Edmonton Oilers Ahead of Where They Were Last Season

If you compare the Edmonton Oilers’ record in the 2023-24 season to that of last season, they look very similar in terms of points. But it’s definitely been a tale of two seasons, and the team has taken vastly different paths to get to where they are in the NHL’s Western Conference.

Last season in 2022-23, the Oilers had 42 points after 38 games, going 6-3 in October, 7-7 in November, and 7-6-2 in December for a combined total of 20-16-2. This season they are further along by three points with a 22-15-1 record, and what’s remarkable is they started off at 2-5-1 in October and were close to the bottom of the NHL standings in early November. Unbelievable really. Since Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch took over from Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 13, he’s guided the team to a 19-6 record including the best record in the NHL since November with an .850 winning percentage. As they approach the 41-game mark and the halfway point of the season, things are looking up in Oil Country. 

Oilers Traditionally Play Better in Second Half of the Season 

Going back to the shortened 2020-21 season during the Connor McDavid era, the Oilers have posted strong records from January to April in the past three seasons. In the 2020-21 season, they finished at 39-19-2, in 2021-22, they posted a 31-15-7 record, and last season they went 30-7-7 from January to April. 

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Considering how well the team is playing as they approach the halfway mark of the 2023-24 season, you can almost expect a repeat of past records, and for Oilers fans that’s nothing but good news, but…it’s been such an unusual season in 2023-24 that you just never know what could happen.   

This Season Has Not Been Normal…Obviously

A lot of fans and pundits were throwing in the towel on the Oilers earlier this season. Famous fans such as former Oilers defenceman Ryan Whitney were very public in terms of their disappointment with where the team was headed in early November. It was a dark time in Oilers history, especially with so much expected from this talented group at the beginning of the season. Slowly but surely they dug themselves out of the hole and went on an eight-game winning streak in late November and early December, only to turn around and win nine in a row from late December into the first two weeks of January.