Detroit came out flying last night, could have been 4-0 if that team had some skill. The Oilers were slow off the mark, sleepy in the middle and woke up late. Since the dawn of time, that’s a bad damned recipe.
The first time the Oilers played Columbus, it was in Ohio and ended in a 4-2 win for the road team. Doug Weight had four assists, Ryan Smyth scored twice, Billy Guerin scored into an empty net 10 days before he would be traded to the Boston Bruins.
THE ATHLETIC!
The Athletic Edmonton features a fabulous cluster of stories (some linked below, some on the site). Great perspective from a ridiculous group of writers and analysts. Proud to be part of The Athletic, there is a Puck Drop Special offer here.
- New Jonathan Willis: Unproductive Oilers forwards are in danger of losing their jobs — and soon
- New Lowetide: Analyzing the current state of the Edmonton Oilers goaltending.
- New Jonathan Willis: Should the Oilers trade for a veteran NHL defenceman?
- Lowetide: Oilers first-round pick Philip Broberg increases his role; Condors’ Caleb Jones looks NHL-ready
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: ‘I don’t think anyone’s feeling comfortable’: Oilers’ Holland pleased but cautious amid early improvements.
- Lowetide: Josh Archibald’s injury and limited replacements available puts some pressure on Oilers
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman: 4 reasons why the Oilers passed their first true test of the season
- Lowetide: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and James Neal are leading a quality Oilers second line
- Lowetide: Assessing the early season progress of Oilers’ defence and goaltending
- Jonathan Willis: A rare success during Edmonton’s long rebuild, why Oscar Klefbom is the model for finishing Oilers’ blue line
- Lowetide: Jesse Puljujarvi’s impressive Liiga performance headlines Oilers prospects this week
- Jonathan Willis: Can the Oilers afford to pursue Taylor Hall in free agency?
- Corey Pronman: Oilers No. 9 farm system.
- Lowetide: Oilers top 20 prospects summer 2019.
OILERS IN OCTOBER
- Oilers in October 2015: 5-9-0, 10 points; goal differential -6
- Oilers in October 2016: 9-4-1, 19 points; goal differential +7
- Oilers in October 2017: 5-8-1, 11 points; goal differential -12
- Oilers in October 2018: 8-5-1, 17 points; goal differential +1
- Oilers in October 2019: 8-4-1, 17 points, goal differential +4
The Oilers are limping into Halloween but in all honesty this has been a smokin’ month. In McDavid’s fifth season, three of the point totals were playoff worthy. Even with a loss tonight, suspect fans, if they’re being fair, have to be pleased with the first month of 2019-20.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN OCTOBER
- At home to: Vancouver, Los Angeles (Expected: 1-1-0) (Actual 2-0-0)
- On the road to: NYI, NJD, NYR, CHI (Expected 2-1-1) Actual (3-1-0)
- At home to: Philadelphia, Detroit (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 2-0-0)
- On the road to: Winnipeg, Minnesota (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 0-1-1)
- At home to: Washington, Florida (Expected 1-1-0)(Actual 1-1-0)
- On the road to: Detroit, Columbus (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 0-1-0)
- Overall expected result: 7-6-1, 15 points in 14 games
- Current results: 8-4-1, 17 points after 13 games
Oilers beat my projection but the month was really two different chapters. The team started 7-1-0 before going 1-3-1 with tonight’s game ending the October story. Fans wanted a better result but I don’t think this team has the kind of ability that would make a 10-win October realistic—even if they’d delivered that kind of insane run. All numbers five-on-five unless indicated, via NST.
LINE 1 Leon Draisaitl-Connor McDavid-Zack Kassian played 15:06, going 7-18 Corsi (gack!), 6-9 shots, 1-0 goals and 1-4 HDSC. Scored a lovely goal.
Leon Draisaitl scored his 10th goal of the season, two shots, drew a penalty, some errant passes. Connor McDavid had an assist, shot, HDSC, and also drew a penalty. Zack Kassian had a shot, a HDSC and hit everything that moved. Line looked tired and chased the puck a lot, both 97 and 29 played over 26 minutes overall. How much they have in the tank for tonight is a concern.
LINE 2 Jujhar Khaira-Nuge-Sam Gagner played 10:51, going 16-3 Corsi (!!!), 12-2 shots (!!!), no goals and 4-1 HDSC (!!!). This is one experiment that worked very well.
