Is it time to panic yet? Certainly, losing four games in a row as we approach the three-quarter mark of the 2024-25 regular season is not exactly going to inspire much confidence among Edmonton Oilers fans.
Following Tuesday night's 4-1 loss on the road to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Oilers are now 0-3 since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break. As a result, they have fallen from second place in the Western Conference and challening the Winnipeg Jets for the best record, to fifth spot and out of a home-ice advantage position in the first round of the playoffs.
Is this just an almost expected blip for a team which has struggled for consistency these past two seasons, or something more serious? Here are seven numbers Oilers fans probably don't want to think about, if they are of a nervous disposition about the team at this time.
7 numbers to concern Oilers fans
4 - Consider that even though the Oilers started off the 2024-25 campaign slowly, this is actually the first time they have lost four games in a row this season. The last time this happened was back in November of last season.
22 - This is the combined amount of goals the Oilers have allowed in those same past four games, their most in a four-game run this season. They were never this porous at any point early last season, even when they began the 2023-24 campaign with a franchise-worst 2-9-1 record through the first 12 games.
.897 - This is the team save percentage for the Oilers through 59 games, which is tied for ninth-worst in the NHL following Tuesday's slate of NHL action. While not much better, the Oilers' .904 team save percentage last season was at least tied for 13th-best in the league.
From best to one of the worst
73.9 - The Oilers have struggled on the penalty kill all season and at the time of writing, their 73.9 percent efficiency is ranked sixth-worst in the entire NHL. This is in stark contrast to the playoffs last season, when they led the way with a 94.3 percent efficiency and made it all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.
107 - Let's be clear in stating that 73 points in 52 games by Connor McDavid is still excellent, but with so much expected of him, this sounds almost 'average', in a manner of speaking. Along these lines, he is projected to finish the 2024-25 campaign with 107 points, which would be his fewest in a full 82-game season since he produced 100 back in 2016-17, his second year in the NHL.
40 - This is how many points Jeff Skinner (21) and Viktor Arvidsson (19) have contributed this season in a combined 94 games at the time of writing. This is less than what was expected from two of the Oilers' main offseason signings, particularly Skinner, who came into the 2024-25 campaign averaging 48 points per season during his NHL career.
784 - This represents how many hits the Oilers have as a team so far this season, ranking dead last in the NHL and working out to an average of just 13.5 per contest. The only other team with fewer than 1,000 hits as a a team is the Dallas Stars with 875, but the point is that never has the team more needed Evander Kane back in the lineup.
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