The NHL has experienced a notable decline in power-play opportunities per game, which has indirectly influenced trends in power-play goals.This reduction in opportunities naturally limits the total number of power-play goals, as fewer chances mean fewer potential goals, even with effective units. Calls for penalties have decreased.NHL analyst Jason Gregor criticized the NHL on X for a 90% drop in power-play opportunities, stating:“A massive drop. Call the damn rulebook."In 2023, the NHL recorded 8,058 power-play opportunities, which decreased to 7,917 in 2024 and further dropped to 7,101 in 2025, marking the lowest power-play opportunities per game in league history at 5.41.The NHL’s offensive renaissance has emphasized even-strength scoring, potentially reducing reliance on power plays. Teams are adapting with more aggressive penalty kills and better goaltending, which may discourage referees from calling penalties or limit power-play effectiveness.The New Jersey Devils scored the most power-play goals last season with 30 power-play goals, seven more than the next closest team, the Ottawa Senators, who had 23.NHL analyst highlights biggest concern with Edmonton OilersAnalyst Jason Gregor recently shared his perspective on why the Edmonton Oilers face pressure to win. His assessment followed the team’s back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals losses to the Florida Panthers.Speaking on 'The Sheet,' Gregor said:"I'm actually going to go off the board here. I think the Oilers' organization right now is a very serious group. You can't win the cup in October, you can't win it in December. You can lose it by having a terrible run. They're such a serious group, and I think there's so much internal pressure to win now, because they've lost twice."The analyst suggested that the team should find a way to ease the pressure and embrace the process."I would say the biggest issue for them is being able to exhale a little bit, and enjoy the process, rather than always, every decision you make, thinking that it's all about June."The Edmonton Oilers will begin their 2025-26 season with a “Battle of Alberta” game against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Place on October 8.