Tyler Benson scored his first NHL goal last night, during an absolutely noxious Oilers game that was a schedule loss and than a schedule beating and then a schedule stop! stop! it’s already dead.
For the rest of his life, Benson will remember that goal, and the circumstances (Oilers looked tired and didn’t execute well) will fade away. Oilers fans should try to be like Benson. I’ve always felt a 7-3 loss is easier to take than a 2-1 defeat. There was no doubt about last night’s game. In a way, it’s a positive, because the one fresh player on the ice (Mike Smith) couldn’t keep the team in the game until they found their legs, and it points directly to the one thing Ken Holland can do to help this team. Goaltending remains an issue.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: Oilers’ Raphael Lavoie has turned the corner as an NHL prospect
- Lowetide: The furious race to land Oilers’ open job on left defence
- DNB: Derek Ryan flourishing under new Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft
- Lowetide: Jay Woodcroft’s early Oilers roster challenges and possible upgrades
- DNB: Oilers picking Philip Broberg over Trevor Zegras is still debated.
- Lowetide: Connor McDavid’s remains a transcendent talent. Here’s why.
- DNB: Jay Woodcroft’s ascension to Oilers head coach is more than a dream come true: ‘Winning is a skill’
- DNB: Six signs of positive change surface for the Oilers in Jay Woodcroft’s victorious coaching debut
- Lowetide: 7 Oilers players poised to benefit most from Jay Woodcroft becoming head coach
- Lowetide: Oilers pro forward depth chart about to get overhauled
- DNB: Three Oilers questions that will define stretch run
- DNB: Oilers’ Zach Hyman is compelled to speak up about antisemitism when he sees it
- Lowetide: Revisiting Oilers’ choice to take Kailer Yamamoto in 2017 NHL Draft
- Lowetide: Why prospects stall in the AHL
- Lowetide: Oilers top 20 prospects, winter 2021
WHAT TO EXPECT IN FEBRUARY
- On the road to: WAS (Expected 0-1-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
- At home to: VEG, CHI, NYI (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 1-2-0)
- On the road to: SJS, LAK (Expected 1-0-1) (Actual 2-0-0)
- At home to: ANA (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
- On the road to: WPG (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
- At home to: MIN (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-1-0)
- On the road to: TBY, FLA, CAR (Expected 0-2-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 6-4-2, 14 points in 12 games
- Actual February results: 6-3-0, 12 points in 9 games
- Oilers in 2021-22: 28-19-3, 59 points in 50 games
Even with the loss, Edmonton is on pace for 97 points this season. That should be enough to get the team into third place in the Pacific division. Last night is gone, and might give Woodcroft and staff some ammo to use as the team heads out for the Everest climb.
OILERS AFTER 50 GAMES, 2015-22
- Oilers in 2015-16: 19-26-5, 43 points; goal differential -30
- Oilers in 2016-17: 27-15-8, 62 points; goal differential +18
- Oilers in 2017-18: 22-24-4, 48 points; goal differential -24
- Oilers in 2018-19: 23-24-3, 49 points; goal differential -21
- Oilers in 2019-20: 26-18-6, 57 points; goal differential +1
- Oilers in 2020-21: 30-17-2, 62 points; goal differential +29
- Oilers in 2021-22: 28-19-3, 59 points; goal differential +4
This season is so damn strange, I find comfort in this 10-game look (my thanks to whomever suggested it). The Oilers started 15-5-0, followed by a ghastly 3-11-2 downbeat. Since then, it’s 10-3-1. As long as it lands the team in the playoffs, I don’t think most will complain. It won’t be a Stanley season, but winning a round (or more) will be vital.
GOALTENDER
Mike Smith looked like the screen door at our house when I was a kid, creaky, noisy and didn’t slam shut until long after entry. Koskinen arrived and allowed the final three.
- First GA: Tyler Benson couldn’t get a clean pass to Kailer Yamamoto, Tyson Barrie lost a battle on the wall (two Wild were in the scrum), Philip Broberg late to disrupt the pass, Colton Sceviour not effective net front, even less effective after joining Conga line behind the net, Yamamoto and Broberg fail to impact shooter’s lane or shooter. It took a village.
- PPGA: Draisaitl can’t quite get puck out, Eriksson Ek high slot, that’s all she wrote.
- Evan Bouchard turns puck over in bad place, everyone going the wrong way, jailbreak, bad result.
- Philip Broberg pass up the wall, intercepted, all forwards 10 miles from main camp. Evan Bouchard Sunday stroll to neutral zone ill-timed, Fiala Fiala Fiala la la la la. 4-0.
- Dewar goal on Koskinen: Point shot, Koskinen stops but does not secure.
- Matt Boldy goal: Jailbreak, shot from high in the zone in the area that eventually turns into the slot, goalie should make that stop.
- Zuccarelli goal: Hyman tired at the blue line, you’d like him to dump it into the corner but that was a tough night for all.
DEFENSE
They all looked exhausted and frantic to my eye, although William Lagesson was 2-0 goals at five-on-five and Cody Ceci ran a clean slate. High, high event evenings from Darnell Nurse (0-3), Evan Bouchard (0-3), Tyson Barrie (2-3), Philip Broberg (1-2), Markus Niemelainen (0-1) all spent time looking skyward. Lagesson had an assist, the defense as a group had a TK-GV total of 1-8 and chased like exhausted greyhounds at the race track.
FORWARDS
Tyler Benson, Zach Hyman and Evander Kane scored, Hyman, Draisaitl, Nuge and McLeod grabbed assists. Forwards were 5 TK, 11 GV and McDavid looked a little injured for a time, that was a nightmare scenario. They all looked drained, exhausted, like on Sunday night when the kids have taken every ounce of energy out of you and your in-laws drop in to surprise you. You’re barbecuing, but you’re not using the good steaks.
NHLE FORWARDS
Savoie, Bourgault, Petrov and Tullio are setting a blistering pace, for me Petrov’s performance as a rookie in the OHL stands out. I don’t know who in that group of four will emerge as a pure NHL scorer, but I like the chances of one of them making it. The Russians are interesting but we don’t know if we’ll ever see them, and if Berezkin or Denezhkin do come over, will they bolt if they spend time in Bakersfield? Rasanen is similar, Edmonton should sign him but that ship may have sailed.
Holloway is just getting started, don’t worry about his boxcars he’ll be fine. Holloway touches the puck more than any Oilers AHL prospect in memory. All the time, every shift, he’s around it. Lavoie is coming on now, you can see it with each passing game. He’s a brilliant shooter but other elements in his game are emerging. Emerging? Shane Lachance has done some things since our last look.
NHLE DEFENSE
The first three names here are the immediate future, led by Philip Broberg who has moved the needle at the AHL level. He has some ways to go before becoming an NHL regular (he is 7-12 in five-on-five on-ice goals, but 5-3 since the coaching change) but he’s going to play for a long time with those wheels.
