There are certain things that, despite being horrific, are majestic in their awfulness. The Oilers 12 game losing streat is such a beast - very, very few teams endure a stretch that bad. I was digging through some stats to try and get some perspective on just how bad things have been in Edmonton since Kevin Lowe, Pat LaForge and the EIG declined the opportunity to go the extra mile for their fans. I’ve put together some of the lowlights, along with some historic commentary for the enjoyment of readers of this site. Since we know that the Oilers like getting statistical nuggets phoned into them that they can then helpfully provide to the dailies, feel free to email a link to this to Pat LaForge’s BlackBerry - I’m sure that he’ll helpfully pass it along to the Oilers Ministry of Information and it will be provided to the proper people in the media.
The Oilers have scored 11 goals in their past 12 games. As I pointed out the other day, this was near historic offensive ineptitude. The list of teams who’ve scored fewer than 11 goals over a 12 game span consists of the 1928-29 Chicago Blackhawks, the 1928-29 Montreal Maroons, the 1928-29 New York Americans, the 1928-29 Ottawa Senators, the 1928-29 Pittsburgh Pirates, the 1997-98 Tampa Bay Lightning, the 2001-02 Colorado Avalanche, the 2002-03 Calgary Flames and the 2003-04 Dallas Stars. When you consider that the 1928-29 NHL was so bereft of offence that it forced the league to change the rules and allow forward passes the following season, you get an idea of the sort of circumstances that have to occur for a team to produce as little offensively as the Oilers did. The previous Oilers record for fewest goals in a 12 game span was 18, set by multiple teams in the early 2000’s. They’ve absolutely shattered that and in an NHL that’s more conducive to offence.
The Oilers went -33 over the 12 games. This is a lot more common. I was going to run the list but it’s too long - notable though that the vast majority of those teams did it in eras that had a lot more offence. This is, of course, the worst stretch that the Oilers have ever endured, topping the previous record of -28 set in 1994-95. Context should be noted here - with the game being more low scoring now than it was then, the gap between the two streaks is greater than it appears.
You can throw out a lot of what’s happened since Smyth was traded, due to the injuries and everything else. Pat LaForge has really been throwing this team under the bus - during his telethon in LA he basically said that these aren’t the real Edmonton Oilers. Much as I hate to agree with him, I think that he’s right. This is still a pretty disheartening way to finish out the season though, and with tonight’s 4-0 loss to Nashville to finish out the home schedule and six road games remaining, the end isn’t shaping up to be a lot more fun. There can be little doubt that the future is brighter - hopefully we aren’t forced to endure a similar year next year.
shouldn’t the Oilers technically still be on a winless streak? I don’t know how it’s being officially recorded, but a shootout win is just a tie, no?
Nope, not according to the NHL. Personally, I’d treat anything after 60 minutes as a tie, and I’m down with the idea that they’re still winless but that’s just me.
How low did it sink? Not just 12 straight losses, but 11 goals for, 44 against. If you believe in ratios, and I certainly do, this is one of the worst performances over an extended period in memory. One (1) goal for for every four (4) against.
12 games isn’t 82, but a month is a pretty decent statistical sample, so let’s compare the Soilers to the worst ever regular season team, the 1974-75 Washington Capitals. The Caps finished the season a ridiculous 8-67-5, and set a number of records for futility. Their 446 GA still ranks as the worst in league history. They lost their first 37 road games, not so much as a tie before they shocked the ever-brutal California Golden Seals in the last week of the season. Their first coach, Jimmy Anderson, went 4-45-5 before being ‘relieved’ (and I’ll bet he was); their second coach, Red Sullivan, posted a 2-16-0 mark; and in the end Milt Schmidt himself stepped in and went 2-6-0. Ron Low’s record of 8-36-2 looks real bad until compared with that of his backup, Michel Belhumeur, who wound up 0-24-3. 35 appearances, zero wins. And the third stringer, John Adams, went 0-7-0 with a 6.90 goals-against average. Bill Mikkelson set a still extant league record of minus-82. (Mikkelson’s only other full NHL season came with the previous worst-ever expansion team, the 12-60-6 New York Islanders of 1972-73, where he logged a minus-54; in his career he posted a remarkable minus-147 in exactly 147 GP.) Their leading scorer, Tommy Williams, had 58 points but was minus-69, which sounds to me like a numerical description of sucking ass. Which pretty much describes the 1974-75 Caps.
So the Caps were bad, but with 181 GF, EVEN THEY had a GF:GA ratio of slightly better than 2:5. Whereas the post-Ryan Oilers recorded 1:4 over 12 games, all of them losses … no matter what the NHL “brain trust” might call them.
Even including last night’s 3-3 “win”, after being whitewashed 0-4 by Nashville tonight, the GF-GA stands at 13-47 since Turning Point Tuesday, a little worse than 2:7. During their very worst stretch in 1975, the 17-game losing streak that snuffed Red Sullivan, they scored 33 goals and allowed 115. That sucks hard, but it’s a ratio of a little *better* than 2:7. On the other hand, we did get that tie, so call the two about even. Both fugly.
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Nice touch with that list from 1928-29, btw. That was the year George Hainsworth recorded 22 shutouts in 44 games and finished with a 0.98 GAA. Whereas the Oilers have averaged all of 0.99 goals per game since Smytty’s departure, counting 7 minutes of scoreless OT and *not* counting the shootout winner as a real goal. Hey, maybe somebody should tell the Oil about forward passing …
Might confuse them.
At least Torres.
