The first time the Edmonton Oilers played the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was January 19, 1980. It was a blood bath. I asked Cam Connor about a year ago about the game, here are his memories:
“In the middle of the second period, Gretzky came over the Penguins blue line and walked defenseman Kim Clackson. I knew what Clackson was going to do, because he always slashed the oncoming forward on that play. Clackson whacked Gretzky on the side of the head, and Wayne went down. Dave Semenko, who could beat Clackson, went right after him. Pat Hughes and I ended up pairing off. Semenko told me he and Clackson fought five times during the melee. At the end of the fight, the linesman began splitting them up, and Semenko turned his head for an instant. In that moment, Clackson came over the top of the linesman and landed a punch on Semenko’s left eye.”
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 Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Oilers Mailbag: Fixing the forward depth, slotting the big three, a Puljujarvi trade and more
- Minnia Feng: The 2019-20 Oilers fan guide to emotions and stressful circumstances
- Jonathan Willis: How much will the Oilers have to pay to keep pending free agent Zack Kassian?
- Lowetide: Sheahan hurt, Oilers in need of a two-way centre; some candidates emerging
- Jonathan Willis: Handicapping the chase for the Calder after the first month of the 2019-20 NHL season
- Jonathan Willis: Unproductive Oilers forwards are in danger of losing their jobs — and soon
- Lowetide: Analyzing the current state of the Edmonton Oilers goaltending.
- 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 AFTER 15 GAMES
- Oilers 2015: 5-10-0, 10 points; goal differential -8
- Oilers 2016: 9-5-1, 19 points; goal differential +6
- Oilers 2017: 6-8-1, 13 points; goal differential -11
- Oilers 2018: 8-6-1, 17 points; goal differential -2
- Oilers 2019: 9-4-1, 19 points; goal differential +7
This is an attractive chart over the last two seasons and in four of the last five years. Edmonton needs sustain, that can come by avoiding any long losing streaks or by posting at least two more winning streaks of 7-1-0 or better. Goaltending will be key.
OILERS IN NOVEMBER
- Oilers in November 2015: 1-0-0, two points; goal differential +2
- Oilers in November 2016: 0-0-1, one point; goal differential -1
- Oilers in November 2017: 0-1-0, no points; goal differential -1
- Oilers in November 2018: 1-0-0, two points; goal differential +4
- Oilers in November 2019: 0-0-0, no points
November will tell us a lot about this team. The previous McDavid teams had every imaginable outcome from the first game, Oilers haven’t been fabulous against the Penguins since 2015 (1-4-3).
WHAT TO EXPECT IN NOVEMBER
- On the road to: PIT (Expected 0-1-0)
- At home to: ARI, STL, NJD (Expected 2-1-0)
- On the road to: ANA, SJS (Expected 1-0-1)
- At home to: COL, DAL (Expected 1-1-0)
- On the road to: SJS, LAK, VEG, ARI, COL (Expected 2-3-0)
- At home to: VAN (Expected 1-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 7-6-1, 15 points in 14 games
- Current results: 0-0-0, 0 points after zero games
As was the case in October, when I predicted 7-6-1 (15 points) in 14 games, once again this appears to be a .500 month for Edmonton. The Oilers said to hell with that noise in October, going 9-4-1 for 19 points and an impressive start. Avoiding a long losing streak is key.
OILERS 2019-20
A hockey team is constantly moving, with the latest positive changes being that Khaira-Nuge-Gagner line and Joel Persson’s return. Hopefully Joakim Nygard and Adam Larsson can impact the roster when they get back as well.
That Nuge line has been outstanding so far. At five-on-five, in just 19:37, the trio is 28-11 Corsi (71.79 percent), 17-7 shots (70.83 percent), 1-0 goals. It’s too early to draw any conclusions, but if this group sticks it may free James Neal for work on Connor McDavid’s line. Also, if the Nuge line works, this team is going to need a No. 3 center with skill in a quick hurry.
HERE COMES THE SUN 2019
I like to review my draft (Here Comes the Sun) board at the beginning of November, don’t usually publish but feel like bragging a little. First, I’m not a scout but can do simple math and can also flag slow players or players getting zoomed by impact linemates. Below are the players I ranked 10 or more slots higher than they were drafted, and the early results. For our purposes, I’ll just do the first round.
- No. 5 overall LW Arthur Kaliyev, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL). I had him No. 5, but he was drafted No. 33 by the Los Angeles Kings. In 16 OHL games this season, he is 16-15-31.
- No. 13 overall LC Connor McMichael, London Knights (OHL). McMichael was chosen No. 25 by the Washington Capitals. In 12 OHL games this season, he is 13-13-26.
- No. 14 overall L Jakob Pelletier, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL). Pelletier was chosen No. 26 by the Calgary Flames. In 14 games, he is 11-14-25.
- No. 19 overall R Bobby Brink, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL). I had him No. 19, he went No. 34 to the Philadelphia Flyers. He is 6, 3-3-6 for Denver (NCHC). That’s a major step up in competition.
- No. 24 overall LD Matthew Robertson, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL). He fell all the way to No. 49 and the New York Rangers. He is 10, 3-3-6 with the Oil Kings.
- No. 25 overall L Nick Robertson, Peterborough Petes (OHL). He was chosen No. 53 by the Toronto Maple Leafs and is currently 14, 16-9-25.
- No. 26 overall C Raphael Lavoie, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL). Drafted No. 38 by the Edmonton Oilers, he is 17, 12-15-27 so far this year.
- No. 27 overall R Nathan Légaré, Baie Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL). Drafted No. 74 by the Pittsburgh Penguins, he is 15, 6-7-13 so far this season.
- No. 28 overall L Egor Afanasyev, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL). He was drafted No. 45 by the Nashville Predators. He is 13, 6-8-14 in the OHL so far this season.
I’m not saying all of these kids will cash, but math remains underrated at the draft and not selecting Arthur Kaliyev in the first round was absolute nonsense.
CONDORS 2019-20
Condors won last night, lots of positives. Stuart Skinner stopped 26 of 28, Evan Bouchard had two assists, Caleb Jones skated miles, William Lagesson scored, Kailer Yamamoto drew another penalty, Tyler Benson made some great plays. Bakersfield back in action tonight in Ontario.
You missedone “=” sign right in the middle …
I really like the new Watchmen series.
It is not what I was expecting, but in many ways that makes it better. Several of the social issues raised are interesting to think about in the context of the alternate Watchmen universe.
I can definitely see how it would rub some people the wrong way.
Professor Q,
Oh of course he was a flawed character… But he was not a White Supremacist, lol.
I was shocked when he scored I didn’t think in a million years he had that play in him. His line played great and I’m sure they’ll be together for a couple more games.
If true,( and I think it is) there should be a statue for Colby
I’ve always liked Cave, felt there was more to give. I never understood the negativity towards him on this blog… I mean, he was the omen of Chiarelli getting fired, that alone should be enough for immortality on these pages.
Munny,
Not that I really paid much attention to The Watchmen, but Rorschach was intentionally not a good person and his “Black and White” view also caused him to see and do things incorrectly and blindly (though not always; he did sort of go against his principles when he tried to trick Dr. Manhattan into thinking he was standing oat on his principles even until death). But Moore meant for him to be like this as well as a sort of a parody of other comics.
It would make sense that people with different viewpoints would misunderstand him, while understanding parts of him (he was, in fact, racist, homophobic, and misogynistic) and hold up those parts as what they think is a martyr for whatever their cause is (even 30 years later, where many might misunderstand the past even more).
https://www.polygon.com/tv/2019/10/17/20917919/watchmen-hbo-review-alan-moore-comic-book-changes
https://www.polygon.com/comics/2019/10/24/20925070/watchmen-rorschach-inspiration-alan-moore-batman-the-question-mr-a
“[Gibbons and I] thought about superhero types like Batman, so I thought, ‘What would he be like in the real world.’ And he’d be very much like Rorschach—if you’re a revenge-driven vigilante, you’re not quite right in the head. Yeah, alright, your parents got killed when you were a kid, whatever, that’s upsetting. But for most of us, if our parents were killed when we were little, would not become a bat-themed costumed vigilante—that’s a bit mental.
So, I thought, ‘Alright, if there was a Batman in the real world, he probably would be a bit mental.’ He wouldn’t have time for a girlfriend, friends, a social life, because he’d just be driven by getting revenge against criminals… dressed up as a bat for some reason. He probably wouldn’t be very careful about his personal hygiene. He’d probably smell. He’d probably eat baked beans out of a tin. He probably wouldn’t talk to many people. His voice probably would have become weird with misuse, his phraseology would be strange.
