The Edmonton Oilers enter Monday's game against the Buffalo Sabres eight points back of the final wild-card spot and they aren't counting themselves out of the playoff race.

The Oilers have won two straight and are 4-1-2 in their past seven games, giving them hope they can still make the playoffs in a year in which the team fired both their head coach and general manager.

“With everything that’s gone so bad this season, it’s kind of neat where we’re at right now,” forward Alex Chiasson told the Edmonton Sun on Sunday. “Opportunities like this don’t come up every year. Playoff hockey is the best, so let’s embrace this and move forward.

“What is there, 17 games left? Then we’re all playing 17 playoff games. If we keep our energy level up and everyone is buying in and playing the right way, we have a chance. That’s on us.”

Head coach Ken Hitchcock, who was hired to replace Todd McLellan after 20 games, pointed out that the team will play nine of their next 13 games ­– and 10 of their final 17 – at home. 

“We have the most home games out of anybody when we come back, which is substantial,” Hitchcock said. “We’re in a really good spot mentally. We don’t know what we’re going to do, but if we continue to be the type of team we are right now, we’re going to be a really hard out.”

As for those who want to point to the Oilers flaws, Hitchcock said every team has weaknesses.

“That’s what a team is,” said Hitchcock. “People [expletive] and complain about what we don’t have, but what we do have is a team. You have to give us that.

“You can complain about what we don’t have, that we have American League [players] or whatever, but what we have is a damn team, and a good one, and we’re not going to be easy to play against for the rest of the year.”

The Oilers enter Monday's game in Buffalo with a 28-30-7 record this season. Edmonton will open a four-game homestand on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks.