Oilers' Eberle sees power play improving with focus taken off shot metrics

For the Edmonton Oilers, there is such a thing as too much information.

After a summer dedicated to bringing in players and minds prepared to improve their meager advanced statistical data, the chatter surrounding the team and the way this new-age information was packaged contributed to zapping players of their creative, offensive means.

That is, according to Oilers leading scorer Jordan Eberle, who provided an interesting spin on the way the players viewed analytics under former coach Dallas Eakins when asked about the team's improved power play.

"I think maybe on the start of the year we were really focused on shooting the puck and Corsi numbers," Eberle told Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun. "When that starts creeping into your head, you're just shooting the puck just to shoot it and you're not trying to create the best opportunity you can."

Though many players remain ignorant of the advanced stats wave, the Oilers have certainly been conscious of the popular narrative surrounding the club - information that's inherently dangerous from Eberle's vantage point.

The Oilers' performance, in terms of shot-based possession metrics, has significantly improved from last season, while their even-strength production rate has nosedived.