Markus Niemelainen is the most pleasant surprise in the 19 years I’ve been blogging about the Oilers. His scouting reports through the years failed to reflect the entire picture, and even before the start of this season Niemelainen’s possible role was fuzzy. Not any more. Now, one can project him on the Oilers roster as far as the eye can see. Since Woodcroft-Manson arrived, he is 4-2 goals and 59 percent expected goals.
Dmitri Samorukov appears to be the odd man out, but things can change. I think he could be part of a deadline deal, as he is RFA at the end of this season, waiver eligible next year, and the call of the homeland may be strong for this player. I hope he stays, enjoy watching him in Bakersfield. Emerging? Max Wanner. Someone in the Oilers organization saw something, and it’s there. RHD are unicorns if they can make it.
NEW for The Athletic: Evan Bouchard’s new role with Oilers and the promising early results (despite last night).
https://theathletic.com/3139811/2022/02/21/lowetide-evan-bouchards-new-role-with-oilers-and-the-promising-early-results/
I hope Manson can speed up his development on the defensive side of the game. Right now he is at best a 3RD (as is Barrie). Ceci is a pretty strong 2RD. Obvious problem on the right D side!
One is 30 the other 22. Give your head a shake. Bouchard is already better defensively than Barrie. Given the proper D partner Bouchard is money! Barrie is a good offensive D that is what he is. Barrie has value but what he brings is duplicated by Bouchard with the difference being Bouchard can be the complete package!
Barrie was also 22 at one time and he didn’t improve much defensively over the years. There’s no guarantee that Bouchard will either.
There’s also no guarantee that you won’t get hit by a Bus crossing the street if you don’t look both ways.
Also no guarantee that you’ll use an analogy that works, apparently.
What I am hearing is: nothing is guaranteed.
If, at the age of 22, you don’t know how to play defense, you likely will never will.
Yes, imagine after 64 NHL games you label a kid “not able to play defence” It’s likely the single most Ridiculous thing you’ve said on here.
Evan Bouchard has now played 148 professional hockey games.
In those games, he is -20.
I don’t care about the plus-minus number because it can fluctuate wildly season over season for any player. What I care about is him improving on the things that he has been asked to do over and over again: defensive awareness and intensity level. I do believe that he has made some degree of progress on these aspects but he is still a long way from correcting both issues.
He has been minus in every season as a professional.
There is zero evidence he is improving.
Well, if you’re using plus minus as a proxy for defensive ability, yes there is some evidence he’s improving. In spite of the dash three turd he laid last night, he’s still even in 50 NHL games this season, which is more than one third of his professional total games played.
Haha that’s a better average +/- than Hughes!
The same minus Quinn Hughes was last year in half as many games you toad!
Take that Quinn Hughes
So that’s when dman peak? Really?
You seem to forget the size difference but then you like Smurf D!
Was dumping dzigel on waivers another dubas master stroke?
How about Hutton, pure wizardry.
How does he do it. Is he even a man? Does he actually put his pants on both legs at a time?
Wait; you don’t?
Damn. Am I the only one that does 1 leg at a time? I thought it was everyone!
Channel your anger Comrade.
Looks like I picked a good game to miss last night. My old timers team had as much luck as I had to leave my usual D spot and play centre. Definitely a doughnut line, but of course, any time you get to play is the best time in the world.
The odds were stacked and the Oilers were trying to hit 17 playing against the dealer (schedule). I couldn’t believe they had to play today after flying home from Brandon the day before.
Can’t comment on the game too much, but the twitterverse was blowing up with suggestions that this is truly a dress rehearsal for Woodcroft and that his final fate will be given this summer. I sure hope this isn’t true. I know that in theory every coach has their fate decided in summer, and that Woodcroft has a small sample size so far, but letting him walk would be a grave mistake.
I like Woodcroft’s style and his work with the younger players. The tricky part now moving forward, is keeping the players motivated to learn and work together.
I think Ken will be quite reluctant to go to another coach this summer imo, because,
a) I think the team leadership likes Woody and would not want another coach in such a short time.
b) One of the reason that Ken himself was not too keen to fire Tippet was because he is aware of the number of coaches the oilers have transitioned thru’. He wouldn’t want to add to that statistic.
Will be really surprised if se see new bench boss next season. Unless off course we stink from here on and don’t make the playoffs.
Of course, I have my own outsider’s interpretation of the early results… but I’d love to hear in greater depth what are your takeaways of Woodcroft and Co’s impact on the team when you have some time.
Maybe it’s just me, but I think that a loss like the Wild beatdown will help galvanize the team if they can rally behind ManWood’s messaging.
They weren’t as bad as their number before Evason took over. They aren’t as good as their number since he’s taken over. I believe they will regress to the mean at some point I j the near future.
Dubas needs to be fired by 10
Well played sir.
Leaf nation verite?
You mean 9 right? 12 MST is 9. Everything has got to revolve around verite’s personal frame of view does it not?
They are either going to play smarter or have to get really lucky to do anything
Starts at the top. There has been more effort coming back, but the top 3 still try to go superhero when they see fit
Doesn’t usually work and the rest of the team falls apart to me
The Leafs Nation (@TLNdc) Tweeted:
TRADE: Maple Leafs acquire goaltender Carter Hutton for future considerations https://t.co/BFeXQSrbCE
https://twitter.com/TLNdc/status/1495919399462596609?s=20&t=vlRJnhMfg4hGCL4klmIWRw
.741 save percentage and 7.76 goals against this season, pass.
It’s a mystery as to why he makes this trade. Is he gonna try to slip him through waivers and onto his echo team? Cause probably noone claims this one.
Close, but with another wrinkle: https://www.gophnx.com/2022/02/21/coyotes-waive-then-trade-goalie-carter-hutton-to-maple-leafs-but-hes-not-going-anywhere/
Novel strategy.
Verdad: truth
Verite: to film something to display candid realism.
One wants to fire Holland by noon, the other by midnight.
For sure you are the same person.
A bit like Clarke Kent and Superman are the same person?
Well, yeah.
Question is, is that actually a person behind the monikers?
Precisely what I have seen!
C’mon, Jets.
3-1 Flames.
Now 10 straight wins with a chance to sweep February.
Wes Gilbertson (@WesGilbertson) Tweeted:
Classic Darryl Sutter after #Flames tie record for longest winning streak in franchise history: “I don’t put a whole lot into 10 in a row unless they were 10 in a row in the playoffs.”
https://twitter.com/WesGilbertson/status/1495910521715183616?s=20&t=ryMdmI9d4rVzlcyKNlpqww
He makes a good point. All this 10 in a row does is increase Gaudreau’s, Tuckachuk’s, and Mangie Peanuts asking prices this summer.
Yes.
Its far better having players underperforming so that their next contracts are cheaper.
Oh wait…that’s just stupid.