Jujhar Khaira had three shots, three HDSC and two rebound attempts. It was his first good game of the season. Nuge had five shots, one HDSC and was solid in the dot. As well as he played, there were enough opportunities to expect him to cash. Maybe tonight. Sam Gagner had a fine evening, finding seams for his deft passes and creating chem on a makeshift line. As was the case with Khaira, his best game of the season.
LINE 3 Alex Chiasson-Gaetan Haas-James Neal played 7:55, going 6-2 Corsi, 3-2 shots, 0-1 goals and 0-1 HDSC.
Alex Chiasson didn’t accomplish much five-on-five, the puck seemed to be jumping on him. I’m not down on this player, it’s a long season and we’ll see him in a better light. Gaetan Haas had one shot and won six of 12 in the dot, he has size and speed and might be a player. I don’t think the Oilers have time to find out. James Neal made a terrible play that led to the second goal, passed to Chiasson in the defensive end and his partner never saw the pass. Two shots, penalty, not his best game but then again he was placed in a tough spot.
LINE 4 Tomas Jurco-Riley Sheahan-Patrick Russell played 5:18, going 1-5 Corsi, 0-2 shots, no goals and 1-0 HDSC.
Tomas Jurco had a shot on goal and a couple of looks, and his reach came in handy on a couple of loose pucks. Riley Sheahan didn’t have much going on and was chasing the puck constantly. Patrick Russell had a shot on goal. The big winner? Markus Granlund.
PAIRING ONE Darnell Nurse-Ethan Bear played 16:22, went 13-14 Corsi, 12-11 shots, 1-1 goals and 3-4 HDSC. Spent half of their icetime with McDavid on the ice. Pairing was 5-7 shots with, 7-4 without 97.
Darnell Nurse had two shots, drew a penalty and engaged physically. Ethan Bear made multiple effective passes, got walked badly two times (Larkin and AA), and took a penalty, had one shot and one HDSC.
PAIRING TWO Oscar Klefbom and Kris Russell played 13:55, going 7-16 Corsi, 4-7 shots, no goals and no HDSC. Pairing played 7:45 with McDavid, going 2-6 shots with 97 and 2-1 without. No idea what the hell was going on with 97, but he looked tired.
Oscar Klefbom seemed off in his passes and was chasing a lot, matching Kris Russell. One of the keys to Klefbom’s success is using those calm feet to settle things down. Haven’t seen it the last few games. Russell was soft on Larkin net front on the first goal.
PAIRING THREE Brandon Manning and Matt Benning played 7:52 together, 4-2 Corsi, 3-0 shots, no goals and 1-2 HDSC.
Manning had the only five-on-five giveaway (!!!) and a shot on goal. Matt Benning hammered Frans Nielsen at the blue line. Not much happened with these men on the ice.
GOALIE Mikko Koskinen stopped 20 of 21, .952 at five-on-five and 25 of 27, .926 overall. He gave this team a chance to win.
CONDORS
Bakersfield plays today, noon Edmonton time. I spoke to Ryan Holt on the Lowdown yesterday, Shane Starrett made the trip to San Jose (encouraging) but is unlikely to play. He was a key to success a year ago.
One of the craziest things about yesterday involved the idea of Kailer Yamamoto being recalled. It’s fine to argue for and against, but let’s at least agree on what the facts are before proceeding. I had several texts and dm’s telling me “Yamamoto is 95th in AHL points” when in fact he is tied for No. 68. Neither is a recommendation for recall, but if you’re going to argue a point, please get the facts right. When a player has six points and is listed at No. 95, have a look to see how many players he is tied with at the point total. It’s important. Especially if you’re arguing he should stay, because being correct on the stats makes your argument stronger. I think he should stay until at least game 20. Recall a player with at least one year of success at that level. Options include Joe Gambardella, Josh Currie, Tyler Benson and Cooper Marody. I expect the Oilers like Yamamoto’s speed, and do believe there’s a good chance he’ll be recalled first. That’s not the same as an endorsement, although I do believe in the player.
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
At 10 this morning, TSN1260, my friend Bruce McCurdy will know the phone will ring in 20 minutes. In a cruel twist of fate, the Oilers have lost with unusual frequency on the evening before his appearances. Today is another example. Bruce will bring fire at 10:20. Kris Abbott from OddsShark will pop in to talk World Series bets, NFL, Heisman, Tiger. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. Talk soon!
Exactly! Hard match them against Draisaitl-McDavid.
Especially if they were in the lineup on Saturday vs. the Oil
Maybe the Pens would like Russell to cover 3RD…
Johnson – Russell would be an epic pairing.
I don’t dislike Chaser, but if Holland goes out and gets a 3C with a bit of term (Bjugstad / Staal) I think a guy like Chiasson goes the other way.
