My favorite forwards are the guys who can impact the game at both ends of the ice, and Kailer Yamamoto did just that against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night. After suppressing a high-danger chance by hauling ass and interfering without getting caught, the young winger raced down the ice for a strong shot on goal and an assist when Warren Foegele scored on the rebound.
I was more thrilled by the defense than the offense, but both showed what Yamamoto can do. Slumps are tough, especially for a young player, but No. 56 is working through it the old fashioned way: Hard work.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: 7 AHL trade targets that could immediately improve Oilers’ NHL forward depth
- DNB: How Stuart Skinner became Oilers’ ‘young goalie on the rise’
- Lowetide: Oilers still haven’t replaced Adam Larsson’s nasty edge and goal suppression ability
- DNB: Oilers’ 5-game losing streak highlights 5 glaring issues that need to be fixed
- Lowetide: If the losing continues will the Oilers make a coaching change?
- Lowetide: Oilers prospect Carter Savoie’s comparables, why he wasn’t selected for the world juniors
- Lowetide: Markus Niemelainen winning Oilers recall battle
- DNB: Ethan Bear is rising above and thinking big
- Lowetide: Tyson Barrie’s contract and skill set make his Oilers future uncertain
- Lowetide: Oilers may find inspiration from 1993-94 Detroit Red Wings
- DNB: Several Oilers issues coming to a head
- Jonathan Willis: Which Oilers are on track to make their countries’ 2022 Olympic hockey teams?
- Lowetide: Evan Bouchard’s first full NHL season a learning experience
- Lowetide: Analyzing Cody Ceci’s importance to the Edmonton Oilers and future deployment
- Lowetide: Oilers top 20 prospects, winter 2021
- DNB: Brendan Perlini subscriber Q&A
- DNB: Oilers turn to Markus Niemelainen
- Lowetide: The Oilers won often in November, but is their roster built to keep winning this way?
- Lowetide: Is the Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl even better than we think? A look at his stunning historic comparables
WHAT TO EXPECT IN DECEMBER
- At home to: PIT (Expected 0-1-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
- On the road to: SEA (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-1-0)
- At home to: LAK, MIN, BOS, CAR, TOR, CBJ (Expected 3-3-0) (Actual 1-5-0)
- On the road to: SEA (Expected 0-1-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
- At home to: ANA (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: LAK, SJS, CAL, STL, NJD (Expected 3-2-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 8-7-0, 16 points in 15 games
- Actual December results: 3-6-0, 6 points in 9 games
- Oilers in 2021-22: 18-11-0, 36 points in 29 games
I had the Oilers going 4-5-0 through the first nine games of the month, Edmonton currently stands at 3-6-0. The toughest part of the schedule should be over for this month, I see possible wins against Los Angeles, San Jose and New Jersey. If the Oilers can grab another somewhere, they’ll land at 7-8-0, within spitting distance of my prediction.
- Stuart Skinner stopped 14- of 17, .824 and picked up his first road win on a night when he showed some inconsistency. The first goal was a miss by the goalie, that happens and the key is to recover quickly. He played well enough, but the second goal featured little support from his defensive crew, who left Jared McCann all alone net front. Skinner had his stick on the ice to intercept the pass, but missed it, and that’s all she wrote. The third goal saw the rookie stopper fail to identify where the rebound landed, and meant he was out of position for the shot. He is .916 on the season, 3-5-0, I’m hopeful he gets another 10 games this season.
- Darnell Nurse was active and high event in over 26 minutes. He totaled six shots, five hits, two blocks, and a giveaway. He also shot five times at the net, created a rebound and was on the ice for the Soucy GA. No fault on the play for No. 25, two shots from range beat the goaltender. Paired with Barrie, I find that duo less dynamic. Nurse played the final 3:50 of the game.
- Tyson Barrie had an evening of hockey and wrestling, posting five shots on goal. He was the culprit on the turnover that allowed the Yamamoto heroics, and on the ice for the Soucy goal (couldn’t block the shot while protecting a wide open net). Passing skills were on display, he’s an effective passer.
- Cody Ceci picked up an assist on McDavid’s EN goal, had two hits, one block, giveaway and takeaway. The Donato goal was on the goalie, but on the second goal Ceci and Lagesson were focused on the puck passer (who can’t score from behind the net) and not on the guy impersonating Phil Esposito in the slot. That was a poor moment from the veteran.
- William Lagesson had one shot, four hits, and made the same mistake on the McCann goal as Ceci (described above) except at the other net so he gets the added downbeat for not interfering with the net-front pass. He’s on the bubble now, with Slater Koekkoek now back and several options on the roster but not currently available.
- Slater Koekkoek made several subtle defensive plays of note, he seemed pretty sharp for a guy who hasn’t played in some time. He had a shot on goal, a hit and a block and was 3-0 in five-on-five goals.
- Evan Bouchard was 1-1-2, 3-0 goals, and had a major impact on the game. His goal came with the team down 2-0 and looking less confident by the second. It gave the club life. His assist came on the pivotal goal of the evening, as Warren Foegele pushed toward the net and eventually deflecting it in. Impressive work by an emerging player, he is 5-13-18 in 29 games and leads Edmonton’s defense in points.
- Leon Draisaitl had two assists at five-on-five and another on the power play. Just one shot on goal, and his line continues to bleed goals when teams are at even strength recently. He turned over one puck and was strong in all areas. He is 23-26-49 in 29 games, extrapolated over an entire season we’re looking at 65-74-139, basically Phil Esposito 50 years ago.
- Brendan Perlini had two shots, four hits and produces the sound of thunder when he shoots. Look, he might not work out there’s lot about his play away from the puck that isn’t airtight, but on a team that needs shooters this guy can’t wait to crank up the cannon.
- Kailer Yamamoto made a grand defensive play and then helped with the Foegele equalizer at the other end. Fantastic shift, amazing. He had a couple of HDSC, took a penalty and had two shots on goal. What a game!
- Connor McDavid had one assist, two high-danger chances and two shots at five-on-five, two takeaways and won a large number of faceoffs. Scored an EN goal, and is 17-32-49 through 29 games. He’s projecting to finish 48-91-139 for the season. He’s so smart, it’s easy to overlook that part of his game. Made impressive plays all over the ice, I laughed (just a little) when Jordan Eberle tried to slow the train down on the EN goal. McDavid hunting goals is the ultimate hockey moment. It ends in carnage everywhere, puck in net.
- Warren Foegele is going to turn Zach Hyman into Wally Pipp if this continues. What a nice run of games for Foegele, who scored twice and is now on track to score 14 goals. He has three goals in his last two games. He looks good beside McDavid, I’ll say that much.
- Zack Kassian posted an assist with a fine move to get 97 away for the EN goal, gave the puck away a couple of times. He had a couple of good looks and one HDSC.
- Colton Sceviour scored another goal, that’s two in three games. He had five shots on goal, two hits and a fight after getting hit from behind (right in the numbers). He has a lot of utility, and I expect we’re looking at a player forcing someone off the roster when everyone gets healthy.
