If the Edmonton Oilers want to win the Pacific Division this season, there are four key aspects that must go right in order for the team to achieve that feat. The <a href='https://thehockeywriters.com/4-keys-to-the-oilers-winning-the-pacific-division-this-season/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Edmonton Oilers come into 2025-26 with high hopes</a> after consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals. Success in the regular season has not been forthcoming, however. They have not won a divisional crown since 1987, when it was the Smythe Division, the longest such drought in North American pro sports. With the Pacific Division one of the NHL's weakest, this could potentially be Edmonton's best chance to secure home ice through at least the first two rounds. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/TheHockeyWriter/status/1972295230851330211'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> Goaltending will be the largest determining factor. Stuart Skinner must recover from a rollercoaster 2024-25. Two years prior to this, he was the league's best goalie for a period, <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/oilers-goalie-stuart-skinner-opens-up-about-mentally-handling-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-stanley-cup-playoffs' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>but that magic never came to fruition in 2024-25</a>. If Skinner finds stability once more, the Oilers' chance of dominant regular-season play takes flight. <h3>Edmonton Cannot Afford to Start the Season Well Below .500 Again</h3> Just as important is a good start. Edmonton's last two seasons got off on the wrong foot: 2-9-1 in 2023-24, the reason for terminating Jay Woodcroft, and 6-7-1 last year, featuring three consecutive home losses. Both years were spent chasing without a division crown. Special teams need to be better, too. The penalty kill was only 16th at 78.2 percent last year, and losing Connor Brown doesn't exactly help. On the power play, the Oilers were 11th at 23.7 percent. Having an elite-level offense in firepower, they need to be so much better, and the change behind the bench that occurred this offseason could unlock an even more lethal look. Finally, depth scoring remains number one. Mattias Janmark and Adam Henrique need to contribute on a regular basis to help bridge the gap for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Without the bottom six helping out, Edmonton becomes susceptible to being too reliant on its stars. This year gives the Oilers the ideal opportunity to break their decades-long dry spell. If they can balance stronger goaltending, faster starts, more effective special teams, and more well-rounded scoring, a Pacific Division title is theirs.