(My Sportsbook) - The Oilers are mired in the cellar of the Northwest Division and they have one simple reason to thank for that. They cannot score, and are in turn off to a sluggish 3-5-3-1 start.

With a division-worst 29 goals in 12 games, Edmonton currently boasts four forwards -- Jiri Dopita, Daniel Cleary, Josh Green and Ales Hemsky -- who have yet to light the lamp this season. Seven other so-called "goal-scorers" have recorded just one tally on the year.

"It's just confidence," coach Craig MacTavish told the Edmonton Sun. "We've got a lot of guys who are snake-bit right now. You need a goal to get that confidence and have composure with the puck around the net."

"Guys are just firing it at the net now and not picking a spot or not taking the time if they have the time. We're not cohesive offensively and we're certainly not patient enough offensively."

Shooting at the net has not been the problem, as the Oilers have outshot their opponents in eight of the 12 matchups, but have claimed just one win in those contests.

"If you keep shooting, eventually pucks are going to go in," winger Anson Carter said. "You aren't going to score if you don't shoot. That's pretty basic."

Carter has held up his end of the bargain in the early going and leads the team with six goals.

"I've never seen a guy score a goal without shooting, unless you bank a pass off somebody's skate and it goes in," Carter said. "If things aren't going in, don't get discouraged, shoot the puck."

A microcosm of Edmonton's season was on display Tuesday in New York against the Rangers when the Oilers peppered netminder Mike Richter with 41 shots, only to lose 5-2.

Both goals were scored when Mike York, Brian Swanson and Ethan Moreau were out on the ice with defenseman Ales Pisa and Janne Niinimaa.

York, who was playing his first game against the team that dealt him for promising two-way defenseman Tom Poti, has also been one of the few bright spots on the Oilers this season with eight assists, but has just one goal.

An offseason acquisition that has been a huge disappointment is Dopita, who has a mere three assists on the season. He has taken only 12 shots on goal and his high in a game is three.

"Scoring goals is a concern from last year," general manager Kevin Lowe told the Sun. "You have to score at least a couple or three to win hockey games. I think we're capable of that, but [Tuesday] night's game, you don't want to throw it out there and say, 'It's just one of those games,' because we need wins right now."

WHAT'S AHEAD

The Oilers continue their six-game road trip with back-to-back tilts with the Islanders and New Jersey Devils, then close the set with stops in Boston and Minnesota.