The Edmonton Oilers are 5-0-0 and lead the Pacific Division and the NHL overall. As the seconds ticked down last night, I thought of all those nights when the season would bleed out in October and early November. I remember taking my little children trick or treating and being astonished that the playoffs and the Oilers could separate so quickly every fall.
Fans who endured Nadir’s Raiders, the fall for Hall, the fail for Nail, and all of the wacky things that happened between 2010 January and 2019 December, peace be with you. You have a team.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: Should Jesse Puljujarvi drive his own line for the Oilers in 2021-22?
- New DNB: He’s a one-shot scorer’: Oilers prospect Carter Savoie thriving at DU
- Lowetide: The Oilers finally have an effective third line — so how should they deploy it?
- Jonathan Willis: Success or failure for the Oilers could depend on their Duncan Keith-Cody Ceci tandem
- DNB: Evan Bouchard subscriber Q&A
- Lowetide: First impressions of 2021-22 Oilers — is this strong start sustainable?
- Lowetide: Which Oilers AHL players are most likely to be called up in 2021-22?
- DNB: The Battle of Alberta gets heated
- Lowetide: Evan Bouchard is going to be the Oilers’ secret weapon in 2021-22 — and he’s already showing why
- DNB: How the Oilers’ new-look second line wears down opponents and makes a difference.
- Lowetide: Amazing opening night facts on players, past and present, from Oilers opening night rosters
- DNB: New Oilers forward Zach Hyman may have a higher pay grade, but his style isn’t changing
- Jonathan Willis: Oilers final roster cuts
- Lowetide: How Ken Holland is increasing the Oilers’ talent pool, and why fans are nervous about it
- Lowetide: When will the Edmonton Oilers fully embrace analytics?
- Jonathan Willis: How the 2021-22 Oilers mirror their coach’s best teams from the past
- Lowetide: What might Oilers do if Kailer Yamamoto’s goal scoring slump continues?
WHAT TO EXPECT IN OCTOBER
- At home to: VCR, CAL, ANA (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 3-0-0)
- On the road to: ARI, VEG (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 2-0-0)
- At home to: PHI (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: VCR (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 5-2-0, 10 points in seven games
- Actual results: 5-0-0, 10 points in four games
My prediction had the Oilers 3-2-0 at this point, so I’m off the grid a little here. Then again, if I’d predicted 5-0-0 you all would have called the cops. So there’s that. Also, there are things to worry over. The five on five shot share is 45.8, good for No. 25 in the NHL. The five on five goal share (11-10 according to NST) is not a 5-0-0 calibre total, and special teams can’t, well, never mind.
GOALIES
Mikko Koskinen stopped 36 of 39, .923 and owns a .943SP and I’m happy for him. I hope fans can find it in them to give him credit for playing so well after it looked like he would barely play in the early weeks of the year. The Roy goal was a nice deflection, the Patrick goal was a nice deflection, the Hague goal was an enormous shot and it didn’t hit Koskinen.
DEFENSE
Darnell Nurse-Evan Bouchard went 18:06, 10-6 shots and 1-0 goals. A fine performance by both men, with three shots by Nurse and one good look by Bouchard. Remember that early goal where Bouchard wandered and Nurse chased? Bouchard has turned into Larry bleeding Murphy back there, everything important happens with him between the puck and the net. Watch him on the PK, he’s just deliberate and businesslike. My God he’s a player. This could be a tandem for a decade if the coach will let it be.
Duncan Keith-Cody Ceci played 15:58, going 7-14 and 1-2 goals. There was lots of chaos. Keith had a gorgeous assist on the Kassian goal, I don’t know if that was his aim (Foegele was in the flight path) but I’m not going to ruin a great moment by a guy more than half my age. Ceci had a shot and a couple of promising rushes. The pairing gave up two goals, but they were on sweet deflections. Keith had the puck in his space on the first goal but 97 fired it from (temporary) danger before he could identify it. Keith gets isolated easily, got caught along the wall once and chases too much. Ceci is far better than his Sens days, but is not a natural defender.
Kris Russell-Tyson Barrie played 10:57, going 4-11 shots and 1-1 goals. Wow. That’s a lot of real estate to be giving up in 11 five on five minutes. Russell had an assist on the nifty Draisaitl goal that featured Nuge leaping like he was on the cover of The Beatles ‘Twist and Shout” cover. Russell had two shots, one producing a rebound, Barrie took a penalty and had a giveaway. Nurse got more power-play time than Barrie.
