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This hasn’t been the start the Edmonton Oilers wanted

3 0
28.10.2025
From day one of Captain Skates in early September, the Oilers talked about their goal of getting off to a good start.

It hasn’t happened.

The team went 4-4-2 and sits tied for 10th in the Western Conference.

It’s not an awful start, but it isn’t close to a good start either.

Edmonton had one dominant performance, their second game of the season against Vancouver, but the rest of their games lacked high-level execution and rarely did they carry the play.

The Oilers haven’t found their stride despite being the fastest team in the NHL, in terms of 22 miles per hour (mph) bursts.

Edmonton ranks first in 22 mph bursts, they are third in 20-22 mph bursts and second in 18-20 mph bursts. Speed isn’t an issue, but that speed hasn’t translated into wins or goals. Edmonton ranks 21st in GF/GP at 2.90, and they are 28th in 5-on-5 goals/GP at 1.6. Only the Rangers, Panthers, Flames and Wild have scored fewer goals 5-on-5. Connor McDavid has zero 5-on-5 goals and only one goal through 10 games. Of course, he will score more than eight goals this season, but his lack of goals and shots is a main reason Edmonton’s offence is sluggish.

What’s odd about McDavid’s lack of scoring is that he’s skated much better this year than he did last season. McDavid already has the NHL’s top speed this year at 24.61 mph. Only two skaters, Logan Cooley (23.97) and Cale Makar (23.68), are within one mph of McDavid. He’s been flying this year, but it hasn’t led to goals.

He has 18 bursts of 22 mph, and the next closest skater is at 10. He has the most 20-22 mph skates with 58, and he’s second in 18-20 mph bursts with 123, trailing only Martin Necas (127).

Here’s a comparison of those bursts (per game) from last year to this season.

YEAR 22 20-22 18-20
2024/25 1.23 5.35 11.11
2025/26 1.80 5.80........

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