Edmonton Oilers’ 3 Stars for January

The Edmonton Oilers continue to grind along this season, finishing January with an 8-5-2 record and a 28-20-8 record overall for 64 points. They are tied for first place in the Pacific Division, but they’ve played two more games than the Vegas Golden Knights. This January record is fairly disappointing, considering they had 11 home games this month, going 5-5-1 at Rogers Place. Edmonton had its chance to go on a run and create separation within the division, but it squandered its opportunity.

The Oilers finally had their first three-game winning streak of the season, leaving the St. Louis Blues as the only team without one. But we are still waiting for the Oilers to produce the hot streak we’ve grown accustomed to seeing.

The top guys continue leading the way, with the bottom six still not contributing, which has been the case all season. With that said, here are the Oilers’ three stars for January.

Third Star: Zach Hyman

Zach Hyman continues to score goals. He finished January with 10 goals in 15 games, including goals in three straight near the end of the month. He finished the month with 14 points, including five multipoint performances.

After missing the start of the season due to injury, Hyman has been productive upon his return, registering 22 goals and 36 points in 37 games. His effort is always on full display. He creates his opportunities by going to the net, which the rest of the team struggles to do. His consistency should be admired, and more players should follow his lead.

Second Star: Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid is the world’s best player, which makes him a lock for the three stars every month. He wasn’t as dominant as he was in December, but that would be difficult to duplicate, considering he registered the most points by an NHL player in a single calendar month since Dec. 1995. January wasn’t a historic month, but the Oilers’ captain was still extremely productive. Oilers fans are lucky to watch him play every night.

He finished the month with 10 goals and 25 points in 15 games, including one hat trick and nine multipoint performances, with one five-point game. No. 97 was held off the scoresheet only three times, and he finished the month on a four-game point streak after starting January with points in six consecutive games. He leads the league with 95 points in 56 games. He could’ve been the first star again, but there’s another player who deserves recognition and praise for his recent play.

First Star: Evan Bouchard

Is there a more clutch performer on the Oilers than Evan Bouchard? He shows up in big moments when the team needs him to produce. On Jan. 29 against the San Jose Sharks, the Oilers were losing 3-0 to begin the third period, but they battled back to win 4-3 in overtime, and Bouchard was a massive reason why. He tied the game at three with one minute remaining with a “Bouch bomb” to force overtime, while finishing the game with three points.