There is a sense of “Here we go again” in Oil Country, where the Edmonton Oilers are struggling out of the gate for a second consecutive year.
After losing 3-2 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes at Rogers Place on Tuesday (Oct. 22), Edmonton dropped to 2-4-1 this season. With just five points, the Oilers are currently tied for 13th in the Western Conference standings, and they’ve been outscored 27-14, giving them the third-worst goal differential in the NHL.
While the situation in Edmonton hasn’t yet escalated to the degree of last year, when the Oilers opened with a record of 2-9-1, resulting in the dismissal of head coach Jay Woodcroft who was replaced by Kris Knoblauch, there are a lot of similarities between the early stages of this and last season.
Some of them are kind of eerie. For example, in 2023-24, the Oilers had just one regulation win in their first seven games, and it came on the road against the Nashville Predators. Twelve months later, Edmonton has just one regulation win in its first seven games, and it came in Nashville.
But for the most part, the commonalities explain why once again Edmonton’s NHL team is off to such a lacklustre start. Here’s a look:
Oilers Haven’t Been Able to Hold Leads
The Oilers have scored the opening goal just twice in seven games this season, and they’ve lost both times: against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 13, when Edmonton lost 4-1 after taking a 1-0 lead, and on Tuesday, when the Hurricanes stormed back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Oilers.
Through their first seven games last season, the Oilers were 1-2-1 when they opened the scoring. After 18 games, they had a record of just 4-6-1 when taking a 1-0 lead.
Oilers’ Penalty Kill Is Worst in NHL
Edmonton has allowed 10 power-play goals, tied for most in the NHL, and its penalty-kill percentage of 54.6% is the worst in the league. To make matters worse, the Oilers, themselves, have only scored two power-play goals, tied for fewest in the NHL.
Last season, Edmonton allowed seven power-play goals in its first seven games. After 11 games, the Oilers had given up 14 power-play goals and ranked 31st in the NHL with a penalty-kill percentage of 68.9%.
Oilers’ Goaltending Must Be Better
While Stuart Skinner turned in his best performance of the young season on Tuesday, making several big stops against the Hurricanes, the Oilers netminder has largely performed below standard so far, with a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.74 and a save percentage (SV%) of .866 in five appearances. The numbers aren’t really any better for backup goalie Calvin Pickard, who has a 3.28 GAA and .852 SV% in three appearances.
Edmonton began last season with the goaltending tandem of Skinner and Jack Campbell. Skinner had a 3.66 GAA and .865 SV% through 13 appearances, while things went so badly for Campbell that the veteran netminder was sent down to the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL), with Pickard taking Campbell’s place in Edmonton.
Oilers Look to Get on Track
The Oilers made a remarkable turnaround last season. After American Thanksgiving, they went 44-15-5, climbing from second last in the overall NHL standings to second place in the Pacific Division. Edmonton then went on a magical playoff run, getting all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
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Everything that had been an issue in the early going for the Oilers last year was fixed, and ultimately became a strength: The Oilers learned to control the game, going 27-3-2 when scoring first after American Thanksgiving. Their penalty-kill evolved spectacularly, and was nearly impenetrable during the postseason, going 66/70 for an astounding 94.3%. Skinner found his form, posting a 2.35 GAA and .916 SV% over his final 46 appearances of the regular season, and Pickard proved to be a terrific No. 2 netminder.
Much is the same in how these last two seasons have started for Edmonton’s NHL team. Fans now actually hope this trend will continue, with the Oilers turning things around again, although doing so much earlier this time.
That could start tonight (Oct. 24), when Edmonton hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins at Rogers Place. The Oilers then leave for a road trip that will see them play four games in eight days.
