NEWARK, N.J. — Eight good periods out of nine. Two wins in three games. Five points out of a possible six.

If this is as bad as it gets for the Edmonton Oilers — getting buckled in the second period of a 4-3 shootout loss against the fast and furious New Jersey Devils — then life can’t be so bad for the last team in the National Hockey League without a regulation loss on the road (7-0-1).

As the Oilers fly home from their annual New York roadie, they continue to look like an entirely different team under head coach Mike Babcock. With a four-game homestand beginning Thursday, Edmonton has never-before-seen structure, excellent goaltending, and an 11-2-3 record that’s good for second place in the NHL’s overall standings.

“The details of what we are, and what we're about, are there. The work ethic — the expectation to be heavy and physical and be fast — are there,” assessed third-line centre Jason Dickinson. “Sometimes the execution is missing in puck play and decision making, and that's probably where we could really tidy things up.”

On this night the power play returned with two goals, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had 1-1-2 on the night he became the all-time longest serving Oiler (1,038 games), and Tristan Jarry authored a point-saving........

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