I wanted to kind of make this like, ‘Yeah, this is what Batman would be in the real world.’ But I had forgotten that actually to a lot of comic fans that smelling, not having a girlfriend—these are actually kind of heroic. So actually, sort of, Rorschach became the most popular character in Watchmen. I meant him to be a bad example, but I have people come up to me in the street saying, ‘I am Rorschach! That is my story!’ And I’ll be thinking, ‘Yeah, great, can you just keep away from me and never come anywhere near me again for as long as I live?'”
http://www.stevensurman.com/rorschach-from-alan-moores-watchmen-does-he-set-a-bad-example/
You’ll have to go to hightide.ca for that!
?
Apparently Bear had more talent than sense at one point then came to an epiphany at one point in junior where he understood he was in danger of pissing everything away. Draisaitl is German lol, the NHL’s very first uber quality German hockey player. They’re soccer giants for the same reason as Draisaitl’s improving – they analyse their weaknesses and also their opponents and act accordingly.
Meanwhile most junior prospects bust because they weren’t really paying enough attention to start with. They spend their entire lives being feted and mollycoddled for being superior hockey players and end up never developing the hard drive necessary to succeed at the next level.
Absolutely we should hear different sides.
I think maybe your endorsement of Nix’s joke is informative about your objections with the show.
Is there a particular reason why another country’s history is so important to you? Why do you consider an event 100 years ago to have “magnitude” today, especially after a two-term Black President In that country? And if you are truly curious about this event, why are you learning about it from a work of fiction, rather than from a documentary or a History book or even Wikipedia?
That all seems quite strange…
In what way is it more “worthy” of the title? How is this TeeVee show closer to the graphic novel than the movie? Is it closer in plot? In characters? Other than the title was bought and paid for, what worth is it giving to fans of the comic?
When you take on the name of something, you create expectations about what is to come. When one then delivers a product that has no relationship to the plot of the original, perverts its most loved character (and contains nothing of the others) it becomes apparent that the title of the TV show is mere “clickbait”.
If the showrunners had a compelling story, shot in a compelling manner, in a compelling world, populated with compelling characters, they wouldn’t need clickbait. The show would stand on its own merits. Instead their purchase of the famous title works against them.
And the ultimate irony is… the showrunners are just as guilty of Rorschach-ness as the original Rorschach…. they are seeing and presenting a black and white world of absolutes. It’s like the formula teen movie that tells teens to be unique.
One should always avoid allegory in fiction. But this goes far beyond allegory and far beyond subtlety into race-baiting and propaganda. Race-baiting is, at best, merely boring, and at worst incredibly irresponsible. And its quite evident to me that this showrunner desires this social irresponsibility and is looking to foment, not heal.
But maybe all of the above is what you’re looking for in Entertainment, and if so, then this show is certainly for you. But it is not for me… and just as it was fair that the show was endorsed, I feel it only fair that endorsement should come with another view.
We should hear both sides, right?
That’s funny!
I’d never heard of it. So I’d argue considering the magnitude of the event having a little more light can’t hurt.
It’s certainly more worthy of the title than the film.
I can see it now,.. the woke Dracula remake is gonna be lit.
By the way, light had already been shed on this terrible event, both on film and in literature.
Lol, well I’m not exactly surprised, considering you originally endorsed it.
Very glad to hear Moore has nothing to do with it. Must be transmogrified at what they’ve done to his opus. Poor fellow, I truly feel for him.
I will not watch another minute of it and will be thankful when there are no more ads to remind me that it once existed. YMMV.
First of all Allen Moore has nothing to do with anything he did fir DC. He gave up all rights to have his name taken off of V for Vendetta.
Totally disagree with your assessment of the show. Also I think it might be the most important TV show in a long time because of its message.
Just the light it sheds on the cover up and event itself of the Tulsa massacre is a huge deal.
The bits I’ve seen are awful and the series does a horrible disservice to the character of Rorschach. Why DC and Alan Moore allowed this to be made is beyond me. Bad writing, weak visuals, an open-ended storyline and propagandistic intent… your eyes and mind can spend their time on better things.
But then again, OP thinks a soap opera is the best show out there… so maybe this will work for him.
Watchmen is worth a look.
Only team in the league that is top 5 in both GF/G and GA/G.
But, as you say, the road gets tougher from here.
The numbers certainly describe a team playing better than the Oil.,That’s why the party pooper isn’t on about the Flames this year. But which team will be better this year is wide open. Beyond that it’s going to be the Oil
Tippet’s just getting started. We’ll see what both halves of the season bring. I’m looking forward to what the D are rounding out to be and Russell on his natural side.