Today’s one of the days where I honestly don’t know how much more of this I can stand. I read MacT talking about how they’re gonna bring in some new players and I wonder where in the fuck they’re gonna come from because the UFA class isn’t great so maybe we’re just gonna take on money for the fuck of it, highly unlikely I might add, and few of them will make the difference like Smyth would’ve. Then Reasoner, who seems like a good cat, talking about how it’s awesome to play in Edm and that’s why everyone wants to play here and no one says anything bad when they leave. Yeah and that’s why people are breaking down the fucking doors.
Seriously…every day is a new lie.
Dennis:
In fairness to Reasoner the guy’s contract is due in the summer. And with the new knees he’s really struggled to win puck battles, doesn’t take a pass off of the skates as well either. If I were him I’d be toeing the company line.
Torres, on the other hand, can afford to be a rebel asshole. Clearly he doesn’t want to play on Kevin “Billy Beane” Lowe’s 7-year-plan team, and I don’t blame him.
And there will be lots of interest from other teams in the summer, he’ll get a good paycheck one way or the other.
I thought Reasoner had a two year deal?
Having said that, he’s a guy who apparently does like Edmonton. Came back last summer, did he not?
As for Torres, I think he was high or something last night - he made the weirdest fucking play I’ve ever seen at one point.
Even for Raffi - I was left shaking my head.
In certain cultures, would Marty Reasoner not just be sent away from the village as a bringer of bad luck? I mean, he’s here for tons of mediocre years, leaves for 45 games of glory and returns to bring more doom and gloom. The man was born under a bad sign.
Pat:
I thought Torres was the second best Oiler in this game after Horcoff. No idea why he was benched there. He had an “intent to injure” vibe going. After that stick tip to the back of the knee of some unknown Predator player … maybe MacTavish just decided to do Trotz a courtesy. And maybe that’s why Trotz let Horcoff have a shift against Smithson shortly after, an offensive zone draw no less.
I dunno. At this point it hardly matters anyways. Torres and Tjarnqvist are surely gone. And I can’t see the Oilers getting Tavares with Horcoff on the roster, so surely he’s gone too.
I don’t see Torres being gone. Even if he’s talking like he wants to get paid, how much is any team really willing to bet on a RFA whose comming off a bad year. I mean I’m fairly sure Edmonton would match anything under two million even though Torres is probably only worth about 1.5 million the way he’s playing right now. Once teams offer anything more than 1.9 million they’re paying two firsts and a second and if its over 2.342 mill then they’re paying 3 firsts. I don’t really see Torres being worth 3 firsts to anyone.
I supose we could hazard the guess that he could demand a trade. However, a guy in Torres situation is a lot easier to tell “go fuck yourself” in response to a trade request than Pronger. They can afford to let Torres hold out and only accept a favourable deal or force him to sign and get used to it.
Vic - I was referring to a specific play actually when I was talking about Raffi - he had the puck about eight feet out in front of the Preds’ net - all alone - nobody between him and Vokoun - and he sort of did a spin and then, well, fanned on the puck so it went across the ice, not even into the corner.
Hughson paused and mumbled something to the effect of an attemped pass but I saw no Oiler in the vicinity at all.
I can’t see them moving him - he is still going to be relatively cheap and with he and Smyth gone who is your first line LW - Ethan Moreau?
Although answering Raffi Torres to the same question is about as odd.
As for him demanding a trade, that would be nearly as funny as when Wade Belak made noises about doing the same a few years back.
I think the laughter has still not died down.
Poor marty reasoner.
I still don’t understand why so many people think Torres is having a bad year. His numbers at ES are better than just about any other forward on the club. Granted that doesn’t mean all that much because they’re getting blitzed at 5V5 and have been almost all year, but still. I’d say Hemsky and Pisani have been there as well, but that’s it.
Basically Torres is having a perfect contract year for this club. This is the kind of year the Oilers probably wish they could have gotten out of Stoll last year. Essentially Torres is helping the team win games without putting up the counting numbers that will get him paid. It’s ideal.
Pat
I remember reading some player quotes in the paper the day after Smyth was traded and he was the only one that didn’t toe the line. Then that night he was benched apparently (according to the guys on The Team radio anyways).
Plus the Oilers seem to be trying to pin blame on Torres, which doesn’t make a lot of sense. Just a hunch, but I suspect he’ll get moved. And there will be a lot of teams interested.
Hmm, that’s interesting Vic. The politics side of it, I mean.
And I am being a bit of a smartass - I have no doubt that Raffi would be attractive to some teams although for the very reasons RQ mentions I’m not sure what his value would be.
If they do move him then they have a bigger hole on the LW, in terms of physical toughness and in terms of guys who can handle tough sledding.
But maybe they’re tired of waiting for him to figure it out? Or maybe they figure he has come as far as he can and for what he can do the headaches (if there are any we don’t know about) aren’t worth the hassle?
I think they figured Raffi for 30 goals plus this season and that may be where a lot of the sour comes in but of course Lupul is in the same boat and he seems to have gotten an easier ride.
Politics
Pin the blame on Torres?
Like Riv says, he’s having a better ES season than most.
Why not target Joffrey Lupul? Optics is a bullshit excuse. No one can match his levels of suckitude this season. No one.
I still don’t understand why so many people think Torres is having a bad year. His numbers at ES are better than just about any other forward on the club.
I’m glad you pointed that out, Rivers. Utterly amazing. Perhaps it’s when he looks lost on the ice, Torres LOOKS LOST.
I’m just glad he’s RFA this year — perfect chance to re-sign him for cheap.
Speaking of being sad about our hockey team, you know we’re having a monstrosity of a year when Ladislav Smid is 3rd in ice time. Yikes.
Just curious - have you or anyone else worked out the standings without the OT/SO points this season?
thanks
keep up the great work
hockey fan