- Tyler Benson had a strong game, one shot, two hits, drew a penalty and had a takeaway. He’s not overthinking now, that’s a great sign.
- Derek Ryan must have been hurt earlier in the year, because each game now his line lands on the right end of the shot score. Last night it was 9-4 shots and no goals either way. Ryan’s lines are 3-0 goals in the last six games and are winning the shot share 35-18. Music!
- Cooper Marody had an assist, a shot on goal, a high-danger chance, and a takeaway. He played just six minutes, but made them count. I was pleased for him, hope he gets another chance.
- Seth Griffith played his first NHL game in several years and looked good doing it. Had one hit, a takeaway and was part of the sequence that led to Sceviour’s goal. A solid return.
FORWARDS
The Draisaitl line has been bleeding goals recently, Leon is 2-8 goals at five-on-five in the last four games. On the other hand, Draisaitl is one of the greatest players in the league and Yamamoto (0-4 in those games) was 62-38 in five-on-five on ice goals over the last two seasons.
McDavid looked great with his two linemates, all three men posted crooked numbers in the scoring aisles. Foegele had another fine game, I think the people are in place now for Nuge to play 3C if it comes to it. Kassian is in a zone of good games now, timely.
The Ryan line continues to be a positive, Sceviour isn’t going anywhere (who is? Turris?) and I thought Benson was impressive in all areas but shooting last night. Marody and Griffith played well and once again I must say that a Jay Woodcroft recall is a player who is damned ready for the challenge.
DEFENSE
All three pairings were mostly good with a little momentary wobble on the second goal. I was especially impressed that the coaching staff ran all three sets so much, keeps everyone fresh. Nurse-Ceci is something we might want to see again.
Good game. Enjoyable game. That Yamamoto play was flat out gorgeous.
Garlfield reporting Klefbom coming back around March
Ha! That would be something.
Especially if healthy. Cap will be a challenge. Maybe not activated until playoffs.
Well yes, hopefully healthy if he comes back!
Agree cap won’t be so simple.
Just looking. It would be surprisingly possible cap-wise.
This roster is cap compliant (311k to spare):
Hyman-McDavid-Puljujarvi
Nuge-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Foegele-McLeod-Kassian
Shore-Ryan-Sceviour
Benson
Nurse-Bouchard
Keith-Ceci
Klefbom-Barrie
Lagesson
Smith-Koskinen
It required running with only 13 forwards, plus waiving Russell and Turris (LTIR would also work), so not ‘easy’ by any means but not as impossible as I figured.
There would also need to not be any IR guys being paid but not playing (or alternatively any injured guys would need to be put on LTIR and unavailable for 14 days).
Obviously trades of Koskinen, Kassian or Barrie could also make space available.
Good timing for a dreamy rumor like this 🙂
This is giant.
Godspeed Oscar.
So… No Chychrun, lol?
Just wondering why March, that is very specific.. How many times has Treenasoil nailed it?
Where is Speedy Turtle when we need them?
Joe Snively…the 5’9″ 175 25 year old graduate of Yale makes his NHL debut with an assist on the Capitals first goal against the Kings.
Thought y’all would want to know.
Keep an eye on this guy 🙂
Snively, sounds like the dog’s name on Those Wacky Races.
Oh my. Is this the next Brogan Rafferty?? Holy shit. My eyes can’t move from this guy. I’m going to need to see an ophthalmologist just to get my life back on track.
There is only ONE Brogan Rafferty.
Oh wait…there was also a serial killer with that name.
A stone cold killer?
No, that is Dominik
KahunKubalik.Remember when you thought Kahun was a top 6 forward?
He’s ripping up-the Swiss league.
never Thought he was a top 6 forward
actually I’ve said numerous times that just because a player can post fancies in a depth role does not make those fancies translatable
you’re just pissy because another HH special Ty Dellandrea is Brogan Raffertying
Despite the heroics of Joe Snively, the Capitals fall to the Kings by a 3-2 score.
LA now 3 points out of a wild card spot.
And 3 points away from Vancouver.
BtW what happened to the Seattle Weaponized Cap Space?
Kind of an interesting stat line
Ty Smith 24 GP 1 g 6 a 7 points 2:00 min pp/g
Boquist 18 GP 6 g 3 a 9 points 1:56 min pp/g
Dobson 24 3g 7 a 10 points 2:30 pp time/g
Bouchard 29 5 g 13 a 18 points 36 sec pp time/g
Bouchard is quietly on pace for 50 pts with very little pp time. Very nice.
No mention of the guy drafted only 3 spots ahead of Bouchard?
Quinn Hughes 30GP 2G 24A 26P
On pace for 72 points.
Sure, but he was nowhere near in discussion for 10th OV.
Also tell me who has
15 Even strength points in 29 games
and who has 13 EV points in 30 games
Hughes has 9 5v5 pts. 23-17 5v5 gf-ga
Bouchard has 12 5v5 pts. 21-21 5v5 gf-ga.
Hughes gets lots of PP time because he’s very good at it.
He also plays on a team that has scored only 81 goals compared to the Oilers 101.
It’s very clear who the most valuable player is.
Agreed, Hughes is currently the more impactful player. But the gap is not very wide.
Bouchard is also very good, and in many ways, a more complete player. No doubt he would be thriving on PP1 if it was not for the point vampire.
Yeah but as you keep blathering on
a lot of the Oilers goals are on the pp
something Bouchard doesn’t get to play on
because he’s busy with the tough minutes on pk
Snively
Bouchard actually produces at higher rates on the PP this season and with zero PP1 time – all of it PP2 time.
It seems Bouchard is just better in all areas now that we look in to it.
Nobody has ever compared Hughes to Bouchard/Dobson/Smith.
He was in a different draft category on draft day.
You are the only person to ever bring him up in the conversation and its simply anti-Oiler narrative driven and, as usual, stupid – he was never in the the sae draft category and not available to the Oilers – its stupid and childish to bring him up.
One is actually a defence man. The other is a small D that was -24 last year and never will be known for his defensive ability. The goal difference is also of note! Pump the tires all you want!
Also not only the only regular pker out of those players but is on the top pk unit leading his team in pk ice time
Yeah. Bouchard has been really impressive. A much better skater and defender than advertised. He is so smart.
That’s nice.
It is
especially after you blathering on about how we wasted a draft pick and should have drafted Ty Dellandrea or one of those other guys
also note that Dellandrea has less points in Ahl as a forward than Bouchard in the nhl
I have never written a post containing the name Ty Dellandrea…not once.
True story.
Bulllllll!!!!
check last year, numerous times
Go for it.