Agreed, I love that Flames players over achieve in contract years. Kylington, another RFA who will be looking for big dollars. Between those 4 they are probably looking at 32 mill per year. Flames suck, over achieving players, no injuries, and will probably be out first round.
Most importantly, the Canucks are .500 in their past 10.
Honestly, I can’t believe this is downvoted, but I think some posters here believe that underperformance leading to a cheaper contract is a good thing.
No, not really, but sort of. I was a little concerned at the start of the year what we would do if Pulji scored 30 this year but u fortunately that isn’t happening. With regards to the Flames, if you were a fan how much and what term would you be willing to give Gaudreau, Tkatchuk, mangpane, an kylington?
Do you like Nuge at 5.1 or would you rather have him at 6.5… or playing in Seatle?
Sutter is a terrific coach. He’s also fantastic with the media.
Hey, how about those Avs!
Colorado has 32 games remaining.
If they play only .500 hockey the rest of the way, they’ll finish with 109 points.
I think they’ll be just fine.
Yes I’m sure they will be fine as you’ve mentioned that a few times. Even if .500 hockey for the next 32 games will only get them 108 points, not 109.
Well then…they’ve failed on a massive scale. 🙂
Just thought you might like to have your goalposts realigned.
Lots of teaching moments for Woodcroft et al to sink their teeth in after last night…but mostly just a game to move on quickly from.
Extremely interesting road trip coming up, will tell us a lot about this team under Woodcroft and be one hell of a test for the young D group.
Broberg is playing way to tentative, he’s a guy who plays his best when he aggressively tightens gaps, is pro-active in the neutral zone and quickly closes in on guys in the D zone, not very physical, that’s a dimension he needs to add, but active with his stick, he’s also at his best in transition and offensively when he plays with some risk.
Jay Woodcroft mentioned in one of his interviews down in Bakersfield, and I think he was quoting Manson, “you can’t teach go”, and that Broberg has that in spades, it’s a great point wrt Broberg’s game. We haven’t seen any of that from him, defensively he seems overly concerned to not stray out of position which ironically has him struggling with positioning because he’s not moving his feet near enough and offensively he’s not even trying the stuff that makes him such a unique talent, there’s zero go.
I’ve mostly liked his passing and the few times when he opts to play more aggressively breaking up plays early with an active stick but overall he’s just not playing his game. He needs to be much more alpha on the ice to be efficient.
From a development perspective it’s great he’s getting minutes in the NHL but the sense is that he doesn’t trust his abilities enough to be ready yet. My guess is that Woodcroft and Manson are kind of hoping he’ll have a game where he just “pops” and never looks back, he’s certainly the type of player who could have such a moment, but unless that happens soon he’ll obviously go back down once Keith returns. Let him build his game and confidence in Bako.
I will say this though, he played with a bit more savvy after sitting for a while last night.
On to a more distant bell out of Sweden. After some illness and fading form Jeremias Lindewall was loaned out to third tier team Örnsköldsvik again a few weeks ago to get some big minutes and find his game. He seems to be doing well enough with 17 points(8 goals) in 12 games but not easy to compare performance at that level to other leagues. James Hamblin who is doing pretty well in the AHL had 25 points in 22 games at the same level last season so it’s definitely not a league you just walk all over.
Lindewall has played ok to good when I’ve seen him in Allsvenskan but he’s just not found his offensive touch yet. Still waiting for him to take that next step.
Thanks! I really appreciate your insight and input!
Is O-vik really 3rd tier and by O-vik, is that Modo you are referring to?
Örnsköldsvik, or Övik, is the town where both Modo, the Allsvenskan(second tier) club Lindewall is under contract with and Örnsköldsvik HF, the third tier club Lindewall has been loaned to for the time being. Hope that clears things up.
Modo was namned after a local company, a paper mill, in the 60s btw.
Yes, I remember hearing my cousin tell me about the name when I went there over 20 years ago. I was lucky to see Kempehallen.
When the Oilers played a tight defensive game, our goaltending proved to be more than adequate… to the tune of three different goalies posting wins and good numbers.
I expect that goaltending to return when the form in front of them returns. I also doubt Holland would use last night–the fifth game in seven nights–as his cue to now sacrifice serious assets to fix net in season. I think he will judge the goalies on the games when the team plays well in front of their netminder. And so far they have all been good.
And not that I think the goalies played well last night. I don’t. I think they sucked about as much as the rest of the team. But the team earned that loss. Looking for scapegoats is a moot exercise because there’s no shortage. Can’t trade them all (deepest apologies, Verdad).
They couldn’t complete a pass in the first ten minutes of the game. Loose pucks there for the taking every time a relay was attempted. That’s not this team when they’re playing well. Last night, they could not process and were wielding their sticks with fatigue. Took shortcut lines everywhere. No jump. They were a tired bunch and it showed. Even Connor was playing on fumes. They didn’t even have the energy to be belligerent in the post-game presser, lol.
I want to see more of the net-minding with the smart, tight, energetic team in front of the keepers before I advocate firing them all into the sun.
Pretty much how I saw it! Expecting miracles from them last night was at best foolish. As a fan we have to give the team a break! Expecting a win last night is okay but to trash them for not doing so is unfair at best!
Kaprizov. Is the biggest reason.
Second is Fiala
Boldy is a top notch prospect
How many of those teams fired their coach and GM by 10 am?
Tullio has 1+2 so far as Oshawa leads 5-0 in the second.
His goal was on the PP, a one-time blast from the top of the left circle:
https://mobile.twitter.com/Oshawa_Generals/status/1495858057598967820?cxt=HHwWmIC92cu-rcIpAAAA
He now has a third apple in his collection as Oshawa opens up a 7-1 bulge one minute into the third.
Tullio finishes 1+3 with 4 shots, named 2nd star.
Q for the group:
Is this current format (live updates + summary) working?
Should we have a preview each gameday as well?
Keep it status quo?
Quit over-thinking this? 😀
Open to suggestions.
Thanks for the prospect info/updates! Whatever you choose to do, it’s much appreciated Tarkus.
I like the summaries to be honest, and wouldn’t mind the previews. You’ve done them a couple of times and they save me from looking it up myself or (as likely) completely forgetting to do so.
I enjoy what you’re doing very much.
This is the content that I come here for. Unlike NHL content which I get alerts for on my phone all day long …Tarkus is the main source of up to the minute Oiler prospect updates (hat tips to LT, OP and SwedishPoster). Love these posts.
As long as you temper the enthusiasm, so that we don’t think the next Ovechkin is being called up. I was sure guys like Benson and Marody were going to be stars in this league and Holloway will be scoring 40 goals a year.
Haven’t seen that from Tarkus at all – just straight up reporting how our prospects are doing, with a little bit of game time context thrown in.
But yes, our prospects do get overhyped on this forum, so it’s important to temper enthusiasm.
