...and Other Surprises from Big Oil Country
It’s been an up and down year for the Oilers, they started out hot, battling the top teams in the West for the crown. What followed was a nasty down spiral, that saw them go 4-7-0-1 over 12 games, followed by a 5 game winning streak, and again a streak in which they only won 2 games in 12, which even saw them fall out of playoff position. Since then however, the Oilers have resurged. Climbing back into playoff spot, and also battling for top position. In fact, they’ve gone 12 -1 over they’re last 13 games, including winning the last 7 straight.
So here, at the 3/4 mark of the season, here are the reasons why Edmonton are where they are.
Jason Arnott
Jason is having a career season, and unfortunately for the Oilers front office, it coincidentally is happening in a contract season. Arnott is 8th overall in the league in assists with 44, 4th overall among centres with 72 points. He is also among the leaders in Shooting Percentage and Plus/Minus and Hits. In addition, he is currently enjoying one of the longer point scoring streaks of the season. It is no secret that Edmonton is trying to lock him up, and for good reason.
Chris Higgins
Chris seems to have greatly benefitted from an extra year in the minors, as he has paid dividends for the club this season. He has been consistently among the leaders in rookie scoring all season and should have a healthy number of votes in the Calder trophy race. He has been counted on all year in a variety of situation for the Oilers.
Alyn McCauley
Alyn has proven why he is and SHOULD be one of the better 2 way players in this league this season. He has been able to put up a respectable 44 points despite being counted on to face-off against the opponents top line night in - night out, and being on the premier PK unit.
Robyn Regehr
Widely recognized as being one of the best defensive defenceman in the league, Robyn has found his offensive game this season as well, recording more points than Jovanovski, Markov and to a lesser extent Staios, all more known for some offensive spark. His numbers include 16 goals. His defensive game has not suffered as he still has a respectable plus/minus and number of hits.
Outlook
Things are looking up for the Oilers, they seem to becoming a legitimate threat for a cup run, but they are not without there own flaws. It is widely known that Oiler’s GM Seaman is very unsatisfied with the teams goaltending and has been working the phones trying to improve on that position. In addition, with recent re-signings, the team has little or no wiggle room around the salary cap. Even resorting to having to demote promising youngster Erik Christensen to make cap room.