LINES
Zach Hyman-Connor McDavid-Jesse Puljujarvi played 13:22, going 6-9 shots and 1-1 goals. Hyman is the best free-agent signing in Oilers history, I’d go public with that line but have been rambling on for 15 years about sample sizes so will not speak of it. Yet. Splendid game. Two goals, three shots, played in all three game states. My goodness he’s a player. McDavid was 0-2-2 with seven shots and animated from the opening whistle. Buddy’s intense in these games. Puljujarv was a part of the Hyman even-strength goal, he made a deft pass to McDavid (that’s a phrase you’ll read a lot this year) and then took a hit in front of the net as part of the chaos. This line was solid on the trip, hope to see them again.
Nuge-Leon Draisaitl-Kailer Yamamoto played 12:04, going 7-8 shots and 1-0 goals. Nuge made a fantastic pass to Leon for his early goal, what a shot and what a leap! Nuge filled up every forward column except a goal and a penalty. Draisaitl was 2-1-3 with seven shots on the night, he was a little nasty too and that means he’s involved. Yamamot had a great night, DNB mentioned it was probably his best game of the year (or the first game). KY had one HDSC and drew a penalty.
Warren Foegele-Derek Ryan-Zack Kassian played 10:22, going 5-7 shots and 1-2 goals. Foegele had three takeaways, Ryan had an average night and Kassian scored the winner. He said he blacks out on breakaways. Great line. The No. 3 trio has been the best surprise of the early season, although young Bouchard has shocked the shoes of many.
Tyler Benson-Devin Shore-Colton Sceviour played 7:34, going 3-6 shots and no goals. Benson played a conservative game, got in on the forecheck, had one reasonable look. There was a point in the game where he riffed about three great passes, would like to see him again. Benson’s passing is stunningly good. One of those passes will eventually find twine and the coach will commence to thinking about how the Oilers can use him. Devin Shore had one HDSC and worked like a bugger and Sceviour had a quiet night. That’s a good thing.
NEW for The Athletic: Oilers prospect Philip Broberg showing his potential — and need for improvement — in early AHL games
https://theathletic.com/2907665/2021/10/23/lowetide-oilers-prospect-philip-broberg-showing-his-potential-and-need-for-improvement-in-early-ahl-games/
Sounds like Broberg has had a Good start ..?
Glad to hear.
The Niemelainen play I mentioned earlier:
https://twitter.com/bcurlock/status/1452129889788706818
Lavoie not even on the ice for the 6 on 5 with the goalie pulled.
The offensive zone draw is lost and the Heat score from their own end.
Broberg with a beautiful backhand pass across the neutral zone to Hamblin for a quick break.
A couple of minutes later he shows off his great skating for a zone exit and zone entry and a nice backhand pass to the attacker driving the wing.
Broberg’s attributes on display late here down by one.
McLeod tries to pull up (curl back) after a zone entry and falls down turning the puck over for an odd-man rush the other way (Niemelainen had joined the rush for the Condors – as he should have) – Heat take a 3-2 lead.
Tough break for McLeod.
Very noticeable tonight – Tim Schaller – I guess that makes sense given, you know, he’s 30 years old and has played like 250 NHL games. I just totally forgot that he signed an AHL deal and that he was a material player at this level.
Condors really are run by veterans up front and kids (plus Berglund and Lagesson) on the backend.
I’ve always liked him, glad I get to see him playing in the organization.
Good to see Larsson torching the Canucks with those sick mitts! Arena is bumping.
Watched the panther flyer game tonight. Marchment jr honestly really caught my eye in a good way.
Condors give it right back again…… Schaller whiffs on a backhand flip clear while shorthanded and the puck goes to the right side for a snap shot that beats Rodrigue clean – great shot.
Lavoie was in the box – can’t say if it was a bad penalty because if was off-camera but it was a “hook behind the play”.
It was visible, I rewound it and found it. It was fairly innoucuos, but stick was parallel to the ice, just inside the Dzone on the RW boards. He simply can’t do that lazy stickwork.
He missed a shift after that, I noticed.
Thank you.
What a play by Niemelainen, the puck was given away high in the offensive zone, great speed and angle by Nielmelainen to stop a break away, take the puck, turn up ice and make a stretch pass on the tape while being pressured……. that was Chris Pronger shit.
Oh ya, Condors scored on the ensuing rush – nice pass by McLeod to feed Schaller for a tap-in (Marody with the second apple).
My goodness Marcus Niemelainen
https://twitter.com/jfreshhockey/status/1452100131256418309?s=21
jfresh trolling his own model
Now there is a good shift by Lavoie – solid cross-ice pass to Cracknell for a good chance, followed by find some open space in the slot (but firing high and wide) and then coming from the middle to the side-boards and getting a bang in that led to the puck not being cleared.
