As much as I shake my fist at his memory, Sam Pollock taught my generation about team building and planning for tomorrow. Pollock made some great trades in keeping his teams at the top over the years, none more impressive than the deal he made with the Detroit Red Wings on January 13, 1971.
THE ATHLETIC!
I’m proud to be writing for The Athletic, and pleased to be part of a great team with Daniel Nugent-Bowman and Jonathan Willis. Here is our recent work.
- New Lowetide: Lowetide’s Oilers trade deadline quiz: Test your knowledge
- Lowetide: Scouring the hockey world for a left winger for the Oilers’ skill line
- Lowetide: How the Oilers could benefit at the trade deadline from relaxed quarantine rules
- Lowetide: Every major transaction Ken Holland has made as Oilers GM
- Jonathan Willis: Five questions the Oilers need to answer by the NHL trade deadline
- Lowetide: Carter Savoie’s college season suggests Oilers could have a real goal scoring prospect
- Lowetide: Has Oilers goalie prospect Stuart Skinner turned a corner?
- Lowetide: Where does Zack Kassian fit on the Oilers, now and in the future?
- Lowetide: Oilers’ midseason depth chart informs their needs for trade deadline and beyond
- Jonathan Willis: A position-by-position look at the Oilers after 30 games
- Lowetide: How will Oilers GM Ken Holland make room in the lineup for Evan Bouchard?
- Lowetide: Are the Oilers and Elvis Merzlikins a trade match?
- Lowetide: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Dominik Kahun, Dylan Holloway and a perfect storm on the Oilers’ left side
- Lowetide: Why Oilers GM Ken Holland shouldn’t wait for the deadline to make a trade
- Lowetide: Three Oilers prospects form hottest line in the AHL
- Lowetide: Oilers’ top 20 prospects, trade deadline edition
- Lowetide: Why are some Oilers fans hesitant to give Darnell Nurse his due?
- Jonathan Willis: Can Oilers improve enough to beat TML it in May?
- Lowetide: Top trade targets for the Oilers at the 2021 deadline
- Jonathan Willis: Oilers 2021 trade value rankings
- Lowetide: Is this peak Connor McDavid?
OILERS AFTER 36 GAMES
- Oilers in 2015-16: 15-18-3, 33 points; goal differential -16
- Oilers in 2016-17: 18-12-6, 42 points; goal differential +5
- Oilers in 2017-18: 17-17-2, 36 points; goal differential -5
- Oilers in 2018-19: 18-15-3, 39 points; goal differential -1
- Oilers in 2019-20: 19-13-4, 42 points; goal differential -1
- Oilers in 2020-21: 22-13-1, 45 points; goal differential +17
The Oilers have been fire since losing three in a row in the before time, and brought everything full circle back in the Big Smoke by grabbing three of a possible four points over the weekend. We’re on to Montreal.
OILERS AFTER 37 GAMES
- Oilers in 2015-16: 15-19-3, 33 points; goal differential -18
- Oilers in 2016-17: 19-12-6, 44 points; goal differential +6
- Oilers in 2017-18: 17-18-2, 36 points; goal differential -6
- Oilers in 2018-19: 18-16-3, 39 points; goal differential -3
- Oilers in 2019-20: 19-14-4, 42 points; goal differential -2
- Oilers in 2020-21: 22-13-1, 45 points; goal differential +17
The 2016-17 club is the closest match to this year, the only two teams who have a goal differential on the plus side. Even the 2019-20 club was on the blue side of lonesome at this point (December 19, 2019) last campaign. This is the good stuff, and projects as 70 points over 56 games. That’s a team pushing for the top of the division, 103-points pace in an 82-game season.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM MARCH
- At home to: Toronto, Toronto, Calgary (Expected: 1-1-1) (Actual 1-2-0)
- At home to: Ottawa, Ottawa, Ottawa (Expected: 2-1-0) (Actual 3-0-0)
- On the road to: Vancouver, Calgary, Calgary (Expected: 2-1-0) (Actual 1-2-0)
- At home to Winnipeg, Winnipeg (Expected: 1-1-0) (Actual 2-0-0)
On the road to: Montreal, Montreal, Montreal (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)- On the road to: Toronto, Toronto, Montreal (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 1-0-1)
- Overall expected result: 8-5-1, 17 points in 14 games
- Current results: 8-4-1, 17 points in 13 games
The 3-0 run against Ottawa and the 2-0 stanza against Winnipeg really set the month up, but I was impressed with Edmonton’s determination in Toronto. There’s a lot of talent on this team and the Oilers can win more than one way. They proved it last night.
