The Edmonton Oilers’ penalty kill has been under the microscope right away this season, and Wednesday night in Anaheim didn’t do much to quiet the noise.
Edmonton found itself in a 2-0 hole after the first period, with Beckett Sennecke burying both Ducks power-play chances from point-blank range. The Oilers eventually steadied things by killing off their last five penalties, including a late two-man advantage that Anaheim stretched into a six-on-three, but the bigger picture is still messy: Edmonton has allowed a goal on the penalty kill in all four games so far and sits 27th in the NHL at 64.3 per cent.
That start looks ugly next to what the Oilers have done over the past three regular seasons. Their PK has slipped from 79.5 per cent in 2023-24, when they ranked 15th, to 16th the following season and then 20th last year at 77.8 per cent.
The playoff numbers have swung even harder. Edmonton led all postseason teams in 2023-24 at 94.3 per cent and ripped off 34 straight kills during that run, but then dropped to third-last in the 2024-25 playoffs and finished last in the 2025-26 playoffs.
Anaheim, meanwhile, punished them for eight goals against in a six-game series last year.
The concern isn’t just the results. It’s how the goals are getting scored.
Against the Ducks, Sennecke was left all alone in front of the net on both goals, and Devon Levi had little chance against a 6-foot-3, 208-pound finisher parked on his doorstep. Three nights earlier, Bobby McMann got the puck inside the faceoff dot with enough room to settle it and beat the Oilers.
Elias Pettersson’s goal in the “touchdown” affair came off a sharp seam pass and a laser shot, but his earlier goal in the season opener was another example of a stick-free body getting to the front of the net. The slot has been open too often, and that has to change.
The new look on the PK is part of the story. Edmonton has shifted toward a more aggressive pressure approach this season, with more motion and more movement than last year’s more passive setup. It’s the kind of system Carolina and Tampa Bay have used to great effect in recent seasons, but early on opponents have been able to move the puck around, string together passes, and find holes in front.
Shawn Belle pointed out during an appearance on ON Everyday Thursday that some of this can be traced to players adjusting to a brand new system. That fits with what associate coach DJ Smith said in the offseason, when he talked about building a PK that suits the players in the rotation.
Smith is comfortable with pressure, and the Oilers do have the speed and size to make it work. The question is whether the pieces have simply not clicked yet.
Head coach Mike Babcock says that’s exactly where this sits for now.
“Well, I think what happens to start when you’re trying to play the way we are, you make mistakes, and everyone goes, ‘Whoa, does the system work?'” said Babcock.
“Let’s just continue to be aggressive. Let’s do things right, and those will all go away.
“But if you start second-guessing, and everyone’s questioning, and we stand still, it goes in your net all year long. It might take us some time. Shake their hand, tip your hat to them, say good goal, line up, and let’s go again.”
Consistency has also been a problem because of injuries. Connor Murphy had stressed in the offseason how important it is to have the same group coming out for each kill, the kind of continuity that helps a penalty kill read and react as one unit.
That has been tough to find so far, though Jason Dickinson’s return should help stabilize things for the time being. The mix could shift again once Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman come back, especially with some bottom-six players who help on the PK moving in and out of the lineup.
Another key piece of Smith’s plan is denying zone entries and standing firm at the blueline. That fits the pressure style, and Smith said that was the biggest area the Oilers needed to improve on the kill this season.
Last year they ranked 27th in the NHL at preventing entries while shorthanded, and early this season opponents have had little trouble getting in with control. In the 2023-24 playoffs, Edmonton used a 1-3 neutral-zone setup that let them challenge at the blueline and pressure the puck high, and that approach may have been the biggest reason behind the record kill streak.
Since that same idea is part of Smith’s system, the Oilers will be looking for more plays to get turned back before they ever settle into the zone.
So yes, the start has been rough. But there’s still a sense that this is a group that should improve with more time, more stability, and more reps in DJ Smith’s system.
The signs of progress won’t just show up in the numbers. They’ll show up when the Oilers look connected at the blueline, deny clean entries, force opponents to reset, and keep the front of their net from being left wide open.
Staying out of the box would help, too.
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Devon Levi Is Giving The Oilers A Real Starter Debate
With Frederik Andersen sidelined, the Oilers have leaned on a goaltending tandem of Devon Levi and Tristan Jarry, and the early returns have made the crease look a lot less settled than it did a few weeks ago. Levi has started three games and has given Edmonton a steady enough presence to keep winning, while Jarry has only had one chance to answer and was left with an overtime loss.
The bigger takeaway for Edmonton is that Levi is quickly turning a short-term necessity into a real conversation about the future. General manager Stan Bowman brought him in from Buffalo with an eye on upside, and the Oilers have reason to like what they are seeing so far, especially with Andersen unavailable and the backup plan still taking shape behind him. [Read more 🡒]