The Edmonton Oilers are off to a 2-4-0 start to the season, and honestly, that part isn’t horribly surprising. There are plenty of good teams off to slow starts, and really, any 2-4-0 stretch during the regular season really wouldn’t cause us to panic at all, but because it’s happening in October, people are generally more worried.
One thing that is surprising, though, is the lack of scoring.
Again, if you had told me that the Oilers were going only to win two of their first six games, I would have been a little surprised but not stunned. I also would have assumed that their season is off to a poor start because the defence is worse than we imagined, and the goaltending has totally let them down.
While that is partially true because Stuart Skinner is off to a slow start, the biggest reason why the Oilers only have two wins so far is that their offence has looked stunningly sluggish.
At 5v5, the Oilers are scoring just 1.63 goals/60, which ranks 30th in the NHL. They’re also only one of three teams in the league to score less than two power play goals so far this season. The only two that are worse than them are the Sabres and Ducks, who are stuck at zero.
Why is the power play stuck in a six-game slump? Well, one reason is getting pucks through to the net. The Oilers have held possession for good stretches in the offensive zone but still, they rank 29th in shots/60 with the man advantage but they’re 14th in shot attempts (Corsi)/60. That’s a big game and shows that they’re missing the net a lot and having a lot of shots blocked.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers have had 20 shot attempts blocked in just 28 minutes of power play time this season. That rate is much higher than last season.
Blocked shots on the power play/60 in 23/24 = 26.57
Blocked shots on the power play/60 in 23/24 = 42.13
The play from Evan Bouchard at the point is a part of this. Last season, he averaged 12.45 shots/60 on the power play. This year that number is down 7.53 and it’s in large part because of the number of his shots that are being blocked.
This season, he is averaging about 15 shots blocked per 60 minutes and last season it was just a hair over 11. He needs to do a better job of getting pucks through.
This also isn’t all on him. The Oilers have moved the puck around the perimeter well, but haven’t been finding a lot of seams. That’s leading to teams staying in their formation and clogging up the middle of the ice.
Bouchard needs to find the lines, but the other players on the power play need to do a better job of moving around the penalty killers and setting him up for success.
One stat I see as a result of the Oilers not getting pucks to dangerous areas comes from Zach Hyman’s numbers. Last season on the power play, he averaged 21.41 shot attempts/60 and 14.73 shots/60. This season, those numbers are down to 18.03 and 7.73 respectively.
They aren’t putting their net-front guy in a position to get quality chances.
So what needs to change? Well, I think a fresh look personnel-wise is needed. Not on a permanent basis but these players have been running this top unit together for a long time now and I think that putting a fresh face on the ice, say Jeff Skinner, could just force them to start to look at things a little bit different.
The same old, same old isn’t working. Putting Skinner on the top unit instead of Nugent-Hopkins could just force everyone to go back to the drawing board and could spark some creativity out of the Oilers’ big guns.
I will say that last game against Dallas I thought that they moved the puck with more urgency and weren’t passing up clear shooting lanes as much as they were earlier in the year. There are signs that they’re getting better, but I still think a clear wake up call is needed.
PRESENTED BY ALBERTA BLUE CROSS
Don’t let the hassles and risks of travel keep you from making connections that matter. From lost baggage and trip cancellation to medical emergencies, Alberta Blue Cross has you covered on every adventure. Best of all, Flight Delay Service is included. Travel worry-free with travel insurance from Alberta Blue Cross and get access to 24/7 assistance if you need it. If you’re traveling to the U.S. – you’ll get access to one of their largest healthcare networks which provides direct payment to hospitals. This means you won’t have to pay medical expenses out of pocket. Protect your next trip today at ab.bluecross.ca/travel.