LINES, LAST NIGHT
- McDavid-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi played 15:58, going 7-10 shots, 0-1 goals, 1-10 HDSC and 12-17 Corsi five on five. This line didn’t have much going and were hemmed in several times, especially early. Got a steady diet of Muzzin-Holl, and the Matthews line. McDavid had the only HDSC and the first assist on the winning goal. Draisaitl had an assist on the same OT goal, turned the puck over and didn’t seem to be as sharp as normal. Puljujarvi had a shot, a giveaway, and several nice moments where he derailed an opposition rush and helped get the puck back.
- Nuge-Turris-Yamamoto played 11:39, going 7-6 shots, 1-1 goals, 3-1 HDSC and 13-10 Corsi five on five. Nuge had an assist, four shot attempts and hunted the puck aggressively. He had one HDSC on the evening. Turris scored, just his second goal of the year, and looked more involved. Yamamoto was the best player of the three, getting the puck out, passing well and forechecking like a demon. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him move up to the No. 1 line in the next shuffle.
- Shore-Khaira-Archibald played 10:01, going 4-2 shots, 1-0 goals, 2-0 HDSC and 5-4 Corsi five on five. Shore had his best game, including one HDSC and lots of good work getting the puck out of Edmonton’s zone, plus a clean 1:03 on the penalty kill. Khaira picked up another assist, won eight of 13 in the dot and played a physical game. Archibald scored an early goal on a nice breakaway deke, he has six goals from the quiet part of the roster and that’s impressive.
- Ennis-Haas-Kassian played 7:18, 0-4 shots, no goals, no HDSC and 3-8 Corsi five on five. Ennis tried a lot of things and nothing worked but he kept slugging. Haas was quiet, Shore took his PK time. Kassian has the steam engine going and my guess is he is going to move up the depth chart at some point in April.
PAIRINGS AND GOALIE
- Nurse-Barrie played 20:09, going 3-17 shots, 0-1 goals, 1-11 HDSC and 8-26 Corsi five on five. Like the top line, the numbers are ghastly. They didn’t look sharp, especially early when the TML had all kinds of jump and Edmonton looked slow. The trick is to survive and they did it. Nurse scored the winner, he is money this year with the puck on his stick. He did everything right on the two on one, including a quick release. Barrie had several chaotic moments, it was not his best night. He was not effective on the Marner goal in any way.
- Russell-Bear played 16:10, going 4-4, 1-0 goals, 1-0 HDSC and 12-9 Corsi five on five. Russell had an assist, a shot, three giveaways and four blocks. He’s playing in the defensive end. Bear is playing well everywhere, great passing and standing up at the blue line well. Two shots, lots of good decisions. He couldn’t get the puck out at one point in the third period and worked for 20 seconds to recover, then sent a quality pass down the ice for a change. Such a fine young player.
- Lagesson-Larsson played 10:22, going 5-4 shots, 1-0 goals, 3-0 HDSC and 7-8 Corsi five on five. Lagesson made a great pass to Shore for a chance, and was much improved in his decisions over Saturday night. Larsson had a big moment when he shot the puck from the blue line and had it bounce off Turris for a major goal in the game. He hit seven guys and got an eight count on Tavares before showing some mercy.
