back down to earth a bit. The team and players know they have to avoid long drawn-out stretches where they struggle to win, but nine of 10 games here come against playoff teams from last season.
The Golden Knights always give the Oilers a tough time, so they could take one here. The Oilers will follow that up with another win against the weaker Jets before dropping three in a row to very strong teams. This could see them being swept in the season series by both the Hurricanes and Wild. We finally get the matchup many are waiting for with Connor McDavid vs. Connor Bedard during this stretch of games. The Oilers are a much better team and will come out on top (from “How does Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard compare to recent No. 1 NHL Draft picks? Scouts, execs weigh in”, The Athletic, May 4, 2023). Edmonton will end up splitting the season series with both Tampa Bay and Florida, while then winning a few in a row on the road against strong New York-based teams.
Record through 30 games: 19-8-3
Games 31-40
Games: at New York Rangers, at San Jose Sharks, at Los Angeles Kings, at Anaheim Ducks, Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, at Chicago Blackhawks, at Detroit Red Wings, at Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs.
Results: 8-2-0
The Oilers finish their games in New York with one against the Rangers, but can’t go undefeated there. This should be followed up by a nice win streak, their longest since the start of the season. The Oilers can sweep the California trip that used to be tough. Now the Kings are the only competition and Edmonton continues to have the upper hand over them. The Flyers will put up a fight, but the Oilers are just too good for them. The win streak will continue as the Oilers always beat up on the Senators, despite them being a little better this season. The next three teams are all weaker, but the streak ends with the Maple Leafs who usually split the season series with the Oilers.
Record through 40 games: 27-10-3
Games 41-50
Games: Seattle Kraken, at Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, at Vegas Golden Knights, at Anaheim Ducks, at Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings*, at St. Louis Blues.
Results: 6-3-1
I think the Flames finally get some revenge on the Oilers and win a game at home, and the Kraken take advantage of the Oilers. Four of the next five games are against weaker opponents again and the Oilers shouldn’t have a very difficult time winning these games. They won’t be happy after losing three in a row. Edmonton also gets one up on the Golden Knights. They don’t get a full California-esc sweep this time, but close out this stretch of games by winning the first matchup against the Blues this season.
Record through 50 games: 33-13-4
Games 51-60
Games: At Dallas Stars, at Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild, Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues*, at Seattle Kraken, Pittsburgh Penguins, at Boston Bruins.
Results: 6-3-1
The trade deadline is fast approaching for this stretch of games. The Oilers usually have a very strong second half, but won’t get there just yet. The Coyotes give everyone a hard time in their arena, as it still needs some getting used to for most teams and players. After that loss, the Oilers then pull off two very tough wins against the Bruins and Wild, while getting another one up on the Flames. The next two games will be tight losses, but the Oilers can tie the season series up against the Kraken. They finish this stretch against two tough opponents and split them.
Record through 60 games: 39-16-5
Games 61-70
Games: At Columbus Blue Jackets, at Buffalo Sabres, at Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, at Toronto Maple Leafs, at Ottawa Senators, at Winnipeg Jets.
Results: 6-4-0
McDavid always leads the Oilers to a strong finish heading into the playoffs and it starts in the final 20-plus game stretch. Fortunately, the schedule isn’t too tough either. The Blue Jackets shouldn’t be a difficult match for the Oilers, but the Penguins then get revenge and the Sabres take the first of two games at home. The Oilers and Avalanche will put on a show, but Colorado will have the advantage here. Maybe they won’t be injured this time. The Oilers come back and tie the season series against the Sabres and Maple Leafs before Winnipeg gets the better of them.
Record through 70 games: 45-20-5
Games 71-82
Games: Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, at St. Louis Blues, at Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, at Calgary Flames, Vegas Golden Knights, Arizona Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, at Arizona Coyotes, at Colorado Avalanche.
Results: 9-3-0
The Oilers had 50 wins last season and didn’t win the division. Since they have a better all-around team, they will top 50 wins with a steady season and a strong finish. The Oilers continue to do damage against their own division once again, beating the Kings and Ducks, but then drop a couple to Central Division teams. After losing the series opener against the Avalanche, the Oilers end the season winning both games against them. The Golden Knights are the only team that gets the better of Edmonton in the final eight games of the season.
Record through 82 games: 54-23-5
Oilers a Dominant Team From Start to Finish
All signs point to this being the year for the Oilers. They will finally grab their first division title in many years, win most of the season series, and not make the fanbase nervous when they are battling for a playoff spot after struggling for a big stretch of games. Health will play a part, but the Oilers should be fine if their big guns stay relatively healthy.
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The offence and power play are set to lead the team once again with more support from the back end and goaltending. The Oilers finished last season with 109 points. This season they will jump to 113, a reasonable expectation for the talent on the roster. This will set them up for home ice advantage for at least the first two rounds for the first time in a few decades. While the Oilers could do slightly better than I predicted, I don’t think they finish below 105 points.