Quit over-thinking it your contributions are most appreciated! A very heartfelt thanks!
Thank you for running these numbers. PS – don’t tell Verdad
Mike Smith looked like the screen door at our house when I was a kid, creaky, noisy and didn’t slam shut until long after entry. Koskinen arrived and allowed the final three.
LOL. Your Smith-Is-Bad (SIB) bias is showing again. Smith’s GA were all 10 bell chances and nice shots. Koskinen’s GA were atrocious. He didn’t save the first one as you mention. He missed it completely, it went off the post and then bounced off him into the net. Looked like a peewee goal. You don’t see that very often in the NHL because goalies are usually much more aware of where the puck is. This is Koskinen’s biggest weakness. Puck tracking and instincts when he loses visibility.
That said, you would like to see an NHL goalie stop half of the point blank chances he faces. On a better night, Smith would stop two of those four. He wasn’t on his A game. But he has been good since coming back.
I also don’t agree with your conclusion. The problem is still not goaltending. The Oilers reverted to the kind of play that got Tippett fired. The team is not positioning themselves to defend, especially the forwards. The opposition is getting lots of time with the puck below the faceoff circle with wide open players to pass to for great chances.
I’ve always thought goals against and save percentage should be team stats. A goalie’s save percentage depends on so much more than the goalie himself. It takes a commitment from everyone on the team. This is where the Flames are right not making Markstrom look like a Vezina candidate. It’s not Markstrom as much as it’s their team’s commitment to all 5 players defending against the kind of chances the Oilers give up as a matter of routine.
This game would have been a close match if Bouchard was in the press box. I know everyone loves him too much to say that and I do too, but that’s a fact. He’s young and he made a lot of errors last night that cost the team a chance at that game.
Smith would not have let in those three goals that Koskinen let in. So we have a 4-3 game with leaky right D from Bouchard/Barrie and forwards who have a penchant for hanging out at the blueline when the opposition has the puck. That’s the game story.
If I were Holland, I would be looking for RD and alternate Bouchard/Barrie in the PB. A deep playoff run is hard to imagine with those two patrolling the right side.
A summer do-over of convincing Larsson to stay with a little extra money and letting Barrie go free would have done the trick.
Could we get Larsson back for Barrie and a pick? Holland was the JP whisperer. Maybe he can smooth things over with Larsson too and get him back in the fold.
You want to bring back a player that didn’t/doesn’t want to be an Oiler.
Barrie wouldn’t be here if Larsson resigned.. All a summer do-over would result in is Larsson hopefully notifying the team before last minute that he doesn’t intend on returning then maybe Holland can better advance on the available defender market. But Larsson didn’t give the Oilers that opportunity did he..
They need a legit #1 Goaltender in a game called mostly goalie, both veterans tenders proved last night their not that guy for various reasons, both tenders allowed goals that had nothing to do with anything other then they’re not good enough to be considered a legit #1 goaltender.
If Larsson got a little summer love, or even just a phone call, he might very well be here right now. Holland overplayed his position and got burned. But it doesn’t mean he can’t take another shot at it. Larsson is a humble, hard working man and would be happy to play anywhere in the NHL, I suspect, especially for a contender. Never say never.
Larsson himself said he wanted a fresh start. Being in Edmonton was too hard for him, and his family, with the still fresh memories of his father’s sudden passing.
There’s a good reason he took less money to play with the SEAmen.
Nah, that’s just a weak after-the-fact justification of the decision to an Edmonton based reporter. He was being professional and didn’t want a dirty ending to the Edmonton part of his career. Do you really think a professional like Larsson just can’t possibly play a game in a certain city because his father passed away while playing there?
Never say never.
This I don’t buy at all. He has no problem playing a game in this city. His problem is playing a game for this city. Accordingly, he accepted less to leave. Offering more didn’t keep him and paying him less (honouring his present contract) isn’t going to get him to return.
I don’t think either of us knows for sure. He’s currently playing for a team that will be underachievers for the foreseeable future. The Oilers offer a compelling and familiar opportunity to a man in the heart of his career. Definitely worth exploring IMO.
And your evidence to same is what? Larsson was a class act and still is!
Do you have knowledge that he didn’t get a call from Holland! Given his patience with JP, you may not be correct. I will apologize if you know I’m wrong!
You really don’t know that’s the way it transpired! The number one goal tender is a crap shoot! Better chance to win the lottery !
Agree,but lots of luck getting Larsson back!😉
Good post. Nailed a lot of points.
I don’t think the goalies are terrible but monster rebounds and getting beat clean on shots from the mid circles (which the Oilers rarely score on for good reason) isn’t NHL caliber play for me
Smith is fighting it, play deep in his net, and as said can’t control rebounds which is a big part of NHL caliber play
Koski’s style doesn’t translate to the NHL, he’s a top Euro goalie but not a good NHL one
I’ll he surprised if he gets another gig over here, outside of cheap on a team with few options. I don’t know why he wouldn’t want to go back and have fun and a longer career being in a more suitable place
Your second paragraph is the correction to your first. NHL goalies are expected to stop grade-A chances. Koskinen went 1 for 2 on the short handed breakaways in the Jets game. If he went 0-2 then he would have rightly received a heap of criticism.
The goalies we face regularly stop many of our grade-A chances. We were the way better team than the Ducks in the first period of that game but the score was 2-1 for them because Gibson made some great saves (wasn’t it three big stops on McDavid alone?)
Smith can play great. I don’t think he is just some scrub. But he is (just like Koskinen) inconsistent.
The team played like crap in front of him and with that effort, there was no way we’re going to win that game even with Dominik Hasek in net. But Smith still needs to make some saves on grade-A chances. If he can’t do that, he can’t play in the big leagues anymore – the same applies to Koskinen.
I should have read this before posting.
Agreed.
The D zone coverage AND the goaltending have been shit this season. These things are not mutually exclusive.
I’ve been watching teams with more than two rookies since the Leafs in the 1960’s. It’s always tragic. The best you can hope for is some get better before they get hurt so bad they can’t play.
One thing the Leafs did have? A good-to-great veteran goalie.
Agreed, and I think Bouchard will get there. He has so many great tools. He plays a little soft, but not every Dman has to be Jason Smith to be effective. Tom Poti was a famous example.
Bouchard needs cover right now though. A good defensive minded partner and more consistent goaltending would certainly help.
Bouchard has shown the ability to play physical when required! This is not playing to his strengths!
Agreed, but this is a different time. The Johnny Bower year may never be repeated!
I would agree with all of this except I don’t see the inconsistency you point to in the original post.
Too soon we blame the goalies!
I agree with you about the D. It is a below average group and the composition of player types is even worse.
That being said, the Oilers goalies are not good. NHL goalies have to be able to stop quality scoring chances. NHL goalies must have some rebound control. Smith has a sub .900 save percentage this season. That is real bad. Poor D coverage is part of the story. The goalie has to own some of it.
