Oilers’ Penalty Kill in Crisis: What Went Wrong and Where They Go From Here
The Edmonton Oilers are staring down a serious problem on special teams - and it’s not just a cold streak. Their penalty kill has been leaking goals at an alarming rate, killing off just 54% of their penalties over the last eight games.
That’s not just below average - it’s 27th in the NHL. And while injuries and roster turnover have played a role, the issues run much deeper than that.
This isn’t just a blip. It’s part of a downward trend that’s stretched across multiple seasons, and it’s a far cry from the dominant unit we saw in the 2024 playoffs, when Edmonton killed off 94% of opposing power plays.
So how did one of the league’s most effective PK units unravel this quickly? Let’s break it down.
From Wedge +1 to the Box: A Shift in Structure
For years, the Oilers ran a wedge +1 system - a penalty kill built to counter the modern 1-3-1 power play. The idea is simple in theory but demanding in execution: two defensemen and a forward form a triangle in the slot, protecting the dangerous middle ice, while a second forward - the “+1” - pressures the puck carrier, usually on the flank.
When it works, it’s beautiful. It clogs up the slot, denies seam passes, and forces power plays to settle for low-percentage shots from the outside.
Edmonton ran it well in 2023-24, finishing 15th in PK percentage but an impressive 5th in expected goals against per hour. In the playoffs, everything clicked - the pressure was relentless, the rotations were sharp, and the goaltending held up.
The result was one of the most effective penalty kills we’ve seen in recent postseason memory.
The secret sauce? Speed and chemistry.
Forwards like Ryan McLeod, Connor Brown, Warren Foegele, Mattias Janmark, and even Connor McDavid had the wheels and awareness to rotate quickly, pressure the puck, and recover when needed. On the back end, long-limbed defenders blocked shots and protected the net front.
It was a unit built on trust and timing.
But then came the summer of 2024.
Personnel Losses and a System That Stayed Static
The Oilers lost some key penalty killers in the offseason. Foegele, McLeod, Vincent Desharnais, and Cody Ceci all left via trade or free agency. That’s a significant chunk of their PK core - guys who knew the system and executed it at a high level.
Despite the turnover, Edmonton stuck with the wedge +1 to start 2024-25. But without the same personnel, the execution wasn’t as crisp.
The Oilers dropped to 16th in PK percentage and 14th in expected goals against per hour. And when the playoffs rolled around, the cracks became gaping holes.
They killed off just 67% of their penalties, and it cost them dearly in the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.
While the wedge +1 still protected the netfront reasonably well, the coaching staff noticed a troubling trend: too many east-west passes slipping through, exposing the goaltenders to high-danger chances. The structure was no longer playing to the strengths of the new group - and the results showed it.
A New Look, New Problems
This season, penalty kill coach Mark Stuart decided to make a change. Out went the wedge +1. In came a 2-2 box formation - a more traditional setup that can be easier to manage with new personnel but comes with its own vulnerabilities.
The problem? The box doesn’t protect the bumper (the player in the high slot) nearly as well as the wedge +1. And in today’s NHL, where the 1-3-1 power play is all about finding that bumper for a quick one-touch shot, that’s a dangerous weakness.
We saw it clearly in a recent goal by the New York Islanders. The Oilers sat back in their box, allowing the Isles to move the puck around the perimeter without much pressure.
Eventually, the puck found its way to the bumper, who was left wide open in the middle of the ice. One quick pass, one quick shot - goal.
That’s not an isolated incident. Heat maps from HockeyViz comparing the last three seasons tell the story in color: the Oilers are now giving up more shots from the slot and right in front of the net - areas that used to be locked down under the wedge +1. What was once a strength has become a glaring weakness.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Right now, Edmonton ranks 27th in the NHL in expected goals against per hour on the penalty kill. That’s a steep fall for a team that was once elite in this area. And the trend is heading in the wrong direction.
The Oilers had a system that worked - even after losing some key pieces, they could’ve managed with smart deployment and minor tweaks. But the complete overhaul has created more problems than it solved. The new structure hasn’t clicked, and the personnel still doesn’t fit the scheme the way it needs to.
A Crucial Reset Ahead
The NHL is on pause for the Olympics, and the Oilers have a rare opportunity to hit the reset button. Head coach Kris Knoblauch acknowledged this week that the team will treat the break like a mini training camp.
“Coaches have a long time to, you know, look at [and] really evaluate what we want to do,” Knoblauch said. “We’ve got a little mini training camp when we come back, where we’ve got about a week to focus on what we need to get better at or any changes we need to make.”
Don’t expect a full system overhaul mid-season - that’s rare, especially on the penalty kill. But tweaks?
Adjustments? Personnel shifts?
All of that is on the table. Whether it’s more aggressive pressure from the forwards, better support in the slot, or simply finding the right combinations, the Oilers have to get this figured out.
Because the penalty kill isn’t just a weakness right now - it’s a liability. And if Edmonton wants to make another deep playoff run, they’ll need to rediscover the identity that once made their PK a nightmare for opposing power plays.
Mark Stuart and the coaching staff have their work cut out for them. The good news?
They’ve got time. The bad news?
So does every team they’ll face down the stretch.