Most?.The exception is for refs at the rink. Amirite?
If there’s one thing Netflix and Crave suck at, it’s providing a decent selection of horror movies. You’d think at this time of year…
Playing a team without a NHL level goalie helps
Dell has not been good in over a year well and neither has Jones
I think we are for the most part all Bruce fans! ?
They aren’t running a lot of luck, although one suspects (like Edmnonton) they will cool off. At five on five, all indicators are superior to Edmonton (Corsi, shot differential, goal differential) and the shooting percentage and PDO are within range.
http://www.naturalstattrick.com/teamtable.php
Remenda’s two favorite teams are the Sharks and any team playing Edmonton. I have a great dislike for the man and as Broadcaster he tries to be the show. He is much more intelligent when he says nothing but then it may just be the angst I have with his unabashed love for all that is SanJose.
Damn nucks are winning 4-0 halfway through the 2nd. How are they still scoring so much??? Someone smarter than me please tell me that their on a ridiculous PDO heater and that it’s not sustainable…
I guess today’s win will only keep us par for the course as we won’t have gained any ground on any other pacific teams that matter tonight. (They all seemingly will win tonight)
Drai’s skating coming out of Junior was like Whitney Houston’s singing or Usain Bolt’s sprinting. He didn’t have the best looking technique or fundamentals but he had so much pure talent that he still got superior results. Now he has substantially improved those fundamentals and with that added to his natural talent it is a wonder to behold.
Yeah, three lines of quote (kind of a sample) and a link is allowable I have been told. In the case of Bruce, I think we all assume (and OP may have) that everyone reading this blog is also heading over to read Bruce. A link always clears things up. For next time.
Busy all day, avoided the Al Gore, and just finished watching the game off the PVR. Holy moly.
Mrs. Buddy: “If you don’t just love 3 on 3 hockey, you probably don’t really like anything at all.”
LT also has a 24 hour wait rule on quotes. I bend it occasionally. I don’t think a super short quote and a link to Bruce would go amiss.
Condors have just taken over this game – been in the offensive zone for about 3 minutes save one clear that got the puck out for about 10 seconds.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Burke is a double agent and is still being payed by the Flames I actually don’t mind him because internally it irks him so much when we’re rolling.
Yamamoto loses his stick on the PK but uses the feet to get the puck out.
Go Kailer.
I was not aware of the protocol.
Sorry and thank you.
Rasanen with a couple assists an 9 of 15 on the dot.
McPhee with an assist and a couple of shots.
Yes, but you didn’t actually help provide him any traffic. He makes a living at this. As does The Journal.
And Bruce is one of us. We should take care of our peeps.
Precisely. Thank you.
Rasmus Kupari is, uhhhhh, giraffe-syndrome’d
The courtesy is about sharing the traffic. LT does not want to cannabilize other sites
https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/player-grades-oilers-steal-one-in-pittsburgh-thanks-to-goaltending-penalty-killing-a-late-dash-of-draisaitl
Benson with his second of the night on the PP from Jones.
vid of this happening for the gang, it’s pretty funny especially if you look up who did it (and then chased him around after)
https://streamable.com/3t9oq
believe this puts Yamamoto at a penalty drawn per game and +10 differential but I haven’t updated that in a bit
I provided credit to McCurdy right in the post.
Whoa – got the new season of Wentworth (best show out there) and Jack Ryan.
So much for lawyering.
Reja,
You forgot General Burke-halter.
That was quite the first period for the Condors with 20 shots – peppering Cal Petersson – finally rewarded with the three goals as well.
Lots of dominant first periods early in this season where they couldn’t cash and then get behind.
What a sham the shootout is. If l was king for a day I would scrap the shootout and play 3 on 3 until a goal is scored. More importantly I would lay-off Anti homer Remenda, suck a Flames golf ball through a garden hose Hrudey and Cassie the non biased part owner of the Flames.
Apparently 6 of 8 pacific teams decided to be good at the same time. 4 points between us and Vegas, and the yotes are up 2-0 against Colorado after one. They win and they’ll be tied with Vegas. And both Vegas and the knuckleheads play tonight and could close the gap further.
I know it’s still early, but What happened to the notion of “pacific Division being the weakest division”???
Reja,
Trips to the A can be awfully motivating…
Remember Matt Greene’s first goal though? What a beaut that was. Looked like a Hockey Gord. But didn’t really ignite any offense.