Recent reports suggest the Oilers are better off without Jay Woodcroft

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Skyler Walker
November 29, 2023 (1:57 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers are on a three-game winning streak, and their penalty kill is playing a significant role in this success.

In the early part of the season, things weren't clicking for the team. Goaltending and defense were below par, and under former coach Jay Woodcroft, the penalty kill struggled with a low 70% success rate. If the Oilers took a penalty during that time, there was a 30% chance the opponent would score, a recipe for NHL failure. However, since making the switch from Woodcroft to Kris Knoblauch on November 13, there has been a noticeable turnaround.

The Oilers' penalty kill success rate has surged from 70% to an impressive 91%, successfully thwarting 31 of the 34 penalties taken under Knoblauch.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid praised the renewed penalty kill after Tuesday night's victory against the Vegas Golden Knights, stating, "The PK has been great�really, really, really solid keeping us in games, and I think it's a credit to those guys who are doing it."

The players contributing to this improved penalty kill encompass both star and depth players. According to analytics site Natural Stat Trick (NST), defenseman Darnell Nurse has logged the most ice time on the kill since Knoblauch took over, with 29:43. During this time, Nurse has been on the ice for just two goals against and one goal for.

Among the forwards, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leads with 19:43 spent killing penalties, experiencing one goal-for and two against. Ryan McLeod, an underrated penalty killer, has spent 18:07 killing penalties under Knoblauch and boasts a high-danger chances-for percentage (HDCF%) of 66.67, indicating he is generating more chances for the Oilers while killing penalties than he is allowing.

Knoblauch emphasized the importance of a strong penalty kill, stating, "I find the best teams typically have good penalty kills. Right now, the last three games, I thought we have done a pretty good job of that, and we have to continue doing that."

Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm also plays a crucial role in the penalty kill's success, ranking third on the team in ice time with 23:34 and maintaining a positive HDCF% of 62.50. From Ekholm's perspective, it's about the team improving at managing the little things.