Why the Edmonton Oilers road to the Stanley Cup could be their toughest yet

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Patrick Frost
December 24, 2024 (5:49 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers are currently the hottest team in the NHL, and fans are fully expecting them to land exactly where they were last spring -- the Stanley Cup Finals.

Last season the Edmonton Oilers had an epic journey to the Stanley Cup finals, ousting the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, and the Dallas Stars to eventually go toe-to-toe with the defending Stanley Cup Champs (Florida Panthers)

With that being said, an interesting article has recently surfaced, suggesting the Edmonton Oilers had an "easy" ride to the finals, and this year could present a far more challenging road.

The Oilers path to the Conference Finals was easier than normal last season as they played the Kings and Canucks, who both had inexperienced teams and played a Stars team that played a far tougher schedule against the Golden Knights and Avalanche.

-The Hockey news

The Hockey News suggests that Edmonton's road to the finals will run through Vegas as they likely won't slide into a wild card spot and will face the Oilers in the first or second round.

If the NHL standings hold steady heading into the playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers could find themselves facing the top team from the Central Division.

This matchup could prove to be physically challenging, especially when the Oilers sustain inevitable injuries against the Golden Knights beforehand, leaving them more vulnerable against a team like Colorado or Winnipeg.

Dallas Stars forward Matt Duchene recently described a series with Vegas on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast as "playing football on ice" in terms of the physicality they play with.

Regardless, if the Edmonton Oilers wish to get back to the Finals, the road will prove to be far more challenging than the year prior.