To say the Edmonton Oilers are struggling defensively would be kind.

They are 31st in goals against/game at 3.72.

They are 31st in goals against/game 5×5 at 2.64.

They have allowed the most slot area scoring chances (71) in the NHL via Clear Sight Analytics.

They rank at the bottom of most scoring chances, after being a top-10 team overall last year. Defensively, they’ve been horrendous.

Here is a look at where they rank in expected goals against in defensive areas this year compared to last season.

Breakaways

23rd

10th

Broken Plays

28th

11th

Deflections

29th

3rd

One-timers

32nd

8th

Rebounds

15th

6th

Screens

28th

6th

Slot Line

19th

6th

Clear sight shot (easiest)

19th

16th

The Oilers are bottom 10 in five of the above categories and only in the top half of the league in one.

Those numbers are for the full season, but the bigger concern is that in the month of November, the Oilers’ defensive play has actually gotten worse. In November, Stuart Skinner’s expected save percentage is .865 while Calvin Pickard’s is .852. For those asking, the definition of expected save percentage is “what an NHL average goalie would be expected to post based on the quality of shots.” Skinner’s November save percentage is .863 and Pickard’s is .848. They are essentially playing slightly below an average NHL goalie standard.

On the season Skinner has an .880 expected save percentage and he has an actual of .878. He is slightly below expected. He needs to play better, but the team defense has to improve more at this point.

I can understand those who want a goalie change. It makes sense. Just keep in mind that on the season Jordan Binnington’s expected save percentage in St. Louis is .896, and his actual is .881. Binnington did play well in four games at 4-Nations, but is four games enough of a sample size to be sure he can do it again? His regular season stats have fallen........

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