Now, if he could play like that with any sort of consistency….
I didn’t think beating good teams that are missing a few players counted but the Penguins, missing Malkin, Rust and Crosby, beat the Leafs 7-1 so I’m confused – these aren’t free spots on the bingo card and “lesser wins”?
Leafs were just weaponizing their cap space
enough cap space to bring in a u of t goaler this week .
I should add, Letang was also out for this game.
Griffith back to the point to Broberg on the PP, he walks the line (right to left), sifts a wrister on net and Marody tips it in.
That’s 3 PP assists for Broberg in 3 games and a bit.
Heat tie it up very quickly – Gravel walks in to the high slot and snpas one home – Kesselring, for some reason, was chasing up high almost holding hands with his teamate winger….. no reason for him to leave the middle of the ice so wide open for Gravel to walk in.
Habs win. The Great Poutine Riots of 2021 on Rue Saint-Catherine have been put on hold.
Rodrigue getting the start for the Condors.
Interesting – Skinner got both games last weekend (and he was just OK in the first) and Konovalov was OK last night but doesn’t get the second game.
Savoie held off the scoresheet – did lead the team with 4 shots on net in a 5-1 loss (dash 1).
Where are the LA King updates?
Those off-season moves clearly working out well agains so far tonight.
If they’re not doing well, he just largely ignores his “book it” predictions and focuses on a few of the other 30 possible teams that are doing well. So. Much. Fun.
Oil King Jake Neighbours with his first NHL goal to give STL a 4-1 lead on the Kings.
The Oilers have played ONE team that made the playoffs last season.
That ONE team was missing FOUR of its best players.
Might want to put it back in your pants for a bit.
Your goal posts are experiencing some epic bends at the moment lol
Someone get this man some Tums.
I’m not sure what that has to do with the LA King game updates.
I mean, they were coming full steam in their opening victory and when they were leading in one other game.
They don’t seem to be coming during any periods of being down (let alone blown out) – must be a coincidence.
Triggered!
Those changes to the Kings are sure paying off for them. Right?
with 3 points out of a possible 10
But you said Vancouver and Calgary would make the playoffs this year. That was your bold prediction. Completely bailed on them already, huh? What conviction!
That would not fit the anti-Oiler narrative.
You would get more out of taking your Viagra and playing with yourself! It’s obvious you’re in love with you!?
Tough to do more when you play in a division where ONE team (non-Oilers) made the playoffs last season.
How soon before the Leafs fire the coach? I’ll guess by game 20.
Wasn’t Sheldon who built that roster. How much heat is Dubas taking????
I’ll call on Dubas and raise you a Shanahan who chose Dubas over Lamoreillo.
NHL considering not testing players (and staff) that don’t have any symptoms. Protocol review scheduled for next week:
https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/ice-breakers-nhl-debating-covid-19-testing-requirements-for-asymptomatic-players/
That’s interesting. If the whole team is vaccinated why keep testing asymptomatic team members? Would result in fewer players ending up in quarantine when they have no issues and also would help with the false positive issue. There is also the cost and time of the continuous testing. Wonder what there decision will be??
Friedman just said he doubted there would be any changes.
As DL pointed out as of this morning Oil had 5 wins
Knights + Avs + Kraken + Kings had 4 wins combined.
Real. And. Spectacular.,
Here’s this preview of the WG/Bettman .500 road race as of this morning:
+5 EDMONTON
+4 SAN JOSE
+3 st louis / minnesota
+1 dallas
par VANCOUVER / CALGARY
-1 ANAHEIM / winnipeg / LOS ANGELES
-2 SEATTLE / nashville / colorado / VEGAS
-3 arizona
-4 chicago
The Chicago number really catches the eye with a killer like Kubalik wearing their jersey.
One major change I’ve noticed with Nuge is he’s now passing when right in front of the net. The past couple of years he would try a quick wrist shot that would get saved by the goalie. Last night it resulted in a Drai goal
Night 2 at the beer festival. Lordy.
Petrov starting to heat up again, after his 1G/1A game last night, he’s got an early first period apple.
Petrov adds a second first period assist on the PP.
Thanks for all your updates they are much appreciated!
Bouchard’s goal song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An2a1_Do_fc&ab_channel=YouMeandmyMusic
People who say Benson can’t skate at an NHL level are wrong. He’s plenty fast.
That talking point can be put to rest permanently. Add that to the passing and the overall effort and he is an NHL player. Those who think otherwise are wrong.
I’m of a similar opinion.
