Backcheck
Team diagnostic
2025-26last seasonAs of Sun, Sep 20

Edmonton Oilers

5-on-5 · model-estimated

Oilers: a possession-driving team (52.7% 5v5 xG) with league-average goaltending, flagged for regression (2 signals).

How to read this

This is one team through the publication's three layers. The identity row separates process — the chances a club creates and allows (, ) — from luck, which is what measures. Process predicts the future; luck predicts a correction.

Everything below follows that split: regression flags mark places where results have outrun (or trailed) the underlying play, talent tiers and the player table rank the roster by a model-estimated , and roster needs compare each position group against league average. The proxies rank things usefully but share credit with linemates — read orderings as solid and exact magnitudes as approximate.

PROCESS
chance creation and possession — xG%, Corsi. The repeatable part.
RESULT
goals, wins, special-teams conversion. What the standings see.
LUCK
PDO, finishing vs expected, GSAx — the part that mean-reverts.
GOLD/RED
regression flags: gold = watch it, red = act on it
Fine print · verbatim from the model
  • WAR / Impact are model-estimated proxies, not cap-validated
  • Roster-need gaps are ordinal — ranked correctly, magnitudes relative
Identity · possession-driving
52.7%
xGoals %
This team tilts the ice.
50.2%
Corsi %
0.04
xGF / 60
0.981
PDO
The bounces have been cruel — results should improve.
Strengths
  • Drives 5v5 play (52.7% xG share).
  • Elite top-end talent: Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm.
Weaknesses
  • Leaky penalty kill (78% kill rate).
Regression watch · luck-reconciliation

PDO 0.981 — running cold at 5v5; due for positive regression.

Stuart Skinner sv% 88.8% is below replacement — goaltending should improve or change.

Flags mark gaps between process and result likely to move toward the mean.

Talent tiers · model impact
Elite03
  • Connor McDavid
  • Evan Bouchard
  • Mattias Ekholm
Top03
  • Leon Draisaitl
  • Zach Hyman
  • Max Jones
Middle07
  • Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
  • Vasily Podkolzin
  • Jack Roslovic
  • Matt Savoie
  • Darnell Nurse
  • Connor Murphy
  • Trent Frederic
Depth13
  • Kasperi Kapanen
  • Jason Dickinson
  • Jake Walman
  • Adam Henrique
  • Curtis Lazar
  • Colton Dach
  • Josh Samanski
  • David Tomasek
  • Isaac Howard
  • Ty Emberson
  • Alec Regula
  • Mattias Janmark
  • Spencer Stastney
Rate-first

Special teams

Power play
0.00 xGF/60 · 30.6% SH%
9.19GF/60
Penalty kill
0.8 Kill%
8.16GA/60
Source · MoneyPuck 5-on-5 + ST splits
Team GSAx +0.5

Goaltending

Above expected
GoaltenderGP
Stuart Skinner5088.790+0.0
Tristan Jarry3388.22050.000+0.9
Source · GSAx = xGoals − goals, computed in-app
Roster needs · ranked
01
Depth defensehigh
team 47.6 vs league 87.3
-40
02
Bottom-6 forward depthhigh
team 42.9 vs league 81.9
-39
03
Top-6 forwardhigh
team 67.0 vs league 86.1
-19
04
Top-pair defensemanhigh
team 78.8 vs league 91.5
-13

Gaps are ordinal — needs are ranked correctly; treat the magnitude as relative, not absolute.

Top players · adjusted impact
PlayerGPTOI/GP
Connor McDavidC8217.3+81.20+6.5
Evan BouchardD8218.3+80.60+4.8
Leon DraisaitlC6516.4+67.30+4.3
Zach HymanL5815.4+72.30+2.6
Mattias EkholmD8217.5+77.00+2.4
Ryan Nugent-HopkinsC7213.4+49.70+2.1
Vasily PodkolzinR8214.0+56.90+1.6
Jack RoslovicC6914.2+57.70+1.6
Matt SavoieC8212.2+52.70+1.4
Darnell NurseD8218.8+54.80+0.8
Schedule load · logistics

How hard is this team’s season, logistically? This grades the schedule itself — travel, rest, and clustering — separate from how good the team is.

Logistics, not talent

Schedule load

DEPTH
Load index
13/ 100 · pctile vs league

The 28th-heaviest schedule in the league84 games, 1.3 days average rest.

Total travel
45,899
road miles flown
11
Back-to-backs
2 games, 0 days off
12
3-in-4s
3 games / 4 nights
9
4-in-6s
4 games / 6 nights
6
Longest road trip
4,440 mi
Rest-days distribution
0d11
1d48
2d18
3+d6

Nights of rest before each game · 0 days = red, 3+ = green

Rest advantage

22 games with more rest than the opponent · 19 with fewer · 42 even.

Hardest stretches
  • 6 games in 10 days with 3,927 travel miles

    Nov 15Nov 24

  • 6 games in 11 days with 4,293 travel miles

    Mar 31Apr 10

  • 6 games in 11 days with 4,074 travel miles

    Oct 26Nov 5

Source · NHL schedule · arena coordinates · rest & travel model
By the Model5-on-5 aggregates · MoneyPuck* WAR / Impact are model-estimated proxies, not cap-validated