Oilers penalty kill has taken a dramatic downturn since All-Star break
The Edmonton Oilers have had some trouble killing penalties recently.
The team headed into the NHL All-Star break on an absolute heater, winning 16 straight while killing off 44 of the 47 penalties that they took in that span. That’s a 93% success rate. To put that in perspective, the NHL’s best penalty kill this season belongs to the LA Kings, who have an 86.6% success rate.
It was arguably the team’s biggest strength throughout the streak and helped them limit their opponents to only one or two goals in 14 of those games. This was due to some excellent work from the team’s primary killers, including Vincent Desharnais, Derek Ryan, Mattias Janmark, and Connor Brown.
However, since returning, the team has struggled to maintain their composure on the kill. In the seven games since the break, the Oilers have allowed 10 power-play goals on 22 chances. That’s a 54% success rate, which is less than the New York Islanders’ league-worst mark of 70.7%.
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— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) February 19, 2024
It was obvious that the Oilers were not going to stay at the pace that they were performing at over their win streak, but it’s interesting to see just how quickly they’ve fallen. It’s alarming, but the answer to how good the Oilers’ PK is lies somewhere in the middle.
The PK is not as good as it was during the streak and it certainly isn’t as bad as it has been since.Ā Edmonton’s overall PK success rate for the season is sitting at 79.4%, or 18th in the league, which is a much more accurate indication of where the team sits.
Despite the fall in PK efficiency, the team has been able to stay afloat in those seven games. After a mini-slump out of the break, the team holds a 4-3-0 record during that span and is just three points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for second in the Pacific Division.
While they may be experiencing a bit of a rough patch, it would be wise not to overreact to a short sample size. This team is bound to get back to their average eventually.
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