You might find it easier to get your point across with a little more charity and civility in your wording.
Just a thought.
Okay, if you say so.
l prefer Perlini and Turris as 4th line wingers. Perlini can cover a lot more ice than Benson. Benson looks like more of a plugger to me. Turris looks like he can actually create a little offense from the wing.
I had written Turris off after last year, but he looks pretty good on the wing. So far.
I prefer Benson and Perlini
Turris should be a 4 th line ace like Spezza was
Not so far and Benson has more edge that they need
I like that the Oilers have the depth now to keep competition in the 10-12F spot
I’ve come around on Benson. I hope he gets 50-60 games and locks himself into a role for next season
Just one question! When were you crowned as the all knowing! I understand your passion but your people skills need some work.
On the subject of Nadir’s Raiders & the fail for Nail, it’s time for the semi-regular post that nobody asked for but we all receive whenever I remember to actually log in – the (used to be weekly) Yak report!
I am a proud papa – my son appears to be recovering from the effects of long-covid that ruined his season last year and were rumoured to be career-ending (according to a random Russian media source I found last summer, which clearly couldn’t be trusted). Currently playing 2RW & PP1 on Avangard Omsk, Yak’s boxcars are a respectable 20gp – 6g-7a-13p, good enough for 2nd in goals & tied for 3rd in points on his club.
Belov Bonus:
Anton Belov is not currently playing hockey. His status and whereabouts are unknown at this time (though, to be fair I didn’t try all that hard to find him).
And my other brother Anton:
Anton Lander now plays for HC Zug in the Swiss league. His boxcars are also quite respectable: 11GP- 5G-6A-11P. Interestingly, he now also plays RW rather than C.
конец передачи
Tragedy about the Belov Bonus being Busted. I hope he finds a team. At least we have the Lander Legacy to keep us going.
I’ve been incredibly impressed by Bouchard’s defensive stick these first few games, been fantastic and not really something he showed off in Sweden last season nor in his NHL cups of tea.
I think Nurse’s defensive stick looks a lot better as well this season don’t know if it’s been a focus from the coaches or if Keith, who is like an old zen master with the quick pokechecks, is rubbing off on them. Wasn’t that many seasons ago the only Oiler D who could make a quality pokecheck was Klefbom, now you see them all over the place.
Another thing impressing me wrt Bouchard is how incredibly strong he is on the puck, he’s in full control of the puck despite having a player draped over him which helps him make those clean breakout passes.
Another game with a so so start, Koskinen had to come up big a few times early, but nice to see them settle in and push back.
The PP!!! It’s like hockey heroin.
So far this season it’s individual players playing well more than a strong team game 5 on 5 winning the games. Still some job to do wrt the x’s and o’s but a lot of guys feeling it out there and it looks like they’ve come together nicely as a group on and off the ice.
I think some of the credit on improved stick checking for the defense needs to go to Jim Playfair. Tippett has mentioned numerous times over the past couple of seasons that they have been working with the both the forwards and defense to focus not only having more active sticks but also having the sticks in the right place. It is part of the fundamentals Tippett talks about building into the Oilers’ game and it has progressively improved over the last 2+ seasons. Having an active stick needs to be combined with the expertise of knowing when and where to put it.
Keith comes with this skill already built in as that has been one of his hallmarks over his career. Bouchard’s forearm strength allows him to wield his stick very easily with just one hand, which combined with his smarts and reach, helps him be very effective in this regard. That was probably something Playfair worked with him on all last season while he was on the Taxi-Squad. Nurse has the same attributes, but probably didn’t get as much coaching on this facet from the prior staff.
One very impressive thing about Bouchard (amongst many) is his innate sense of where guys are. I think it’s the hardest thing for a d-man, to have a sense where opposing forwards are in order to not get beat on the back door play.
Nurse had struggles with that for years, though of course now his awareness is exceptional.
Button’s Larry Murphy comparison may yet prove to be astute. What a game changer that would be for the franchise.
Hey. I was first with the Larry Murphy comp a couple of years ago.
I think Craig Button had it on Bouchard’s draft day. That’s where I got it.
I’ve always seen Bouchard as a John Carlson type
Thinking about it, no doubt Sarros will be the starter but I think Mikko is likely named to the Finnish Olympic Team, no?
Maybe they take a 3G from Liiga but the Finnish tending factory hasn’t be pumping out product like a decade ago. I think Korpisalo and Lankinen are the only other NHL competition.
Won’t Tukka Rask be healthy by then?
Hyman is in the same lunch pail gang as Adam Graves, Ryan Smyth and Craig Simpson who was probably one of the most underrated Oiler’s ever. Craig had the misfortune of being traded for Coffey.
