In times like these, it is hard to remain hopeful. And for good reason. When the Edmonton Oilers start the season 3–9–1 with some of the worst goaltending stats in history, Connor McDavid on pace for a pedestrian 82 points, and a neverending saga of defensive lapses immediately ending up in the back of the net, there is not much room left to hold out some hope.
But there is always something that this resilient fanbase can latch on to, after all we did make it through the Decade of Darkness.
For starters, the Oilers are probably the most unlucky team in the league so far this season. Despite their poor actual performance, Edmonton is near the top of the league in so many advanced metrics. They are routinely outperforming their opponents in terms of expected goals and shots for/against. But on the ice tells a different story as the Oilers have the third worst shooting percentage in the league.
This discrepancy cannot be sustainable over the course of a full season.
One other area to look at to hold on to any glimmer of hope is a check into past Stanley Cup Champions in the post-lockout era to remind ourselves that every team goes through these rough patches.
2022–23 Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights’ season in the lead-up to their first Stanley Cup was not perfect. In fact, there was a stretch in January where they went 2–6–2. During these 10 games, they could not score and had a PDO of .964 according to Hockey Reference. But they returned to form in due time.
2018–19 St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues of the 2018–19 season are a prime example of “never give up.” This was a team tied for last in the league on January 1 with a 15–18–4 record. But most relevant to the Oilers’ situation is an 11-game stretch in November and December where they went 3–8–1 with a 26:40 goals for to against ratio. Quite similar to Edmonton’s record and 29:47 goals for to against ratio. St. Louis turned things around and won the Stanley Cup.
2015–16 Pittsburgh Penguins
In the first season of their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017, the Pittsburgh Penguins went through a definite rough patch beginning in late November. Over an 11-game stretch, the Penguins put up a 2–6–3 record, during which they even made a coaching change.
Although they lost their first four games after the change, the rest of the season went well, obviously, as the Penguins fought their way to and won the Stanley Cup.
2013–14 Los Angeles Kings
The 2013–14 Los Angeles Kings overcame a ton of adversity and challenges during this season. Not only did they complete a reverse sweep of the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the playoffs, but these Kings also found themselves stuck in a 1–8–1 slump beginning in mid-January.
Over these 10 games, they scored just 13 goals while giving up 30 and recorded an incredibly low 0.938 PDO. But the rest of the season around this was solid and the Kings won the Stanley Cup.
2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins
Beginning just before Christmas in 2008, the Penguins first Cup win in the Sidney Crosby era did not come without its trials and tribulations. Over the course of 10 games, they posted a 2–8–0 record.
Extending this slump to the end of November and they had a 7–14–1 record in those 22 games.
By the end of the season, these Penguins finished with a 45–28–9 record and ultimately made the Cup Finals for the second season in a row, winning it this time around.
2007–08 Detroit Red Wings
February was not a good month for the Detroit Red Wings during their Stanley Cup winning season in 2007–08. It included a horrible stretch of 11 games where the team went 1–8–2. Even worse than the Oilers have been in their first 11 games of this season.
Now the difference maker for the Red Wings is that they entered this slump after an eight-game winning streak and immediately followed it up with a five-game winning streak afterwards.
2006–07 Anaheim Ducks
Wrapping up this list is the Anaheim Ducks in their quest for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup. In late December, however, things were not looking great. Just before the New Year, the Ducks entered a slump and went 2–7–2 over an 11-game span.
By the end of the season, they turned things around, won the Pacific Division with 110 points, and eventually the Stanley Cup.
So, it is not entirely unheard of for successful teams to have these types of stretches during the course of an 82 game season. It’s more common than one might think.
The Oilers’ situation may be amplified by just how many things are going wrong at once and it certainly looks atrocious to watch with all of the hype around the team heading into the season. This is not going according to any plan or expectation that anyone had.
But it’s not quite time to completely pull the plug. There is still some hope that this disaster of a first month can be salvaged and turn out just fine.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
