Oilers destined to miss playoffs according to popular analytics site
Suffice it to say, little has gone right for the Edmonton Oilers this season.
They’ve lost star sniper Evander Kane to a gruesome freak accident that will leave him on the shelf for the better part of four months. Their prized offseason acquisition, goaltender Jack Campbell, has slumped after signing a five-year, $25 million contract and has seen his starter’s role usurped by rookie backup Stuart Skinner.
Darnell Nurse’s first season of an eight-year, $9.25 million pact hasn’t been so smooth, either, and neither Jesse Puljujarvi nor Kailer Yamamoto has stepped up on one-year “show me” deals.
And it’s put Edmonton in the precarious position of missing the playoffs, according to popular analytics site MoneyPuck.
MoneyPuck
MoneyPuck gives the Oilers, who were swept out of the Western Conference Final by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche last June, just a 19.9% chance of returning to the playoffs this spring, and an even more minuscule 6.8% chance of winning a round after claiming series victories against the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames just a half-dozen months ago.
Edmonton has just a 2.3% shot at returning to the West final, and a 0.3% chance at hoisting the Cup for the sixth time in franchise history.
Only six teams, the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals have worse odds.
History isn’t necessarily on the Oilers’ side either.
Edmonton, who had a 63.7% shot at the playoffs on November 6, awoke on American Thanksgiving on the outside looking in of the playoff chase, accumulating 20 points in the season’s first 20 games by way of a mirrored 10-10-0 record. It has them tied with the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, though the Blues have played one fewer game.
Worse, they also sit locked with the Minnesota Wild, who have also had one fewer skate.
Last season, just four of the eventual 16 playoff teams were out of a spot at Thanksgiving, and all 16 were within a fraction of a point of being in the field.
The Oilers — who sit fifth in the Pacific Division behind the Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Kraken, Kings, and Flames — have the latter going for them.
But it’s not much, if MoneyPuck is to be believed.
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