The Edmonton Oilers have had many lows, but plenty of high moments in their franchise history. Over the years, they have had some of the best National Hockey League players ever, drafted or traded to play with the organization before they retired. There have been a few teams over the years that the Oilers seem to struggle against and always seem to lose more games then they win. There are still a few current NHL teams, that Edmonton still struggles against to this day.
Today, I will be looking at the five teams that the Edmonton Oilers have had the toughest time beating throughout their history and looking into what made it difficult for them to win against these specific teams. Whether it was the players that Edmonton had on their roster, who the other teams had on their roster, or the goals for and against, it will all be discussed. The five teams were chosen based on a minimum of 106 and maximum of 153 games played.
Minnesota Wild
In terms of the points percentage, the Oilers have one of their worst records against the Minnesota Wild in their history. Their all-time record against the Wild is 39 wins, 53 losses, four ties and ten overtime/shootout losses. With a points percentage currently sitting at .434 and having earned a total of only 92 points, it definitely shows that the Oilers have had the hardest time scoring goals and winning games against the Wild, thanks to 308 goals against and 255 goals for.
In those 106 games all-time (so far) Edmonton has managed to allow a total of approximately 2.91 goals per game, while scoring approximately 2.41 goals per game. Thanks to their captain and the current best player in the NHL, Connor McDavid, he has managed to earn 32 points against the Wild in just 25 games played across his career. Averaging 1.28 points per game, that still has not proved to be enough to help Edmonton win games against the Wild over the years.
Thanks to the level of play that Minnesota has been able to get from their players and what Edmonton has not been able to receive from their own players, the Oilers win rate is at an all-time low against the Wild and will stay that way if things do not change.
Dallas Stars
Their second toughest team in terms of points percentage, are the Dallas Stars. The Oilers all-time record against the Stars is 57 wins, 70 losses, 15 ties and 11 overtime/shootout losses. With a .458 points percentage and having earned a total of 140 points, the Dallas Stars are another team that Edmonton does seem to have more trouble winning games against, minus what they have been able to accomplish in the playoffs in their last few meetings.
In their 153 games all-time (so far) the Oilers have managed to allow a total of 517 goals, while scoring 474 goals of their own. That adds up to approximately 3.38 goals against per game and 3.10 goals scored per game. Wayne Gretzky was the best Oiler against the Stars in his career and he was able to earn 116 points in 58 games. That means that he was averaging 2.00 points per game. The Stars are yet another team that the Oilers have not found a way to win more than they lose against.
Today, McDavid has recorded 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points in his 23 career games played against Dallas. Leon Draisaitl has followed close behind, with seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points in 26 regular season games.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ranked third on the Oilers worst points percentage podium, are the Toronto Maple Leafs. Edmonton’s all-time record against the Leafs is 49 wins, 58 losses, eight ties and six overtime/shootout losses. With a .463 points percentage and having earned a total of 112 points across those games, the depth and strength of the Toronto Maple Leafs have made it difficult for the Oilers to win against.
Through their 121 games all-time (so far) the Oilers have managed to allow 3.66 goals per game and have scored approximately 3.64 goals per game. That adds up to 443 goals against, 440 goals for. Against the Toronto Maple Leafs in his career, Wayne Gretzky was able to earn 150 points in just 63 games. That means that he had some video game-like numbers with 2.38 points per game. Gretzky was a dominant force against Toronto and even with McDavid and Draisaitl, Edmonton needs more help than just three guys consistently putting up points.
McDavid has recorded 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points in 25 career games against Toronto. Draisaitl on the other hand, has recorded 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in two more games played.
Detroit Red Wings
Placed in fourth based on the points percentage are the Detroit Red Wings. The Oilers all-time record against Detroit is 58 wins, 61 losses, 13 ties and nine overtime/shootout losses. With a points percentage sitting at .489 and having a total of 138 earned points, it seems like Detroit has put a system in place that has allowed them to consistently win games against the Oilers.
In those 141 games all-time (so far) Edmonton has managed to allow a total of 3.55 goals per game, while scoring approximately 3.26 goals per game. Thanks to how dominant Wayne Gretzky was, he single-handedly managed to earn 145 points against the Red Wings in only 62 games across his career. Averaging approximately 2.34 points per game, it makes sense why the Oilers have won 58 games against Detroit, but have not won any more.
Thanks to the level of play that the Oilers currently receive from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the goal scoring has been more frequent against the Detroit Red Wings in recent years.
St. Louis Blues
Last but not least, we have Music City ranked in the Oilers bottom five based on their points percentage. Edmonton’s all-time record against the Blues is 66 wins, 69 losses, 11 ties and six overtime/shootout losses. With the points percentage at .490 and having earned a total of 149 points across those games, the Edmonton Oilers are getting closer to evening out the amount of games that they have lost and won against the Blues.
Through their 152 games all-time (so far) the Oilers have managed to allow 3.36 goals per game and have scored 3.15 goals per game. That adds up to 511 goals against, 479 goals for. Against the St. Louis Blues in his career, Gretzky was able to earn 107 points in only 57 games. That means that he had approximately 1.88 points per game. Wayne Gretzky was a really good player against almost every NHL team that he faced and the Oilers have been back and forth with the Blues, even with all of the strong players that they currently have.
McDavid has recorded 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points in 27 career games against St. Louis. Draisaitl on the other hand, has recorded nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in two less games played.
Move on from the trend
With the Edmonton Oilers proving to almost always constantly struggle against these five teams and even with the help that the team had from Wayne Gretzky and continues to get from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, it seems like the guys in Oil Country are going to continue to lose some of their games against these five teams, until they improve their system and play better.
Do you think that there is a set timeline until the Oilers start winning a lot more games against these teams? Are there other teams in their history who they have struggled against, that deserve to be on this list? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
