The Oilers are on the wrong side of history with the latest hockey stat

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Ryan Hall
February 10, 2023 (7:16 PM)

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Goaltending has always been explained as the backbone of any great team in the NHL. Such as a quarterback in the NFL or a point guard in the NBA, in the NHL the goaltender is the last line of defense. They need to be stable and sometimes downright incredible for their team due to poor play in front of them.

Some goaltenders are known for their ability to steal games including Marty Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, and Grant Fuhr of the Oilers. It is a stat where the goaltender either stands on his head or has an amazing night with his team's defense.

Courtesy Stan Nieradka, who happens to be Hockey Night in Canada and Sportsnet's top statistician and research guru shows this season has a statistical anomaly that six teams in the NHL currently do not have a shutout which include the Flames, Blue Jackets, Oilers, Canadiens, lightning and the Canucks. the record stands at 7 in the 1981-82 season when the NHL was a 21-team league.

The Oilers thought they solved their goaltender woes when they signed Jack Campbell to his five-year $25 million deal. Campbell struggled at the beginning of the season but has been playing better. Along with Stuart Skinner who has also been playing well, it seems to be giving the Oilers what they need in goal.

With the NHL changing and evolving into a shooting league with high numbers of goals and high-danger chances it seems that the art of the shutout and goaltending will need to adapt and evolve as well.