The Edmonton Oilers are just five points out of first place in the extremely competitive Northwest Division, but their 40 points on the season currently leave them out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference, just eight months after their surprise appearance in the Stanley Cup finals. Little has gone right over the last four weeks for the Oilers, who won for only the fourth time in 12 games when they defeated Florida 4-1 Tuesday night. The win over the struggling Panthers had to be a relief, as the Oilers avoided a fifth straight loss while scoring more than three goals for only the third time in this 12-game stretch. The Oilers have scored just 2.7 goals a game during this span, and perhaps the only good thing to say about the Edmonton attack is that Ryan Smyth has scored four goals in four games since returning from a left knee injury. Alex Hemsky, another much-needed scoring threat, also returned to the lineup in mid-December after rehabbing a shoulder ailment, but he has scored just two goals in the last eight games. Edmonton's defensive game also must be better, as the Oilers allowed 20 goals during their four-game skid before holding the Panthers to a single tally. As the Oilers look to turn things around, they face a tough schedule with games against Dallas, Vancouver, San Jose and Minnesota in the next nine nights. Maybe too much is expected of the Oilers after their playoff surge last spring. After all, they finished eighth in the Western Conference before knocking off Detroit, San Jose and Anaheim in the postseason. And this year they are playing without future Hall of Famer Chris Pronger. Edmonton will need to finish near the top of the tight Northwest Division to play into May once again.