Oilers Don’t Need Hits To Be Winners

EDMONTON — Physicality.

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In hockey circles, physicality is listed as a quality a team needs to win hockey games. Often, this is quantified by hits thrown.

The Edmonton Oilers are not strong in this category. However, this season, they are proving that a team doesn’t need to hit to dominate the NHL.

Hitting A Lot Doesn’t Equal Winning

The top five teams in hits are the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Nashville Predators, and Toronto Maple Leafs. The results are a mixed bag.

The Panthers lead the league with 1181 hits. They also have the sixth-best powerplay and the 12th-best penalty kill. They rank fourth in the Eastern Conference and are eighth in the NHL in points.

The Bruins rank second overall with 1156 hits. They have the second-worst powerplay and the eighth-worst penalty kill. Their even-strength play is driving their success. They are sixth in the Eastern Conference and have the 15th most points.

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The Predators have the 20th-best powerplay and the third-best penalty kill. They are 30th in the NHL in points and are third-last in the Western Conference.

Toronto is second in the Eastern Conference and fifth overall in points. Its penalty kill is seventh-best, and its powerplay is 18th-best.

Finally, the Canucks are eighth in the Western Conference. They rank 13th overall in points. Vancouver has the 14th-best powerplay to go along with the 13th-best penalty kill.

As you can see, the teams that have thrown the most hits have had mixed results.

Oilers Are a Top Team In NHL

Since the beginning of November, the Oilers have been one of the top teams in the NHL. They are also fourth in the Western Conference standings and sixth in points.

Their special teams have rebounded, and now they rank 10th in powerplay and 23rd in penalty kill effectiveness.

The Oilers rank eighth in goals per game with 3.30 and eighth in goals against per game played with 2.73. Their special teams are not exceptional, proving that their even-strength offense and defense drive this team.

As a team, the Oilers have thrown 517 hits. They rank 32nd in the league in hits.

Other Teams Finding Success With Oilers’ Approach

The Oilers are not alone in their hitless streak. The Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights are among the league’s other top teams achieving similar results.

The Golden Knights rank first in the league in points (59) and sit on top of the Western Conference. They have thrown 776 hits, ranking 26th in the NHL. They also have the seventh-best powerplay with the 20th-ranked penalty kill.

The Lightning have the fourth-best powerplay. They rank seventh in the Eastern Conference and 16th in the league in points. They have thrown the third-least hits with 640.

Finally, the Stars are the 31st-ranked team in hits thrown with 569 hits. They have the second-best penalty kill and one of the worst powerplays in the league (27th overall). They are 10th in the league in points and sit sixth in the Western Conference.

Like it or not, this is the direction the NHL is moving. Every team on this list of low-hit totals also excels in another facet of hockey.

Conversely, teams with high hit totals are doing well regardless of how much they hit.

Physicality can not replace exceptional offense and/or defense.

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