Following their 3-2 shootout loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday, the Edmonton Oilers sit six point back of the Minnesota Wild for the final wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference - with five teams ahead of them.

However, despite a five-game winless streak, Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock believes his team is starting to play their best hockey and could soon make a run back into the playoff picture.

“Somebody is going to get seventh and eighth (place) and both teams that are in seven and eight right now are going backwards,” Hitchcock told the Edmonton Sun, pointing to the Dallas Stars and Wild. “Two teams are going to pick up here, which are the two teams?

“We know we have to go on an a run. Of all the teams around there I feel like our team is playing the best. We’re not winning, but we’re playing the best. Eventually, it’s going to have to translate into wins. You can’t keep living off of, ‘We’re playing well.’ You have to take the next step, but five of the last six games are the best we’ve played in a long time.”

The Oilers have two games remaining before the trade deadline and Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson stated last month that the team will not trade their first-round pick to acquire immediate help. 

Edmonton was forced to play Tuesday's game without captain and leading scorer Connor McDavid, who was sidelined with illness. The Oilers outshot the Coyotes 37-35 in the loss, marking the fourth time in their past five games they've held the shot advantage.

“He’s our leader in the room and on the ice,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said of McDavid. “So when something like that happens, especially so close to the game, we need to step up and try to fill... you don’t really fill his shoes you just try and pick your game up a little bit.

“I thought we did that. The third was the way we need to play. That’s how we’re going to win. It was non-stop pressure in the O-zone and a lot of shots on net.”

The Oilers currently sit second last in the Western Conference, with a two-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings. Edmonton will be back in action on Thursday against the New York Islanders.