Bob Stauffer voice:
*who was the last Oiler to score 50 goals before Leon?*
Kassian is so polarizing.
First he doesn’t get the puck in deep, gets an icing that leads to a GA.
Next shift he gets it back.
And then he takes bonehead penalty on the Foegele break.
Why is it so hard for him to gain some consistency.
One minute he’s a liability the next an asset.
and back and forth it goes.
Foegele and Ryan may be good enough so Kassian might be accidentally be able to do enough good to offset all of the bad. But such a high event player in the bottom six is never really an asset.
But because of his linemates, he might be less of a liability during the regular season than usual..
If this line keeps playing the way they have been somebody is going to attach a name for this line that sticks. This line we be talked about at schools and water coolers for years to come.
If Ryan could have won a defensive zone faceoff last night to pick up his linemate, Kass wouldn’t have had to accidentally put that puck 5-hole on the breakaway.
You really need to find a new whipping boy! You have been overboard on your criticism of Kassian from the start but know it’s your credibility that is in question! I suggest you give it a rest!
Ass officially covered
I think ‘bottom six’ is no longer a real thing. It seems to me that it is more a top 9 and bottom 3 these days and that means that the idea that the third line should be low event loses credibility.
I think the new normal is that the 3rd line is two way play as opposed to the older version as a shutdown line.
I can’t even express how amazed I am at Nuge’s play this season.
The guy is picking pockets in neutral zone and turning it to GOLD
Then he picks passes out of thin air and turns it into GOLD
The guy is an alchemist i tell you, and he’s on another level reading the play this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reFlgu1vq3Q
I can hear Stevie Nicks but I can’t see her ?
Glorious song though
He looked Datsyukian at times last night.
Looking at the league player stats I’m recalling a feeling I had in the 80’s where around half of the top-ten point leaders (or goals) were all Oilers.
I imagine this won’t last. My memory says I should be able to flip a few pages and find a Far Side cartoon or a Cathy.
Did you notice some teams have only played 3 games to the Oilers 5?
Using P/GP, they only have 2 in the top 20.
Only…lol. You are a real piece of work.
You mis spelled shit
I, for one, don’t care. I was there for seasons where watching the oilers was like passing kidney stones through your eyeballs. I’m gonna enjoy the good times, even if someone on the internet thinks I’m wrong.
But the sample size of Oilers above ppg is getting higher with each passing game while the other guys are falling off
Did you notice the Knights, Avs, Kraken and Kings are all searching for a second win while the rest of your favorite teams all equally suck like the fore mentioned 1 win teams?
Did you notice the Knights, Avs, Kraken, and Kings have less wins combined then the Oilers? With each one of these teams playing at least 4 games so far.
Down so bad.
By P/GP, there’s arguably not a single player in the top 32 that isn’t in a dead lock for regression to the meat. Conner at 2.60 either regresses to the meat or posts a 213 point season. I can’t rule that out as entirely impossible (or at least, not in Edmonton). But let’s just say that it’s a full shelf up in Willy Wonka’s tallest pantry from merely generational.
Are you liking Kyrou (who?) to finish the season at 191 points? Kopitar at 184 points? Drai at 180?
You know there’s this funny thing in statistics when you ask someone if Conner will finish at 213 points, and the answer comes back quick: not in my lifetime. And then you ask about Drai to finish at 180 points, and the answer comes back nearly as quick.
But now for coup de grace: What about Connor at 213 and Drai at 180 in the same season.
Now the answer does not come back nearly as quickly. Well, the person reasons, if Connor got 213 points there’s no reason Drai wouldn’t have 180; also if Drai gets 180, it’s hardly unreasonable to suppose that Conner gets 213 points. Both of these observations are true. All this truth confuses the mind, and the answer comes back fairly quick: hey, let me think about that, as a package deal it’s weirdly compelling.
The problem is that most people haven’t fully internalized the difference between truth and coherence—not to name any names, present company almost universally excluded.
Moving on down from the P/GP nose bleeds, Marchand at 1.67 has actually posted a 100-point season. Are you liking him this year to finish out at 137?
Okay, that rules out K2. Moving on down to the 1.50 bracket, we have ten baccalaureates of small sample size. A meager 120 point season in this bracket will spare you from a painful season-long regression marathon. I’m not seeing many recent Hart-trophy recipients, as illustrious as some of the names here may be. Perhaps if someone runs Jack Hughes through a Poolparty-grade horse whisperer. In the “moonshot” category for Cinderella outcomes, he might indeed be the best dark horse available.
