Oilers Pacific Division Chances: Does Finishing Second Matter?

With two remaining games, the Edmonton Oilers are jostling for playoff positioning with familiar rivals.

While they will unquestionably want to secure top place, how much will it matter if the Oilers win the Pacific Division? 

Certainly not enough for Kris Knoblauch and the rest of his coaching staff to lose any sleep if they finish second.

Will Finishing Second Change Oilers’ Stanley Cup Odds? 

The Oilers’ odds to win the Pacific Division are off the board.

Meanwhile, the Golden Knights and Oilers have the same +1200 Stanley Cup odds. The Oilers’ Stanley Cup odds probably won’t change if they finish second in the Pacific Division. 

With the Florida Panthers prepping for an early golf season, the Oilers are the most battle-tested and experienced team from the past two seasons entering the playoffs. 

They’ve been through and successfully navigated everything the playoffs can dole out, excluding, of course, winning the Stanley Cup. 

Last playoffs, the Oilers started on the road and were woeful in the first two games, outscored 12-7 in Los Angeles. 

They won eight of the next nine games, including four in a row on the road. Three of those came at T-Mobile Arena in Sin City, one of the most hostile playoff atmospheres. 

Even though it’s still a possibility, I doubt the Oilers and Golden Knights will meet in the first round. 

If they do and the Oilers fall to third place in the division, going to Vegas for Games 1 and 2 will not concern them after winning all three there in last season’s second round. 

Oilers-Ducks First-Round Matchup?

The more probable outcome has the Oilers finishing second, with the Golden Knights winning the division for a second straight season. 

That would likely mean a first-round matchup against the Anaheim Ducks, whom they beat twice in three meetings. 

The Ducks have had their wings clipped, floundering since the end of March. They have the third-worst points percentage since March 28 (.250), tied with the New York Islanders. 

Anaheim is 1-5-2 in that span, outscored 34-23. Admittedly, all but two of those defeats came without leading scorer Cutter Gauthier. 

But even with Gauthier flying at peak altitude, the Oilers’ experience advantage and ability to raise their level in the playoffs should be enough to ground the upstart Ducks. 

There is a slight chance the Los Angeles Kings will secure second place. That improbable scenario won’t faze the Oilers either, as they have dominated the Kings in the playoffs, winning four straight first-round clashes.  

Pacific Division Standings

The Golden Knights, the hockey odds favourites at the BetMGM online sportsbook to win the division, are one point ahead of the Oilers and Ducks and three points up on the Kings.

The Kings have three remaining games, while the other three have two left. 

Oilers’ Record Against Possible First-Round Opponents

The only possible first-round opponent they don’t have a winning record against is the Kings.

Excluding a recent poor showing in a 5-1 loss at Rogers Place, the Oilers had their way with the Golden Knights, winning both away contests. That’s five straight wins at T-Mobile Arena.