OilersNation has reported:

The Edmonton Oilers have opened the season with a 3-0-1 record, collecting seven of eight available points through four games under head coach Mike Babcock. Their 22 goals account for more than half of the 38 scored in those games, with Connor McDavid, Vasily Podkolzin, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard leading the offence.

McDavid is averaging three points per game, the best start of his career. Podkolzin has scored four goals in four games, while Bouchard leads the NHL with six goals. The production has helped Edmonton move quickly to three wins in a row, a mark it took more than 50 games to reach last season.

Natural Stat Trick data show the five-on-five dominance of the forward line featuring McDavid, Podkolzin and Draisaitl. In 37 minutes together, the trio has recorded 49 shot attempts for and 17 against, with shots at 21-8 and goals at 7-0.

Those results have put the line well ahead of other forward combinations by goals per 60 minutes. Figures from Moneypuck.com for lines and defensive pairings that have played at least 20 minutes together at five-on-five this season put the Oilers trio at 11.14 goals per hour.

The second-highest figure belongs to the defensive pairing of Ryan Shea and Bouchard, at 8.76 goals per hour. The pairing spends much of its ice time alongside Edmonton’s top forward line, so its strong numbers come in that context.

Among forward lines, the next-highest rate is 8.65 goals per 60 minutes for Seattle’s Kaapo Kakko, Shane Wright and Berkly Catton. That is about 2.5 goals per hour below Edmonton’s top line, and the Seattle trio is the only other line in the NHL above eight goals per hour. The Oilers line is more than three goals per hour ahead of the third-best line in hockey.

The early results have depended heavily on the team’s leading players. With McDavid, Draisaitl and Podkolzin all off the ice, Edmonton is minus-4 at five-on-five through four games. Bouchard’s on-ice differential is plus-10 at five-on-five, while the Oilers are minus-5 when he is off the ice; those off-ice minutes came when Shakir Mukhamadullin was on the ice.

The injury list has limited the support available from the rest of the lineup. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Matt Savoie have missed all four games, while Zach Hyman and Jason Dickinson have each missed three. The missing players include much of what could have been a second line of Nugent-Hopkins, Savoie and Hyman.

The early success has come despite Edmonton not yet showing the attention to detail, defensive structure and expanded depth-player roles that had been expected under veteran coach Babcock. The team has instead relied on high-scoring games and exceptional production from its stars, with the top line and Bouchard carrying much of the offence.

The results are a contrast with the Oilers’ starts in recent seasons, when they struggled early in the regular season. The 3-0-1 record is a positive given those past openings and the current injuries, even as the underlying scoring balance remains a concern if it persists.

A continued dependence on McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard to drive nearly all the offence could become a problem later in the season. If Edmonton is still winning only when those players produce most of the scoring by December, the early pace may be difficult to sustain.

For now, the team can bank wins while it works through injuries and seeks more production from the rest of its lineup. Babcock knows the roster is banged up and that Edmonton needs to improve when its key players are off the ice, but the early wins count just as much as victories in February and March.