You can’t even keep track of those goalposts
A quick Google search has determined that you are a liar:
https://lowetide.ca/2020/08/23/extreme-ways/#comment-948733
To no one’s surprise.
ha!!!!!!!!
thank you good sir!!
but to the surprise of no one google keeps track of all those goalposts
My Google search unearthed this HH gem:
Puljujarvi is Magnus Paajarvi, apparently.
https://lowetide.ca/2018/06/01/here-comes-the-sun-2018-final-edition/#comment-743789
Good stuff.
oooooohh. Now find the Joe Colborne one
I may have to hop onto my computer for that kind of digging.
I have this gem, though:
https://lowetide.ca/2019/10/27/2019-20-game-12-panthers-at-oilers/#comment-875685
Davidson >= Bouchard
Paajarvi = Puljujarvi
Haha new low for HH
I’m shocked ;)…
Let’s just put this on the ‘fake news’ record:
“I wrote TY Dellandrea, not Ty Dellandrea!”
Well, that’s inconvenient.
And in typical HH fashion he goes into hiding. Guess he’s still busy trying to sort out where Nurse’s salary cap ranks next season.
This is a glorious reply. Thank you for this.
Don’t forget 2017 Hugh Janis…
Bouchard also has more than 2x the points of Calder hopeful Vasili Podkolzin.
I really thought that would be a close race since Bouchard wasn’t getting PP time (Podkolzin has gotten more man advantage minutes than Bouch as it turns out).
It is nice going into the break on a two game winning streak.
GO CANADA GO!
Thank god for last night’s win. It was quite a satisfying win. It went against the grain of a lot of trolls after down 2-0 quick. Kraken were being pricks too. A big break after 8 straight losses would have been a bit irritating over the holidays. Now if HH would stop swooning over whichever team is winning the most and stick to his Canucks I would call it a Christmas miracle!
Just because you’ve picked a lane (dead end) doesn’t mean I have to.
You did pick a lane. Trolling
5 Stanley’s vs 0. I don’t blame you for driving in 31 lanes!
As you say the Oilers are not your lane, so how about you move along?
Consider that no one here cares about your 31 lanes and flake fandom.
Learn to count, you’re all alone here.
Is Highland Park 18 worth the price? I am going to buy myself a Christmas present in the ~$200 range.
I’m no expert but Glenfiddich 18 is very nice.
I was recently gifted the Caribbean Reserve Glenfiddich. Once I open it New Year’s Eve, I’ll give my review lol
Depends if you like their scotch
It depends. What are some other scotches you tend to enjoy? It’s a pretty good value at that price and it’s always consistently good, but it also depends on where you are and what else you happen to enjoy. It’s a gentle peat, a touch more than Oban but not nearly as much as something like a Lagavulin. If peat isn’t your jam and you’re somewhere where either the Glendronach 15 or 18 or Bunnahabhain 18 happen to be available, that’s where I’d go. If you don’t mind a bit of peat, you can’t lose with Highland Park.
Thanks for this. I prefer peated drams in the winter, it feels cozy. I think I will get the HP this time. I will be sure to write down the others you mentioned for next time.
Its nice whisky. One of the very best. I only have drank the 10 or is it 12 year old version but thats extremely good.
WPG with a 4-2 win over STL.
Now 3 points back of the final wildcard spot.
Will be interesting to see if they get the new coach bump.
*tips whiskey glass while wearing tweed jacket*
“Oilers unbeaten over Christmas.”
We’re having a respect issue on the blog this afternoon. No one is timed out yet, but things change. Please refrain from discussing things that you know this blog can’t handle. That leaves Oilers, booze and freezing to death.
Even my “i can’t believe it’s not butter” joke is gone,
Do you have any idea how long I’ve been sitting on that gold??
No care don’t care.
Okay good that makes 2 of us then.
VGK with a 4-2 shootout win over the Islanders.
Now in 1st place in the Pacific.
If the Oilers win their next game they shockingly have the exact same record.
Oilers must be freaking amazing.
You don’t count so good.
The Oilers are 4 points back of VGK.
The Knights also have more regulation wins and a better goal differential.
Not only did they sweep a 4 game eastern road trip, they also won 4 games in 6 nights including a back to back.
9 of their next 10 games are at home with just a quick trip to LA in the middle.
The Oilers have 2 games in hand but don’t have a home game scheduled until January 8th.
omg plan the parade
You don’t count so good.
Something something pot kettle
Ha!
The rare 2-goal shootout win….
They don’t count how…just how many.
They got a rouge!
*3*
VGS was expected to be #1 in the Pacific from the outset. They started slow but have been fine the last 6 weeks.
STONE didnt play today. They get him, Martinez and Eichel back …. they wil be a Load to handle
But if they lose their starting goalie they’re in worse shape than the Oilers who lost their starting goalie 🤷♂️
Sure but then 5 alarm salary cap bell starts ringing
doesn’t sound like they can hide Eichel until playoffs and dumping a cap hit like Dadonov will hurt
More likely Reilly Smith.
He’s on an expiring contract and would be of value to a contender.
i think they need to dump closer to 10 mil
Many ways to skin that cat.
NHL isn’t going to the Olympics
Still waiting for Speeds to confirm.
Oil games postponed til after Xmas 🥸
No cross border travel until after Christmas.
https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1472680832968101903
There go my plans for the week !!
I bought a new Roku on Dec 1. Came with two months of free Crave. There is quite a bit to binge watch through Jan 31.
I guess I start Succession this week or that Kate Winslet miniseries.
Recommendations welcome.
The Kassian Diaries is a personal favorite
Every season of the Beverly Hillbillies is available…they even have their own Roku Channel 🙂
Watchmen and Chernobyl are worth a look.
I bought Chernobyl shortly after it came out.. Yep. Watchmen should go on the list.
An Android box (I prefer Minix myself) would have been better, IMO. More flexibility.
I’m considering an M1 Mac Mini for my next TV-box/media centre, but that’s at least a 3x cost increase up front; should have greater flexibility and longevity though.
Some recent favourites:
On the list:
Worried about border restrictions.
A pretty good bet that is extended until the new year since there will be expectations that the Christmas season will lead to increasing numbers of cases.
Inevitable, this was. I am glad the Oilers are solidly in playoff contention and on the upswing.
I could see some bubbles forming again or this season being decided by the vicissitudes of this scourge.
We live in accursedly interesting times, stay safe, folks.
News Update. In yesterdays came one of our top 6 forwards that is smaller in stature had his first shot on net since Triumph was touring their new album out West. Along with the shot on net he more importantly made one of the greatest back checks in Oiler history right up there with Esa Tikkanen in game 7 against the Flames.
If Smith is the starter after Christmas – who is the back-up. I vote for Skinner.
52 games to be played balance of season, with an Olympic break(???).
Smith is going to play 30-35 of these games, leaving 20 games for the back up.
If Skinner goes to Bakersfield he probably plays about 25 games and kills the development time of Kono and Rodrigues. AND it is not many more games than he would get in the NHL.
Skinner has two season to mature into a 1A/B goalies. If he gets these 20 games at the end of the season he will have 31 NHL starts and another 35 next year gives him 66 NHL starts as he takes over more the net time.
That controlled contract is awesome for the Cap space.
