Joined Alicia Asquith on the CBC Edmonton News for my weekly segment to discuss all things Oilers. Clip is here and starts at the 21:20 mark: CBC Edmonton News (2018, February 1)
Topics we discussed:
- The pros and cons of playing McDavid on the same line as Draisaitl.
- February being a busy month, with three sets of back-to-backs.
- Tonight’s match-up against the Colorado Avalanche.
Wasn’t able to present this, but some numbers that I found interesting heading into tonight’s game:
| Combinations (5v5) | Time on ice (mins) | Corsi For% | Goal differential |
| McDavid & Draisaitl | 311 | 55.10% | +10 |
| McDavid without Draisaitl | 458 | 53.00% | Even |
| Draisaitl without McDavid | 322 | 51.30% | -2 |
| Neither McDavid or Draisaitl | 1,256 | 49.50% | -13 |
Plenty of benefits having McDavid and Draisaitl together. The possession numbers are strong and they have a +10 goal differential this season.
I was pretty surprised to see the goal differential to be even when McDavid is on the ice without Draisaitl, leading me to believe that McLellan might be thinking that McDavid needs Draisaitl to be effective. Even though the possession numbers are quite good.
The big takeaway from this is that last line: without either McDavid or Draisaitl on the ice, the club takes a hit when it comes to possession. And they have a -13 goal differential. With RNH out, it’s imperative that the Oilers deploy McDavid and Draisaitl on separate lines. If not, they’re leaving themselves open to being outshot and outscored – something they really can’t afford to do if they want to salvage this season.
Data: Natural Stat Trick
The SuperFan 