With an improved D core, would you feel confident rolling into the playoffs with Smith and Koski?
No doubt, the goaltending has been below average, but exaggerated by the team’s play in front of them. I think we would see at least average goaltending from Smith with proper defensive play and a good chance at above average as we know Smith can be streaky and likes the pressure that playoffs bring. The wildcard would be injury, and there is no escaping the risk to a 40 year old playing in the NHL.
So to answer your question, yes IF the team can play standard defensive hockey (it doesn’t have to be Jacques Lemaire) like they did in the 5 before this one and IF Smith can stay healthy, he could carry them deep. I think both “ifs” are significant here though. Can our forwards commit to defending down low? Probably. Can one of Bouchard and Barrie suddenly transform into a defensive stalwart? Unlikely. That is why I would place top priority on a stay at home RD.
The Smith health “if” is a gamble, to be sure, but that is part of the luck of a Stanley run. Often it’s the teams that have the most luck with team health that push the furthest. We know this better than any team – Sekara 2016, Roloson 2006.
Considering the number of Dmen that go down with injuries in the playoffs and they have an outsized influence on the team’s success, are you comfortable rolling into the playoffs with our current defensive corps?
Thanks for the reply.
To answer your question: no.
I am not comfortable with the D or the goalies going into the playoffs.
My opinion is that with added experience with the group, you will see that the D is okay and the goaltending will be much better.
These things aren’t mutually exclusive … both the goaltending and the defense (outside of Ceci, but including Nurse) have been wildly inconsistent this year. Both need to be better for the Oilers to be legit contenders. Both could use an upgrade still, but goaltending is the most pressing and immediate concern.
For those of us old enough to remember when Cujo was an Oiler … a top goalie can mask a lot of a team’s other deficiencies.
Calgary might be playing great this year, but their goal differential is mostly due to Markstrom having a Vezina calibre season. He’s making a bunch of their players rich this summer.
That’s too many data points to be luck
Are his defencemen shooting exceptionally well? Are the Fs carrying the Dmen? Are the breakdowns by position different per time segment?
Great analysis. I know we hope to go 82-0, but 8 points out of that 5 game segment will do.
I didn’t watch last night, went and played ‘wreck’ hockey instead. I am in a much better mood today because of it. I watched the hilights and the only really weak goal seemed to be the 5-hole from the slot on Koski. Still, NHL goalies have to make NHL saves and that seems to be where these two struggle too frequently. Hopefully between the two of them they can come up with 25 decent games down the stretch.
That was the weakest goal.
As Jay said post-game, he felt the team gave up more Grade A chances in the first period than they had the previous five games put together. I don’t think he was far off. And of course hanging your goalie out to dry right off the opening whistle is a little different than doing it for a stretch in the third period. Your goalie really stands no chance.
You’d like to see Smith make a couple of amazing stops there, but really it’s asking for a helluva lot and probably changes the outcome not at all. Because they never stopped giving the Wild great looks.
It’s going to be a big test for the team to limit grade A chances over the next 3 games. It’s going to take some solid goaltending to get some points out of those games.
And some solid defensive play. Which is where it begins. No play starts with a shot on net. The goalie and the skaters have to work together to limit goals against.
For sure, I have much more optimism that the new coaches will make the adjustments needed to tighten things up.
Me too. And I think the players know what largely they have to do different. They just weren’t there last game and that was mostly to be expected. I have faith that Manwood will settle them down in Florida and have them back playing tight and smart.
When a Goaltender plays deep in his net all goals look like Mike Bossy took the shot. Why is Mike playing so deep is it lack of concentration, confidence maybe it’s Coaching as Mikko looks to play the same way. This team is going nowhere with average Joes Goaltending. When’s the last time a team sent down a Goaltender to the minors after registering a Shutout?
There are two philosophies in goaltending today, like there was back in the day. But instead of it being standup vs butterfly, its now deep vs challenging. The deep goalies are typically the athletic ones, relyng more on reflexes to make stops.. The shot-challengers are the positional goalies, relying more on their innate size. The difference in philosophies exists because goalies that challenge are more susceptible to back-door plays and lateral passing. Goalies that play deep are more susceptible to great shooters with time and space.
Koski is a challenger and Smith plays deep. We have one of each. Neither philosophy was successful last night, because neither are 100% successful against an overwhelming number of quality chances against.
I’m not sure about this. For a big guy, Kosi plays pretty deep in his net. How many times have we heard “how does a 6’5″ goalie let in a shot over his shoulder”? And most of Smith’s problems are when he wanders far from his net.
The book is out on Mikko shoot fast and high. Watch the way he tracks the puck half his saves are where he reacts after the puck hits him reach means bad rebound control. Again watch his head and eyes the man is out to lunch trying to track the puck never mind being a split second ahead of the shooters like the upper echelon of the league.
Just cue up last night’s game and look at their approaches to shots from distance in front of them. Koski plays them farther out than Smith. That’s not to say Koski isn’t deeper when the puck is in tight or behind him, or that Smith never leaves his goal line.
And what Smith’s wandering to play the puck has to do with their differing approach to saving shots, I have no idea. Not sure why you raised it.
Tyler Benson, tied for goals with Jack Eichel. 🙂
“I just spent six months in a leaky boat
Lucky just to keep afloat”
Nice choice; Very apropos.
But how come when I look back, the song that comes to mind is:
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale
a tale of a fateful trip,
that started from this tropic port,
aboard this tiny ship.
The mate was a mighty sailin’ man,
the Skipper brave and sure,
five passengers set sail that day,
for a three hour tour,
a three hour tour.
🙂
“It won’t be a Stanley season”
Stanley?!… STANLEY!?!…..I’d be happy with a Pacific Division Banner. 🙂
Happy for Benson. Was worried he was going to be the Canadian version of Toby Rieder.
How many of you are there?!? HH’s goal posts are evolving.
Rieder never saw a body check he wanted to complete.
Truer words were never spoken. That gave me a laugh.
Rams are the model.
Traded for talent by using the currency of draft picks, for teams that love endless re-builds.
Also decisively acted to trade over-rated garbage for massive upgrade in quality, see Goff, and think of turffing Nurse for an actual number 1 defenseman.
And get a coach that drives offense, and can consistently outcoach the opposition.
Rams sold their future for one win. And they got lucky at that. Not to mention contracts are not guaranteed.
The Rams have given away only 1st round picks mostly. They have had excess mid round picks, which they develop. Football is different than hockey. If a team can develop players, 3rd and 4th round picks, turn out as many players as 1st round picks.
New England, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore have been exceptional at this. The Rams and 49’ers have joined them. Probably the Colts, but they have a quarterback problem since Luck abandoned a potential dynasty team.
McVay can also handled “high maintenance” players like Ramsey and Beckham. Tomlin is particulary good at this.