That pretty much rules out the whole of the Himalayas.
Nuge is all by himself at 1.40, over in the Andes. Suppose he finishes at 115 points. That would not entirely count as grist for the mill that Edmonton’s recent domination in the individual scoring race is not a real thing.
While we are in the business of sciencing every last Andean potato, we must likewise set aside Kassian from the 1.25 tranche. His 102-point season would also not burnish the narrative of an Edmontonian flash in the pan.
I don’t memorize career statistics like many here, but Barkov jumps out at me from the 1.25 tranche as a name to remember (though a thick layer of keloidsuppression forbids me to recall why). He’s already got a 96-point season under his belt, plus he exceeded a PPG last season. Absolutely he could post 102 points this season.
But here’s the problem. He’s currently in a multi-way tie—with Zack Kassian no less—for P/GP position 40. From this distant post, he’ll have to post a PB season for the ages to escape regression to the meat.
Connor is almost certainly due for a come-down from his current 213 point pace. And so is every other player from rungs 2 through 39.
And since we are not only sciencing all the potatoes, but peeling them, too, it behooves me to point we have yet another homeboy contestant in the 1.20 P/GP tranche as well: one Zaccy-come-lately (so christened by The Eagles above).
As a principled matter, one might decide to place the cut line at top 32. That’s a nice binary number and as a computer scientist I’m innately attracted to such things. (Perhaps I’m innately attracted to such numbers because they so often arise naturally out of such things as single-elimination playoff structures, such that none of the divisions in leagues of binary sizes are haves or have-nots on day one in October, to use the Canadian secular new year.)
We have three member so this rarefied binary crew: Connor at 2.60 P/GP, Drai at 2.20, and well-above pool par at 1.60, followed by ten “squeakers” from away who barely gain entry at 1.50 P/GP.
Second binary banana, positions 33–64, we also have three illustrious members on a P/GP basis: Nuge leading the crop at 1.40 P/GP, the Zac twins at 1.25 and 1.20, and not a single slack member of the eleven-member red-lantern brigade who barely make the squeaker cut at 1.00 P/GP.
We haven’t managed to triple league average on representation in both brigades (weighted to the top in both cases) by having a crazy insane opening season game like LA, followed by a lax LAX schedule, so that half the team can sit there in the firmament coasting on a single good outing. No, we are actually tied for the most games played out of all teams in the league. (Nope, wrong, continuing down the leader board I spotted Zibanejad with six games played at position 70 in P/GP. Hmm, that sixth game-played must be a brutal affair, regression to the meat incarnate, with chips on top.)
Well, a fair number of players from away do indeed have games in hand over our current homeboy platoon of vibranium-haloed statistical outliers (lies, damned lies, and transcontinental statistical outliers). But all the players involved are staring regression to the meat across a grubby Nepalese table stacked up with Marion Ravenwood’s finest century shot glasses (which incidentally is one of Spielberg’s legendary “oners” that doesn’t call attention to itself—and is far harder than it looks to actually pull off).
Games in hand at this remote elevation are worth less than they appear in a Toht skin print—meltworthy Toht skin, as we later discover at the surreptitious hands of the swooping, streaming, pickpocket Ark-wraiths.
Agreed, suck it HH!
It’s okay to wear your McDavid jersey in public you know.
If Tippett keeps green lighting the mobile D we have, 80’s here we come.
Based on what has happened to MacKinnon, Scheifele, Wheeler, Letang and now Kane, Carpenter and Gustafson, the Oilers need to be careful in Vegas. While the Oilers are all vaccinated, and so if they do still manage to contract it, would much more likely to be a symptomatic like most of the above, these guys are all missing games because of it.
It used to be “watch out what you get at Spearmint Rhino”, now it’s “watch out for Covid”. Times have sure changed.
Flames lead 3-0 after one.
Flames tied 3-3 after two.
Is Ovechkin still the most automatic pick to score each game? When it was 3-2 I said to myself, well I know that Ove still has to score and then I check 10 mins later and he’s tied it up.
I remember reading how going down 2-0 or 2-1 against the Sutter Flames would be a death sentence for teams.
4-3 Flames in OT.
Lindholm with a hat trick.
Awe look everyone this fella is still down so bad.
The flames very well could be in a very close race for a wild card spot – not getting regulation wins could be the kill shot.
Come on Capitals! I want you to win so I have a day of entertainment from reading Calgary Puck!
Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) Tweeted:
An undefeated Oilers team having one of the most efficient powerplay units in the league = not surprising.
