Image cred: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

The Edmonton Oilers boast an other-wordly arsenal of offensive-minded players, which is why all the coaches they've had in the past half decade must be half crazy when they pass up the chance to create offence. 

Pass up, in this context, is literal. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and everyone else who follows their lead have a tendency to pass the puck away instead of shooting from prime areas of the offensive zone. Hard to blame them, really - McDavid had over 100 assists in 2023/24, Draisaitl might be the best backhand passer in the league. Would you argue with those kind of numbers?

Of course not, they know what they're doing. 

Or do they? Here's a brief moment in time during Game 4 of their Western Conference Final Series with the Dallas Stars. Dallas leads the series 2-1. They're up 2-0 in the 1st period. It's eight minutes in and the Oilers don't have a shot on net.

Their season on the line and they had nothing going, and not for lack of trying. 

Passing Up Shots

There are plenty of reasons why a team can't get a shot on net, the first of which being the defensive ability of the opponent. Dallas is elite at preventing shots from dangerous areas. These are all examples of the Oilers looking for the extra play before putting the puck on net. Most of them are defensible, right? Sure, but you don't win the game by making more defensible passing plays than the other team.

First Three Shots

A key component to this start is the fact that Corey Perry had been a recent healthy scratch. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch put him back in the lineup and straight to Leon Draistaitl's wing. Talk about being put in a position to succeed! Perry records the Oilers' second shot of the night and justifies his coach's faith in him. Some players like McDavid and Zach Hyman, seen here on shot one, have more reign to be creative. That's the reality of the game, not every player is created equal. At this point in his career Corey Perry understands what he is, and underdstands the stakes in the game and the need to create some offence. So he shoots the puck, and the Oilers retrieve it. Enthusiasm and confidence kicks in and look what happens next. 

First Two Goals

Corey Perry leads the way again and gets the puck to the net, and lo and behold the Oilers pick up a rebound to get the party started. Moments later Connor McDavid follows the veteran's cue and puts a perfect shot-pass off Oettinger's pads for another rebound goal. 

The Right Message For Your Players

"Pucks on net" has lost its impact. Your players aren't robots, if pucks on net guaranteed goals they would shoot every single time. It's not the right message because the players don't hear what you want them to hear. 

Instead show them how, when you shoot the puck, you retrieve it more often than not. Want to create offence? Get the puck to the net. you'll either score or you'll collect the rebound and then you'll get another chance to score. If your league has the means, find the numbers on how many pucks your team retrieves after shots and share them. This was a pivotal juncture in this series. The Oilers started to shoot and the Stars didn't have an answer at 5-on-5. Now they're in the Stanley Cup Final, and it's all because of Corey Perry.