In the hard cap NHL, only true contenders can risk dealing off 1st round picks willy nilly. The 1st round in the NHL is far more valuable than the 1st round in the NFL.
The Oilers are not a true contender yet.
I’d love to see the Verdad Oilers team you’d construct.
think of the LA Rams
They’re all football players… wouldn’t it be smarter to construct a hockey team out of hockey players? Now what’s your first trade?
You would construct a NFL football team that just won the championship to also win the Stanley Cup?
Makes sense.
Time to send Broberg down. He looks rattled out there and is really struggling in his own end. Doesn’t seem to be able to block passes or tie up sticks right now. The pair of Broberg and Bouchard seemed to be at the wrong end of goal highlights every night.
I’m sure that’s the plan once Keith/Russell reactivate. In the meanwhile ManWood can school him a bit with limited minutes.
Bro does have the feel of a sundial developer.
He looks lost out there.
In terms of trade targets, Holland has been talking about taking on contracts with term (not just a rental). Petry is on the market after a down year, but is still owed 6.25 x 4 and I think you can take a chance on him to bounce back. RHD to solidify our top 4 headed into playoffs. Barrie + 3rd round pick gets it done?
Nurse Petry
Keith Ceci
Lagesson Bouchard
Money doesn’t work out without Montreal taking more than just Barrie. Petry will be 35 with 3 yrs left. I think this would be a hard pill to swallow.
I’m amazed how many people think Petry would accept a trade to Edmonton. Never going to happen if you know some of the back story.
Petry is already on record stating he wants to be in the US. He has been separated from his wife and kids this whole time by Covid restrictions and he wants no more of it.
Petry is not coming here or anywhere in Canada. (And besides, we already made that trade with Keith).
It is not yet 10 am in Alberta, still time to fire Holland and have his replacement working by noon.
I cannot understand why this is not the single focus obsession of any rational Oiler fan.
Holland is an abject incompetent.
Last night’s loss, being down 4-0 at home, at home, in the first period is an organizational disgrace, but Holland is missing in action, Doing nothing.
replace him, gut this team asap , sending Nurse and RNH out will liberate possibilities to reinvent this team
Most of the people on this blog read all the comments, with the exception of most of HH’s trolling. You don’t have to repeat your love of Holland more than once per day – we get it!
*yawn
“Single focus obsession” – that phrase right there…thats not healthy level Fanhood.
I grew up being taught if you have nothing good to say, then keep it to yourself.
All you have is nothing good.
I suggest that you either go scream in your pillow, or find a site that will be better for your incessant negativity. I know this isn’t a goal of yours but it will help make the world a better place.
HH still looking to buy a friend!😉
Bingo
Verite?
Was going to try reason, but you aren’t looking for it as so many others have posted 5 games in 7 days is a scheduled loss and you choose to ignore.
Given this, who are you replacing him? And what trades are you making – who’s coming in/going out? Or is that asking too much of a troll since you’re not really here to move any conversation forward?
Smith is playing like a guy trying to fight his feeling and mojo back
Skaters can get away with it. Forwards the most. They don’t have enough mulligans left to see if he figures it out
Players don’t have peak years enough for Holland to wait for another day
There are a couple of obvious problems and the big ones are already solved
The top GMs would and are being proactive. What exactly do you need when you have the two best forwards and depth mostly?
No manana. I don’t believe in blowing assets. Holland has gain snookered himself blowing them on nothing previously and now he needs them
Still good GMs can recoup assets moving players and prospects. Deals and strategy are not his strong suits.
Waiting for the draft and being too cautious can kill a team’s chances, see Jets. Being active and smart puts teams over, see all of the consistently top teams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzpndHtdl9A
I don’t think rational means what you think it means.
Playing the way the team did for whatever reason, schedule loss, tired, other, even with an elite goaltender, we would have lost that game by two goals…imo.
Saw those 4 GAs on Smith this morning.
He was late on every single one.
Goalies are typically too early when they fail to make a save?
It’s like saying… “I saw four goals against last night and the goalie didn’t make a save on every single one.” You’re not really saying anything.
That’s not what I’m saying at all.
He was deep in his net on at least the last three.
I just watched the replays. For the first goal, the replay angles are poor. Still it was a quick shot off a pass that looked to go bar down. Still Smith didn’t read the play well and wasn’t set for the shot.
I would say and NHL goalie probably should stop the second and fourth goals.
The third goal was stoppable as well.
Smith plays so deep in his net otherwise there’s no chance the Wild score the second and third goals.
Do you think he’s still carrying an injury?
He looks awkward and slow, so it’s possible. It could also be rust or age.
Smith playing deep in his net is just his style though. He’s a guy that relies on reflexes and puck moving. He’s not a guy with a technique young goalies will look to emulate for stopping pucks.
Deep and late. Watch for the head snap. Even on saves. Or moving when he already had the shot covered via positioning.
Way off.
Smith needs to play the puck less or just stop it behind the net. Last night he barged infront of two of his teammates again only to pass it to the other team in the corner. He talks about being patient in the post game yet he comes out of his net when he is frustrated and gives the puck away.
He definitely did that. Everyone on the team seems to have a tendency to try to do too much when things aren’t going well. That last Hyman giveaway for example. The passes forced into the middle of the ice, whenever they’re down. Plenty of other examples.
There’s a real individual “Hero” thing going on with this team. It has been a pleasure to see Woody emphasize “Team Wins” and “Team Losses”, and getting them to think more in terms of being a member of a 5 man unit rather than individuals trying to put the team on their backs.
Hilarious how everyone thinks they are a goaltending expert in this thread.
I may not be an expert but one of my sons was a goalie. I spent 10 years watching him play high level hockey here in the US and ten years of goalie school in Montreal. There is no reason to play so deep in the net and I sure as hell hope Dustin Schwartz is not coaching them to play that way. In any event, the goalie coach is having no success so I fire his ass and hope that lights a fire under the goalies. Who is the goalie coach in the Bake? Call him up.
Sylvian Rodrigue, I believe, is goalie coach in BAK.
Come on down!
And I imagine a couple may very well be. Others will know broader things to watch for. They’ve seen enough of Smith to know he gets deep and slow/late then goes off the rails and doesn’t come back until he gets assertive again. He’s not a subtle goalie. His body cues are either very on or very off at any given point. I’m frankly concerned he’s not even seeing the puck that well. Anyone who remembers what happened with Josh Hamilton in his Texas years knows what that can do to even elite performance- but that’s extrapolation not direct knowledge.
Unfortunately there’s a large group who simply presumes this (and every other discussion here) is a narrative battle among speakers of equal knowledge, ability and effort – which of course is entirely incorrect. It’s a shame we don’t have topic threads so that conversations like this could become longer, more thought out and build a track record. That would be quite lovely. Ah well.
Hfboards did a fine job of that, and I believe reddit does too.
