It's one of those stats that sometimes means something and other times means nothing.
In this case I think it means a lot when you discuss what the Edmonton Oilers are without the services of Taylor Hall.
Since Hall decided to defend himself and was hurt in a game March 3 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Oilers haven’t been anywhere near the same.
I will say that the season-ending losses of Ales Hemsky and Sam Gagner have also been factors, but it's Taylor who is missed the most.
Since the night the diminutive but dangerous Derek Dorsett engaged Hall in a scrap, the Oilers have gone1-4-2.
Exactly one win without the No. 1 overall pick.
The losses of those mentioned above and of captain Shawn Horcoff haven’t helped, but it's Hall that's becoming the go-to-guy for goals and creating offence.
Six goals in the last six games for Edmonton shows how depleted the offence is and I think that starts with Hall.
There’s just something missing from Edmonton's ability to score and it's what Taylor has to offer. Maybe it partly has to do with his break-neck speed or that large dosage of fearlessness, and why not mention the fact he plays with reckless abandon.
Add it all up and he is someone the Oilers dearly miss when it comes to racking up red lights.
There was no doubt that Hall's importance was obvious when he played, but it seems to me that how good he is and how important he is to his team has become even more noticeable in his absence.
