Mike Babcock just admitted that the Edmonton Oilers' record flatters them, and it's a notable thing to hear from a coach whose team sits atop the Pacific Division.
"The record is probably a little nicer than reality for us," Babcock said, according to a clip shared by JakesTakes6 on Instagram.
Edmonton is 14-3-3 through 20 games, good for 31 points and third place in the NHL. Not many coaches volunteer that their own standing is a bit inflated.
It also lines up with what he's been telling the room all week. Babcock said "20 games is real," as we noted in Babcock's comments on the 20-game mark, and Bob Stauffer pointed out the Oilers had that 14-3-3 mark through it.
Put the two comments side by side and the message is clear. The sample is big enough to trust the results, but Babcock doesn't think the performances behind them are as clean as the standings suggest.
The numbers give him some room to say it. Edmonton has a +23 goal differential, which is strong, but the Oilers have 81 goals for and 58 against, and the team just needed overtime to beat the Flyers 3-2 on Wednesday night.
Is the Oilers' road record sustainable?
The road record is the place where Babcock's caution probably applies most. Edmonton is 7-0-1 away from home, while its home record is 7-3-2. Teams don't usually do better on the road than in their own building for long.
That's a bit of a surprise, and a coach who watches the games closely may see things the record hides. The Oilers have won three straight, which keeps the pressure low for now.
Still, Babcock isn't ducking the question of how real this start is. A coach who tells his own fans the record is nicer than the team's play is also telling his players not to get comfortable, and we think that's the right message with a 14-3-3 mark in the bank.
The next test comes Saturday, when the Oilers visit the Maple Leafs, a game that will show whether the play matches the record.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
Are the Oilers as good as their 14-3-3 record suggests?
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