Empty-Net Lab · Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers Goalie Pull Tracker
When the Oilers pull the goalie down one and down two, how that compares with the rest of the league and with past coaches, what happens while the net is empty at both ends, and who is on the ice for it.
When the Oilers pull the goalie, 2025-26
Share of late deficits with the goalie pulled, by time left in the 3rd period
When the Oilers pull the goalie, 2025-26. EDM down 1: half pulled by 1:48 remaining, 28% pulled with 2:00 left (26 trailing spells); EDM down 2: half pulled by 3:47 remaining, 87% pulled with 2:00 left (19 trailing spells); NHL down 1: half pulled by 2:00 remaining, 51% pulled with 2:00 left (831 trailing spells).
Oilers goalie pulls by coach
| Coach | Seasons | Median pull, down 1 | Pulled by 2:00 | Median pull, down 2 | Tied it, down 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Babcock(small sample) | 2026-27 | 1:09 (1) | 0% | – (0) | 1 / 1 |
| Kris Knoblauch | 2023-24 to 2025-26 | 1:54 (65) | 43% | 3:47 (51) | 9 / 46 |
| Jay Woodcroft | 2021-22 to 2023-24 | 1:38 (35) | 5% | 3:17 (25) | 2 / 21 |
| Dave Tippett | 2019-20 to 2021-22 | 1:52 (49) | 22% | 2:29 (43) | 2 / 27 |
| Ken Hitchcock | 2018-19 | 1:40 (18) | 0% | 2:52 (18) | 3 / 12 |
| Todd McLellan | 2017-18 to 2018-19 | 1:31 (36) | 15% | 2:14 (26) | 2 / 23 |
Regular season since 2017-18, every club of the franchise. In brackets: late deficits behind the median; coaches with fewer than 10 are a small sample.
Oilers season by season
| Season | Median pull, down 1 | Median pull, down 2 | 6v5 time | GF pulled | ENG against | ENG for | GA vs extra attacker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 1:09 (1) | – (0) | 0:26 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025-26 | 1:48 (26) | 3:47 (19) | 41:56 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 1 |
| 2024-25 | 2:01 (23) | 3:33 (15) | 43:43 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 2 |
| 2023-24 | 1:53 (21) | 4:15 (21) | 32:46 | 5 | 16 | 12 | 2 |
| 2022-23 | 1:34 (21) | 2:54 (16) | 24:28 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 3 |
| 2021-22 | 1:46 (22) | 3:13 (16) | 27:15 | 1 | 9 | 21 | 5 |
| 2020-21 | 1:49 (13) | 2:54 (12) | 20:04 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 1 |
| 2019-20 | 1:53 (23) | 2:27 (20) | 19:40 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 2 |
| 2018-19 | 1:34 (21) | 2:33 (24) | 33:14 | 6 | 15 | 6 | 4 |
| 2017-18 | 1:28 (33) | 1:58 (20) | 30:32 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 4 |
Who is on the ice for the Oilers, 2025-26
Extra attacker (6-on-5)
- Connor McDavid41:15 · 98%
- Evan Bouchard40:14 · 96%
- Leon Draisaitl36:00 · 98%
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins34:34 · 93%
- Zach Hyman29:42 · 98%
- Mattias Ekholm27:30 · 66%
- Jack Roslovic11:15 · 34%
- Vasily Podkolzin10:18 · 25%
Empty-net defense
- Connor McDavid19:27 · 63%
- Evan Bouchard18:03 · 59%
- Zach Hyman16:20 · 63%
- Mattias Ekholm16:00 · 52%
- Darnell Nurse13:12 · 43%
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins13:11 · 44%
- Leon Draisaitl12:05 · 53%
- Adam Henrique6:30 · 28%
Empty-net goals
- Connor McDavid6 G, 7 A
- Zach Hyman4 G, 3 A
- Leon Draisaitl1 G, 3 A
- Mattias Ekholm1 G, 3 A
- Evan Bouchard1 G, 2 A
- Adam Henrique1 G, 0 A
- Kasperi Kapanen1 G, 0 A
- Matt Savoie1 G, 0 A
% = share of the team's time in that situation in the games the player dressed. Empty-net defense time is where empty-net goals come from.
Recent Oilers goalie pulls
| Date | Opponent | Down | Pulled with | Time pulled | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29 | VAN | 1 | 1:09 | 0:26 | Scored |
| Apr 11 | LAK | 1 | 2:33 | 2:33 | No goal |
| Mar 21 | TBL | 2 | 1:50 | 1:18 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 6 | CAR | 1 | 2:29 | 1:08 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 3 | OTT | 1 | 1:57 | 0:32 | Scored |
| Feb 28 | SJS | 1 | 1:26 | 1:26 | No goal |
| Feb 25 | ANA | 1 | 0:56 | 0:40 | No goal |
| Feb 4 | CGY | 1 | 1:25 | 1:25 | No goal |
| Feb 3 | TOR | 2 | 3:08 | 0:30 | Empty-net goal against |
| Jan 29 | SJS | 2 | 3:58 | 0:53 | Scored |
| Jan 29 | SJS | 1 | 1:53 | 0:54 | Scored |
| Jan 24 | WSH | 1 | 2:21 | 1:49 | Scored |
FAQ
When do the Oilers pull their goalie?
In 2025-26 under Kris Knoblauch, the Edmonton Oilers had pulled their goalie in half of their late one-goal deficits with 1:48 left in the 3rd period, and in 28% with 2:00 or more left (26 games trailing by one in the last 10 minutes).
How many empty-net goals have the Oilers allowed?
With their goalie pulled in 2025-26, the Edmonton Oilers scored 6 and allowed 11 empty-net goals in 41:56 of 6-on-5 time. Defending an empty net, they scored 17 empty-net goals and allowed 1 goals to the extra attacker.
How is goalie pull time measured?
From the NHL shift charts: the first moment in a deficit when the team had no goalie on the ice, excluding delayed penalties. The curve counts every late deficit, including ones erased before a pull, so it is not biased toward long deficits.