Oilers Rocket to Top of NHL for Stanley Cup Chances, Now Lead Power Rankings

   

The Edmonton Oilers are on fire heading into the holiday break, now ranking first in the NHL for Stanley Cup Odds and TSN's most recent Power Rankings.

Heading into the season the Oilers were considered the Stanley Cup Favourites, but a slow start reduced their stats early this year.

Now with 8 wins in their last 9 games and looking like the powerhouse that everyone expected, the Oilers are at the top of the NHL in every ranking.

After their 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators, TSN has ranked the Oilers as the number one team in their most recent power rankings of all NHL teams.

TSN cited the Oilers being a top 10 team in expected goals differential and Zach Hyman exploding out of his slump as the major reasons for the team's turnaround.

"Edmonton ranks top 10 in goals for and against, plus top five in expected goals for and against and high-danger chances for and against."

- TSN

Reasons Behind the Oilers Recent Win Streak, Rocketing to Top of NHL

Edmonton fans and most hockey fans believed the Oilers would get back up to the top of the league with the talent stacked on their roster, and that may have been closer to the truth behind the improved results.

At the beginning of the year, the Oilers were struggling to get saves, struggling historically on the penalty kill, and shooting at a much lower percentage than normal.

All of those factors have begun to turn more towards average, regressing to the mean, and now the Oilers are dominating teams as expected.

The goal for the entire Oilers roster this season is nothing short of a Stanley Cup, and at the moment, they've got a good shot. MoneyPuck has currently ranked the Oilers with the best Cup odds of 12%.

Hopefully the Oilers have weathered the worst of some extended mediocre results this year, because now, they're beginning to look like the world beaters everyone knows they can be.