Key word in the first part being *did*. Good ol’ days and so on.
I have far too many misgivings about Reddit to venture into anything more than curiosities over there.
I should have picked up the technical knowledge somewhere along the way to build such a thing.
I do have sympathy for your plight. I loved the old timey page on the hfboards site, it was a fun ride for sure. This style of blog throws everyone in to the same pile and inevitably people who have real knowledge tire of being told they’re stupid and move on. It’s a thing. I don’t have a solution.
Nor would I attempt to put that burden on your shoulders. Far more than enough to sort out as things are.
At some point I will likely take it on myself with a couple others – to add to the mix in the Edmonton orbit and because I would really enjoy the work – but I’m not where I need to be with regard to other stuff in order to grab that ball and run – Yet. It’ll come.
“The Everest climb”
Hang out around base camp and hope that the other team falls into a crevasse.
oh….and bring plenty of oxygen.
In hockey parlance, keep it simple, stick to basics, and try and take advantage of the other teams mistakes.
Short shifts and high energy from puck drop to final buzzer.
OH….and no “Sunday strolls” away from base camp; I’m looking at you Evan Bouchard!
In the Himalayas, “low event” isn’t a strategy, it’s an absolute necessity.
With a team that includes 5 rookie climbers, you don’t conquer Everest, you survive it, and the things learned in surviving become vital for that day in the future when, as a more seasoned team, you make your ascent to the summit.
Geez, do you know how many amateurs climb Everest every year and succeed? It’s all about their guides (coaches). I do not care how many rookies we have. Sorry to be so loud but rookies are not an excuse!
Lol… can we do the north face of the Eiger next?
Now that’s a tough climb!
Steaks? I’m thinking a bucket of KFC and calling it a day…
Niemelainen agreed, I’m looking forward to seeing him play for the big club for a long time… love me some filthy defensive defenseman…
Leon and Conner are beasts.
Their commitment to the back check is noticeable and noteworthy; their realization of the importance of team defense is becoming evident.
Perhaps the next step in the progression will be a focus on situational management; Fewer risky passes in the Ozone (drop passes, shots that go wide and rim around the boards, etc) and when we have the lead, a commitment to more possession, and more interruption of the opposing teams flow of play.
#ElitePlus
It is odd that the Tippett regime could never identify the C men coming back low in the Oiler zone and especially right in front and right behind the net helping out. Baffles me. It makes such a big difference, and even deploying a 1/2/2 to break up the rush and check better in the neutral zone. Weird.
one thing this coaching staff needs to do is make the D way more responsible on pinches. We are still giving up too many breaks of 2 and 3 on 1’s.
practise time will hopefully cure this.
What makes you think they didn’t see it? They certainly talked about it on occasion.
“Zuccarelli goal: Hyman tired at the blue line, you’d like him to dump it into the corner ”
Hyman… and Connor, and Leon, and Yamo, and Kane, and etc
Situational hockey. If you don’t have your legs, simplify your game, and at least make the other guys have to skate back deep into their own zone.
I don’t think it was so much tired legs as head and hands. But totally agree on the need to simplify their game.
When the body is tired the brain isn’t at peak efficiency either!
Thank you for agreeing.
” It took a village” HAHA!
Yeah, and according to last night, we’re not supposed to make even oblique political references…
It took a District🤔
“I’ve always felt a 7-3 loss is easier to take than a 2-1 defeat”
I get the sentiment, but in our current state, I would heavily prefer a couple of 2-1 defeats if it meant that we were playing sound defensive hockey.
In fact, for the point of illustration, I might go as far as to say I would take four 2-1 loses over one win and three 7-3 loses.
what if that one win was a 15-0 beat down over the flames, and the 3 losses were against any three eastern conference teams not named Toronto?
I vote for this scenario. Anytime it includes a win over the flamers I am in.
Bouchard had a very rough night. Boys looked tired for sure.
The goalies and the ads were not good.
Sceviour should not be here period.
The next 3 games will tell us a lot in regards to this team. Tampa, Florida and Carolina are the cream of the crop. Be nice if they could get at least 3 points. More better, but they cannot lose all 3.
Should be able to get a couple full practices in this week , which will help the point and the pk as well as the systems Woodcroft uses.
Goalie and the D , we’re in sync NOT GREAT
Since Woody and Manson joined the big team on February 10 – the Oilers have had 3 or 4 practices.
The suggestion that a rookie coach can completely turn around an NHL team with a few practices and some line adjustments seems like wishful thinking. Tippett and Playfair are pretty good coaches.
a good schedule and good goaltending has to be part of the solution we have watched.
They have had one practice. The second is tomorrow.
Which is why it seemed bizarre that tippet winning vs Calgary delayed him losing his job past the nice big breaks where a coaching change would have some time to transition.
Agree with this – the win against Calgary should not have precluded Holland from making the coaching change. It’s these type of decisions that have me questioning his managerial style.
When Guerin executed his buyouts a lot of people were wondering if Minny could even compete. Now they are a legitimate contender through his brilliant vision. Bill Zito turned Florida around with analytics and savvy signings and trades. Unfortunately Holland has not done the same. Some good/decent moves and plenty more crippling ones through trades and signings. Goaltending won’t be solved any time soon I don’t think. (Hope I’m wrong and it doesn’t cost the farm) I’m nervous because Holland’s trade record is atrocious of late. Woodcroft is a great coach and will probably get this team to compete very hard most nights when they aren’t gassed. Oilers still have way too much money tied up in players that won’t move us into a true contender just yet.
I will hold off on praising Guerin until next year.
He bought himself some cap room this year but is going to incur some massive cap penalties starting next year. It will be interesting to see what kind of roster he can put together with all that dead cap space.
And some say Guerin is a genius 🙂
Man, if there’s one guy for whom analytics serves me personally, it’s Evan Bouchard.
To my eye, his play looks loose and a little soft; But the numbers help assuage my anxiety.
Evan Bouchard is really struggling. He looks like a player who has completely lost his confidence.
That vapor lock in the Wild slot that turned into a Wild goal is exhibit A. He is suddenly unwilling to shoot the puck and is struggling to complete the simplest of passes. These skills are supposed to be his strengths, and I’m sure he will recover them, but it’s tough to watch right now.
That was probably the worst game I’ve ever seen him play and he’s had a couple of doozies.
In fairness he has been playing with many different partners which is difficult given his limited NHL games played.