- Mike Smith had a fantastic night, really in a zone. Stopped 29 of 31, .935 and stoned a talented Toronto group after some early wobble. He’s a big story in this season. His stop on Mikayev was incredible.
JANUARY 13, 1971
The Montreal Canadiens played the Philadelphia Flyers on January 10, 1971. It was a Sunday. The club was mixing in youth and experience all over the roster, and it was less than impressive (4-2-3 since December 20). The Saturday game against Los Angeles was a 1-0 victory, speedy Yvan Cournoyer scoring the only goal with assists from the establishment (Jean Beliveau) and the department of youth (Marc Tardif).
On Sunday, the Habs scored first on the power play, Jacques Lemaire from Beliveau and Cournoyer. Bill Collins, who was a good player (29 goals with Minnesota North Stars in 1969-70) but a fringe contributor with Montreal, scored his sixth and final goal as a Hab (assists Claude Larose and JC Tremblay) to make it 2-0.
At that point, against an expansion team, you’d start to look ahead to next week. As a Sunday game, it might be on the CBC Radio, and if it was I’d have been listening to it in my Dad’s car, running the battery down, thinking about the Bruins and the week to come. Early in the second period, Bill Lesuk (a masterful penalty killer) scored at even strength for Philly, and Serge Bernier (the first draft pick in Flyers history) counted another to make the score 2-2. In the third, one goal (Lesuk again) decided the game and sent Montreal to a 4-3-3 record in the team’s last 10 games.
I think that might have been the most nervous time in Sam Pollock’s run as Habs general manager. Montreal missed the 1970 playoffs, the kids (rookies that year were Marc Tardif, Guy Lapointe, Rejean Houle, Phil Roberto, Bobby Sheehan, Fran Huck, Phil Myre, and at the end of the season, Ken Dryden) were good but inconsistent, and Pollock couldn’t afford to miss the playoffs twice.
I’ve thought a lot about what Pollock would have been going through during that Philly game. The Lesuk goals, the Flyers win, appear to have been the final straw. On the following Wednesday, Pollock pulled the trigger. He gave up:
- Mickey Redmond, 23, a sharp-shooting RW who had delivered 14-16-30 in 40 games with Montreal. He was one of the most promising young scoring wingers in the league but wasn’t building on his 27-goal season in 1969-70.
- Bill Collins, 27, who had scored all those goals for Minnesota, was a part-time C-W and posted just 6-2-8 in 40 games with Montreal.
- Guy Charron, 22, who had been up and down between the NHL and the minors, scoring 2-2-4 in 15 games.
Detroit sent Frank Mahovlich to Montreal. Gulp. Mahovlich turned 33 on the day Philadelphia beat Montreal. His numbers for the Red Wings (35 games, 14-18-32) that year were similar to Redmond’s and the Big M would be out of the NHL just a little over three years after the deal.
Didn’t matter. Mahovlich would play for the Canadiens against the Minnesota North Stars the following day, January 14, 1971. He scored in the first period, assists to Cournoyer and Terry Harper. Montreal would win Stanley, Pollock would keep his job and win more silver before he left the game. That Stanley, 1971, lives with me and shall be there for eternity. Credit Pollock for getting the guy when he needed it.
So, to my point. What would you consider a reasonable set of assets out in order for Ken Holland to acquire Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabres?
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
At 10 this morning, we hit the ground running on TSN 1260 with a preview of tonight’s Oilers-Canadiens game. We’ll chat with Andrew Stoeten about the Blue Jays roster, expectations and season to come. At 11, Joey Alfieri from TSN690 Montreal will give us the latest on a complicated game for the Canadiens after a long week of activity. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. See you on the radio!
