Edmonton Oilers: Three Areas That Need Improvement

The Edmonton Oilers currently sit at the top of the Pacific Division with an 8-1-0 record. Even with a hot start to the 2021-22 NHL season, there are key areas that need improvement, or they won’t be at the top for long.

Every Oilers fan knew coming into the year that the powerplay was going to be a big contributor to winning games, and it hasn’t disappointed.

The penalty kill has also thrived, currently sitting at 88.9% for 5th place in the NHL. Good teams have good special teams and the Oilers have that.

Aside from special teams, Edmonton has also had great goaltending from Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen, along with some depth scoring from the third line, but they need more.

There are 3 key areas the Oilers have to improve on if they want to stay at the top of the NHL Standings.

Even strength play is what makes great teams stand out. The Edmonton Oilers are barely an average team in that category.

The Oilers’ even-strength play has been a little worrisome, to say the least. At 5 on 5 the team has scored 20 goals (39 total goals for), while they’ve given up 17 for a goal differential of only +3 at 5 on 5 play.

To put this in perspective, top teams like Florida (+11)  and Carolina (+14) have very high 5 on 5 goal differentials. The great teams score at 5 on 5, and Edmonton has to figure out how to more often.

That +3 goal differential is about middle of the pack for the league, while the 20 goals at even strength is actually near the top at 4th. The Oilers’ special teams is top tier and can single-handedly win games, but to beat teams in the playoffs you need good even-strength play.

Oilers’ fans saw this first-hand last year when the Oilers were swept by the Winnipeg Jets. Penalties weren’t called as often and the team struggled to score goals.

The Edmonton Oilers have talent to create offence effortlessly, it’s passing or shooting at the right times that have hurt them.

The Oilers have been outshot in most of the games early this season. It’s not for the lack of shooting opportunities for though.

I’ve seen multiple chances where the Oilers are on an odd-man rush and instead of shooting, they force a pass. Too many times a good scoring chance is thrown away. Obviously, the shot isn’t going to go in every time but they can’t keep giving up that opportunity.

Edmonton has given up their fair share of shots against, currently out-shot 314 to 292 in all situations, not just 5 on 5.

Shots for and against aren’t necessarily a huge factor in determining the score though. For instance, there’s been a few games the Oilers have been out-shot but I felt they had the more quality chances.

Sometimes quality over quantity is beneficial.

The Edmonton Oilers have struggled in the defensive zone to start the season and it shows.

Many times the Oilers get trapped in the defensive zone and it looks like they have no idea what they’re doing.

Zone exits are key and the team has struggled, from missing breakout passes to simply failing to clear it off the glass and out. Giveaways at the blue line are major problems at any level of hockey, and the Oilers are bad in that area.

Too many times, opposing teams have had sustained pressure for too long of time. If it continues all season long it’s more than likely going to hurt them.

There is plenty of new faces on the team this year, so hopefully, it’s a getting used to each other type of situation going on right now. For too many years this team has been awful in the defensive zone and even though it’s better than years past, it still needs to be better.

What do the Edmonton Oilers need to do moving forward?

The Oilers have matched their franchise record from 1985-86, going 8-1-0 to start the season. We know this is a good team but maybe they’ve been a little lucky as well.

There’s still a lot of season left and these key areas need to be cleaned up. Improving their sloppy defensive play will help show better results in all areas I’ve listed.

The Edmonton Oilers are a very gifted team and the offense is going to come naturally. A little extra focus in the defensive zone and this team can be even more dangerous and hopefully make a deep playoff run this year.