I wanted to write this at the end of the year, for obvious reasons, but we'll take that drive today if it suits ye. This is a cap system, right? Parity? Right? No, in fact. This team isn't last because of some goal posts and bad calls. They're in last place (by nine points, entering tonight's action with both Edmonton and Toronto playing) like a couple of white people in Mexico: All-inclusively.
Team stats!
-Last in the NHL in goals against
-Second last in goals for
-Last in the NHL in five on five goals for/against ratio (0.75, meaning for every 1.0 goals scored on them they respond with 0.75 goals. That is not enough goals folks)
-They have the most regulation losses in the NHL with 41. Toronto is next with 34.
-They have a .536 winning percentage when scoring first, that's third worst.
-They have a .146 winning percentage when scored upon first. Yes, that's last.
-Their winning percentage when outshooting their opponent is .227. Last
-Their winning percentage when being outshot is, um, .333. Second last. Things are looking up!
-Oh, and their faceoff percentage is 46.8. That is... drum roll... last.
Individual stats!
-They do not have a player in the top 40 in NHL scoring. Their leading scorer, Dustin Penner, is 49th with 53 points. Next is Sam Gagner, 116th, with 39 points.
-They have one 20 goal scorer.
-Of the 10 worst plus/minus players in the NHL, four play for the Oilers: Sheldon Souray (9th worst), Robert Nilssen (6th), Shawn Horcoff (2nd), Patrick O'Sullivan (1st). 4th worst is Steve Staios, who Calgary recently acquired for defensive depth.
-The Oilers top 3 centers, Gagner, Putolny, and Horcoff are 69th, 74th and 75th in faceoff win percentage.
Factoids!
-Of the 69 games they've played, they've lost 41 games. Of those 41 games, 22 were by 2 or more goals and 14 by 3 or more.
-They've played 7 games where they've allowed over 40 shots on goal. Actually, that doesn't sound very bad.
-They have the worst goal differential in the league. By TWENTY goals.
Yeah. A rough year.
-They have the worst goal differential in the league. By TWENTY goals.
Yeah. A rough year.
*They did not, for those keeping score at home. Why are you doing that anyways? It's being done FOR you by big computers!
2 comments:
You're lucky that I stumbled onto this blog out of boredom. You should really get a mass-email out to Mike and I to let your entire readership know of the site being back up.
But back to the Failure that is the Oilers. Now that we have the cold hard stats facts, let's devise some solutions. How does one fix this team? Last time I chequed, before the Staios deal, the Oil were third in total cap hit? Ouch. Of course Pisani's ridiculous contract is coming off the books, and they would do well to waive Moreau. And with the new kids coming into the system (Eberle, Hall/Seguin, and Pjaarvi-Svennsen) potentially carrying this team to 13th in the West next year, will there be a rift between the youth, and the overpaid veterans? How do you sit next to Horcoff in the dressing room knowing he makes your salary per point? (approx $220,000 as of today) As a Rangers fan I know all too well where this road leads. About 8 straight years out of the playoffs that's where.
Do you fire the coaching staff? We can all agree that the coaching pedigree's are there, but some of this has to be on them. Is Tambellini handcuffed? I love how Kevin Lowe treats Brian Burke, but the rest of what he's done hasn't inspired me. Should Lowe walk the plank and let Tambellini do his job? Can Tambellini even move any of the high-priced bums on this team? (visions of Horcoff in the Rangers jersey are haunting me)
The way I see it, you have to let Neilsen, Pisani, and Moreau go off the hop. After that, see what kind of shape Khabi will be in and then get rid of him somehow. Can't move Horcoff (although I'm scared Sather will want him for some reason). That's a start.
Let's debate.
Oh Matt. It just so happens I have an epic post coming on this very topic. No solutions though, that's not what being a fan is all about, just a story. A story of a mediocre team that became great again, only to lapse into whatever this terrible state of being is called.
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