What Happened to the Oilers’ Special Teams?

A tough stretch since the beginning of December has seen the Edmonton Oilers go 3-9-2, and the wheels seem to be coming off, fast. What’s the biggest problem? The downfall of the club’s special teams.

The powerplay was obviously the major factor to the Oilers’ early success, while the penalty kill was tops in the NHL as well.

Teams can’t rely on special teams, but great special teams can win games. Oilers’ fans seen that first hand through the first two months of the season. Good teams are also able to weather the storm at 5 on 5, this team can’t, which makes the PP and PK that much more crucial.

What’s really happening to the special teams though? Is it a lack of opportunities compared to their opponents? Have teams figured out a strategy to stop it? Do teams know to just not take penalties against the Oilers’ potent powerplay?

By the Numbers.

Two months into the season the Oilers had the #1 powerplay in the league at 39.6%, which was more than 10% more than the second-place St. Louis Blues. At the same time, the penalty kill was second in the league at 88.9%.

Since December 1st, the PP is scoring at a 17.7% rate (22nd in the NHL), while the PK is at 71.8% (25th in the NHL).

In total, the powerplay has dropped to 30.2% and is now tied for first with the St. Louis Blues, with the Toronto Maple Leafs close behind at 30.1%. The Oilers penalty kill has dropped off a cliff, from second place all the way to 15th (80.6%).

The lack of recent powerplay opportunities is obvious, or are teams figuring out how to not take penalties?

The most recent 5 game road trip seen Dave Tippet’s club get a total of five man advantage opportunities. Compared to their opponents who had a total of 15 over that same span. This stretch has seen the PP score zero goals, while the PK has given up five.

The league has been called out this season for “game management”, and maybe the Oilers lethal powerplay has kept the refs from giving them that advantage too often. Especially with the amount of non calls on a nightly basis against Connor McDavid.

The problem hasn’t really been the play of either special teams, but the amount of chances for and against. They’ve shot themselves in the foot too often, while not drawing enough penalties to take advantage.

How can the Oilers fix their special team’s problems?

This team needs to play angrier, especially for a team with just three wins in their last 15 games. Whether it’s the coaches, the leadership or a veteran presence, someone has to get mad and bring some passion back to this team.

The more passion Edmonton plays with the better they’ll play at 5 on 5. More even strength puck possession will force their opponents to take penalties, while it keeps themselves most likely out of penalty trouble.

It all comes down to work ethic. The grittiness, urgency, or desperation that they need on a nightly basis, just hasn’t been there.

Stats provided by Hockey Reference