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https://lowetide.ca/2021/03/30/2020-21-game-37-oilers-at-canadiens/#comment-997129
Don’t comment much anymore, but felt the need to reply to this one … its tough being away from home and worrying about your wife, kids or your dog … you’re constantly worried about their well-being. Connor’s got a Bernie doodle … bet you he’s worried sick about him when he’s out on the road this long, while his dog is being boarded. I have a standard poodle – last time I was away from home for two weeks, I went two days before I started worrying … by the end of the trip, I was chomping at the bit to get home and see him.
We forget sometimes that these young men have regular human things going on in their lives as well. They played crummy tonight, but it’s at the end of a long road trip, made even more difficult by the inability to escape their hotel rooms and do the normal things that one does when travelling, which helps to keep the mind off worrying about the homestead.
Leonard is taken care of by CMD’s significant other. No boarding for him.
They probably would have gotten into MTL late last night after a big OT win. Maybe they dabbled in the nightlife. I can’t really even blame them if that was the case. We’ll get em next time.
Nope, no nightlife – they aren’t even allowed to leave their hotel room except for team designated matters.
Also, what is this nightlife you speak of?
I have no actual idea what’s going on there at the moment, but I don’t expect St. Catherine is as you remember it.
I always preferred St. Denis anyway, even though I can’t really speak the language.
I find it curious that many find it so easy to forget all the fantastic nights we’ve witnessed whenever a bad game happens? It’s kinda like the bad games are worth more than the good?
I have had such a fun time watching our team this year. Watching the players find their ways and watching the team come together has been a treat nearly every night. We are approaching the playoffs and the excitement builds for me with each passing moment! We are a good team. We had a bad night, no two ways about it, but I am not about to throw in the towel without letting the guys fight their way out of it. More good days than bad. We are getting better, not worse. Come playoff time, we are gonna be firing on all cylinders and woe is the team that we face!!! Go Oilers!!!
Also, I know I am an overly optimistic guy around here but I don’t mind. Sometimes it seems like the site has the market cornered in doomsday prognosticators…I like reminding you that things can get better, too, not just worse….
The Tampa Bay Lighting are currently on a 3 game losing streak – they’ve also given up 6 and lost to Detroit and lost by 3 to Nashville….. this month!
Good teams have bad stretches and bad nights.
Conflating the Lightning and Oilers is ridiculous.
The Lightning have lost 9 games in regulation.
The Oilers, playing in the weakest division in the NHL, have lost 14.
The Lightning have a goal differential of +39.
The Oilers have a a goal differential of +15…4th best in the North Division.
#toobin
I believe the point was that good teams have bad stretches and bad nights. Even with a good team, like the Lightning, it’s not all smooth sailing.
We had a bad night. Nothing that warrants pitchforks yet. I can’t wait to see what a few days at home will do for their focus. I, for one, am betting on a big improvement. ??
Mediocre teams also have bad stretches…doesn’t make them good teams.
You really aren’t a happy man, are you?
I don’t get your point? Mediocre teams often have bad stretches, hence the mediocre label. We are far from mediocre. Are we a top team? Of course not. Are we bad? Not even close. We are near the top of our division and will play in the playoffs. We are a good team and come playoff time we will be ready to rumble. It’s gonna be a fun ride!!! Can’t wait!!!
You are an interesting guy, in a strange kinda creepy way.
You are not very bright, are you?
Isn’t this a tad hypocritical? You basically conflate everything you post.
So the nucks are that bad hey
Jonathan Willis
@JonathanWillis
·
17m
RE: McDavid’s hit on Kotkaniemi tonight, it’s probably helpful to have this for context. McCann was fined $10,000 for this hit, which occurred in January.
https://twitter.com/JonathanWillis/status/1377097267467808771?s=20
https://twitter.com/JonathanWillis/status/1377098759054581762?s=20
All I saw was McDavid rounding out his game by hammering one of his fellow NHLers.
It’s what is supposed to happen to players who routinely harass him.
Somewhat like what is supposed to happen to trolls who come on Lowetide simply to make noise.
