Backcheck
Recap · EDM at SEA

Oilers shut out the Kraken, 4-0

The Oilers won a genuine coin flip — neither side controlled the run of play.

By the ModelJul 11, 6:14 PMxG: xgboost-0.758Edited for clarity
Away
EDM
Edmonton Oilers
4
Home
SEA
Seattle Kraken
0
FINAL
Process vs result

The underlying story

3.61Expected goals3.72
51% share for the better side
25Shot attempts (SOG)26
7High-danger chances6
52Corsi (all attempts)61
Score-adjusted: 41% / 59%
Source · NHL play-by-play · XGBoost xG

Seattle generated 3.72 expected goals. They scored zero. The four-goal gap between expected and actual belongs entirely to S. Skinner: a 1.000 save percentage, 3.72 goals saved above what his defensive support deserved.

The Kraken's profile was strong. They held 51% of shot attempts (26–25 on goal) and created seven high-danger chances to Edmonton's six. In a league where shot volume predicts scoring, a team generating 3.72 xG should not lose 4-0. S. Skinner delivered the difference: 26 saves on 26 shots. J. Daccord faced 25 and gave up four (0.840 SV%).

Neither team finished its high-danger looks—Seattle 0 for 6, Edmonton 0 for 7. Edmonton's four goals came from elsewhere: on 22 rush chances, a conversion rate that won't repeat. The turning point came with Connor McDavid's wrist shot from a sharp angle at 6:25 of the third period. After that, the Kraken had opportunities and no finish.

How the game was won

The danger ladder

shotsgoalsexpected
High dangerslot & crease
EDM0 / 7 · 1.76 xG
SEA0 / 6 · 1.28 xG
Medium dangermid-range
EDM4 / 13 · 1.50 xG
SEA0 / 18 · 1.97 xG
Low dangerperimeter & point
EDM0 / 32 · 0.35 xG
SEA0 / 37 · 0.46 xG

EDM went 4-for-13 from medium danger on 1.50 expected goals — 2.5 above expected.

Source · Backcheck xG model · NHL play-by-play
The luck layer

Finishing vs expected

expectedactual
EDM
4 G · 3.61 xG · +0.4
SEA
0 G · 3.72 xG · -3.7
012345
Goalies · GSAx (goals saved above expected)
S. SkinnerEDM
+3.7
J. DaccordSEA
-0.4

EDM finished +0.4 against expected, SEA -3.7 — S. Skinner (EDM) saved 3.7 goals above expected.

Source · Backcheck xG model
What they shot — and what went in

Shot diet

goalsshots
EDM
WRIST3/26
SLAP0/2
BACKHAND0/6
TIP IN0/3
SNAP0/2
DEFLECTED1/1
BAT0/0
OTHER0/12
SEA
WRIST0/17
SLAP0/10
BACKHAND0/4
TIP IN0/5
SNAP0/3
DEFLECTED0/2
BAT0/1
OTHER0/19
EDM
SEA
Off the rush
4 G on 22 · 2.28 xG
0 G on 28 · 2.84 xG
Off rebounds
0 G on 2 · 0.41 xG
0 G on 3 · 0.35 xG

Wrist shots carried the volume: EDM went 3-for-26, SEA 0-for-17. EDM scored 4 of theirs off the rush.

Source · Backcheck xG model · NHL shot types
Three stars · computed, not voted
L. Draisaitl
#29 · C · EDM
1 G · 1 A · 3 SOG · 21:15 TOI · +1
R. Nugent-Hopkins
#93 · C · EDM
1 G · 1 A · 2 SOG · 17:41 TOI
C. McDavid
#97 · C · EDM
1 G · 1 A · 1 SOG · 17:39 TOI · +1
Ranked from the box score — points first · Backcheck
What the model flagged
  • S. Skinner (EDM) stopped 3.7 goals above expected.
  • SEA couldn't convert — 0/6 on high-danger chances. That won't happen often.
  • EDM couldn't convert — 0/7 on high-danger chances. That won't happen often.
  • EDM was lethal off the rush — 4 goals on 22 rush chances.
  • SEA created 3 rebound opportunities (0 converted) — crashing the net effectively.
  • SEA underperformed xG by 3.7 — wasted quality chances.
  • S. Skinner (EDM) saved 3.7 goals above expected — stole the show.
  • S. Skinner was a wall on HD chances — 100% SV on 6 high-danger shots.
  • J. Daccord was a wall on HD chances — 100% SV on 7 high-danger shots.
Before the game — the model's pre-game read
Preview · EDM at SEA · 4:00 PM ET

Oilers at Kraken: a genuine coin flip

By the ModelJul 11, 6:13 PMEdited for clarity
Win probability

The model's lean

53%
EDM
Model favorite
53%
47%
EDM50SEA

EDM by 6 points of win probability — a modest lean. Projected score EDM 2.62.4 SEA; 18% chance it's tied after 60.

Source · Backcheck Poisson projection · season scoring rates
Season profile · edge from the spine

Tale of the tape

EDM← edge
edge →SEA
52.0%5v5 xG%46.0%
50.0%Corsi%45.0%
2.64xGF / 602.13
2.47xGA / 602.51
2.13Goals for / gm1.87
2.29Goals against / gm1.95
0.982PDO — luck, not skill1.011

EDM holds 5 of 6 process categories — and PDO (0.982 vs 1.011) says SEA has run hotter.

Source · MoneyPuck season tables · 5v5

The model projects Edmonton at 53% win probability — a 2.6-2.4 game that's about as close to a pick'em as the mathematics allows. What matters is the dynamic underneath.

Edmonton owns the underlying play. At 5v5, the Oilers generate 52.0% of expected goals and control possession at 50.0% Corsi, facts that indicate they impose their system on opponents. Seattle sits at 46.0% xG and 45.0% Corsi — outplayed, not by a little.

But Edmonton is running cold while Seattle runs hot. The Oilers' PDO of 0.982 means they finish below average; they're overdue for regression upward. The Kraken's 1.011 PDO means they're burying chances at an unsustainable clip. This is the script for a reversal: the superior team unlucky, the inferior team lucky.

Edmonton's recent form supports this. Over the last 10 games, the Oilers are -16 in goal differential, a steeper hole than the season trend would suggest. That gap likely closes.

The game hinges on depth scoring. Zach Hyman drives play at 1.23 expected goals per 60, has 14 goals and 13 assists, and shoots at 13.0%. Connor McDavid is McDavid — 25 goals, 33 assists, operating at 0.92 xG/60 and 13.7% on the shot clock. Seattle answers with Shane Wright at 0.77 xG/60 (8 goals, 10 assists, 10.4% shooting) and Berkly Catton at 0.68 xG/60 (6 goals, 8 assists, 8.8% shooting) — both productive, both more dependent on volume to impact play.

Defensively, Edmonton's weakness is Jake Walman. For Seattle, it's Chandler Stephenson.

The outcome likely turns on whether Edmonton's edge in play finally converts to luck, or whether Seattle's hot hand sustains. The Oilers should win this more often than not — yet the 53% line means Seattle's PDO is carrying real weight. If Edmonton establishes territorial control early and forces Seattle to react, the talent will eventually find the scoreboard.

Computed danger · scouting

Players to watch

EDM
Zach Hyman14G 13A
1.23 xG/60 · 1 HD · 13.0% sh
Connor McDavid25G 33A
0.92 xG/60 · 5 HD · 13.7% sh
SEA
Shane Wright8G 10A
0.77 xG/60 · 4 HD · 10.4% sh
Berkly Catton6G 8A
0.68 xG/60 · 5 HD · 8.8% sh
Source · MoneyPuck skaters