The Edmonton Oilers had plenty of doubters heading into 2016-17, but the former basement-dwellers simply continue to impress.

They did so again Saturday night, temporarily laying claim to the Pacific Division lead with a 3-2 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks.

Edmonton withstood a fine performance from netminder John Gibson, who played his first game for Anaheim since March 10. Gibson and Co. nearly shut the dominant Oilers' offense down, but veteran Milan Lucic tallied his 19th of the season to tie the game with just two minutes remaining in the third.

With the tilt extending to overtime, McDavid stepped up for his club once again, capitalizing on a gaffe from Ryan Getzlaf before setting up Leon Draisaitl for the winner in extra time.

It was just the latest impressive performance for a club that has dealt with its fair share of doubt in recent years.

Whether it was bringing in oft-maligned defender Kris Russell, signing Lucic to a hefty seven-year contract, or trading away star winger Taylor Hall for rearguard Adam Larsson, Edmonton was undoubtedly expected to falter in 2016-17.

But with just a handful of games remaining, they sit atop their division, the playoffs in sight.

Stellar season-long efforts from McDavid and Cam Talbot have undoubtedly been the central reasons for Edmonton's ascent, but there's no denying the fact that - despite the chorus of jeers - general manager Peter Chiarelli managed to put together a fairly promising squad after all.

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