After losing the first two games of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, the Edmonton Oilers looked like a team on the verge of going home early. Instead, they rattled off four straight wins to advance to the second round and just took the series opener against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
What's most impressive about this five-game winning streak is that they've come back from deficits to win each of those games, becoming the first team to accomplish that feat in the postseason.
The Western Conference is loaded. The Winnipeg Jets won the Presidents' Trophy. The Dallas Stars won a round without Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. The Vegas Golden Knights have practically been Stanley Cup threats since their inception. Despite all of the talent still alive, the Oilers look like the team that should be favored to win their second straight Clarence S. Campbell Bowl.
Oilers are a team nobody wants any part of
Winning five in a row in any fashion would be impressive, but pulling off five straight comeback victories feels fake. The fact that Edmonton is the first team to accomplish this feat shows how insane it is.
Say what you want about their goaltending and their depth, but the Oilers look like a team capable of winning it all. They'll have the best player on the ice in any game Connor McDavid plays in, have another superstar in Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard is averaging over a point per game in these playoffs as a defenseman.
Edmonton's high-end talent is something no team can match, and the fact that they've gone on a deep run before should scare teams as well. They made a run to Game 7 of last year's Stanley Cup Finals before bowing out against the Florida Panthers.
They might go down in a game, but their experience makes it easier for them to make adjustments and find ways to win. They might go down in a game, but they have the star power available to drag them back.
Will this team win it all? I don't know, but again, they should be seen as one of, if not the favorites, to get to the Stanley Cup Final, if not win it.