The Sharks, 4-0-0 with the most efficient PP unit – didn’t see that coming. https://t.co/kWFpvGHpz7
https://twitter.com/MikeKellyNHL/status/1451983168844845062?s=20
(click to see chart)
He’s down so bad lol
Most efficient powerplay “unit” – Irrelevant!
Taking into account all configurations of every teams power play, the Oilers have far and away the most efficient power play at 23.55 goals per 60, almost 50% above (Oh My!) 2nd place and almost double San Jose who sit 6th at 12.85 goals per 60.
Sample sample size, you say; reversion to the mean; unsustainable!.
Well, since for the last two seasons +, the Oilers efficiency has been almost 20% higher (Goodness Gracious!) than the second place team (newflash, that is not the Sharks either by a long shot), any reversion to the mean heavily favours the Oilers.
The Oiler Power Play is real and it is spectacular! Not a coach on the planet would take their power play unit over McDavid, Draisailtl, Nuge and anyone else the Oilers throw out with them – they’re the goods!.
Jesse has developed in to a player that does all the “little things” that make a big difference – a bull on puck retrieval including poking pucks free (and to teammates) with his stick, getting the puck to his skilled linemates and then getting to the front of the net, subtle but intentional plays to create space for his teammates – its really something.
For me, Bouch’s defensive and PK game coming on strong is not surprising. I was saying this in the off-season – he is such a smart hockey player and a student of the game (from accounts) and if you combine that brain with his size/length and skill, it won’t take long before he’s a plus player in the defensive zone.
This player is going to be a full on top pairing d-man – combine that with Nurse and, my goodness in a year or two.
I wouldn’t trade Brogan Rafferty for him though. Bouchard is too old to be elite.
The Kraken goal song.
https://youtu.be/pkcJEvMcnEg
https://youtu.be/4itm0SRxAro
we all thought this was gonna be their song
It appears the hive mind was wrong.
you would think they would weaponize some of that cap space so they would actually need a goal song
Does Chicago owe CLB their first round pick this year if it is top-5?
Ditto Montreal owing AZ their first in a reactive trade to acquire a mediocre centre?
No and probably not?
https://www.capfriendly.com/draft/2022?pick=2
Dom has the Oil now at 97% of making playoffs and 64% chance of winning division
We are now the most likely team to win a division and 3rd most likely team to win cup
Pretty amazing that 5 games in we have pretty much locked a playoff spot
Already 7 points clear of 8th in the conference.
8 points clear of the only other team in the division expected to make the playoffs.
Hay has been made.
Anyone trade Kass for Tobias Reider today? 🙂
.
.
.
Jigs line…..
Love the “Jigs line” part of the comment. 😉
I think everybody is too busy trying to trade Barrie 5 games into the season.
Or not trading Koskinen 2 1/2 games into his season.
I’m not sure, has Yamamoto come off the trade block after last night or are we happy with him on the 4th line now?
I lose track.
10 points in 5 games is very, very nice.
The oilers are 5-0 and there are some people who would trade Barrie for a pick and throw a rookie onto our 3rd pair d!
Yup, but not until he has regained some trade value
Caps goalie is struggling today.
SO effing happy that Foegele, Ryan and Kass have not just “accepted” their roles on team, but are actually enjoying the challenge, and understanding just how important they are to overall team success.
Music!
#TeamWorkMakesTheDreamWork
I iove this line and I have no doubt Foegele buries the breakaway that the Refs denied him of. Foegele and Hyman tenacious forechecking is wearing off on everyone. I can’t wait for the hound dog Holloway to get into games hopefully with 10-12 games left in the regular season.
Hopefully McLeod and Holloway find some chemistry in Bakersfield and are ready to roll when the big club needs them.
Since Kassian joined the unit 4 games ago, they have SCORED in every game. Big goals too. Three first goals, a third period game-tying tally & a third-period game-winner.
They bled a little last night, 2 GA, but got 1 back. I remember all too well the days (or was it decades) that every goal against the bottom six bled would be a net -1 on the night,
After talking about how great it was yesterday to finally a face-off man. I believe Ryan lost to face-offs that led directly to 2 fluke goals.
I think the 3rd line bleed was off defensive zone faceoff losses in both cases, right?
now we just need to fix the 4th line
The fourth line had multiple shifts in the 3rd period with a one goal lead including a shift with less than 3 minutes left.
If the fourth line can be trusted in that situation, to me, nothing to fix – I’ll take the fourth line not being on the ice for a goal all year.
The big tell of what Tippett thinks of them is how many times he throws them on the ice after a goal to keep momentum going. They know to get it deep and have a great forechecking shift to let Drai or Connor’s line take over in the offensive zone. How many times last year did we get a goal, and then the other team scored on the next shift?
Koskinen outperformed the defense in front of him imo.
With a tighter defense, Koski looks solid. He was a big part of that win imo.
As big a part as any of Hyman, McDavid, Nurse, Nuge, Draisaitl or Bouch, in this one game.
Yeah I think both Smith and Kostco have outperformed the D
Koskinen outperformed the goalie at the other end.
2 games in a row!
For me, the biggest negative so far this year is our play in our own zone. When the goalie cleans up your mess, most people don’t notice it. So far our goalies are cleaning up the messes, but I don’t see this as sustainable. Oilers are requiring above average goaltending and playing below average defense. If nothing else, our scintillating power play is going to make refs reluctant to give us power plays. Wouldn’t want to decide the game by doing their jobs, after all. Much better to decide games by not doing their jobs.
100% agree. The Oilers results so far are a bit better than they deserve IMHO – the tending and PP are covering over a few cracks. Five on five I thought Vegas were marginally the better team last night but, quite rightly, the Hockey Gods decided a team with such awful helmets could not be allowed to win.
Those helmets are ghastly. I am surprised the players haven’t filed a grievance with the league.
With the new league wide cross checking crackdown I believe this rule benefits players such as Hyman who make a living in the blue paint.
Hyman, Foegele, Kass
The Blue Man Group
Let’s not forget Bootyjarvi
Yessa! Butt of course!
Great start to the year for the team and the majority of the players. Some room for improvement. There is still too much chaos in their own end too often and they are giving up too many shots against. Some minor complaints 😉
Not minor….material
Not a complaint…an observation
🙂
Hyman, Foegele, Ryan, Sceviour, Perlini, Benson, Keith & Ceci all new to the team and I would add Turris, Koekkoek, & Bouchard as pretty much new since none of them played many games last year due to various reasons.
I know some of those guys are minor parts of the team but that is 11 names on a 23 man roster. I’m surprised there hasn’t been more chaos to be honest.
Nuge has always been a great passer, but this year his passing has reached another level.
The backhand-aerial-wall-stretch-area pass he made from the d-zone faceoff dot up the boards into the neutral zone to send McDavid streaking away was something else. I hit the 7-second rewind several times to enjoy that one in all its glory.
Has already matched last year’s totals for 5v5 primary assists, with both being gorgeous feeds.
Now he just needs to light the lamp to get that aspect of his game going,
Which team needs a “3RD PP specialist”?
Montreal come on down!
No sugar added.
It’s early yet and we have miles to go, but it seems plausible – maybe likely – that 13 and 75 emerge as elite NHL players by the end of the year and the 3rd and 4th most important players on the team. That would be an enormous outcome and bode extremely well for the next 5 years. The Oil would have the two best players (or 2 of top 4 depending on where Makar and McKinnon slot in) in the league plus a a Hossa and Larry Murphy.
Interesting thought.
It has long been 97 & 29 as #1 and 1a, with Nuge and Nurse the #3 & 4 players, and then a steep drop off.
With Bouchard and JP grabbing the mantle, Hyman joining Nuge, and the rest of the depth group elevating, the Oilers can field outscorers throughout the lineup.
I love Bouchard but he has a LONG way to go to become more important than Nurse.
Went over the scoring plays again this morning. The Oilers turned the game in 72 seconds when first the 97 line, then the 29 line connected to make it 3-2. What both goals had in common was a great defensive stick by Nurse at the Edmonton blue line to disrupt a Vegas rush and get the puck heading north on the counter. Never got an ounce of mention either time.
Thanks for digging into the tape on that. If Nurse can maintain what he did last year (albeit unlikely to shoot 10% again), and continue to make those season over season adjustments that push his game higher, that’s gold. What gives me slight pause is he may have peaked already and will be 27 half way thru this season. If he regresses a bit or more than a bit moving forward Bouchard could pass him. But yeah – I think you’re right. Bouch has to get a lot better fast and prove he can be consistent before he would have a case to be as good or better than Nurse. Bouch seems to think the game better than Nurse did at a similar age. If he can marry that to the kind of dedication Nurse brings to his craft, man, that’ll be a hell of a player.
I would say 4th and 5th most important players at best as I firmly have Darnell Nurse in the top 3 (maybe even #2).
It could be tough to put Jesse ahead of Nuge as well given how Nuge touches all game states – his PK work is important.
Fair points. I think 13 could be a great penalty killer but he has not proven that yet. Nice to have enough quality forwards that he has to wait in line to get his chance. Remember when TMac would have 97 killing penalties? We’ve come a long way since then.