Bit of a disappointing run of games for the Edmonton Oilers in the month of February. After a 16-game winning streak to close out January and head into the All Star Break, the club collected 13 points in 12 games (6-5-1), which translates to a 0.542 points percentage that ranked 20th in the league.

The good news is that the Oilers are still near the top of the Pacific division as Vancouver and Vegas also had poor results in February. Vancouver only secured 12 points in 13 games (0.462 points percentage) and Vegas only secured 9 points in 10 games (0.450 points percentage). Calgary, Los Angeles and Seattle all posted points percentages 0.600 and higher in February.

Below are the even-strength (5v5) numbers for each team in the western conference (sorted by points percentage), including goal-share results as well as the shot-share metrics that give us a sense of which teams have the right processes in place and if the results are sustainable or not. At the end of the table are each team’s shooting percentage and save percentage. I’ve also applied a basic heat map to each metric to show which teams are doing well or struggling relative to their conference foes (i.e., green is good, red is bad). You can also find a description of each metric at the end of this article. Please note that the shot-share metrics are score and venue-adjusted based on Natural Stat Trick’s methodology.

The Oilers continue to post strong shot-share numbers at even-strength, including a 55.84 percent Corsi For percentage (CF%) and a 57.72 percent Expected Goals For percentage (xGF%). Because their overall team shooting percentage and team save percentage is at or below league average levels, their goal-share isn’t as high as it should be.

With the trade deadline coming up next week, there’s plenty of issues the Oilers management needs to address to be competitive in the playoffs. Goaltending is still a concern for this club as it ranks 14th in the western conference, and the workload has been very high for Skinner (relative to other starting netminders). Depth scoring is a concern as the club has posted a -6 goal differential without McDavid or Draisaitl on the ice this season. The third and fourth lines have done a good job creating chances, but they really lack that finishing ability posting a shooting percentage of only 6.01 percent. That’s a problem considering the Oilers have played 47 percent of their time without one of the two star players. Another way to help the bottom six is to have some more talent on defence that can make passes and plays.

A lot of talk about potential trade options, so I thought I’d share the same information for the eastern conference teams. Just to get a sense of which teams are doing well and which teams should be in sell mode if they’re not already.

Detroit is the one club that’s getting better results than expected. Their shot share number are so poor, but they’re finishing their chances enough to keep them in the race. Florida looks legit, but appears to be having some issues with finishing. I’ll be honest, I thought Boston would be looking strong here, but their success doesn’t appear to be sustainable.

Should be an interesting week heading towards the trade deadline. I’ll be curious to see which teams work on addressing their issues, especially clubs like Florida, Carolina and New York – all of which have cup aspirations.

Data: Natural Stat Trick

PS. Just wanted to say thanks to those that continue to read and support my work. I just noticed that February 29th was my eight-year anniversary since I started working with CBC Edmonton as an Oilers analyst. I’ll never forget that day, getting to provide trade deadline analysis in 2016 with host Adrienne Pan on live television. Such a cool experience. I’ve been blogging for much longer, and have had a lot of fun with it. Getting to write with Copper and Blue and being a guest on Lowetide’s show on TSN radio. And now writing for Oilersnation and still doing some radio work with CBC – I feel very fortunate for the opportunities.