Two prominent Oilers ranked among NHL's unluckiest players
Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
According to recent statistics, both Connor McDavid and David Tomasek have been deemed to be two of the NHL's unluckiest players this season.
Top-Oiler is also most unlucky player in the NHL
Using the Individual Expected Goals metric (iXG) as a guideline; which measures the quality of a player's shot attempts; McDavid topped the 'unlucky' list at 2.73, with zero actual goals scored.
Tomasek's iXG was 1.96, good for fourth on the list; he also had zero actual goals to show for his efforts.
The unlucky part of the stat is that neither player was able to register a goal, despite having had a good number of scoring chances, an indication they haven't been able to convert plays, but are working to actually get them.
The xG metric is used to evaluate and analyze the performance of individual players, lines, and teams, providing a better understanding of offensive and defensive performance beyond just the final score.
Even when a player doesn't score, you can assess the level and quality of his scoring chances. Both McDavid and Draisaitl have been getting chances, which at some point will translate into goals.
But they must continue to play, which makes Tomasek's recent healthy scratch from the Detroit game a peculiar decision. Rather than stick with a player that is generating a number of good scoring chances, the coach sidelined him instead, a move that is counter-productive, given the team hasn't been scoring much in its fist 6 games.
Tomasek has also been used in the bottom six, playing on the fourth line with players like Curtis Lazar and Adam Henrique, but the early part of the season has focused on his power play opportunity.