Bouch should be playing third pair and so should Barrie. That’s on Kenny, they did not need what Barrie offers because Nurse and Bouch are good or good enough on PP. Keith can do that as well
For me Bouch doesn’t want to engage physically, and that’s a problem unless he develops a Lidstrom type stick. Or even a Keith stick, he constantly takes or disrupts passes that try to go through him
Bouch’s coverage is mostly just being near the player, and it’s not working. I have seem him engage more and he was effective. He really needs to get stronger this summer to feel more confident with that
With both Barrie and Bouch being so leaky, not a good playoff look. They are capable of also contributing to scoring, but that’s not how it works in the playoffs
The leaky is causing Nurse issues as well, last night wasn’t his best or anybody’s but Wild Bill’s, still Nurse can be better. Chaos seems to cause him to make poor decisions and rush things
With the amount Connor generates if he could get a little sneakier with his finishing he’d have yet another level, amazing. Crosby a few seasons ago said he needed to focus on bearing down, the chances were there, he just needed to get more of them in the net. It’s a thing even for the best players
Excellent observations and post.
Agreed
Right now he’s one spot below Patrick Thoresen on my list, but he might move into a tie for first place if he keeps this up.
I was thinking Jeff Petry.
There was narry a word about him through college, and IIRC LT had him consistently in the teens in his regular prospect rankings.
Then he turned pro and after 40 games in the AHL he was a top 4 NHL D on arrival. The rest is history, as they say.
William Lagesson!
Remember when he wanted to have a chance to play more even it it meant doing so somewhere else?
Thank you Baby Jesus and Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson.
Under the category, “What might have been”
On the night of December 29, 1916, Tippetev and Playfairovich lured Rasputin to Mechanics Bank Arena in St. Bakersfield. The would-be killers first gave the monk food and wine laced with cyanide, however, when Rasputin seemingly failed to respond to the poison, they shot him at close range and left him for dead.
My favorite part of any Lowetide column/post, is always the words that come after the word “like” 🙂
“Like on Sunday night when the kids have taken every ounce of energy out of you and your in-laws drop in to surprise you. You’re barbecuing, but you’re not using the good steaks.”
#KingOfTheSimile
“Like the screen door at our house when I was a kid, creaky, noisy and didn’t slam shut until long after entry”
#DoubleSchnike
Man, would an “age” or even better a “date of birth” column make the NHLE chart more meaningful for me.
~ Yes.. I know….I am always welcome to start my own blog if my ideas are so brilliant ~ haha 🙂
There is no higher imperative that firing Holland this morning.
the OIlers as constructed are an insult to the city, the fans and McDavid
All on Holland.
It all relates to no goaltending and atrocious decisions like Nurse and RNH, massively overpaid and hardly worth what they were paid last year. They should have been traded long ago.
But most of all it is all on Holland
Fire him this morning , bring in an executive dedicated to gutting this team , and replacing the garbage with actual playes
As the LA Rams have shown, draft pix and prospects are for losers.
Did you see Tombstone right before Doc Holliday meets Johnny Ringo – Kurt Russel says to Isaac “Yeah I heard you the first time”.
Your poetry is blissful relief on this saddest of mornings.
Who looks at the Oilers (who are sitting in a playoff spot) and thinks Nuge and Nurse are the problems?
Nuge’s contract is fantastic. I am hoping that some time with Manson and Woodcroft will help to evolve Nurse into a 9 million dollar defenceman.
A reminder the Oilers might be in a tie for 3rd in the Pacific (or the last wildcard spot) with the Kings.
However, LA plays 6 of their next 7 games against teams not currently in a playoff position while the Oilers head out on their trip through the Valley of Death.
A reminder that any team can beat any team on any given night in the NHL. That’s why they play the games.
Oh man you and verite are on a rotation you want hom gone by noon, verite wants him gone by midnight.
For me, job one, even above getting a new goalie is, getting these 7 RFA’s under contract at “value” prices.
JP
Yamamoto
McLeod
Lagesson
Niemelainen
Samorukov
Berglund
The cards have fallen in our favour. JP Yamo and McLeod are not scoring at rates that make them overly expensive.
And the 4 Dmen have revealed their value to us, just in the knick of time, prior to becoming RFA
trade them for actual players
Can anyone believe that Yammoto is an NHL hockey player?
Or that any others on that list have any talent?
And as for Puhljarvi , a prime asset to trade for a winger that can actually score.
Scheiffle is rotting away in Winnipeg for instance.
Exactly, the Jets will happily trade away Scheiffle for PoolParty.
JP isn’t an NHL player, he says.
Trade JP (injured) for a winger, he says.
Trade JP for Scheiffle (centre), he says.
JP = “prime asset” = Scheffle, he says.
Logic + consistency ≠ verdud’s forte.
There is nothing even remotely close to as pressing as addressing the goalie position. They have no one for the now and the best bet for Skinner is a Swayman-like 1B role.
Do you address this with one move or two?
Grab Fleury to go “elite” for 1-3 years and deal with the future later or target a Husso type for more risk short term but a potential 1A with Skinner.
Ryan McLeod…… HOLY SHNIKIES !!!
The kid just keeps getting better.
“goal tending remains an issue”
But there could be a silver lining.
This team needs to learn to play defense on a more consistent level. They need to play team defense whether the score is 1-0 or 5-0
In the short term, having less than elite goalering should force them to do so.
They have to learn to resist the urge to go all out for offense when they are behind by a few goals. They have to learn to stick with the game plan and let the chips fall where they may.
One indicator of there progress (or lack there of) in this area, would be counting the odd man rushes and clear cut break-aways by both teams.
Learn to saw off against equal competition, and to stay close against the elite teams, when we just have average goalering and are actively grooming 3 or 4 rookie Dmen, would serve us very well in the near term and set us up for even more success once we have acquired/developed something close to Elite goalering, and our current crop of rookie dmen have established themselves.
Purchasing elite goalering now might be counter-productive, if the team relied heavily on the élite goalering as a means by which to cheat for offense.
Elite goalering is heavily contingent upon elite team defense.
#FormingGoodHabits
“Mike Smith looked like the screen door at our house”. Yep perfect description. I am sure he will dial it in occasionally but Smith/Koski tandem will not take this team to where they want to go. We wait for some type of solution and the clock is ticking.
Woodcroft Era
EDM Goal Diff 6 gp(5-1-0)
EV (3v3,4v4,5v5)
97 w/o 29(7-4) 64%
29 w/o 97(4-0) 100%
97&29 On(2-0) 100%
93 w/o either(5-2) 71%
71(0-2) 0%
10(0-0)
Other(0-1) 0%
Net EV +9
Special Teams 4-6=-2
Empty Net 3-0=+3
SO/PS 0-0
Goal Diff +10
The difference in “Net EV” remains exceptional even after last night.
EDM Goal Diff 50 gp(28-19-3)
EV(5v5,4v4,3v3)
97 w/o 29(30-24) 56%
29 w/o 97(28-24) 54%
97&29 On(16-11) 59%
93 w/o either(13-11) 54%
71(8-13) 38%
10(10-23) 30%
Other(4-8) 33%
Net EV -4
Special Teams 43-39
Net ST +4
Empty Net 13-8
Net EN +5
SO/PS 3-0
Net SO/PS +3
Goal Diff +8