The Edmonton Oilers evened their collection with the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, cruising to a 5-1 Recreation 2 win. That win featured three extra energy play targets for the Oilers, persevering with one of the crucial unimaginable playoff performances ever for a single energy play unit.
Edmonton’s energy play has been its driving power all yr, scoring on 32.4 % of its alternatives through the common season.
That was not solely the very best mark within the league this season by a big margin, it was additionally the very best mark ever for any group because the league expanded past six groups in 1967.Â
Amazingly, that unit has been much more dominant within the playoffs.
By means of their first eight playoff video games, together with Saturday’s recreation, the Oilers energy play has scored on a shocking 56.0 % of its energy play alternatives within the playoffs. That may be a staggering quantity, that’s just about unprecedented in NHL historical past.
Previous to the Oilers, the most effective energy play proportion for a group within the postseason that performed a minimal of eight video games was 41 % by the 2020-21 Colorado Avalanche.Â
Solely two different groups, the 1980-81 New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres, topped the 37 % mark.Â
The Oilers’ energy play is led by the celebrity duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who’ve been the 2 finest offensive gamers within the league over the previous 5 years, constantly within the top-two of the league’s scoring race yearly. They’re nearly as good because it will get, and are each enjoying a few of their finest ever hockey this season.
Whereas McDavid is the big-name and prone to win one other MVP award this season, Draisaitl has been equally dominant within the playoffs, having already scored 13 targets with 21 whole factors in his first eight video games.Â
