Sleep Walk

Not every loss is damnation and last night’s Bettman was another rung on the ladder checked off. We’re in the final days of ‘pushing for a playoff spot’ and edging nearer to the ‘points for playoff position’ portion of the season. I had this week going 2-2-0, after the first two games Edmonton sits at 1-0-1. This is a fun season.

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, less than two coffees a month offer here. 

• New Jonathan Willis: Evan Bouchard, Tyler Benson and more: 20 observations on the Bakersfield Condors
• New Lowetide: Caleb Jones represents Oilers template for development success
• New Jonathan Willis: Rookie pros Dmitri Samorukov, Kirill Maksimov learning in Oilers’ system
• Lowetide: Oscar Klefbom’s return and usage a key element for Oilers stretch run
• Daniel Nugent-Bowman: How ‘little firecracker’ Josh Archibald went from unknown to vital with Oilers
• Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Determining Connor McDavid’s linemates remains a pressing and perplexing problem
• Lowetide: Reasonable expectations for Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Ennis over the next 15 games.
• Jonathan Willis: Ryan McLeod offers the Oilers size and speed. But will he score in the NHL?
• Jonathan Willis: Which players pose the biggest threat to Leon Draisaitl winning the Hart Trophy?
• Lowetide: How the Oilers deadline deals might alter summer plans
• Jonathan Willis: Splitting Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl saved the Oilers’ season
• Lowetide: Is the OHL still the Oilers’ primary resource at the draft?
• Lowetide: The Oilers’ 2017 draft and the value of waiting five years
• Jonathan Willis: Oilers’ AHL factory has produced three NHL defencemen, with more on the way
• Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Are Oilers poised for a long playoff run after Ken Holland’s deadline moves?
• Lowetide: Making sense of the Oilers forward depth chart for the summer
• Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Stepping out and up, Leon Draisaitl puts himself in the Hart Trophy mix in Connor McDavid’s absence
• Lowetide: Making sense of the Oilers defensive depth chart for the stretch run and the summer

OILERS AFTER 70 GAMES

• Oilers in 2015-16: 27-36-7, 61 points; goal differential -32
• Oilers in 2016-17: 37-24-9, 83 points; goal differential +19
• Oilers in 2017-18: 30-35-5, 65 points; goal differential -37
• Oilers in 2018-19: 31-32-7, 69 points; goal differential -23
• Oilers in 2019-20: 37-24-9, 83 points; goal differential +7

This year’s team is 70 games into the season and is still hanging with the McLellan Oilers of 2016-17. That team finished 10-2-0 to finish 47-26-9, 103 points. I don’t expect that kind of run, but five wins probably gets the team into this year’s playoffs.

ON THE TENS

• First 10 games: 7-2-1
• Second 10 games: 5-4-1
• Third 10 games: 5-4-1
• Fourth 10 games: 3-6-1
• Fifth 10 games: 6-2-2
• Sixth 10 games: 6-3-1
• Current 10 games: 5-3-2

Another satisfactory 10-game stanza, Edmonton has had exactly one 10-game span with fewer than 10 points. In order: 15 points, 11, 11, 7, 14, 13, 12. Another 12 would be enough with the final two games possibly coming in handy for seeding.

OILERS IN MARCH

• Oilers in March 2016: 3-2-0, six points; goal differential 0
• Oilers in March 2017: 2-2-1, five points; goal differential +4
• Oilers in March 2018: 3-2-0, four points; goal differential 0
• Oilersin March 2019: 4-1-0, eight points; goal differential +6
• Oilers in March 2020: 3-1-1, seven points; goal differential +6

It hasn’t been pretty, the shot differential is not beautiful this month, but the points are coming consistently and Tippett’s Oilers are very good at avoiding long losing streaks. It’s been a major blessing.

OILERS 2019-20

Edmonton was shorthanded (minus McDavid) and will need to bring far more on Wednesday against the Jets. Hopefully McDavid returns in time for that game and I would suggest Caleb Jones should be back in the lineup. All numbers five on five and via NST.

