EDGE stats insights for Golden Knights-Oilers series

NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we preview the Western Conference Second Round series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers.

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The Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers have advanced to the Western Conference Second Round and will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time; during the 2023 postseason, Vegas won its best-of-7 series against Edmonton in six games.

This year’s matchup features the past two Western Conference champions and, with superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl facing the Golden Knights’ deep defense, brings plenty of underlying numbers that can decide the series.

Here are three key advanced stats insights entering the Golden Knights-Oilers series:

NHL EDGE STATS COVERAGE:

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1. Speed of McDavid, Draisaitl, other Oilers

The Oilers have two of the fastest skaters across the NHL in McDavid, who has the top max skating speed of the postseason so far (23.92 miles per hour), and Draisaitl, who ranks ninth in the category (22.89). McDavid leads the NHL in 20-plus mph speed bursts during the playoffs (49), and defenseman Evan Bouchard ranks fourth at the position in that category (nine). The Oilers also have five of the League’s top 10 in terms of 22-plus mph bursts:

NHL leaders in 22-plus mph speed bursts:

1. McDavid (12)
4. Connor Brown (4)
T5. Vasily Podkolzin (3)
T8. Viktor Arvidsson and Draisaitl (2 each)

Edmonton, as a team, leads the NHL in 22-plus mph speed bursts (23) this postseason and ranks second in 20-plus bursts (196) behind the Colorado Avalanche (247). Vegas, meanwhile, ranks fifth in 22-plus mph bursts (eight) and tied for seventh in 20-plus mph bursts (129).

2. Bouchard's shot metrics

In addition to Bouchard’s skating speed, the Oilers defenseman ranks highly in max shot speed (97.10 mph; fifth), 90-plus mph shot attempts (eight; tied for second behind Victor Hedman’s 10) and long-range shots on goal (14; leads NHL) this postseason. Although Vegas has plenty of defenseman depth with Shea Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin, Bouchard is averaging the second-most career playoff points per game (1.10) at the position in NHL history behind Bobby Orr (1.24).

Although the Golden Knights have the second-best 5-on-5 shot attempts differential this postseason (plus-93) behind the Avalanche (plus-105), the Oilers are not far behind in third (plus-79). Edmonton has three of the NHL’s top 10 in 5-on-5 shot attempts differential: Draisaitl leads the League (plus-81), followed by defenseman Jake Walman (plus-59; seventh) and McDavid (plus-56; 10th). Bouchard ranks 11th among defenseman at plus-31 and led the entire NHL in the category last postseason (169).

In terms of team save percentage among remaining playoff teams, only the Winnipeg Jets (.827) have been worse than the Oilers (.866) and Golden Knights (.876), indicating this could be a high-scoring matchup that comes down to some key possessions in the late stages of the series.

3. Vegas’ center depth

Although the Oilers have McDavid, Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the Golden Knights are even deeper at center with Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, William Karlsson, Nicolas Roy and Brett Howden. Eichel has one of the most robust EDGE stats profiles in the NHL this postseason, with his percentile rankings among forwards listed below:

• 20-plus mph speed bursts: 35 (97th percentile)
• Total skating distance: 22.28 miles (99th percentile)
• Top shot speed: 90.35 mph (95th percentile)
• Average shot speed: 64.56 mph (95th percentile)
• Midrange shots on goal: 10 (98th percentile)
• Offensive zone time percentage at even strength: 44.4 (89th percentile)

In addition to trying to match the offense from McDavid and Draisaitl in this series, the Golden Knights centers will also be tasked with trying to contain the NHL’s top two active players in career playoff points per game (McDavid leads with 1.60; Draisaitl is second at 1.48).

Hertl, a reliable two-way center and past playoff finisher (28 goals in 75 career games), has scored two high-danger goals this postseason after ranking in the NHL’s top 10 in high-danger goals (23; tied for sixth) and high-danger shots on goal (95; seventh) during the regular season. The shot location metrics also indicate plenty of offense to come in this series; the Oilers lead the postseason in high-danger shots on goal (67) and high-danger goals (15), while the Golden Knights have the most midrange shots on goal (56).

Karlsson, who shifted to wing on Eichel’s line in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings, ranks highly among forwards in top skating speed (22.64 mph; 90th percentile) and 20-plus mph speed bursts (16; 86th percentile). And Howden, who plays on the fourth line, has scored two game-winning goals (one in overtime) this postseason and also ranks highly in top shot speed (22.29 mph; 83rd percentile among forwards).

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