Cursory looks shows 9 back to backs? Unfortunately they seem to be mostly backloaded which sucks.
Actually looking closer, our April schedule is bullshit. Tire the team out entirely before playoffs.
2 of the B2Bs are against Calgary in February and April. Calgary doesn't play the night before for either game nor are either of the other BOA games BTBs for the Flames. Because of course.
The Oilers' opponents (Rangers, Ducks, Kings) on the second half of their first 3 BTBs also have an off day the day before playing the Oilers. The Oilers don't get the benefit of playing any of them on the second night of a BTB this season either.
The Oilers-Senators game in March has both teams playing the second half of BTBs against each other, and for some reason that is also the case for both Oilers-Pens games in March which are naturally a week apart from one another because why not?
The last BTB is on the last day of the season against Colorado, who will be well rested. The Oilers get the Avs on the second of a BTB earlier in April though so that one's a wash. All 3 games against the Avs are from mid-March onwards.
Besides the Pens games, the following games against Eastern teams are also stacked somewhat close together:
NY Islanders - Nov.13; Dec. 19 (5 weeks)
Tampa Bay - Nov. 18; Dec. 14 (4 weeks)
Florida - Nov. 20; Dec. 16 (4 weeks)
Carolina - Nov. 22; Dec. 6 (2 weeks)
New Jersey - Dec. 10; Dec. 21 (11 days)
Detroit - Jan. 11; Feb. 13 (5 weeks)
Boston - Feb. 21; Mar. 5 (13 days)
Buffalo - Mar. 9; Mar. 21 (12 days)
All of the Eastern Canadian games are splashed together in January and March.
Only 3 divisional games against Vegas (2 Home, 1 Away) and San Jose (1 Home, 2 Away) this year.
Also for some reason the Oilers have four 2 day breaks In October, and two more in the first half of November to drive hockey starved Oiler fans crazy to start the year. Then there are 5 day breaks to start December and over the Christmas holidays. Then some more 2 and 3 day breaks in January, a 9 day All-Star break into February.
From February 13th until their last game on April 18th though the Oilers play 34 games which is the most in the Western Conference. That's 41.5% of their schedule in the final 34.5% of the season.
Compare that to the other Western teams over that final stretch (particularly playoff teams - bolded):
29 games (35.4% of schedule) - Calgary, Vancouver,
Vegas, Colorado
30 games (36.6%) -
Seattle, Minnesota, Dallas, Nashville, Chicago
31 games (37.8%) - Anaheim, Arizona, San Jose, St. Louis
32 games (39.0%) -
Winnipeg
33 games (40.2%) -
Los Angeles
34 games (41.5%) -
Edmonton
Eastern Conference:
28 games - Philadelphia
29 games -
NY Rangers, Tampa Bay
30 games -
Boston,
Florida, Montreal,
NY Islanders,
31 games - Buffalo,
Carolina, Columbus, Detroit,
New Jersey, Washington
32 games -
Toronto
33 games - Pittsburgh
34 games - Ottawa
The Oilers are also the only NHL team this year with 5 games (2 B2Bs) in the last 7 days of the NHL season, and I believe the only team with 10 games in April.
Colorado had a similarly brutal end of the season this year (27 games in last 50 days) and got bounced in Round 1. So ya know, just some things that make you go "Hmmmm?".....again....