Oilers make historic post-Thanksgiving drive in playoffs – Hockey Writers – Edmonton oxers
The fourth Thursday of every November has been considered the Make-it-lit-it point of the NHL season.
That’s because most of the teams that stay in the postseason at the American Thanksgiving stand still make the Stanley Cups.
Since the NHL changed its wild card format Those figures get data from NHL Stats, which found that from 2005-206 to 2021-22, 76.3 percent of teams in the postseason are in the postseason, thanks to Stanley deff.
But while history suggests that even a quarter of the teams that sit below the spine of the playoffs at this time of year will make the postseason, the Edmonton Oilers have worked with their own set of numbers.
The Oilers are currently out of a Playoff Spot
When Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavidavid, and the rest of the Oilers sat down for dinner on Thursday (Nov. 27), they found themselves sitting with two points in the center of the Utah Mammoth currently from 12-3-3; With a record of 10-10-5, the oilers have 25 points.
This marks the fourth straight year that the Oilers are not in the playoffs at US Thanksgiving: on this day in 2023, the Oilers tied for the second wild card spot, but lost by technical instead of a playoff spot; Two years ago, Edmonton was 10 inches out of a wild-card spot on Turkey Day. Last season, the Oilers were one point back of the second wild card on November 28, 2024.
In all three cases, the Oilers not only stopped short of punching their ticket to the playoffs, but went on to win at least one playoff round. And of course, Edmonton finally reached the Stanley Cup finals in 2024 and 2025.
As it turns out, Edmonton’s NHL team has made a habit of snubbing the American Linksgiving Postseason.
The Oilers are above the league average
Since joining the NHL in 1979, the Oilers have been part of 41 full-length seasons (shortened NHL schedules in 1994-95, 2019-13, 2019-20, and 2004-05 were canceled).
Excluding the shortened seasons, Edmonton has been in the position to play on US Thanksgiving 21 times. In those 21 cases, the Oilers have gone on to make the playoffs 16 times, for a 76.2% rate, which is about the same as the league average.
But of the 20 Oilers not in the playoffs on Turkey Day, they have combined to make the postseason, temporarily 40%, which is more than the NHL-wide average.
In addition to their turnaround thanks to the past three years, the Oilers also reached the playoffs after being out of the postseason in 1979-90, 1991-90, 19910-91, 1999-98, 1999-98, 1999-98, and 1999-98. and 1999-98, 1999-98, 1999-98, 1999-98, 1999-98, 1999-98, 1999-98, 1999-98, 1999-98, 1999-9. So, can Edmonton do it again this year?
The next several games are important for the Oilers
Over the past three years, the Oilers have climbed off the losing streak and maintained a season-high level of play as they climbed the standings.
Each time, Edmonton’s turnaround is close: In their eight games following Thanksgiving, the Oilers went 20-2-0 in 2022, 822 in 2023, and 7-1-10 last year.
The urgency is in the season as well, given that the Oilers are going through their schedule more than usual. Edmonton has already played 25 games, compared to 18, 20 and 22 games over the Thanksgiving break in 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
The upcoming schedule in edmonton is interesting. In their next eight games, the Oilers will play five times at home and five times against teams that were not currently in the playoffs.
Related: 3 Takeaways from the Ouders’ 8-3 Star Loss
After getting completely embarrassed on home ice in their last game, an 8-3 loss to the Dallas Stars at Rogers Place on Tuesday (Nov. 25), the Oilers had a few days to look in the mirror and find out what kind of team they want to be a part of.
Yes, the oilers have been in this area before. And if they’ve learned anything from the past, it should show in their effort when they begin their Thanksgiving program Saturday (Nov. 29) with a road game against the Seattle Kraken.
