2019/20 Edmonton Oilers: Ten Games In

We’re ten games into the Edmonton Oilers’ 2019/20 NHL season and I just wanted to throw you some stats to let you know where they sit early in the campaign. I don’t think that we should read too much into these numbers as they’re bound to change, but I’d like to do this ever ten games or so if time permits to see the team progression.

To get us started, here is how the roster is scoring. I lifted this image from Lowetide’s blog. You can head over there to read what he’s had to say about this campaign to date.

Don’t be too shocked with how unbalanced the scoring is so far. Edmonton isn’t the only team in the league with this challenge at the moment and if that’s still not enough to comfort you, check out how many legitimate NHL superstars have scored two goals or less… I feel like that alone will comfort you until at least the 20th game of the year.

Record: 7-2-1 (4th)

So we can see that there’s been some definite improvement in some categories like the special teams but there are also some stats that need attention like Shots for/GP and Faceoff Win Percentage for example. McDavid has to do something about his faceoffs… He can’t be ending games with numbers sub-35-45% on a regular basis.

The above stats are courtesy of NHL.com.

These unconventional stats don’t mean a whole lot by the end of the year. We find out who might’ve had the biggest balls, who couldn’t handle the puck, and who hit the net the most, but by no means do any of these metrics have a say in who makes the playoffs or not. I just find them interesting. I suppose to some extent, I do use them to get an idea of if a team’s grit factor is high or not and if they’re being careless.

Let’s move on to the fancies though.

If any of these metrics are unfamiliar to you, please consult the Natural Stat Trick Glossary.

The advanced analytics tell a different story, don’t they? The Oilers have been losing the possession game for a majority of this young season but through great goaltending and timely scoring from their stars as well as solid work from their special teams units, they’ve survived.

However, as I said above, it’s early days and there’s no sense in reading too too much into these numbers. There’s no way in hell that the Oilers with the likes of McDavid, Draisaitl, and Neal are going to finish the year 31st in the league in shots for per game played.  Let’s allow the dust settle a bit and by game twenty the picture will start to become a bit clearer.

How do these numbers speak to you? Are you happy with what you see? Where do you think the team might progress or regress? Let us know in the comments below!