LINE 1 Nuge-Leon Draisaitl-Kailer Yamamoto played 17:24, going 18-24 Corsi, 6-16 shots, 1-0 goals and 4-4 HDSC.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a goal (his offensive instincts are back, baby!), had four shots, one HDSC and a giveaway. His back check in overtime was patented Nuge. He was Edmonton’s best forward. Leon Draisaitl had zero points but was central to the Nuge goal (cleared out the area), plus three giveaways, three takeaways and won 13 of 25 in the faceoff circle. He was on the ice way too long in OT and changed at the exact wrong moment. Kailer Yamamoto had an assist, a lovely desperation dish to the net front, plus a HDSC, GV, TK and six hits. The line is very good.

LINE 2 Tyler Ennis-Gaetan Haas-Zack Kassian played 11:15, going 9-5 Corsi, 3-2 shots, no goals and no HDSC.

Tyler Ennis had one HDSC but had a tough time on a line where he is the top skill player. Gaetan Haas fell down a lot, hit several people and won three of seven on the dot. Zack Kassian had the wheels turning, he had two shots (both HDSC) along with 3 giveaways and two takeaways.

LINE 3 James Neal-Jujhar Khaira-Alex Chiasson played 10:01, going 7-14 Corsi, 4-9 shots, 1-0 goals and 2-5 HDSC.

James Neal had an assist (made a fine play on the Chiasson goal) and one shot, one HDSC and one giveaway. Jujhar Khaira had one shot, a takeaway and a giveaway, passed well. Alex Chiasson scored the opening goal, he’s been in good spots offensively.

LINE 4 Andreas Athanasiou-Riley Sheahan-Josh Archibald played 9:22, going 7-9 Corsi, 6-5 shots, 0-1 goals and 1-4 HDSC.

Andreas Athanasiou had three shots on goal, was also in photo on the second Vegas goal. He sent the puck to the corner, but it never made it (Klefbom unable to secure). I’m uncertain how much blame to give Athanasiou, he made the correct play. Riley Sheahan had two takeaways and won six of 12 in the faceoff circle. Needs to bring more offense. Josh Archibald hit and was hit all night long. He had one shot (HDSC).

PAIRING ONE Darnell Nurse and Ethan Bear played 19:48, going 16-32 Corsi, 7-19 shots, no goals and 5-6 HDSC.

Darnell Nurse had one shot, a HDSC, a giveaway and blocked five shots. He was very physical in a game that had (at times) a playoff atmosphere. Ethan Bear had one shot, one giveaway and made several promising passes. He had an enormous chance in overtime.

PAIRING TWO Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson played 17:51, going 14-16 Corsi, 7-11 shots, 1-1 goals and 1-6 HDSC.

Oscar Klefbom had an assist, three shots (one HDSC) and a giveaway. He’s welcome back but I don’t think he’s 100 percent. Lost a quick battle off the faceoff on the second goal, unable to delay a net front pass. Adam Larsson had one shot and was the physical presence on the pairing.

PAIRING THREE Kris Russell and Matt Benning played 14:18, going 12-12 Corsi, 7-7 shots, 1-0 goals and 3-4 HDSC.

Kris Russell had two shots, two giveaways and two takeaways. He defended but the passes were not on target. Shot block on the PK in the first looked like it hurt like hell. Matt Benning had two shots, three shot blocks and got hit eight times, many coming with a thud. He’s a game rooster.

GOALIE Mikko Koskinen was a big part of the story again, stopping 45 of 48, .938. His .918 SP ranks No. 11 among goalies with 30 or more games.

COACH TIPPETT

I love Tippett’s post game comments, he has his finger on the pulse of his team and he gives honest assessments. Last night he said “we’re playing a disconnected game” and that rings true. Practice today is a big damned deal.

LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE

At 10 this morning, we’ll be spending a lot of time on last night’s game, TSN1260. Jonathan Willis from The Athletic will break it down and look ahead to the rest of the week at 10:20. Andrew Peard from TSN1260’s Oil Kings broadcasts will talk about the strong season by the young and talented team. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter.