While there wasn’t a single game on American Thanksgiving yesterday (Nov. 23), as every team had a holiday break, it is one of the most important days on the NHL calendar. The fourth Thursday of every November has become the date when a team’s season success can be predicted with accuracy.
In the 14 full-length seasons from 2005-06 to 2021-22, 76.3 percent of the teams that were in a playoff position by U.S. Thanksgiving made the playoffs, according to NHL Stats.
Those are stats that Leon Draisiatl, Connor McDavid, and the rest of the 2023-24 Edmonton Oilers don’t want to hear, considering they spent Thanksgiving in 30th place in the standings. With 11 points and a 5-12-1 record, they sit a whopping 10 points out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference, currently held by the St. Louis Blues and Seattle Kraken, with 21 points apiece.
Related: NHL Bubble Teams at American Thanksgiving: In or Out
But the Oilers have a long history of not being in a playoff position at this time of year, only to reach the postseason dance by the spring. As recently as last season, the Oilers sat fifth in the Pacific Division on Nov. 24.
Since joining the NHL in 1979, the Oilers have completed 39 seasons that started in early October (1994-95, 2012-13, and 2020-21 started late; 2019-20 ended early; 2004-05 was cancelled). They have been in a playoff position at US Thanksgiving 21 times, and of those, have gone to make the playoffs 16 times, for a rate of 76.2%, which is almost identical to the league average in recent seasons.
But of the 18 times the Oilers have not been in a playoff spot on Turkey Day, they have rallied to make the postseason six times, which is well above the average. So, to paraphrase Lloyd Christmas, we’re telling you there’s a chance. Here’s a look at those seasons:
1979-80
The Oilers struggled out of the gate in their inaugural NHL season and were just 3-12-5 on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22, 1979), four points out of a playoff spot.
In 1979-80, the top 16 teams in the league made the postseason, which gave the Oilers a lot of targets to chase down. Edmonton went 8-2-1 over its last 11 games to sneak into the last playoff spot with 69 points, two more than 17th place Washington Capitals.
1990-91
Just months after winning the Stanley Cup, the Oilers had a dreadful start to 1990-91. With captain Mark Messier sidelined by injury, Edmonton lost nine in a row between Oct. 21 and Nov. 10. By the time Thanksgiving (Nov. 22,…
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