Through the first three games of their first-round matchup against the Anaheim Ducks, the Edmonton Oilers have scored 12 goals, averaging exactly four goals per game.

If you consider the fact that Connor McDavid has been far from his best, producing only two points thus far, this is a rather encouraging fact for the Oilers. Leon Draisaitl and their depth players have managed to play well, and it’s difficult to imagine that McDavid continues his production struggles, so scoring 12 goals without his usual impact is impressive.

However, the Oilers are down 2-1 in this series, because although they have scored 12 goals, they have allowed 16 against, highlighted by a particularly poor 7-4 loss in their most recent outing in Game 3.

What’s gone wrong with Edmonton’s overall team defensive play? Is this due to the defence, goaltending, or is it a combination of both? And, how specifically can they address their concerns? Let’s take a closer look as we head into Game 4.

Let’s begin by taking a look at Edmonton’s exact goal and shot suppression numbers at five-on-five specifically and on the penalty kill specifically and where they rank among current playoff teams:

Firstly, at five-on-five, the Oilers’ skater group has been considerably below-average at preventing scoring chances, ranking 12th out of the 16 playoffs teams in expected goals against per hour. 

Looking at Edmonton’s defensive core, their worst defenders have unfortunately been their top-pairing. In the regular-season, the Evan Bouchard and........

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