McDavid and Draisaitl say this year is cup or bust, here's how it looks now

After being eliminated in last season's playoffs by the Vegas Golden Knights, Oilers' superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were clearly emotional in their post-game press conferences, and even went as far as saying that this season is now «cup or bust.»

Those comments looked like they may have been a disaster when the Oilers face planted to start this year. Now after having a 2-9-1 record, firing Jay Woodcroft, and sending Jack Campbell to the AHL, the Oilers have completely turned their season around with a few long win streaks. The team is just outside a playoff spot, but the odds are still in their favour according to this source.

From MoneyPuck's rest of season projections, the Oilers still have over an 80% chance to make the playoffs, and are the sixth most likely team to win the Stanley Cup this year.



After such a poor start to the year, for the Oilers to battle back and even be in the position they're currently in speaks volumes about the true talent and potential of this team. When everyone is clicking, especially McDavid and Draisaitl, the team is nearly impossible to beat - as long as they can get some saves.

The Oilers still have some needs to address before the playoffs to be an even stronger team, namely goaltending and defence, but even in their current state the Oilers are a bona-fide Stanley Cup contender. Now, they'll have to harness the anger they felt when they were eliminated last year, and head into this year's playoffs with that same killer instinct.