The Edmonton Oilers have stumbled out of the gate within the 2024-25 season, posting a regarding 0-3 file. TSN columnist Travis Yost has taken a better have a look at the numbers behind this sluggish begin, revealing some alarming tendencies.
By way of the primary three video games, Edmonton has been outscored by 12 objectives, however Yost factors out {that a} vital a part of this difficulty could possibly be attributed to poor puck luck. The Oilers’ taking pictures share is an abysmal 3.2%, the bottom within the NHL, whereas their goaltenders are stopping solely 78.3% of photographs, rating them thirty first within the league. These excessive splits spotlight how rapidly the group’s fortunes have turned, regardless of not being territorially outplayed.
It’s not simply so simple as Connor McDavid not having or purpose, or Zach Hyman not getting on the board. This isn’t nearly an enormous downtick within the success of the penalty kill or not getting that one key save on the proper time. There’s a mixture of things resulting in the large distinction between objectives for and objectives towards.
One of many key areas of concern Yost highlights is the disparity between Edmonton’s prime defensive pairing of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard and the second pairing of Darnell Nurse and Travis Dermott. In brief, the 2 finest defensemen are getting one of the best forwards. The opposite blueliners are working with lesser offensive expertise.
Ekholm and Bouchard, usually enjoying with the Oilers’ prime forwards, have been robust, benefiting from the offensive stress led by McDavid. Nevertheless, Nurse and Dermott, tasked with more durable defensive minutes alongside middle-six forwards, have struggled mightily. This second pairing has been outscored and out-chanced at an alarming fee.
In different phrases, whereas it’s simple to leap throughout Nurse and his d-partner, remembering that they aren’t simply making an attempt to enhance their play, however doing it with the forwards who don’t produce as successfully explains rather a lot.
Early Numbers Counsel Good Information and Dangerous Information for the Oilers
The excellent news is that there’s purpose to consider the Oilers’ taking pictures and goaltending numbers will regress to the imply. This horrific taking pictures share gained’t keep this low ceaselessly. The group is simply too proficient and too expert to complete final within the NHL on the subject of offense.
That stated, Yost means that the underperformance of the second defensive pairing could possibly be a extra long-term difficulty that wants addressing. If the group can’t discover a companion for Nurse (or Nurse will get higher) and that duo can’t play with any forwards, that poses a difficulty.
For now, one of the best the Oilers can do is look ahead to the offense to kick, and for the teaching employees to seek out options to steadiness the defensive workload. It’d imply giving Bouchard and Ekholm a shift or two with different ahead strains.
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