This season’s National Hockey League has numerous excellent teams, many of which are filled with great players and a strong supporting cast.
But can any of them beat the Edmonton Oilers for the 2024 Stanley Cup? I can only think of one.
That’s a bold statement, I know, considering the excellent caliber of teams like the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, and Vegas Golden Knights, to name just a few from Edmonton’s own conference.
But I stand by my forecast given Edmonton’s excellent play under coach Kris Knoblauch, the team’s improvement from the beginning to the end of the season, and the general quality of the Oilers group.
Since Knoblauch took over in mid-November, Edmonton has been the NHL’s best club, with 45 wins in 64 games and a.734 points %. Carolina is the next best with a.695 points percentage, followed by Winnipeg, Colorado, and Dallas, all with.667.
Edmonton has a +77 goal difference, Carolina has a +63, Colorado has a +55, while Dallas and Winnipeg have a +48.
The Oilers were a formidable club under Jay Woodcroft, but under Knoblauch, they are playing better than ever. The Oilers are taking more Grade A shots (16.1 per game) than they did under Woodcroft, while allowing up less Grade A shots (11.9).
The numbers speak volumes about Edmonton’s two-way prowess, but what makes me even more optimistic about this particular Oilers’ squad are its stretches and instances of disciplined defensive play, as well as some newfound discipline in the offensive zone, not to mention the intangible quality of its leadership group finally demanding and getting the best out of itself and the squad’s foot soldiers.
In December and January, the Oilers demonstrated a controlled, defensive approach that they had never achieved consistently throughout the McDavid era.
They came down hard on cross-ice passes.
They boxed out meticulously in front of the net.
They looked for and covered the danger player who was about to score late in the slot.
They had fewer bad pinches in the neutral zone. All of this allowed Stuart Skinner to have his greatest successful run as an Oiler, a 22-game stretch in which he won 19 games and lost only three, with a save percentage of.934.
That is the quality of play that will win you the Stanley Cup.
Edmonton most recently demonstrated the type of clever passing style required to break down a zone defense and score goals at even strength against Vegas. The Vegas zone had beaten Edmonton in the 2023 playoffs, but Edmonton has now shown the attitude and methods to overcome it.
In terms of leadership, a few public incidents have highlighted this, most recently veteran newcomer Corey Perry calling out Evander Kane, presumably for some impatient play in the offensive zone in which Kane turned over the puck while making a hope pass into the slot rather than making the smart play of putting it back behind the net and keeping the cycle alive.
This prompted Sportsnet commentator Elliotte Friedman to speculate that the Oilers’ leadership had enlisted Perry to help bring out the best in Kane, who, at his peak, is one of the most fearsome forces in the NHL.
