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Published Nov 01, 2023 • Last updated 9 minutes ago • 3 minute read
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 19: Ryan McLeod #71 of the Edmonton Oilers skates with the puck during the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on October 19, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Tim Nwachukwu /Getty Images
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The bottom line forwards on the Edmonton Oilers have yet to score a goal.
But it’s not just them failing to come through at the offensive end for the team, which has just two wins in eight games.
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It’s all the forwards on the Oilers not named Leon Draisaitl, Warren Foegele or Zach Hyman. Every other forward is having a difficult time both in scoring goals and in launching Grade A shots on net, at least compared to last season.
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The lack of production of the third and fourth lines was addressed by Oilers coach Jay Woocroft on Tuesday when he said: “Bottom line for us, we want to be a team that comes at the opposition in waves. We want to maintain a level of momentum in terms of stacking a good shift on top of a good shift, on top of another. Part of that requires some production from unusual sources or not the typical sources… Those players in our bottom six — or really bottom five right now — have to find a way to ensure they are affecting games in different manners. It’s finishing checks, it’s winning face-offs, it’s contributing on face-offs. But finding a way to contribute on the scoreboard… that’s concerning.”
Between them Mattias Janmark, Derek Ryan, Connor Brown, Adam Erne, Dylan Holloway and Ryan McLeod have yet to score a goal in eight games.
They’ve launched 20 Grade A shots on net, so part of their lack of scoring is bad luck. On average Grade A shots go in 25 per cent of the time so you might expect them to have about five goals by now.
But it’s not just them struggling to score. Draisaitl and Foegele are the only two Oilers forwards who are getting off more Grade A shots per game on net than they did last year.
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Last year, Draisaitl got 2.0 Grade A shots per game. This year he’s at 2.8 per game.
Foegele has shot up like a rocket, going from 0.9 per game last year to 1.8 per game this year, all that while playing hardly any power play time.
Hyman has held close to steady, with 2.2 last year, 1.8 this year.
But Connor McDavid. He’s dropped from 3.1 Grade A shots per game last year to just 1.5 per game this year.
Ryan Nugent Hopkins? 1.4 last year, 0.9 this year.
Evander Kane: 1.6 last year, 0.9 this year.
McDavid had 64 goals in 82 games last year. This year he’s at two in six games.
The big boys have not been able to get it done, in large part because that McDavid looks like he’s been playing hurt for some time, culminating in him missing two games.
The good news?
This season is still young. Just eight games. Small sample size. Things can easily turn around. McDavid can get healthy again and again go supernova.
But it’s not just the bottom line forwards struggling and dragging the team down just now. It’s all the forwards who aren’t up to their previous standard, which means all save for Draisaitl, Foegele and Hyman.
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