Oilers change perception to solidify playoff position in Pacific Division

EDMONTON --What a difference two weeks has made for the Edmonton Oilers.

There were plenty of questions about their game after a 9-5 loss at the Calgary Flames on March 26. All nine Calgary goals were scored at even strength, and it was clear which was the dominant team in the Pacific Division.
Fast forward to Rogers Place on Saturday, and Edmonton has more than recovered, even changing the narrative.
Though the Oilers lost 2-1 in the shootout to the Colorado Avalanche, they went toe-to-toe with the team with the best record in the NHL. They outshot them 50-34, including 11-0 in overtime when their power play was foiled by the heroic goaltending of Darcy Kuemper.
The Oilers are 6-0-1 and have allowed 14 goals, two or fewer in their past four games, since the loss in Calgary. That's the kind of play raising confidence and could change how they are viewed with the Stanley Cup Playoffs approaching.
"Yeah, it was a playoff-style game," Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said. "Not a ton of chances going either way and I liked how we stuck with it and hung in there against a good team and found a way to get a point.
"We're scratching and clawing to get in. That's all we're doing. It's a dogfight to get a playoff spot this year and we're just trying to find a way to get in."
Edmonton (42-25-6) has solidified its postseason chances since the loss in Calgary. It was four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for second in the Pacific Division two weeks ago. The Oilers now are four points ahead of the Kings and six ahead of the fourth-place Vegas Golden Knights.
Coach Jay Woodcroft sees more than just a rebound from a disappointing loss to the Flames.
"In our run here, I wouldn't even go back to two weeks [ago] but 12-2-2 in our last 16 games, I think, is a credit to the work that our players are putting in," Woodcroft said. "They are finding ways. We are very lucky that we do have good players, players who care for each other and they lay it on the line like this, like you saw tonight."

Most games the Avalanche (52-14-6) play this season are measuring sticks for their opponents. The Oilers will certainly find merit in the kind of game they played Saturday.
"I didn't have to look for players," Woodcroft said. "We had all four lines going. And we have had that down the stretch here, we've been playing some good hockey. We committed to playing a certain style of hockey that I think is conducive to the hockey that is going to get played in the month of May.
"We are conditioning ourselves in that kind of atmosphere or environment. I thought the goaltending was excellent, our penalty kill was excellent, our sacrificing for our teammates was excellent. In the end, I really enjoyed watching our players compete extremely hard for one another."
There remains work to do before the Oilers get a chance to erase some of the sting of being swept in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup First Round by the Winnipeg Jets last season and some of the doubt of having won just one playoff series since 2006 (2017).
Edmonton has nine games to play in the regular season, five against opponents in playoff position including another home date against Colorado on April 22. Los Angeles has eight to play but just two against opponents in playoff position.
Though the Kings may have the slight edge in schedule, the Oilers have plenty of positives moving forward.
Since Woodcroft took over for Dave Tippett on Feb. 11, Edmonton is tied with Calgary for the most points in the NHL (41), and with the Flames, Boston Bruins, Avalanche and Florida Panthers for the most wins (19).
McDavid leads the NHL with 108 points (42 goals, 66 assists) in 72 games, though his 15-game point streak (29 points; 13 goals, 16 assists) ended Saturday despite five shots on goal and multiple looks on the power play during overtime. Forward Leon Draisaitl is third with 101 points (50 goals, 51 assists) in 72 games, behind McDavid and Jonathan Huberdeau of the Florida Panthers (104). Draisaitl has scored 50 goals for the second time in his NHL career (2018-19) and is second in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy this season, trailing Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs (58 goals).
Those items, enhanced by a strong game against the Avalanche, shape quite a different conversation from that of two weeks ago.
"Yeah, I thought we played a good game," McDavid said. "Obviously never like a loss. I thought we should have found a way to get two (points) and only found a way to get one. Always disappointing that way but there's a lot of things to like in that one."