-A Lowetide(occasional) troll-
An elbow to the face is normally assessed at least a 2 minute penalty and, away from the play, might be considered intent to injure.
It will be interesting to see if the league agrees.
Although the elbow was unfortunate, I think he was trying to follow through and the elbow just popped up. He didn’t lead with it and it came up after initial contact. Probable that it saves him from a fine. I like that McD has been more aggressive this year and dating back to somewhere around the second half of last year. With the amount of clutching, grabbing and outright interference he gets, it’s nice to see him stand up for himself. I don’t ever want him fighting but aggressive solid hits are a nice payback.
The only important matter is McDavid. He is better served when the opposition players respect his truculence. In another hockey universe McDavid would fight once or twice a season.
The trouble with that is, he goes berserk and breaks his hand(the sign of a real fighter)
Didn’t he break his hand in his only fight in junior? I don’t even wanna think about that happening…
Well crap, was hoping the birds could salvage a bad oil night. Le sigh. Good night
Lavoie with 3 one-time shots from the Ovie spot in the last 45 seconds with the goalie pulled but no goal. He the puts one in front that Marody shovel for a chance but no goal.
Condors fall 4-3.
“Hey Thor, it’s the PDO Gords on line 1”
On the throne
take a message
Joe G. causes a turnover behind the net and sets up Stukel streaking down the slot to pull the Condors to within one with 5 to go.
This was the first game they’ve lost by more than a goal since March 3.
Good point. We had a bad game but our bad games are far less than our good games. We have some things to learn but we are not far off. I feel like the rest at home will have us back on the same page. Winning three of the next four will fill up the bandwagon again, I bet. ??
In that time, the Oilers have won by 6 goals, by 6 goals and by 4 goals.
A 3 on 3 turns in to a back-door goal somehow and the Barcuda now up 4-2 with 14 minutes to go.
Crap, come on guys
This was the first game that the Oilers lost by more than 1 since March 3.
HUNTER1909’s Death March™
Revised Update:
With Oilers now on pace for a 68 point finish, here are the current leaders in the Death March game which might pay out to all winners at the end of the season.
dcsj_57;
Slocanoil;
SOS;
JAMCON;
HotEire;
Enigma,
BornInAGretzkyJersey
Will replace previous leaders:
JRizzer25; Hazwasted; KGB; Oilnc79; Unjustenrichment; Whale
and many others
Miserable gits after a loss. Last night it was all positives and light ha ha
The schedule makers didn’t do us any favours. No excuses just have to forget and move onto Fridays game and take it out on the phlegms
Yup. Kick em when their up, kick em when their down.
Something to watch.
Adam Gaudette of the Canucks has tested positive and, if a second test confirms, the Oilers Saturday game (second of a back to back) could be postponed.
Spring fever is kicking in.
Man, I hope that’s not the case. This covid season is a trial already. Makeup games are not good for anyone. Fingers crossed the fella is all good.
That was quick, booooo. Comon condors. Hope lavoi fits in real fast.
KnightRain
Yes they will put it behind them.
It isn’t losing games that bother me, it’s getting absolutely steam rolled that I think means bad things.
Losing after a well fought battle, the other team made some great plays, got some bounces, that’s sports.
Getting absolutely punked 4 times in the last 10 games or whatever, against stronger comp, means there are serious flaws. Still.
And it may be the coaching staff contributing. The number of games a team gets skunked in a season shouldn’t be many or any IMO. How many this season?
Is it Koskinen? Well why the heck is he playing, or did he have to? Everyone in the org is responsible, and if it’s bad, people should pay the price despite of their rhetoric.
Katz shouldn’t have done what he did before, but the pressure point is now, and it’s that the elites are aging, and he allowed the Lowe era to waste his dallying time with his elites deciding on the off ice set up.
Decision time with the coach soon and the GM after the summer. This team should not be playing shit hockey very often anymore.
That doesn’t mean they should win every game, but they should be competitive in almost every game, and that has not been the case.
