The Edmonton Oilers penalty kill is bad. Really bad. Like, among worst in NHL history bad.

Since the NHL expanded to 21 teams in 1979/1980, only four teams finished the season with a worse penalty killing efficiency than the Oilers current 71.4%.

They rank 990th out of 994 teams. Only the 1986 Detroit Red Wings (71%), the 1985 Vancouver Canucks (70.5%), the 1983 Los Angeles Kings (68.6%) and the 1980 Kings (68.2%) were worse.

This is not just a bad spell. The Oilers penalty kill, is literally killing their chances to make the playoffs.

And the PK has been an issue for over a year now.

In the first 14 games last year the Oilers allowed only four goals on 41 kills. They were 90.2%, but in their final 68 games, the PK was only 78.5%. They allowed 39 goals on 182 chances.

Their struggles have continued this year and somehow have gotten much worse. They have given up 24 goals on 84 opportunities.|

In their past 94 regular season games they have surrendered 63 goals in 266 chances, for a woeful 76.3%.

Somehow, they righted the ship in the playoffs when they killed off 42 of 49 (85.7%), and scored two shorthanded goals, but the playoffs won’t be happening if this group doesn’t figure out how to kill a penalty.

Last night the PK allowed two goals on two chances, and the Toronto Maple Leafs scored on both of their only two powerplay shots. It was comically bad.

The Maple Leafs scored with ease. The first goal they were in a straight line with the two forwards, leaving Matthews wide open.

Again on the second goal, the forwards are in a straight line. So clearly, that is what the system is at this point. It makes little sense to me.

When the players are doing that formation twice, there is no doubt they are told to do it. It is a new wrinkle, but there is no way it should continue in my eyes, based on how wide open Matthews and Nylander were. On the Nylander goal, you’d like Brossoit to come off his goal line, but even if he made the stop, I still don’t like the singular line formation.

Jason Strudwick killed penalties for 13 seasons in the NHL. He shared some thoughts on what is going wrong on the powerplay.

I read how some felt Darnell Nurse should have jumped out and attacked Nylander, and he might have, but Strudwick felt Nurse did do one thing well.

“We were taught, if you can’t get on his stick, If you can’t get the shot then take away one half of the net, and the goalie will take the other. Nurse took away the far side and Brossoit should have known it was short side. If he is a foot further out he might made the stop. But the major issue is how did Nylander get that open and be able to take two full strides before shooting? Nurse can’t fire out too far on him there, he is the low D-man.”

But this isn’t about one goal. The PK has been an issue for a calendar year, with numerous different players.

Strudwick feels their spacing has been the biggest issue.

“They aren’t going out in straight lines. Up, back, straight lines. There is too much distance between them. They need to stay tighter. Stay tight, so they can’t get the passes though so easily. Sticks need to be perpendicular to the passing lane,” he said.

“Right now opposing teams are scouting them and I’m certain they are saying, ‘If we move from low to high and across, we will spread them out, and that will open seams,” continued Strudwick.

He sees other issues.

“Why are they not taking away the middle of the ice on zone entries? You never want the puck coming up the middle, and too often I’ve seen easy entries. That allows teams to set up, and even the best penalty kills will eventually get scored on. You can’t allow easy entries. Even the most structured PK has a weakness due to being a man down, and your odds of success go down quickly when you allow easy entries and the most skilled players in the game have time to set up,” continued Strudwick.

“I’m not in the meetings so I don’t know what the coach is saying. We can only see what is happening on the ice, and when you see the top forwards in a line on both situations, I presume that is the system.”

Right now the Oilers penalty killers are struggling mightily. Everyone knows it. Strudwick has been on teams where the unit struggles and admits it can be tough.

“When something isn’t going well on the PK, it feels like you have three players and they have six players. Your mind is so screwed up, you are chasing all the time. The players are thinking they need to bring their average up. I would have a reset within the room and say we are starting from scratch in Calgary. We will track starting from today. And then you only look at that number, otherwise it is too daunting to look at the big picture. You can’t change the first 26 games, so focus on what is ahead. It can’t get any worse, so if I was the coach I’d just walk in and start from scratch.

“And when it is struggling I’m curious: how long are the meetings? Sometimes coaches over coach. Keep it short and simple. ‘Get in shooting lanes. Sticks in the passing and stay tight.’ Keep it short and simple. The PK doesn’t need to be complicated. I believe simple is better. It is about hard work, getting in the lane and making sure everyone is on the same page. If one player attacks and the others don’t then you are screwed. Everyone wants the Oilers to pressure more, but if the players aren’t in sync that will only open up more holes. I’d focus on keeping it tight so there are no easy seam passes and slowly build some confidence,” continued Strudwick.

Strudwick felt it isn’t just coaching — the players need to make smarter reads as well. But in his experience, players follow what the penalty killing coach outlines.

Last night, the special teams cost them the game. The penalty kill didn’t get a stop, and the powerplay barely mustered a good chance. They missed the net on their best chances, but right now the penalty kill is the main detriment to the team.

Did you know the Oilers have scored the 8th most 5×5 goals (50) in the NHL this season? They have allowed 54, which ranks 27th, but their 5×5 play isn’t crushing them. The team can score at 5×5, but defending is an issue, and if their PP, which consists of the best offensive players, could get going it would help ease the pain.

The PK is dreadful, and it needs to be fixed pronto. They can’t afford to wait. Their playoff chances are very low as is. Another two weeks of 71.4% penalty killing and they can kiss the season goodbye.

The coaches need to make some adjustments that work, and ones the players can perform.

Our 7th annual Month of Giving begins today. Every weekday from today through to Friday, December 22nd, we will be auctioning off a package on my TSN 1260 radio show with all the proceeds going to various charities including Santas Anonymous, Operation Friendship Senior Society, The Christmas Bureau, JCI Holiday Hamper Program and a few others.

We will have a new package every day, and packages will include tickets to sporting events, signed jerseys, golf packages, jewelry, training sessions for you or your kids, dinners with Oilers and Eskimos and much more.

Thanks in advance. All proceeds will help out Santas Anonymous.

Today we will have a Pyramid of Giving for The JCI Holiday Hamper. Tune in at 2 p.m. to hear how you can help feed 900 families at Christmas. Hopefully the Month of Giving will cheer you up after watching the struggles of the Oilers.