Koskinen is needed as a starter, but Skinner is maybe a better back-up.
Koskinen would need to sign an extension in the $1.5M range to be signed again, so he is gone after this year.
He would clear waiver and be available if there was an injury.
If Skinner were sent to BAK it would likely mean Rodrigue goes to the ECHL where he’d get more ice time, which isn’t a bad thing. It would then up the level of competition for Konovalov, which, again, wouldn’t be a bad thing for his development.
I like MK. I have cheered for him and felt badly for him during some of his time with the Oilers….BUT the team has been signaling for a few years they will be moving on from him. This year it may happen at, or before, the trade deadline. If not traded he will not get another contract here. He is not in this team’s plans. Skinner presumably is still in the team’s plans. If Smith ever gets healthy, Skinner should stay in the NHL and MK should go to Bake. He will pass waivers. He can spot in with Konovalov and give him some pointers for the NHL. AND when Smith gets hurt again, he can come right back up and play hard to strive for his next contract with another NHL team.
Koskinen will be moved after the freeze for whoever Kenny is teaming up with Smith for the push while Skinner is crafting his talents in Bakersfield for the remainder of the season unless injuries.
I just hope someone’s feeding Jaffa!!!
I don’t know if it will ever happen, but Nuge’s greatest service to God and Country would come in the form of Unicorn at 3C.
He would either learn to improve his faceoff% or be paired with another center who can share the faceoff responsibilities.
Will Nuge make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of winning Stanley, even if it means he may NEVER score 50 or more points in a season?
LT said…
Even long time observers of the game refuse to believe outliers exist despite math telling us otherwise and can’t help but create a narrative to explain why the world isn’t fitting into their worldview. not just LT, everyone does it (especially Twitter lol).
Small samples, people, they’re a thing and can completely fool you.
He was strong early, then fell into a deep dive, back the last several games. One thing I learned from Vic Ferrari is that a player who trends downward after a long period of success might be hurt. I think that might be the case with Ryan. We’ll see, but it does rhyme with Vic’s words from 20 years ago.
And that could be true. Or it could just be “luck.” Vic would also say that shit sometimes happens. He was big on Monte Carlos, IIRC.
For eg, Nuge has these entire seasons, sporadically, where the puck does not go in the net. And seasons where he cashes frequently. That’s not due to injury vs health. and it demonstrates how large a sample truly has to be to wash out the noise.
The problem is in thinking the numbers are always an exact representation of a player’s ability and what he has delivered on the ice. This is rarely the case, but most of the time the numbers will be within one standard deviation of the player’s average play, so it’s safe to use them. But there are times when the numbers simply represent outlier cases.
It should be okay to acknowledge that without ascribing external factors, but no one does. We all look for narrative and reasons; it’s how humans are built.
Well, narratives are what this blog is about, at a basic level. What makes Lowetide different is the community buying in to my endless references to every possible piece of nostalgia my brain can recall, and then arguing about the math of a player. Of course Ryan could have played three games, hit a wall, and that’s ballgame, but I think we can spend a few minutes on a cold Sunday contemplating a lost weekend for Ryan as opposed to a last chance Texaco.
I always find it interesting when people point out “faith” or “misspent believe in a five-game sample” when that’s kind of sports. If we all want to put our serious hats on, there must be a Catholic Church blog somewhere. I bet it’s a laugh riot. 🙂
Well, I think it was the “must have been” rather than something like “we should entertain the possibility that…” that prompted my post.
JP has a great series of posts showing the PDO pony bucking off Ryan like he was a sack of hay.
Personally, I think that’s likely why the numbers dived. At the beginnng of the stretch, if Ryan was hurt there was no reason to play him with so many available bodies for the bottom 6. In light of JP’s numbers and that context, the injury narrative isn’t as convincing to me as PDO Hell (which should be a topic on that Catholic blog, if it isn’t already).
Ah. I understand.
A priest, a rabbi and Zack Kassian walked into a bar….
God ot to have taken their drink orders 1st
I may have mentioned Perlini in the top 6 a few times, but who is counting….
It looked like he was in cruise control last night, but this is how he looked most of the season. It was like he was really hungry his first game back, but he was full last night and had no room for dessert….
I don’t think he is a good fit on a Draisaitl line, Drai is a much more stationary player and so is Perlini. I think ideally Perlini is better matched with 97 where he would have more space for a McDavid drop pass who is pushing the D back or attracting 2 or 3 Defenders. I think Drai needs hustle players on his wings.
I see the optimal deployment on this roster as:
Perlini- McDavid- Bison Rex
Foegele-Drai-Hyman
McLeod-RNH-Yamo
Kassian-Ryan-Sceviour
During Covid:
Perlini – McDavid – Sceviour
Foegele – Drai – Yamo
Benson – Ryan – Kassian
Griffith – Marody
Perlini is just not a top 6 option unless injuries decimate the troops, Foggy is currently killing the audition as is.
McLeod has been playing center all season, keep him there.
Nuge has been playing mostly wing, and now when he plays c you can see his wires get crossed. Allow the man to focus on a position.
Foggy McDavid Bisons
Nuggy Dry Humus
Scevs McLeod Yams
Benson Ryan Kass
Lini/Shore
Lini is a once in a while player, needs more then an occasional evening at the shooting range. If he did all the same things Benson does, finishes checks with purpose, never shying away from the difficult areas, constantly agitating the opponent. He’d be a real danger out there with that shot of his. Instead he reverts to floating when he needs to commit to a strong fore check. He’s constantly thinking he needs to find a soft spot that just isn’t there instead of creating one by grinding the play out.
He’s a v6 in a mustang.
Nuggy Dry Hummus sounds like the opposite of delicious……
You are not wrong, but here is the problem… He is on our team and he can be useful, how to utilize him is the trick and his minutes will generally be wasted with less-skilled players.
I really like your deployment, but would make one suggestion.
I think I would switch McLeod and Kassian.
I believe Kassian would add a little sand paper and would allow RNH and Yamo to handle more of the defensive game, while McLeod would add fast responsible boots to Ryan and Sceviour. And at the end of game during the blender for holding on a lead you would move up McLeod and Sceviour with RNH to lock it down.
Sounds reasonable
100%
RNH’s (and Hyman’s) career earnings are now set. Personal goals and assists matter far less now than wins. Moreover- the coaching staff can comfortably play these guys on the third line with this in mind.
Foegele? Perlini? Yamamoto? Puljujarvi? Benson? Still hungry.
Yes he is what he is a 3rd line top pp that can be plugged into top 6 if needed
Great to see a couple of W’s against teams that they should get them against, regardless of problems.
Still, the Oilers play well against teams that let them do their thing, give them time and space.
The real test is beating teams that play them against their strengths. That is what they have to learn and be able to battle through.
We will see. I’m hoping the sour taste and recovery have landed some learning points that stick. They can do it if they want to, enough.