They are still riding luck too much and relying on elite skill, and not nailing down key aspects of the game that a true contending team has nailed down.
We are watching the Av’s do the things I’m talking about, and unless Sakic loses his shit being capped out soon, they will be in the place we all hope the Oilers would be in, first.
Nice rant, until you started mentioning the Avs.
I think you’re forgetting just how bad and cap-strapped the team was when Chiarelli left it.
Our 5th line now would have been our 3rd line then.
The Oilers are exceeding the expectations of most of us. – according to the death march
In my opinion, this is the will be the first offseason where Holland shows his vision.
The Oilers finished last season in 13th place by points percentage.
This season, they’re 14th.
Same as it ever was.
I won’t draw too many conclusions when we’re only playing against 6 out of 30 teams.
Edmonton is close to first in our league, I’ve enjoyed this season
Also, I had a laugh. 14th place is absolutely not same as it ever was.
Same as it ever was is 32nd place out of 31 teams haha
And the Canucks have never won a Cup. Same as it ever was.
You are overdue for a name change, aren’t you, HH, I mean DSF, I mean Dead Cat Bounce…
I think posters should start providing their suggestions and the highest number of votes should determine the new name, waddayathink?
I suggest Fake Craig Mactavish
Two entirely different kinds of seasons.
You are not very bright. Same as it ever was.
Nothing you have said is wrong or out of touch. But a fact of life is that people are not perfect and often a work in progress through their lifetime. I know that the guys are professional athletes and paid big bucks(money I can’t even fathom, tbo) but they will still have days were it is virtually impossible to maintain focus. Today could very well be one of those days. We don’t know what the outside factors are that they deal with but we can speculate. My contention, brought up by others actually, is that they are mentally drained after so much time in hotels and away from family/friends/loved ones. It’s maturity in people that you don’t get to high or to low as you progress. Same with a team. This is a learned trait and many teams struggle with it. Basically, this team has things to learn but they are not as far off as many are proposing. I think we will see an entirely different team the next game. Should they shit the bed then it might be time to rethink things…fingers crossed, brah.
I hope that whoever gave the minus atleast read what I posted. lol Sure hate for all that one fingered, one eyed typing to have gone to waste…
Baracuda with a tic-tac-toe play on the PP and their third in short order gives them a 3-2 lead.
Condors running around a big, Gregor takes a pass from below the goal line an buries it from the circles.
Lavoie looks good at the AHL level (well, through half a game) – effective on the forecheck and cycle in the offensive zone, battling in front – almost scored on an jam play after battling in front.
As much as it sucks to watch a game like this (note, I wasnt actually able to watch it), there haven’t been many of them this year. Remember when this was a regular occurence? There’s lots of work left to do, but it really puts into perspective how much growth we’ve seen.
Skinner lets in a wrist shot from the half-wall.
Awful, awful goal.
2-1 Condors 7 minutes in to the 2nd.
Niemelainen takes a clear at the own blue and a quick up to Benson for the zone entry, to Marody and to the slot for a Niemelainen one-time goal.
2-0 Condors.
Beautiful
Op, if your up to it keep posting condors as this blog winds down. Ill be up till the end of the game. Ontario
I’ve got it on!
Brutal, brutal game. Hard to pick out anyone who had a decent game. Overall we were flat as a pancake from the getgo. I hate it but I’m not losing my mind over it. When we are on our game we look connected, composed and effortless. When we are disconnected we look like…well this…
Throw this game into the garbage, forget about the result but not the lesson.
With some home cooking and restful rest we will be back to buttkickin our division next game.
It sucked but what doesn’t kill us make us better next game. ??
Watching the Boston/NJ game. It’s weird seeing fans in the stands
I used to be a “fans”…I miss it. I was really good at it, too…
~ nice of Gary to organize a friendly for the Habs and Koski to knock off the rust~
for points? merde
Woof, that was ugly. Guys need some time back in their own homes.
