Strange but true: Struggling Oilers power play searching for answers

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It’s a small sample size, but it’s an ugly one.

The goals per game (2.0) are tied for dead last in the NHL and the power play (6.7 per cent) sits 30th. The goals against per game (4.00) sits 27th and the penalty kill (55.0 per cent) is also dead last.

Oh, and the goalies rank 56th and 58th in the league in save percentage (.852 and .851).

So there is nothing much going right for the Edmonton Oilers statistically right now. At least not in the stats that matter on the scoreboard and in the standings. They can boast about “high danger” this and “expected” that, but the goals aren’t going in when they need them to and they’re not staying out when they need them to.

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“Definitely not what we were expecting, not what we wanted,” said Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard, who is sitting on one point through the first six games of the season.

“There is a lot of room for us to grow. It’s good to know we went through it last year, same thing, and see where we ended up, but it’s not at all to our standards and we’ll be better.”

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The power play is supposed to be the elixir that cures all ails and masks all weaknesses with this team. It’s been bailing them out for years, but right now it’s at the heart of their 2-4 start.

So, it begs a question that hasn’t been asked around here in about five years: What’s wrong with the Oilers’ power play?

“I wouldn’t say anything is wrong with it,” said Bouchard. “We just have to bear down when we get our chances. We know what we’re capable of. We know eventually it’s going to click but we have to get to it sooner rather than later.

“It’s one of those things where you have to gain momentum for the rest of the group, so that’s a big thing for us going forward. You want your power play to be a momentum gainer, not a killer.”

Right now it’s a killer.

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It’s also a fine line. How do you make changes to a power play lineup that was literally the best fivesome in NHL history versus how much longer do you let this group spin its wheels without doing something about it?

When asked whether he’s exploring changes to the power play personnel, head coach Kris Knoblauch said he’ll give the benefit of the doubt to PP coach Glen Gulutzan, who believes it’s only a matter of time before things are back to normal.

“It’s not locked in,” Knoblauch said of power play spots. “But let’s just be cautious about changing things because it’s been mentioned every single year (Gulutzan’s) been here and every year they persevere and show why they are an elite power play.

“We expect more from them and they expect more from themselves. There are things we can address and get better at. But we have to be a little patient and not be thinking about blowing things up because there are stretches where all power plays just don’t go well.”

Opponents also understand that the power play is Edmonton’s bread and butter, so they are placing a heavy emphasis on coming up with new and inventive ways to slow it down. So far, it’s working.

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“Teams are doing their homework on the pre-scout, what to do to shut us down, and we have to adapt a little bit,” said Knoblauch. “But mostly it’s just execution. A lot of shots have been blocked, and passes are not getting through.”

‘It’s about sticking with it’: Nuge

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who’s been a staple on the man advantage crew for years, doesn’t think the power outage, or the overall offensive malaise, will be a problem for long. He sees the chances picking up and believes that once they get things rolling, they’ll be hard to stop.

In the meantime, he also knows the power play has been a drag on the first two weeks of the season.

“You want to break through and help the team produce, we take a lot of pride in that,” he said. “It’s just about sticking with it, shooting the puck a little more, winning battles.

“At different times throughout the season, we’ve gone through stretches like this. Even at the start of last season, our power play wasn’t where we wanted it to be. It’s about sticking with it and trusting it and upping the work rate.

“We’ve done some really good things on the power play the last couple of games and it hasn’t gone in.”

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So they’ll give it some time and see if things work themselves out like they always do. But it’s not an unlimited runway. At some point this plane has to take off.

“The chances we’ve been generating have just been average in the NHL, that’s what the analytics say, which for this group isn’t what it usually is,” said Knoblauch.

“But, again, it’s only six games in. If it goes a little bit longer then we have some concerns but right now I think we’ll work it out.”

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