Impressive play by Yamamoto to catch up to speed merchant Tanev, who had something like a 15 foot Headstart, but no one has mention that Yamo had been on the ice for about 70 seconds when he had to reel in the attacker.
That was the incredible part to me.
Really hoping Jesse is not marooned in Seattle for 14 days over Xmas. That would be cruel. If he rented a car and drove to the border they would have to let him in no??? (of course he would have to quarantine here) Some have suggested a private aircraft charter????
Not a citizen so no
Oh hadn’t thought of that! Good point.
For Canadian residents travelling by land or water, re-entry into the country is permitted with a positive test. However, border guards will ask about a plan to self-quarantine for 14 days,
I would think that Katz would make sure he gets back to Edmonton. No one wants to think about the Bison King unable to get home for the holidays.
Might be easier to deliver the bison family to him than cross into Canada with covid
Just have the girlfriend and dog head down to America for Christmas. Maybe move in with the Katz family in the guest wing, check out an NFL, NBA game visit Disneyland.
Mark Giordano was stuck in a hotel room in Tampa for 10 days after testing positive.
And that’s without having to cross a border.
https://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/article256414046.html
Too bad it wasn’t for a month!
As presumed, there was no way Jesse was going to be staying in Seattle for 10 plus days:
Mark Spector
@SportsnetSpec
·
4h
Jesse Puljujarvi remains in Seattle today while the Oilers do the paperwork to charter home a Covid positive player, which takes time.
Oilers hoping to have him in Edmonton late today or tomorrow.
What do you mean? we got to watch him use Foggy to crush his own goaltender. Beautiful stuff.
Scevior’s response after being asked about the scrap after he was boarded:
“How could I forget?
And he hit me with a surprise left
My jaw left hurting
Dropped wide open!”
Good Seattle pick LT. On that note, I love the Nirvana goal song. The 90’s grunge has always stuck with me. Doesn’t seem long ago to me but I’m very aware my musical preferences are stalled in decades passed.
Unreal goal song. Great pick by the team.
Won’t disagree here but will just note that out of their 5-5:30 in minutes all but a few seconds were with McDavid or Drai. That will/should help a bit.
Under the Alice Cooper category “Can’t even think of word that rhymes”
Tincture: a medicine made by dissolving a drug in alcohol.
#CrownRoyalAndCoke
(Coca-Cola was invented in 1885 by John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia, who concocted the original formula in his backyard. Pemberton’s recipe contained cocaine—in the form of an extract of the coca leaf, which inspired the “Coca” part of the beverage’s name.)
Among the greatest double entendre’s in a rock n roll lyric
… Well, we got no class
And we got no principals (ooh)
And we got no intelligence
Any chance I could get that recipe from you?
I’ve got a bit of time in my hands over the holidays
This reminds me of December 2019 (I believe). Drai was close to a PPG but it was all PP and he was terrible at 5 on 5 and like -18 for the month (empty net goals against included).
Hold on…..it’s coming.
That was the turning point of the game. A high end back-check with skill not to take a penalty and then a solid offensive play the other way leading to a goal – a massive goal.
Yamamoto as certainly not played well with the puck or in the offensive zone lately and has not really “deserved” to stay in the top 6 all year but, at the same time, he is not a one-dimensional player that isn’t doing anything at all when not producing (ala Jake DeBrusk).
He has value even when not producing and, in time, the org will likely be able to have him as 2/3 RW, mostly 3RW, and that will be high end championship level depth.
Totally agree on DeBrusk. Would hope that Holland would have little interest in pursuing him especially with his cap hit. If he is not scoring he is in the doghouse.
Any word on Holloway?
was supposed to have X-rays earlier this month
Hoping no news is not bad news!
Not the first person to go under the knife and it doesn’t turn out for the patient. The kid most be chomping at the bit to get back at it but if you can’t grip the stick properly your Fuked.
Well it wasn’t healing which is not rare for scaphoid fractures
hopefully it’s healing now
Fingers crossed.
I read up on the injury type, shouldn’t have without knowing what type of break it was. Silly little bones.
Corduroy.
I so much more enjoy the games when I turn off the analytical part of my brain and just revel in the sport of it.
But the minute the game ends, I wind up the monkey in my head 🙂 (and enjoy that too)
#WinWin
Kassian flew the zone on the EN goal, leaving Ceci with no help along the wall.. If Ceci had not endured Kassian not making himself an option on the play, forcing him to get the puck to the blueline by himself, the Kraken would have likely tied up the game and Kassian would have been out near the opposition blue line.
Watching the replay, this is the most narrative-driven analysis possible.
Off the faceoff, Kassian goes towards the puck-side boards and turns up ice for a breakout pass by Ceci when Ceci gains control.
Once the passing lane is shut down and possible danger is recognized, Kassian alters path immediately and turns back towards the puck, picks it up IN THE DEFENSIVE ZONE, exits the zone and makes a pass to McDavid.
Its wild to try and make people believe the Kassian “flew the zone” to propagate a narrative when Kassian never left the defensive zone except when he had the puck and carried it out:
https://www.nhl.com/video/mcdavid-scores-goal/t-326245580/c-9959713
He did. He didn’t provide Ceci a safe option, which is how Ceci got into trouble. And Zack only got back after Ceci had managed to fix all the damage.
“Zack only got back”? Got back from where? He never left.
This is an absurd take on that play.
What are the odds that Monday’s game against Anaheim is a go?
Gvien the injury and Covid depleted roster, should the Oilers request a postponement?
Alot of folks acting like they weren’t calling Foggy useless last week. Own it.
Foegele is the same player he was last week. His strengths are his size, speed and motor. His weaknesses are his hands and his vision.
l never called him useless. I said I wouldn’t have made the trade.
Do you think he’s a better player now because he got a couple of goals?
He didn’t need the goals for me to call him a good player, getting the goals when given the opportunity only proved that.
Seems like his vision lead him to be in the areas he needed to be to score the goals.. Or did he blindly end up in the correct spots?
Holland traded a 3rd pairing defender for a top 6 winger.
His weaknesses as you call them are actually the viewers weakness and not the player.
Lol.
Perhaps you have a different definition of vision than I do? My definition of a player with plus vision is a guy who consistently sees teammates that are open, and gets them the puck.
Tyler Benson would be a good example. For all his warts, he sees open players, and passing lanes, a lot better than Foegele does.
Oh, and by the way, is Kassian now a 1st line winger too?
I think you’re one of those posters I was talking about a few threads ago. Oilers win, they good. Oilers lose, they bad. Player scores, he good. Player doesn’t score, he bad.
He’s been snake-bit up until know. He reminds of Scott Mellanby a 20 goal scorer that every team would love to have on the roster.
Warren Foegele is a fine player. He has value. The only thing anyone I’ve read stated was that Ethan Bear was an overpay on the day of the trade. That doesn’t equal hating Foegele, who has been a solid NHL for some time.
When the Oilers were in the midst of their hellish first few weeks of December I wish I came here and only saw people say Foegele was an overpay. That wasn’t the case. I posted his numbers in Carolina with Jordan Stall as his center and his numbers as an Oiler and how they’re virtually identical.
Overpay was far from all that was said.
So I’m going to frankly enjoy the shit out of Foggy being legit 👌
Lol. Okay, enjoy away! 🙂
Do you feel chained by this melody my righteous brother.
For the sake of your sanity, you may have to copyright a disclaimer 🙂
The fact that Carolina won the trade does not in anyway diminish the value of Warren Foegele.
“The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency of the rights holders. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world analytic products as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of any media group or government entity”
A blast from the past; The rights holder, Sunwapta Broadcasting. 🙂
They haven’t won the trade, though….
Smid!!
Somewhere in the long distant future, engraved on a tombstone:
“Warren Foegele was a fine player”
“We should never have traded Hall”
“I REALLY did hate Smid! …. Suckers!”
https://tenor.com/view/sideshow-bob-rakes-gif-10807867
if Foegele can continue to shine on a line with McDavid and JP that would be huge. Then Hyman could skate with Leon and Yamamoto. A third line with Nuge, McLeod and Perlini would have defensive conscience and also be a threat to score. A fourth line of Ryan, Sceviour, and Benson or Kassian should be effective. If Perlini doesn’t work out then there would be some shuffling required. Holloway is idling on the tarmac.
I’d put Hyman in Yams spot and run a 93/29/18.
Yes that works for sure. It would just be nice to have a third line with some punch as well. McLeod and Nuge are both great passers so if Perlini is ever going to score some goals that should be a good situation for him.
I liked the trade the day it was made. I liked the trade last week. I like the trade today. Was Bear an overpayment? Maybe. IMO Foegle is a high end bottom six player. Could we have possibly got a top six player for Bear instead? I’m not so sure.
LT. I’m surprised at you. 🙂
It’s The Lord’s day.
Hauled keister perhaps?
Hmmm… keister too blue….. Puritans ? Trappists?
For a team that is this poor at tipping pucks I don’t get why we cycle back to the blue that much.
Because it creates space on the flanks and McDavid and Driasaitl drive the net or shoot from there.
Because Puljajarvi, Hyman and Kassian are really good at net front presence.
Because it is very tiring for the goalie to work these minutes and these tougher minutes add up in a play-off series.
Yes
but when you do it almost every time it becomes very predictable
JP, Hyman and Kassian are the BIG 3 for net front presence on this team. And each with his own unique style.
JP finds the seams/creates open space for himself/drifts backwards into the open slot, while still screening the goalie.
Hyman is like a waterbug in and around the crease.
Kassian is just a bull in a china shop. Pure screenage while absorbing and dishing out abuse.
Every team seems to get tipped in goals regularly, our team not so much especially in the playoffs. I think it’s something that needs to be utilized more. Barrie Nurse Ceci and especially Bouchard are good at getting it to the net where is our Ryan Smith. I was hoping Holloway would get some greasy goals for us, I feel bad for the kid.
I see the low to high puck movement as a means for the other team’s forwards to move away from a tight box in front of the defending net.
With two great offensive threats on the half wall. Lots of Oilers pucks are funneled to the new found offensive zone space.
I bet other teams funnel more puck to the net, because they don’t have a 97 or 29 that can create with the new time and space.
In all sincerity I wouldn’t call Kassian a good net front presence, he is mainly behind the net/along the boards lately…. Trying to remember him causing any form of distraction or tipping a puck or getting to a rebound.
I know he stands there sometimes, and in past has caused havoc, including getting goals waived off, but this season he isn’t consistent at it like Foegele and Yamamoto, along with Jesse & Hyman. I just don’t see Kassian as anywhere near the physical and/or intimidating presence that many fans think him to be.
2 big wins in a row. Lots of contributors. 5v5 scoring, and not just by the big 2!
Great rebound in tough times.
Pretty goals are seldom dirty.
But dirty goals are always pretty.
Is this a Good idea or Bad. + / – your answer.
PP1 – McD-Drai-JP-Foegele-Barrie (or Nurse).
Plays no more than 75 seconds
PP2 -McD-RNH-HYMAN-YAMO-BOUCHARD
Let McD have the full 2 mins (they are “easy” mins”). Now you have 2 effective units.
Instead of the message being “we have 5 good guys and they play almost the whole PP”; this gets 9 diff players a real PP opportunity.
This team will need more than 3 or 4 players going well if they are going to win a Playoff Round. This would spread out the ice time and opportunity and keep more guys playing with confidence.
I also think that PP2 could tear apart some PK2 units 😎
Guess I got my answer. BAD IDEA !!!
Recent circumstances should serve to remind us something we were (or should have been) aware of all along.
One of the biggest reasons our bottom 6 scoring numbers are askew is PLAYING TIME.
Players will tell you universally, it is hard (if not impossible) to get into the rhythm of a game when you are playing less then 10 minutes a night.
Part of the balance equation has to be not just roster construction/line combos but more balanced allotment of TOI.
Will Tippett find a way to prioritize team building over his security blanket? (McLeon)
Can he get out of his comfort zone and find more minutes for the bottom six in order to take this team to the next level?
Going way back to Eakins running Nuge 20+ minutes – at the time, a new and excessive thing – I’ve thought you get more out of your impact players with quality ice time over quantity. I mean Nurse might thrive on that, but scorers I think need a chance to reload, recover steam and focus before being tossed back in.
20+ minutes wasn’t new & excessive, but 25+ minutes sure was. Eakins skated Nuge, Hall & Eberle into the ice in the early weeks of 2013-14, while benching the likes of Nail Yakupov & Jeff Petry for nebulous reasons. It sewered the season, & ultimately his job.
What Bruce said 🙂
But it’s hard to argue for more playing time when you are getting caved in the minutes you do get
I think the point of the top post is it’s catch-22: Bottom six will get caved if not given enough ice to find legs.
sure but if you’re getting caved to the point of 2 goals to 1 it makes it hard
thats why I have trouble blaming our coaches when the GMs keep giving them rosters with glaring holes
But I do think the 2nd pp unit should be given a little more time. Try to get some confidence going offensively
having two guy with 150 points is great but not gonna matter in postseason if you have no depth scoring
Leadfarmer, always looking for the “easy” way. Try hunting with a bow! 🙂
kidding!
But seriously, If you’re running a pure Analytics algorithm where by intent, the cream always rises to the top and is on the ice for a lions share of the ice time, I’m not sure how much one can complain about the imbalance in the roster and the lack of production from the bottom six.
Ah yes I remember sitting on the bench for extended periods of time and then being asked to go out and deliver a quality shift. Good times.
As Pee Wee, I can remember being on the bench for almost the entire game; When the coach finally tapped me on the shoulder, I flew onto the ice, so excited and so disoriented that I was offside by 8ft on a 2 on 0 breakaway. 🙂
#EMMMbarasing
#HUUUmiliating
(I use the term coach loosely here 🙂 )
🤣 🤣
Matt Duchene was offside by 8 ft one time…
And the Goal counted !
Klima sat on the bench for 3 periods one time and then proceeded to deliver!
At this point you have to at least consider the poor bottom 6 performance is at least partially driven by coaching. it doesn’t seem to matter who plays bottom 6 – their offense dries up. Tip doesn’t seem to understand that the top 6 max performance is not unlimited. I figure you will pretty much get the same numbers whether you play them 20 or 25 minutes. At top end minutes they spend a lot of time coasting 5×5 and it kills bottom 6 involvement in the game. Same with giving them 2 minute long PP shifts which lowers the intensity of 5×5 with obvious results.
This team need to lower the overall top 6 minutes but up the intensity of their 5×5 minutes. They need to give the bottom six more time to create a rhythm and allow the top 6 to have more impactful 5×5 shifts. They need to use their #2 PP more effectively instead of just loading up. This does not appear to be Tip’s style AT ALL as he inevitably just loads up and overplays his top end forwards, dmen and goalies. Both overall results and team building suffer – and it would not make me sad to see him simply not return. Last couple of games have been the best “team efforts” of the season by a long shot.
This extends across multiple coaches too though, right? It definitely is a bit of a conundrum.
The premise I’m reading is that the bottom six is showing better because of an increase in minutes. I’m reading about Marody/Griffith being included in this as they both had solid games last night and made positive plays. At the same time, each of those two saw less than six minutes of ice which does’t jive with the premise.
Yes, that is what’s going around. And it is definitely plausible, but I agree the evidence to back it up is thin at this point.
Same type of coach. Same result. I’m not sure who is driving that, but the Song Remains the Same.
They need somebody more creative and convincing. I called Eakins a lesser version of Copper a while back, but that type of salesy coach seems to get through to the young guys that make up the teams now. The old guys are Millennials. The younger Gen Z. Think about that.
I don’t think tough guy grumpy stoics or tough guy swearing screamers can do now what worked before.
It sounds like there’s not a lot of options that would be an improvement. And also not trivial to identify them.
Coaches with a better plan and delivery make a difference.
Sutter, Boudreau, King ……..
Maurice bowing out. It’s not a narrative.
BUT, it has to be the right coach for the group and one with better vision than the last or rinse repeat.
Man is it fun to see all the lesser lights put to the test performing at their best.
Warren Foegele putting up points when paired with talent. A legit top 6 option.
Kailer Yamamoto. A Swiss Army Knife whose size IS NOT the reason he’s shy on boxcars.
Zach Kassian. Worth every bit of a $1.75m contract. Not great at anything. But good at a lot of things when he plays a disciplined game.
Colton Sceviour solidifies his role on the team as the Josh Archibald replacement.
Derek Ryan. Has settled in? Is developing as the role player he was hired to be.
Brendan Perlini. Some shots are deceptively hard/fast. Not Perlini’s, NOTHING deceptive about the strength of his shot. It’s Satan wicked.
Tyler Benson. A young man determined to reinvent himself and carve out a role in the NHL. His offense is mystifying. The Junior hockey scoring phenom can’t shoot to save his life. But save his life he will through sheer determination, adaptation and will power.
Marody and Griffith. Above average AHL players.
Kyle Turris. Headed the way of Tyler Ennis.
And a plethora of rookie defensemen who are all looking like they will have NHL careers and will make it very difficult to decide who among them will be moving out.
Remember these last two games and who these players have revealed themselves to be. It will assist us when the roster is again fully populated with healthy bodies.
Benson was not a Junior hockey scoring phenom. He was in Bantam. His junior stats are fairly vanilla; partially due to injuries.
You are correct. Poor choice of words on a pre-coffee Sunday morning.
Not sure what Ennis and Turris have in common. Ennis would have been a much more effective depth forward and is putting up decent numbers in Ottawa this year. Turris looks done.
One is an ex-Oiler; the other a soon to be ex-Oiler. 😉
I grew up with a player who made the NHL. He was always a scorer. He had a long NHL career.
The last 3 or 4 years his role changed. The coaches had him more 3rd line, checker. Some PK. No PP 1. His stats on paper were NOT GOOD.
Moral of the story: Utilization greatly matters.
So it’s easy to judge a guy like Foegele, who has been playing 3rd line minutes, maybe 14 mins a night, with teammates who were struggling (Ryan).
With a promotion to a Top Line and some PP time, Foegele has shown to be effective.
I think he is the type of player the coaches need to KEEP in the Top 6. He hunts pucks, is physical and will score a bit.
Very Happy for him. Hope Tippett sees the light 😎
That all depends on who is the bookend. Holland has lots of limited finish puck hunters. Bison is emerging, but he is still a limited finish player at the moment. And really I don’t think he will ever be a strong finisher, if he isn’t now. That you come with, the snipers typically have to learn the D side.
I imagine his plan is that he could get them, and when the scorers emerge from Woody who solves all bad trade signing cap issues, the lines will balance – good C, big fast physical forechecker, scorer.
But that doesn’t jive with win now. So I remain unimpressed.
Happy to see the win last night. Losing those chippy, bad blood games hurts a little deeper.
While injuries most definitely suck, I’m so happy to see Foegele getting a shot with McDavid. He always struck me as a Hyman-lite if he’s playing with confidence. I’ve wanted to see the following lines since opening day:
Foegele – McDavid – Puljujarvi
Nuge – Draisaitl – Hyman
Benson – X – Yamamoto
But damn do we need a 3C that can create offence or suppress it. Imagine someone like McCann, Lowry, or even Scott Laughton centring the third line. Kassian, Ryan, and eventually Barrie (once a replacement 3RD is found) need to go within the next 8 months to create cap space, but too soon to cross that bridge completely right now.
Foegele-McD-JP
Hyman-Drai-Yamo
Perlini-RNH-Scevior
Benson-McLeod-Kassian
Ryan only sorta costs cap space. If he plays himself out of the league he can be buried in Bakersfield for about $100k on the cap. I guess he is $500k more expensive than league minimum player if he’s on the roster. But still, moving him out does not create much/any cap depending who replaces him.
He’s also playing well lately (as he did in camp and early in the season). Hopefully he can still be useful at his modest salary.
Foegele McDavid Puljujarvi
Nugent-Hopkins Draisaitl Hyman
Benson McLeod Yamamoto
Perlini Ryan Sceviour
I think this is as close to an optimal deployment as we have available with this roster.
Curious how you’d approach unicorns with RNH as 3C?
One needs an elite passer with Draisaitl or you lose his shot at even strength. Nugent-Hopkins is the only option other than McDavid.**
**Unless Benson by some chance could establish his complete AHL game at the NHL level, but he has to prove it first in the bottom six.
You’re missing Kassian
There has to be a mistake
One of the great things about call ups/some bubble players is they keep the game simple, grind like hell, and never stop moving
Their hunger has added a significant element to this team
Yes, this.
The Oilers cannot be balanced with the two best offensive players in the world, so compensating with a solid foundation of grinders makes some sense.
I also applaud the temporary coaching staff for evening out the ice times and showing confidence in the supporting crew.
To play hard and win, without 3 of your best players, is the sign of a ‘good’ team.
I hope there’s more to come
This is true in part – the “3rd line” got some real ice time, 15 minutes give or take, but the “4th line wingers”, while showing well, were both under 6 minutes (and played exclusively with McDavid or Drai as their center).
I like corduroy because it’s so groovy.
A very satisfying win last night: I hope the coaching staff take note of what might be worth trying more of, in future. Everyone looked engaged and no one looked gassed.
For those sidelined following positive tests but without ever showing actual symptoms, best wishes for a speedy recovery from whatever causes that Neverland of unknown threat.
If you want your corduroy groovy, Ivana Santilli has an pop soul album “Corduroy Boogie”. Not as good as “Brown”, but still pretty good.
The waiting drove me mad, you’re finally here and I’m a mess. I take your entrance back, can’t let you roam inside my head.
If the title of today’s post is referencing my favourite song from my favourite band, these lyrics really fit the way I’ve been feeling about the Oilers lately, particularly the last part of the line… “can’t let you roam inside my head.”
The season has been an emotional rollercoaster. The hot start, the losing streak, the inability of the bottom 6 to saw off even a little, the injuries & now covid. It’s hard to love this team, waiting for balance has driven us all to the brink since the minute McDavid was drafted. Are they finally here? Is this happening? Will Omicron derail another season? I don’t know if I have it in me to keep riding this wave. “Everything has chains, absolutely nothing’s changed…”
While I’m here, I suppose a quick monthly Yak wouldn’t hurt.
My son is now 35GP, 7-12-19. Not bad. Not bad at all. Seems like he’s finding his way.
Belov Bonus: 15GP, 1-2-3
My other brother Anton (Lander): 24GP, 10-10-20
Hope you’re all keeping safe & well this holiday season.
I’ll see myself out.
Where’s Lander playing these days? Nearly 1 p/gm is impressive, he’s scoring better than Yakupov who’s actually got some boots.
HC Zug in the Swiss league. They converted him to a winger and he seems to be thriving. That said, the Swiss league doesn’t appear to be quite as competitive as the KHL, but I could be wrong about that.
In a deep anchor man voice…
“This has been the YAK Report.
Brought to you by our roving reporter and man of the world,
Reporting from somewhere high in the Andes, Stephen Sheps.
(ever been High in the Andes Stephen?) 🙂
Sincerely, Happy Yuletide to you Stephen….wherever you are.
I love this image & the idea of going full gonzo journalist somewhere in the Andes. I’ve never been, but it’s 100% on the list of places I need to visit.
Happy holidays to you and yours 🙂
Always appreciate these posts Stephen.
Lander was a solid player in the KHL – I thought it was interesting when he moved to the Swiss League this past off-season.
Of note, I had reason to look at Ryan Spooner earlier this morning – leading his KHL team in scoring and has been apx PPG for 3 years in the league.
Just found it interesting.
Spooner for Strome. Pete has an unreal trade history.
Unselfish,play for each other and it is amazing what can happen. Everybody feels part of the group. Roll the lines there is no passengers. Benson gets pasted against the boards to make a pass. Big grin Priceless
LT: dId you like the Yamamoto play? 🤣
That was a Phenomenal sequence by Yama. Not so much on the Kraken goal though, but full marks for some great play this game.
EC standings Dec 19/21 using points percentage shown as points over/under fake Bettman .500
Metropolitan
CAR 14
WSH 13
NYR 12
Atlantic
TBY 13
TOR 12
FLA 11
Wildcard
PIT 8
BOS 4
Out of playoffs
DET 2
CBJ 1
PHI 0
NJD -4
NYI -4
BUF -5
OTT -8
MTL -14
DeAngelo at a million bucks isn’t quite fair.
DeAngelo RS 5’11 180 lbs, 26 YO, 1 year 1M. 5G / 16 A / 23 PIM. PP 7 pts.
Barrie RS 5’11 197 lbs, 30 YO, 3 years 4.5M. 3G / 14A / 6 PIM. PP 9 pts.
One team isn’t trying to find only well adjusted people to play an unfair physical sport, and understands the Cap. One is and doesn’t.
WC standings Dec 19/21 using points percentage shown as points over/under fake Bettman .500
Central
MIN 11
COL 9
NSH 9
Pacific
CGY 8
VGK 8
ANA 8
Wildcard
STL 9
EDM 7
Out of playoffs
DAL 2
WPG 2
LAK 2
SJS 1
VAN -1
CHI -4
SEA -7
ARI -15
Thx for posting these.
IMO EAST & WEST are pretty much set.
You’re welcome. Lots of time left but agree the top 8 in EC is probably the final 8.
I think there will be still some movement in the WC. WPG and DAL in particular.
VGK @ NYI this afternoon.
With a win, the streaking Knights take over 1st in the Pacific and close in on the Central leaders.
And with a loss they don’t 🙂
Just a matter of time.
Did you hear they have an elite centre coming to town soon?
We’ll see how they deal with the Cap
A strong team, but there has to be some subtractions
You can bet they already had a strategy in place before they made the trade for Eichel.
Chatter I’ve seen is they will move Reilly Smith ($5M cap hit)
Plus. It seems they have to make about 7.5M in space from monkeying around with CF.
So, when you go on and on and on and on about the team and the addition of Jack Eichel, why don’t you ever mention that the addition of Jack Eichel comes with the loss of a very important long-term member of team who is a huge piece of their success?
EDM Goal Diff 29 gp(18-11-0)
EV (5v5,4v4,3v3)
97 w/o 29(14-13) 52%
29 w/o 97(15-12) 56%
97&29 On(13-10) 57%
93 w/o either(4-6) 40%
71(4-6) 40%
10(6-16) 27%
Other(2-6) 25%
Net EV -11
Special Teams:33-16
Net ST +17
Empty Net:8-5
Net EN +3
SO/PS 2-0
Net SO/PS +2
Goal Diff +11
We need a new category for “bottom sixers with top line center”.
For me, the Sceviour goal was a pseudo bottom six goal even though McDavid was on the ice.
Truth be told Griffith was a primary part of that goal – he didn’t get an assist (although I’m positive the coach’s recognized his contribution to the goal).
The save by Skinner to negate a certain goal on the Kraken’s PP was superb.
The team seem to play different with Skinner in net.
I like how the Seattle goalies look like they take the S.G. of their latest small batch IPA between periods. Whereas Skinner looks as if he has two more rows to bale before heading to town to pick up salt lick at UFA.
Very impressed with Foegele lately. That’ll teach me to jump to quick conclusions about a player. (no it won’t)
🎶The waiting drove me mad
You’re finally here and I’m a mess
I take my interest back
Can’t let you roam inside my head🎶
How did you insert those treble clefs ?
Oh they’re music notes on my phone at least
Thank you.