Oilers still need another top line forward.
Unless they are sick as a team (non Covid) there is no excuse for a game like that.
As Tippet said, 5 star hotels and room service aren’t exactly rough.
Maybe put the X Boxes down boys and get some sleep.
Stuck in a hotel room for 22 hours a day for 14 days (except when traveling) – by yourself, isolated from society.
Tippett can say what he feels he needs to but there are undoubtably major effects.
Rest and restful rest are not same. I could not imagine being confined to a hotel for that many days straight and not lose my mind, five stars or not. Rest at home(restful rest) and some home cooking will go a long ways for the guys, I would think.
There are realities for being human, but the leeway for players at this level isn’t very wide.
You have personally been in worse stresses in your travel than these guys are, the least of whom get paid about 7300 a game per 82.
Be good almost always, or get better players.
Getting paid well is great – surely does not take away the effect of 14 days stuck in a hotel room for 22 hours.
I’m not sure how this is downvoted so many times. You’re 100% correct. Yeah it’s not a tough life but it’s a departure from the norm for them, and certainly a challenge for their mental health.
i think Tippett should own some of this as well. He may not be out there playing but it is the second time in two weeks on the second game of a back to back he went with the lineup from the night before and it didn’t end well.
I’m not sure how this is downvoted so many times.
3 guesses as to how
That’s just a stinker. Bury it and onto the next.
Sometimes a team can be flat. It happens. Just a lack of focus and intensity. I really don’t think it means anything. The Oilers are a good team, a playoff team, but not quite a championship-level team. When they play flat, they need the goalie to steal the game, but Koskinen wasn’t sharp either.
Ok, that sucked.
Now, get on that plane, get back home: kiss your wife/gf/mistress, pet your dog, eat some food from a fridge, feel some fresh air, converse with people in society as you go to the store.
Recharge mentally from a grueling 14-day stretch of isolation!
*wife, girlfriend, and mistress.
Trust me there isn’t a one that has a dog face
Did we even get a shot that PP?
I dunno, guys…it’s not looking good…might have to call this one…??
Safin, Cracknell, Lavoie, Griffith and Kesslering start the PP (starting PP2).
I still don’t get why the Oilers agreed to this game.
um yeah we know your schedule sucks but if we could just add a scheduled loss night at the end of this long road trip when you expected to be home already, hmm. That would be great
oh yeah also if we could add a b2b game right before the playoffs. That would be great.
also If you could come in on Saturday. That would be great!
Time to stop whining.
The rescheduling of games has the biggest impact on Montreal…their April schedule is BRUTAL since they had played 6 fewer games than most teams.
The Oilers actually dodged a bullet when their scheduled set of games was postponed.
Montreal and Dallas have by far the worst remaining schedules due to Covid since they have to pack their unplayed games into a very short time frame.
Actually the Habs somehow have 5 b2b games compared to the Oil 4, and 3 are against different opponents compared to 3 for the Oil.
BTW you should go look at your posts before the season started. You made a point about the rubber hitting the road plenty of times about the Oilers brutal schedule compared to the rest of the division. It’s amazing how that magically disappears when it’s not convenient
It disappeared when the Montreal games were postponed.
The Habs now have the toughest remaining schedule but have reinforcements coming in Toffoli, Staal and Caulfield and I don’t think Bergevin is done yet.
Who knows if it will be enough.
Who’s gonna catch them for that 4th spot then?
No one…the real question is can they parlay all those games in hand into a 2nd or 3rd place finish.
They already lead the Oilers in points percentage and goal differential.
Griffith with a quick pass to Safin in the slot and, boom, quick release and another goal for Safin.
3 goals last week for Safin and now he’s got his 4th.
Keep em coming! Nice to hear something positive tonight…..
