Oilers Power Play Fueling Team's Resurgence

Sometimes when a team is attempting to maneuver through the doldrums of the long hockey season, all it needs is a little spark. That boost can manifest itself in a multitude of ways. For some, it comes via excellent goaltending, while others see it through fantastic defense. But for the Edmonton Oilers, the jump-start came from a power play that’s been on fire for almost three weeks.

Since Nov. 29, the Oilers are a league-best 12-for-28 (42.9%) with the man advantage. This current streak of brilliance has elevated Edmonton’s power play — which is succeeding 32.6% of the time — to the top of the NHL. Only the Dallas Stars (31.4%) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (31.1%) come close to the excellence of the Oilers when it comes to scoring on the power play.

To the astute hockey fan, all of this is not surprising. When a team employs Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, it’s expected that its power play would be among hockey’s brightest and best. After all, those two players are superb at scoring at even strength, let alone when they have an extra skater on the ice.

Almost Three Weeks of Dominance

Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman and center Leon Draisait — Dec 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) congratulates center Leon Draisaitl (29) on his 1000th career NHL point which was an assist against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Oilers hadn’t scored more than two power-play goals in a single game prior to Nov. 29. Since that date, they’ve matched or eclipsed two power-play goals on three occasions. Talk about figuring something out.

It was during a Dec. 4 matchup against the Seattle Kraken that the scoring on the power play truly woke up. Edmonton drew five penalties in that game and was able to score a whopping four times with the man advantage en route to a dominant 9-4 win. McDavid picked up two of those goals, while Draisaitl and Matthew Savoie had the others.

Connor McDavid WOW 🤯

He takes advantage of the power play to put @EdmontonOilers up 2-0 in the 1st 😤 pic.twitter.com/9Lxsa1Tzwi
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) December 17, 2025

“I feel like we haven’t really had that all year, so it feels good to get a couple as a group,” McDavid said following the win over Seattle on Dec. 4. “Hopefully, guys are feeling good about themselves and can build on it.”

After a stretch where the power play seemed to come back down to earth a bit — the Oilers went just 3-for-14 (21.4%) from Dec. 6 to Dec. 14 — everything corrected itself when the team went 3-for-4 on special teams against the Penguins and former Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner on Dec. 16. It was once again the McDavid and Draisaitl show, as the former hit the back of the net twice and the latter collected two assists. Erik Karlsson and Evan Bouchard had the other two goals on the night.

Can the Oilers Finish the Job?

Edmonton has made it to the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row and has fallen short on both occasions to the Florida Panthers. Should the team shake that streak and win the franchise’s first championship since Mark Messier adorned the blue and orange, then the power play is going to need to continue to perform at the high level it’s operating at right now.

If the recent success is to be believed — the Oilers are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games — then the duo of McDavid and Draisaitl might very well be able to finally get the team back to the top of the mountain. Of course, all will become clear in time.

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