Edmonton Oilers still trying to bring penalty kill to life

The Edmonton Oilers’ biggest problem hurt them again Friday night in their 4-3 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Oilers were shorthanded three times. Chicago scored two power play goals. The Oilers home-ice penalty killing has dipped below 58 per cent. It’s a shockingly horrific number, and a confusing one.

Away from home, the Oilers are over 85 per cent.

“That tells me a lot of what we’re doing is right, yet we’re not getting it all the time,” head coach Todd McLellan said.

“We had to have a review. We changed a few things, clarified a few things. We spent the whole day today dealing with penalty kill.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We had to have a review. We changed a few things, clarified a few things. We spent the whole day today dealing with penalty kill."

READ MORE: Chicago goalie Jeff Glass wins NHL debut over Edmonton Oilers

Saturday’s practice saw extensive PK work with McLellan leading the drills.

“The whistle was blown every 20 seconds trying to iron out a detail or a responsibility for an individual,” centre Mark Letestu said.

“It wasn’t about rubbing our noses in it. We’re trying to get better. He’s trying to get players better and understand what their responsibilities are.”

READ MORE: Edmonton Oilers finally have D intact

Overall, the Oilers have the worst penalty kill in the league at 72.7 per cent. Their worst full season was back in 1980/81 when they finished 75.4 per cent.

The Oilers will host the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. Catch the game on 630 CHED with the Face-off Show at 3:30 p.m. The game will start at 5 p.m.