Commitment to defence has Oilers looking like possible Cup contenders

EDMONTON – For 65 games the Edmonton Oilers were just another mediocre team struggling to find a way into the NHL playoffs in the weak Pacific Division.

Trade deadline acquisitions and a new-found dedication to defence, necessitated partly by the injury to star forward Leon Draisaitl, turned around their fortunes and has them entering the playoffs looking like a team that might yet be capable of making the Stanley Cup final for a third straight season.

Heading into Thursday’s final night of the regular season, the Oilers sit second in the division, two points behind Las Vegas Knights and one ahead of Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. The Oilers, who are home to the Vancouver Canucks, could finish anywhere from first to fourth.

“This is a huge game for us, and we get to kind of choose our own fate and our own outcome here at the end of the year,” defenceman Darnell Nurse said after Wednesday’s practice. “It’s the position we’ve put ourselves in and you want to make this last one count. The chance to play for home ice advantage.”

Not, he added, that he puts a huge amount of stock in that advantage.

“You know, you go on the road, you’re playing free to start. It’s always nice to also start at home. You get the familiarity of being in your own rink and being around family and whatnot. So, I mean, each has its advantages.”

While the Oilers showed improved defensive hockey down the stretch, the erratic plY they have exhibited all season has continued. Only twice this season did they win more than two straight games – a three-game streak in early March and then a five-game run March 24-April 2. Since that run, however, they are 1-3 and have given up 16 goals.

“Look, it’s all about consistency and doing it each and every night,” Nurse said. “I think over the course of the season, there’s been, maybe not to the consistency we want, but there’s been a lot of nights that we played hockey the way we wanted to play. It’s been trending in the right direction here at the end of the year, and it’s definitely where we want to be going in the playoffs.”

What has been inconsistent lately is the offence. Edmonton scored five goals in back-to-back games but then scored just once in its last two games.

“You know a lot of times it’s luck,” head coach Kris Knoblauch said of the scoring, adding that players have to recognize the checking is tighter this time of the year, there are less openings offensively and players have to “pay a price” to get goals.

The offence will get a boost when Zach Hyman, a regular winger for captain Connor McDavid, returns to the lineup for Thursday’s game.

“Zach felt comfortable getting a game in before he hits the playoffs,” said Knoblauch. “So, I think that’s a good idea. Put him in, see what he can do. Obviously, it’s not just him finding his game, getting ready for the playoffs. Tomorrow’s a very important game for us and he will help us win.”

Injuries still remain a concern for Edmonton. Draisaitl has been out since mid-March with a lower-body issue and says he won’t be ready for the first game of the playoffs, but perhaps during the first round.

Max Jones and Jason Dickinson are day-to-day. Knoblauch said there’s a chance Dickinson may be ready for the first game but that likely won’t be determined until Friday when the doctors assess him after he skates.

“If he’s ready to play, he’s itching to get back into the lineup and trust me I want him in,” Knoblauch said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2026.