The Edmonton Oilers are back in the playoffs. This time, they are looking to exorcise the demons of 2021 by going much deeper in the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nothing comes easy in the greatest postseason in sports, but at least for the Edmonton Oilers, they have arguably the best player on the planet to try to lead them back to glory. After finishing the season with 104 points — good for second in the Pacific Division — Connor McDavid and the Oilers will look to win it all. Here are three reasons why Edmonton will be the last team standing.
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3 Reasons Oilers Will Win 2022 Stanley Cup
3. Burning offense
The Oilers did not finish the 2021-22 NHL regular season as the highest-scoring team out there, but they were pretty close to that. They averaged 3.52 goals for game, which was seventh overall in the league. Edmonton's top line boasts of 100-point man Connor McDavid and Evander Kane, who's perhaps as controversial as he is still talented offensively. On the second line is Leon Draisaitl, another Oilers player who had just racked up over 100 points.
This is a team with two players who had at least 100 points in the regular season — the only team with two top-five point-getters this season. With McDavid and Draisaitl at the forefront of the offense, Edmonton is always a threat to convert prime opportunities into goals. In fact, the Oilers are entering the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs third in the league in high-danger goals for (87) and first overall with a 5-on-5 13.9 HDCF%, according to Hockey Reference. Moreover, the Oilers' power-play attack has been so dependable this season, coming up with a 26.07% success rate on the man advantage — third in the NHL.
2. Connor McDavid is due
Sure, McDavid is only 25 years old, which means whether he gets to see his name on the Cup this season or not, he will have years of prime to spend chasing the holy grail. Then again, there's no better time to win the Stanley Cup for McDavid than when he's clearly at the peak of his athletic years. McDavid is turning out to be the Mike Trout of hockey, which sounds like an injustice for an unquestionable generational talent. Winning the Stanley Cup is the only achievement missing on McDavid's incredibly decorated resume.
This season, McDavid has been a man on the mission again just like most other NHL players. But the difference between him and them is that McDavid is way more talented and gifted. He can turn into an unstoppable machine in this postseason after having a regular season for the ages in which he won yet another Art Ross Trophy.
Also fueling McDavid's desire to go full-Michael Jordan in the playoffs is the bitter memory of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs where he only scored a goal during a sweep in the first round at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets — a team that didn't even make it to this year's edition of the NHL postseason.
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1. Who knows, really?
When it comes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the uncertainty is like no other in professional sports. This is where a team that tied the record for most wins in a season was swept right in the very first round. The Oilers aren't exactly long shots to win the 2022 Stanley Cup, but they are no favorites either. And if they are to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, they will likely have to get past either the Colorado Avalanche or the Calgary Flames, two heavy favorites to win it all. Nevertheless, there are realistic — and favorable — scenarios for the Oilers in the playoffs.
The Oilers are favored to take care of business in the first round versus Los Angeles. Assuming they survive the Kings, the Oilers will meet the winner of the matchup between the Flames and the Dallas Stars. The Stars are capable of beating Calgary. If Dallas takes down the Flames, that might seem like a big favor to Edmonton, though it should be noted that the Oilers had more wins against Calgary than versus the Stars back in the regular season. The Avs appear to be the biggest threat in the Western Conference, but don't be surprised if they got eliminated by the Nashville Predators in the first round, considering that Nashville beat the Avalanche three out of four times in the regular season.
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