Welcome To The Playoffs

As good as the Edmonton Oilers looked over the final month of the season, the thought of having them open the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place was something which didn’t sit well with yours truly. Whether the masses wanted to admit it or not, unless we are talking about a team who had enjoyed at least a degree of success in recent post-season memory, the pressure that comes with opening on home-ice is quite real. And for a team with as little experience as this one, that moment can sometimes be a little much.

Better Get Used To It

With one game remaining on the Edmonton Oilers 2016-17 schedule, Connor McDavid is on the verge of completing one of the finest sophomore campaigns season in recent memory. Should the talented youngster manage to pick up a couple of points in tonight’s season finale against the Vancouver Canucks, he will not only officially win the first Art Ross Trophy of his career as the league’s top scorer but do so in style.

Playoffs and Beyond

With all of two days remaining in the 2016-17 NHL regular season, the Edmonton Oilers have all but clinched home-ice advantage in their first-round showdown with the San Jose Sharks. By this time tomorrow, there is a good chance this team will have eclipsed the 100-point mark and their star attraction will have or be on the verge of doing the same thing on an individual front. As great as this year has gone for Connor McDavid and company, expectations for this group still need to be kept in check. 

It's There for the Taking

As hard as it might be to fathom, we are here. With five games remaining on their schedule, the Edmonton Oilers have put themselves in a position where the out-of-town scoreboard no longer matters. If this group can go out and take care of business over the next ten days, they will finish the 2016-17 season as Pacific Division champions. In a year in which surprises have been the norm across the NHL, one would be hard-pressed to find a potential result being as shocking as what this group is on the verge of accomplishing.