Another player to watch who isn’t doing well on his current team: Mikael Granlund. He’s a rental and he’s not cheap, but he’d be a pretty nifty upgrade on Gagner if Nashville chooses to move on.
I believe they still have an active Reddit and everything. Or communities elsewhere. I didn’t mind them actually, and their uniforms and logos were unique and could have added to the NHL. But, hey, we have another Canadian team so that is one positive. Should be 8, however.
Yup, see, that’s the thing, we “could” make it works but we are relying on ALOT of kids and is that the target we want to spend our one bullet on?
This is why it was important that Holland not use the cap space this past off-season on marginal top 6 players because it wold be the one bullet for the next couple of years.
Damn Chiasson and 2 years though.
It’s not Scotch, but I opened a bottle of this last night:
https://www.masterofmalt.com/cognac/tiffon/tiffon-chateau-de-triac-reserve-de-la-famille-cognac/
Fantastic stuff, I must say.
I didn’t know there were any.
Yeah, next year’s roster depends a lot on prospects moving up and taking jobs. If we use your numbers ($7M for Nurse + $5M for Anderson) and add Benson ($808k), Yamamoto ($894k), Lagesson ($900k) and Starrett ($900k), and also re-sign Bear and Persson ($4.5M combined), that’s 18 players signed and $6M left.
In this scenario Benning, Puljujarvi and Jones are without contracts and are trade bait for a young forward – maybe these guys form the basis for the Anderson trade? If Bouchard makes the team that also makes Persson expendable, with some cap savings there as well. It’s tight, but workable.
And I remain convinced that Russell’s $1.5M salary would be attractive to a team with an internal budget.
Oh man, I live in Nanaimo and the liquor store with walking distance of my house is a BCL and it is tragic. It’s so convenient too, it’s a 5 minute walk compared to a terrible drive to the next closest liquor store.
I’m still an expos fan, even though they are now called The Nationals. Tonight’s win was as surreal as it would have been in 1994. The sad but true feeling is me feeling bad for old Expos fans that (completely justified) don’t care about this win. It is timeless and it is glorious. This one’s for you Gary Carter (rip), Tim Wallach, Andres Gallaraga, Tim Raines, Andre Dawson, Jeff Fassero, John Wetteland, Grissom, Reardon, Pedro Martinez, Walker, Dennis Martinez, both Alou(s), Steve Rogers, and all the rest of the crew.
Cheers for digging that out, precisely the folks I was referring to… brilliantly boneheaded. Make them pay cuz it’s almost buyout-proof.
You forgot…
#thoroughly…
Very happy to see Khaira playing with skill today and getting rewarded.
Hope he sticks on that line for awhile. He had a great game.
Can’t disagree.
I’ve always been of the same mind as you on Todd.
He inherited Ron Wilson’s team in San Jose and didn’t move the needle at all.
Not sure why people keep hiring him.
He’s a fraud.
Time to hit the hay but one last Expos story.
Was in the restaurant having a pint after a round of golf this summer. Wearing my Expos cap. A guy comes off the course wearing a Dodgers cap. Turns out he’s an American on vacay with family up here. Spots my cap and says, “Expos fan, hey?” I nod warily and he smiles a shit eating grin and says two words. “Blue Monday.”
Absolutely nothing I can say in retort. It’s the literal equivalent of saying 5-1 to a Flames fan. Fuck that guy.
I’m guessing Jesse has given him the word.
McLellan signed for 5 x $5 million. I think Rob Blake is the guy who is going to want to hang himself.
Juho Lamikko has more points than Jesse on the same team
Former third round pick of Florida in the 2014 . Wonder if he would be a good free agent signing for next season? Didn’t do thAt well in Canadian junior or the ahl but is tearing it up in finland
Watching Canucks @ Kings.
Todd Macllelan looks like he might strangle himself with his own tie.
Will look for it.
It is lacking but that’s what happens when the government is in charge.
Just read about a Tim Horton’s in Newfoundland located in a hospital.
It lost $250,000 last year because they were paying their employees $28/hour.
They’ve decided to turn it over to the private sector.
Who could have seen that coming?
Love me my Macallan too. Recently had a bottle of Glendalough and found it to be exceptional value for $
Feel sorry for H.H. He lives in Parksville where the BC liquor store is bad even by BC standards.
Sipping an Oban as we speak.
(Phone corrects Oban to Obama)
Spits.
Well there is scotch talk going on!
We talk about draft and develop a lot here.
That model was perfected by the Montreal Expos.
