4 Keys to the Oilers Winning the Pacific Division This Season

The Edmonton Oilers enter this season with a lot of hype after appearing in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. Despite their recent playoff success, they haven’t had the same regular-season success. They finished second two seasons ago and third last campaign. In fact, the Oilers haven’t won their division since 1987, when it was called the Smythe Division. That’s the longest division title drought in all North American major professional sports.

The Pacific Division is arguably the weakest in the league, with the Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights as the front-runners to win the division. So, this is Edmonton’s best chance to secure home ice advantage for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs. But to do so, they need to perform in the regular season. With that said, here are four keys to the Oilers winning the Pacific Division in 2025-26.

Goaltending

Let’s discuss the most obvious one first. The Oilers need above-average goaltending if they hope to have sustained regular-season success, and that starts with Stuart Skinner. Skinner is hoping for a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2024-25. In 2023-24, the Oilers’ netminder got red-hot after the Christmas break and was arguably the NHL’s best goalie that January. Unfortunately, that hot streak never materialized last season, and he struggled for extended periods.

The 26-year-old had an .896 save percentage (SV%) last season, after having a .914 SV% in 2022-23, and a .905 SV% in 2023-24. For comparison, the NHL’s average SV% last season was .900. He also had 10 fewer wins than the season prior. He doesn’t need to be elite, but if he can have a SV% between .908 and .914, the Oilers will be in a good position. The Edmonton native is entering a contract year, becoming an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, so this is a big year for him if he wants a contract extension while rebuilding his stock.

Oilers Must Have a Good Start

The Oilers had dreadful starts the past two seasons, and that can’t be the case in 2025-26. They started the 2023-24 season 2-9-1, leading to the firing of head coach Jay Woodcroft. They relied on a historic 16-game winning streak to battle back in the standings before ultimately finishing second in the division. Then, they started 6-7-1 in 2024-25, losing their first three home games. They fell behind early and couldn’t catch up enough, resulting in a disappointing third-place finish and no home-ice advantage for the first three playoff rounds.

However, if Edmonton wants a good start, they must be road warriors out of the gate. 17 of their first 26 games are on the road, with 12 against Eastern Conference opponents. Their early travel schedule is gruelling, but if they can survive that stretch with a quality record, they’ll get rewarded with a home-heavy schedule in the second half as they fight for a division title.

Special Teams

The Oilers’ special teams must be successful, especially the penalty kill. They were in the middle of the pack last season, ranking 16th on the penalty kill, at 78.2 percent. While they did lose an important penalty killer in Connor Brown during free agency, they must find a way to improve that area, and it starts between the pipes. They need timely saves and other players to step up to fill the void Brown left behind.

The power play also must improve. They ranked 11th last season at 23.7 percent, but with their elite personnel, they should be better. They felt too stagnant and predictable at times last season, but hopefully that changes with the departure of assistant coach Glen Gulutzan. Gulutzan ran the power play, but he’s no longer with the team, so we should see a new look on the man advantage.

Depth Scoring

Depth scoring is crucial for every team, and the Oilers are no different. They require more production throughout the lineup from players not named Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. The bottom-six veterans must contribute, most notably, Mattias Janmark and Adam Henrique. Janmark had an abysmal two goals last season, and Henrique had an underwhelming 27 points. They need to be better.