Edmonton Oilers fall behind Calgary Flames in important stat
The Edmonton Oilers just got leapfrogged by their provincial rival, the Calgary Flames, in a critical stat.
Things have been going terribly for the Oilers on this extended road trip. They were able to pick up a couple of OT wins over the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes, but have dropped three of the last four games in disappointing fashion. The biggest concern, however, is that this Edmonton squad can’t seem to win a game in regulation.
The last four victories have all come in OT, with the previous regulation win coming over three weeks ago on Oct. 28 against the Utah Mammoths. On the season, they rank last in the NHL in regulation wins with just four through 22 games.
It’s a mark that even the Flames have surpassed, picking up their fifth regulation win with a 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.
NHL.com
The Oilers are tied for last place in regulation wins with the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, and Flyers. Meanwhile, the teams at the top of the Pacific Division (Vegas Golden Knights, LA Kings, Anaheim Ducks) all have at least six.
Edmonton still sits seven points ahead of the Flames in the standings, but this is an alarming trend and one that doesn’t bode well for the team’s fate this season. They are quickly falling out of contention in the Western Conference and need to start playing better as soon as possible.
It won’t be an easy fix either, as the forwards have been slumping, the defence is leaky, and you don’t even want to know how the goaltending has been.
Through 22 games in each of the last two seasons, which also included bad starts, Edmonton had recorded seven regulation wins. This year, they’ve somehow managed to be even worse.