The Most Confusing Team in the NHL

The Most Confusing Team in the NHL

The Edmonton Oilers might be the most thrilling team in hockey right now. Every night feels like a roller coaster. Highscoring, chaotic, and completely unpredictable. One shift, they look like the best team on earth. The next, you’re wondering how this group hasn’t figured it out yet. But here’s the thing. They’re winning. They’re in the mix, and they can win a Stanley Cup this season. But the way they get there, it’s never clean. Their stars, Conor McDavid and Leon Dryidle, don’t just lead the way, they carry it behind them. Defensive breakdowns and shaky goalending create a constant sense of instability. And when mistakes happen, they’re not small. They’re momentum killing, gamealtering moments. The Oilers don’t lose quietly. They blow leads. They give up highlight reel goals. And yet, they’re still standing. So, what do we make of this team? Are they a flawed powerhouse, or are they just a few adjustments away from domination? Whatever it is, one thing’s for sure, watching them is never boring. Despite the roller coaster nature of their season, the Oilers are still one of the most dangerous teams in the entire league. And it all starts at the top. Conor McDavid and Leon Dryidle aren’t just elite players. They’re historically dominant playoff performers. Once again, McDavid finds himself near the top of the league in postseason scoring, delivering in clutch moments, driving the play every shift, and doing everything possible to keep this team alive. Risidle is right there with him, playing his usual brand of powerful, calculated hockey, and showing up when the stakes are at its highest. scores series. Both rank top five all time in playoff points per game, which puts them in the same conversation as names like Gretzky and Lemieux. McDavid, as of today, May 12th, has 133 points in 83 playoff games. His running mate 123 in the same amount. They’re the kind of duo teams build entire game plans around. And yet, no matter the matchup, no matter the situation, they find ways to break through. We’ve seen McDavid create goals out of thin air and Dry Settle score from impossible angles. sometimes both in the same period. They’re not just carrying Edmonton’s offense, they are the offense. But even they can’t do it alone. The difference between a second round exit and a Stanley Cup winning team is often decided by who steps up around the stars. And the Oilers supporting cast, while streaky at times, is showing signs of life. Zack Heyman brings relentless energy and finishing ability. And despite a quieter regular season compared to last year, he’s pushing back toward a point- perame pace in the playoffs. Ryan Njen Hopkins remains one of the most dependable two-way players on the roster, often flying under the radar, but making key plays in transition and special teams. Aander Kane can still be a game-breaker when he’s healthy and locked in, and their rare blend of physicality and scoring touch in the playoffs is crucial. On the blue line, Evan Bousard has emerged as one of the most offensively productive playoff defenseman in NHL history, reaching 50 career assists in just 60 games, only one game more than it took Bobby or his vision and confidence running the power play gives Edmonton a lethal look with the man advantage. Especially when the three-headed monster of McDavid, Drytle, and Bousard are clicking. But even with McDavid and Dry Settle lighting up the scoreboard, the Oilers aren’t a lock to win at all. This isn’t the NBA or the NFL where one superstar can completely change a game. In the NBA, a LeBron or a Giannis can dominate possessions and carry a team to a championship. In the NFL, a top tier quarterback or a top tier receiver can win you a Super Bowl all on their own. But the NHL, it’s not built like that. It’s a whole different game. In hockey, it’s not just about having elite players. Systems, depth, and goalending are just as important and sometimes even more. The Oilers high-scoring offense can carry them, sure, but one defensive mistake or a weak goal against at the wrong time can completely swing momentum. A team like this can’t afford lapses when the stakes are at its highest. This league doesn’t let stars win on talent alone. As good as McDavid and Dry Settle are, they need the whole team firing on all cylinders to have a shot at the Ceiling Cup. And that’s hard to do when the Oilers are a team full of extremes. One game they’ll win 64 or 54 or 7 to four, putting up ridiculous numbers. The next they’ll lose 65 or 6 to2 just like that. It’s almost like they can’t decide whether they want to dominate or implode. When they’re on, they’re on. They’re running the show with that high-powered offense, scoring at will. But when they slip up, it’s a complete