The Edmonton Oilers had a tumultuous beginning to the 2025-26 NHL season, struggling on many different fronts. The goaltenders, defence, and even the depth up front started the season in underwhelming fashion.
That is, until recently, roughly corresponding with the return of a key forward, Zach Hyman. He began the season on long term injured reserve after undergoing wrist surgery following an injury he sustained against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals last Cup run.
Although it would be crazy to state that Hyman himself lead the charge and completely flipped the Oilers season around, he has been a great injection into the lineup. Due to his 'puck hound' style of play, Hyman brings a type of sandpaper and an infectious motor every shift, an element that the Oilers lacked.
He has also been productive since his return, scoring nine points (five goals, four assists) through 12 games. His most notable being on Thursday night against the Detroit Red Wings, potting a hattrick as the Oilers capped off their homestand with a 4-1 victory.
Oilers depth struggles, lacked veteran presence
The team entered the new season with multiple rookies in their lineup; Noah Philp, David Tomasek, Isaac Howard, and Matt Savoie were all entering their first full NHL season, representing a big change for the Oilers who had just come off their second straight Stanley Cup finals loss. It was bound to create challenges but it was surprising how big the challenges were.
The losses of veterans like Viktor Arvidsson, Corey Perry, Connor Brown, and even Evander Kane saw the club not only lose some real depth scoring but also some of their toughness. Looking at the Oilers stats last year, it is clear that they received meaningful contributions from a number of forwards they had to let go and even Hyman himself.
Adding him into the fold has clearly had a positive impact but intangibles aside, a lot of the Oilers success is their shooting luck improving or evening out. As a team, they were driving positive scoring chances and shot attempts and are now actually scoring goals at a similar rate to what they are generating.
Since Hyman's return on November 15th, the Oilers rank sixth in goals for per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 and 11th in corsi for per 60 as well as sixth in expected goals for per 60. Unsurprisingly, this reflects in other statistics as the team is ninth in shooting percentage (10.33) and 24th in save percentage (89.1) reflecting upticks in both of those numbers for a combined PDO of 99.43.
Oilers goaltending has improved
One of the facets of the Oilers game this season that has received plenty of attention is their goaltending. Fans have been calling for the heads of their tandem while insiders and pundits speculate on rumours surrounding their goalies and the wider trade market.
However in recent games, they have been getting timely saves which helps and is no surprise that Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard stopped playing at a below NHL level. Especially the former, he has been solid in recent outings having posted a save percentage above .900 in four of his last five games including a shutout and three games where he has allowed one goal or less.