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2015-16 Edmonton Oilers in Review: Benoit Pouliot

Benoit Pouliot is a good hockey player. That’s what made it so weird when his game went sideways in December of 2015.

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A look at the game-log is revealing. Pouliot didn’t go more than two games without scoring all season, with a single exception. In five games between November 28 and December 26 he didn’t manage a single point, and he didn’t have an even-strength point over an even longer stretch, going back to November 20.

Edmonton was outscored 6-0 when Pouliot was on the ice at even-strength over that span.

Take out that stretch of play and Pouliot’s season was frankly brilliant.

He scored 23 points in just over 585 minutes at 5-on-5 outside of that span, an average rate of 2.36 points/hour. That’s a better number than that posted by Leon Draisaitl; it’s also a better number than Taylor Hall managed. Only Connor McDavid (who, we should note, was a regular linemate of Pouliot and doubtless helped his numbers) was better among Oilers skaters.