I would love nothing more than Holland and KG to go on an Exposesque run at the draft table. There’s nothing better than watching a homegrown team grow and gel together. Much better than a mercenary collection of free agents (ie the Yankees).
Well thank you sir.
In scotch, check out Longmorn. It’s the main flavour in Chivas but is wonderful on its own. A unique sweet aftertaste.
Every whisky has its right moment. I like Laphroaig 18 in the winter, can’t stand it in the summer, for example.
Those of us old enough to be diehard Expos fans need any comfort we can get.
A baseball night reminded me of when we drafted Jesse thinking he was the mythical 5 tool player.
Turns out he was just a tool.
A bad one though 😉
It has been a while.
I do recall Nordiques fans begrudgingly celebrating Colorado’s first cup, and North Stars fans cheering the Dallas Stars. Mind you there was personnel overlap.
Speaking of Jets, until the new iteration came from Atlanta, many fans were cheering Phoenix… imagine!
Gotcha.
I was an Expos fan too. Our heart was broken in 94. Everything that followed was just adding insult to injury.
My comment was a joke.
You could write a Bible length tome filled solely with eyewitness accounts of what a horrible greedy evil person Daniel Snyder is. Makes Harold Ballard, George Steinbrenner and Peter Pocklington look like charitable saints by comparison.
“Goals are easy to measure but the intangibles that Lucic brings, according to his teammates, are just as valuable” – Jermain Franklin – TSN
No KHL – the flames should not be relieved of that contract.
Don’t break LTs heart.
If the Jets won the Cup, I couldn’t imagine any Atlanta fans saying, “Thrashers win!”
This win has nothing to do with the Expos imo.
Sad but true.
Halfwise,
Thanks for the Alberta premium recommendation.
I found it pretty smooth and easy to drink.
For the price you can’t go wrong.
I do enjoy the flavours of more expensive scotches and Irish whiskeys quite a bit more though.
But when the budget is tight I will have no problem picking up another bottle.
I guarantee you that Snyder is seething tonight.
Maybe he’ll call out Lerner for conspiring with Leonsis (for both the Capitals and the Mystics!) in making him look bad.
Ah. Things happen fast.
I don’t know, they say he’s pretty valuable in cowtown, providing that physical threat… hahaha. I think looch should end it all and head off to the khl.
Has it happened in any final or non final 7 games series in MLB NHL or NBA before this?
Klef is 52.8% with Persson
Klef is 46.4% without Persson
Klef is 43.7% with Russell
Klef is 53.3% without Russell
Expos win!
I’ll also add that I expect the line blender to be out for the rest of the game, so these are probably not the lines/pairings that play the most but this is what they intended to play out the game with at the beginning
Wasn’t a 4 run lead when I posted that.
Capitals. Nationals. Been a good couple years for Washington sports fans.
Almost makes up for Daniel Snyder. Almost.
Just a bit into tracking the Condors game but here’s the deployment:
Benson – Marody – Currie
– Standard, Benson and Marody appear to be coming on lately, Currie was himself from the start (he’s great)
McLeod – Malone – Yamamoto
– Gambardella’s injured, he and Yamamoto were the team’s best 5v5 forwards
– McLeod was moved to wing a few games ago after Cave showed up but stayed on the third line, was him – Cave – Maksimov, so this is a promotion, I’ve been abstaining from forming an opinion too quick on this player but – and this might be confirmation bias – I think my call about one of the tools NECESSARILY being missing from the toolbox was correct
Maksimov – Cave – Koules
– Cave’s arrival has been good for Maksimov because coaches really like CC which causes the lack of icetime Max was getting early in the season (which was unfair imo) to be alleviated
– Pretty much every player that the Oilers grab for the Condors from the ECHL or whatever is bad, they don’t even bother trying to have a good ECHL team or to import skill at all, disregard every single one
Iacobellis – Esposito – Peluso
– Boring
Jones – Bouchard
– Killers, started getting shifts together instead of apart with Lowe – Jones and Kulevich – Bouchard which was bad for both players, hope this pairing stays together so long as each are in Bakersfield
Lowe – Day
– Day coming back is fantastic, I have an extremely low opinion of Lowe so if Day can push this pairing into positive GF-GA then he’ll have impressed me; in general I think we’ll see a lot of pairing mixing as we have so far
Samorukov – Kulevich
– Not getting too many minutes, Samorukov gets turned around a fair bit but that’s a rookie pro’s lot in life, Kulevich is in the bin Koules is in though and it’s a 2L pairing, so, Sam being set up well in terms of ice time and deployment but not wrt partnership