breakdown. And the momentum swings very fast. Just look at Riley Smith’s buzzer beater in game three. This should have never ended up in a goal. It’s almost like they just stopped playing defense where this goal by Biffield and this one by Kempe in round one. Both guys were just allowed to walk right in and pick their spot. The Oilers defense just falls apart in moments like those and they can’t recover in time. And that’s actually reflected in their stats. They have the best expected goal differential in the entire playoffs at plus 7, but their actual goal differential is just plus4, meaning they’re giving up more goals than they should be. They’ve given up the third most goals this playoffs, but they’re still scoring like crazy. So, they’re just outscoring their own mistakes. And that’s the crazy part when they’re rolling, they’re unstoppable, but when things go wrong, it’s a complete mess. It’s this inconsistency that makes them so unpredictable. You never know which version of the Oilers you’re going to get. And this is where things get frustrating. As good as the Oilers look when their stars are flying, their biggest weaknesses show up at the worst possible moments. Let’s start with their goalending. Steuart Skinner’s playoff numbers aren’t just bad, they’re borderline unplayable. He was awful in game one against the Kings and then he was pulled in game two and backup Calvin Pickard came in and sparked a six-game win streak. But as soon as Skin returned in game three against Vegas after a Pickered injury, the floodgates opened. He looked completely unsure of himself in net, flailing around, overcommitting, and playing with just zero confidence. Just look at that Riley Smith gamewinning goal again. And that stayed out at the horn. Smith is screaming. He thought he put it underneath the bar. On the overhead angle, Skinner isn’t even in the frame. There is no reason for a goalie to be chasing the puck all the way out to the bottom of the faceoff circle, especially with the amount of time that was on the clock. Plays like that don’t just show a lack of poise, they raise real questions about his confidence and his situational awareness. His goal saved above per 60 sits at a shocking -2.3. That means per game he’s allowing two more goals than he should be. For comparison, the second worst in the playoffs, Connor Hobbuk is at a0.99. That’s not just a gap, it’s a canyon between him and the other starting goalies this postseason. But if I’m being honest, it’s not all on Steuart Skinner. Defensively, Evan Buchard and Darnell Nurse are pretty bad. Bousard is producing offensively, no doubt, but he’s also third in the league in giveaways this postseason. Nurse, on the other hand, has a brutal negative 5.5 on ice expected goal differential and ranks seventh worst in expected goals against per 60 minutes. The puck pretty much just lives in their net when he’s out there. Oddly enough though, as a pair, they still rank top three in expected goals for per 60 minutes. So, they’re contributing on the other end, but defensively they can unravel in a flash. This is exactly what fans lose sleep over. One mistake, one breakdown, and it’s in the back of their net. And that’s the thing about this team. For all the chaos, all the defensive lapses, and the shaky goalending, the Oilers aren’t far off. In fact, they might be closer than people realize. Just last year, they were one goal away from winning the Stanley Cup. A bounce here, a save there, and we’re having a completely different conversation right now. That’s the part that haunts fans because for all their flaws, they’ve still got the firepower to go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the entire NHL. They’re still in the mix. They still have a shot. But at this level, one mistake can swing an entire series. So, where exactly does that leave them? With everything on the table, the elite talent, the glaring flaws, and the razor thin margins they’re playing with, the Oilers path forward is clear, but not easy. They don’t need to reinvent themselves. They don’t need perfection, but they do need to clean things up. Whether it’s Steuart Skinner locking in or the team turning into someone more reliable, things have to change, and defensively, they need to find a way to limit the breakdowns without killing their offensive rhythm. Because when this team plays a full 60 minutes, even just a mediocre 60 minutes, they’re as dangerous as anyone in this league. The cup window is wide open for the Edmonton Oilers, but it’s not going to stay that way forever.

The Edmonton Oilers are chaos and brilliance rolled into one. McDavid and Draisaitl are unstoppable, but can shaky defense and goaltending hold them back from a Stanley Cup run?

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