Just a few weeks ago, <a href='https://www.nhl.com/oilers/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>the Edmonton Oilers</a> really got Craig Button fired up, when he ripped into their Stanley Cup Chances, but he may be regretting that now. The Edmonton Oilers are doing it again: proving people wrong after a slow start to the season. Though the criticism wasn't as fevered as it was a year ago, questions about whether they were true Stanley Cup contenders nevertheless lingered. Among the skeptics was TSN's Craig Button, <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/tsn-craig-button-rips-the-oilers-apart-on-national-tv-with-some-very-harsh-words' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>who stated a month ago that the Oilers weren't anywhere near championship material</a>; a proclamation which today sounds ridiculous. «You look at a team that went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last year, had so much going for themselves,» Button said. «They're a weaker team. They're a lesser team. Now, it's incumbent. It's all on management here to go and make significant moves to improve this team. We know the top end is outstanding, but after that, real problems.» The Oilers sit at 7-3-0 in their last 10 after a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 7. The usual suspects, <a href='https://www.nhl.com/oilers/player/connor-mcdavid-8478402' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Connor McDavid</a>, and Leon Draisaitl, pace the team with a combined 46 points in the last 13 games. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1865632705465225344'> </a></blockquote></div> It's the Evan Bouchard, Zach Hymans, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, however, that supplement the team's stars and are starting to steer the ship in the right direction. Evan Bouchard has 10 points in his last eight games, while Zach Hyman, who struggled early with just three goals in 20 games, has three goals in his last two appearances. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins remains inconsistent, but he does have five points in his last five outings, including two goals during that stretch. Stuart Skinner seems to have found his rhythm in the net: since his disastrous October in which he posted a 3.51 GAA and a .872 save percentage, he has registered a .930 or better save percentage in five of his last six starts. Even <a href='https://www.nhl.com/oilers/player/jeff-skinner-8475784' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Jeff Skinner</a>, once finding himself in Kris Knoblauch's doghouse, has counted four points in as many games. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/diegoprbarros/status/1864880169539826061'> </a></blockquote></div> The Oilers moved to fourth in the Pacific, tied with <a href='https://www.nhl.com/canucks/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>the Vancouver Canucks</a>, and within striking distance of the second-place LA Kings <a href='https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/mcdavid-leads-oilers-over-blues-in-broberg-holloways-return-to-edmonton/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>with the win on Saturday</a>. There is a rough patch of four games upcoming, following which the schedule opens up, and it's an excellent place to make a move to place themselves as legitimate contenders.