Oilers are reminding me of the first 9 games of the season. So out of synch with each other.
this is like Toronto playing that dominant series
against us and then losing the next 2 against the Canucks
it happens
Not picking up Ned on waivers really stinks
I’d say he’s better than Koskinen already
i can’t believe how many teams missed this
Barrie benched?
One can only hope, he’s AWFUL defensively.
For the Frank’s Red Hot Sauce people squirting on the +/-, what game were you watching? What games have you watched?
Talk about LT’s Riverboat Gamblers.
Give me Bear Larsson Bouchard and a RD back up next year. And get a bigger better skating version of Bear if you can.
Nope
Draisaitl is exhausted.
Who come have seen that coming?
Larsson with a 2:15 shift.
A good coach runs the shit out of his best players, ESPECIALLY in a lost game. Tactics.
Was he exhausted yesterday too?
Is this like Campbell being exhausted after playing 6 games this season
Not being exhausted yesterday means he can’t be exhausted today?
He’s looked like his head has the right idea but his hands and legs aren’t obeying. Restful rest and home cooking should be just what the doctor ordered.
He clearly is going through a funk. It happens.
Don’t pay attention to the shot clock, it’s score effects.
Shotless stinker served = still superior to Sabres
Lucky they don’t have to play them or we’d find out.
Bad Buffalo boys = beaucoup belligerence, baby!
Maybe the Habs will employ a little game management and go to a prevent defense?
The Oilers consistently allow players to move into and through the slot uncontested. Has this caused any issues?
No, cause the goalie is supposed to stop all of it.
We need a skill goal, a garbage goal, a PP goal and a lucky one. Get it done.
The time for making excuses is over. McDavid will be 25 next season. 25.
Montreal picked up Stall for diddly and the Leafs Galch for the same. Oilers – sit on hands.
Despite holes in both of those positions.
The Oilers are in LTIR relief. Any trade has to be money in == to money out. It is a severe constrait, which is why one really doesn’t want to be LTIR-constrained.
One would hope an NHL GM might manage around small obstacles, right? There are ways to dispose of a little salary. Apparently the Habs were capped up according to Bergeron before the trade.
Skinner starts.
Lavoie is in and will play with Gambardella and Esposito.
Kemp also in
Niemelainen and Stanton back in!
Ouch. That period stings a little. Liking the top two lines, now. If we started the game playing like the second we would be in this game. Emotional letdown after playing playoff type games against the leafs? Or just an off game by everybody. Either way we need to learn to get up for All games, not just the perceived big ones. Sad to see Kos go out like this. I expect he’s done and maybe waived. I wanna see us play the third like the second and take that to the next game. Fingers crossed for lightning in a bottle in the 3rd!!!
Before anyone even says it, we need more shots and effort to the scoring areas. Effort counts but results matter more. Sorry if I stole anyone’s bullet points…Go Oilers!
Team too tired = Tabernac Tuesday
Yup, 3 in 4 taking its toll.
I see the same 3 who didn’t think the PP sucked last night, and that the Turris penalty early wasn’t bad also think the 3rd game in 4 nights isn’t taking a toll…or
Ignore the “votes” – they mean less than nothing.
I think the 14 days stuck in hotel rooms for 22 hours a day, alone, is taking more of a toll than the 3 in 4.
These guys need to get back to civilization, converse with people in real life (even at the grocery store for example), etc.
They will get home late tonight, have tomorrow off to see their family and get bac to “normal life”, practice on Thursday and ready to roll for the back to backs.
Talkin’ totally terrible trash traktor,
Fallout following failure = flattened Flames Friday?
Flames? Fuckin’ frog fuckers.
I think the high emotions of the TO series knocked them down a bit. Really off to start the game. Second was better but hard to climb out of a hole that deep. Let’s see some determination in the third!
Likely Leaves letdown = Leon losing legs?
Looks like.
Oilers just going through a losing stretch right now and they still got 3 points in 3 games.
Ups and downs happen with every team.
On to the next one!