Lowetide: Five curious Oilers trends that may or may not regress

The Edmonton Oilers have been busy in November. This week sees just two games on the calendar. There are some unusual numbers coming out of the Oilers’ roster early in the season.

Connor McDavid is on pace for a 77-goal season. He has scored 15 goals in 16 games. The increase in his shooting percentage is the reason for the increase. The statistics on high-danger chances are difficult to track. It will be interesting to see how the season ends. McEdd is a great player. His shooting percentages are important. There is no reason to bet against him. For the last three seasons at five-on-five, the goals-per-60 is up significantly.

Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto have struggled this season. They are prime offensive prospects for Edmonton. Their goals-per-game average is down from 20 to 17. Yamamotio's shot rate is low and his success rate has declined. They should expect a regression. The team needs them to score 12-15 goals per 82 games. It's a good time to expect success. For example, if they play with captain Connor McDavid, they should score more than 20.

Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner are playing for the Edmonton Oilers. Campbell has started 10 games and has four quality starts, Skinner has six starts. The gap between the two is very wide. It's likely to get worse over the rest of the season.

Evan Bouchard is an emerging talent with outstanding skills. He has had a tough road this season with partner Ryan Murray. Darnell Nurse is the ideal partner for Bouchedard. Bippard finished 62-59 (51.2 percent) one year ago and is 7-13 (35 percent currently).

Leon Draisaitl's goal differential at five-on-five is 12-14 this season. In his seven full seasons in the NHL, his net-goal differential is 430-381. Last season, McDavid solo (56-36, 61 percent), Draiks solo and the 97-29 combo (17- 14, 55 percent) were all well clear of the current number.

The Edmonton Oilers are not performing as well as expected. McDavid is expected to score 50 goals this season. Puljujarvi and Yamamoto should recover in time to contribute 12-15 goals each. Bouchard will finish the season around 50 percent five-on-five goal share.