Goaltending isn’t the Edmonton Oilers’ biggest problem – Hockey Writer – Edmonton Oilers

Goaltending is always a major talking point among Edmonton Oilers fans, and for good reason. Goaltender Stuart Skinner has started 10 games this season and has a goals against average (GAA) of 2.54 and a save percentage (SV%) of 0.899. Meanwhile, backup Calvin Pickard has struggled mightily, posting a 3.42 GAA and .850 SV% after five starts. While Picard wasn’t great, Skinner was better than most gave him credit for.

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As expected, the Oilers’ top defenseman had a mediocre goaltending performance. At least his cap hit is only $2.6 million. He’s not an elite goalie, but he doesn’t get paid like one, either. Goaltenders like Jeremy Swayman, Ilya Sorokin, and Jus Saros all have similar or worse numbers to Skinner, but they’re all paid like elite goaltenders. Swayman’s SV% is 0.897, Sorokin’s SV% is 0.879, and Saros’ SV% is 0.900. While those goaltenders mentioned may have better numbers on this Oilers team, making a trade of this magnitude mid-season is unlikely, especially given the salary cap situation. Therefore, a major upgrade may not be justified.

There’s no doubt that the goaltender needs to get better, but so does the rest of the team. Skinner wasn’t the only reason the Oilers lost. That being said, Edmonton has bigger issues to address.

Oilers not generating enough offense

The Oilers didn’t generate enough offense at five-on-five with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the team, and that’s unacceptable. According to Natural Stat Trick, they rank 29th in the league in expected goals per 60 minutes, 27th in the league in goal opportunities per 60 minutes, 31st in the league in high-danger chances per 60 minutes, and 24th in the league in shots on goal per 60 minutes. To put that into perspective, last season they finished second, third, second and sixth respectively in these categories. Their fall from the top of the league to the bottom in the offensive category is staggering.

The Oilers have 2.31 expected goals per 60 minutes and 8.82 high-danger chances per 60 minutes at five-on-five. Their number of high-danger chances was 113, ranking 21st in the league. Overall, they rank 17th in the league with 3.07 goals per game, but it’s their high-ranking power play that ranks them so high. They have to find a way to create more offense at even strength because they can’t always rely on special teams.

Eye tests support these numbers, as they don’t appear to be particularly dangerous. They rely heavily on perimeter play and don’t generate traffic in front of the net. This is the area that needs the most improvement. The Oilers usually have a solution to their problems, but that wasn’t the case. Yes, the goaltending can be better, but ultimately, a comparable offense has to improve.

Oiler turnover costs are too high

In short, bad turnovers have proven costly. Those mistakes are magnified when they don’t make a big save and the puck ends up in your net. Contrary to popular belief, Skinner has actually made some big saves in recent games, including stopping a shocking turnover on Nov. 1 against the Chicago Blackhawks to preserve a one-goal lead.

Edmonton led the Dallas Stars by two goals in their last game but couldn’t run the ball, which has been a theme all season. Brutal mistakes keep happening, leading to high-danger chances. Dallas led 11-3 in high-danger five-on-five meetings, including 4-1 in the third quarter. The Stars also had five high-danger moments in the first quarter, but Skinner held them scoreless and no one mentioned it. As a result, the Oilers took a multi-goal lead. If it wasn’t for the goalie, Edmonton would have easily lost that game.

The Oilers don’t allow many shots — 24.9 per game, the third-fewest — but the chances they do allow are generally of high quality and don’t turn the ball over. They need to eliminate these costly mistakes because they don’t have elite goaltending to consistently bail them out. Skinner is largely fine, but the Oilers have bigger issues to address. Once they eliminate these big mistakes, the goaltending numbers will improve.

The Oilers return to action on Saturday (Nov. 8) to take on the Colorado Avalanche. Continue to follow hockey writer All NHL content throughout the season.