The Edmonton Oilers reached 100 points last night in Pittsburgh, beating a veteran Penguins team with skill, hard work and structure. A year that saw so much occur, including a coach fired, a six-week disaster that delivered a 3-11-2 record beginning early December, and a 24-9-3 sprint by the new coach and his defensive partner, arrives at the finish line with the most sound series of games in memory. The Edmonton Oilers are good, quite good, very good.
This is the eighth time an Oilers team reached 100 points. It’s the second time in the McDavid era. This one feels different, and the sense one gets is that this team has found the formula and enough personnel to execute the plan. I don’t know what the future brings, but can say that this blog has been around for coming on 20 years, and the franchise is stable. How does it manifest itself in the playoffs? No one knows. It’s Los Angeles, we do know that much, and the two teams haven’t played each other in a playoff series for 40 years.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: Why Oilers star Leon Draisaitl’s value peaks in the playoffs
- New DNB: How Connor McDavid’s season is so stellar and why it’s not getting enough attention
- Lowetide: 5 reasons Zach Hyman was a quality free-agent signing for Oilers
- DNB: Oilers’ need for a healthy Darnell Nurse becomes apparent in first game of absence
- Lowetide: Inside Oilers top prospects’ first and second half splits in AHL
- DNB: Evander Kane’s banner Oilers performance was fitting. And there could be more
- Lowetide: Should Oilers re-sign Brett Kulak based on early results?
- DNB: How Oilers’ Matvey Petrov mastered English and became a promising NHL prospect
- Lowetide: Is Ken Holland’s unusual approach to team building close to success for Oilers?
- DNB & Lowetide: Why the Jesse Puljujarvi criticism in Edmonton misses the mark
- Lowetide: Evan Bouchard’s deployment is working, despite play in Wild loss
- Lowetide: Evander Kane’s scoring prowess and what he brings the Oilers
- DNB: Connor McDavid’s Hart case
- DNB: Dylan Holloway call-up? Jay Woodcroft extension? Zack Kassian trade? Oilers mailbag
- Lowetide: Stock up or down for every prospect in the Oilers system
- Lowetide: Making the final call on the Oilers 2017 draft
- Lowetide: Early look at Oilers free-agent targets for 2022 offseason
- DNB: Should Oilers budget for Evander Kane beyond this season?
- Lowetide: 7 Condors who could impact Oilers’ fortunes in the playoffs
- Lowetide: Oilers top 20 prospects, winter 2021
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM APRIL
- At home to: STL (Expected 0-0-1) (Actual 1-0-0)
- On the road to: ANA, SJS, LAK (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 3-0-0)
- At home to: COL (Expected 0-1-0) (Actual 0-0-1)
- On the road to: MIN, NAS (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 1-1-0)
- At home to: VEG, DAL, COL (Expected 1-2-0) (Actual 3-0-0)
- On the road to: CBJ, PIT (Expected 1-1-0) Actual 1-1-0)
- At home to: SJS, VAN (Expected 2-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 7-6-1, 15 points in 14 games
- Actual April results: 9-2-1, 19 points in 12 games
- Oilers in 2021-22: 47-27-6, 100 points in 80 games
The win in Pittsburgh allows the Oilers to cruise through the next two games, resting the big guns and possibly recalling some Condors for a game or two. Philip Broberg should get the call for sure, give Kris Russell a rest. I had hoped to see Dylan Holloway in Edmonton this season, alas the window appears to be closing.
GOALTENDER
Mike Smith had another strong evening, some terrific stops. Overall, he stopped 33 of 34, .971 on the evening and now owns a .915 save percentage and passes Stuart Skinner for the team lead. What a crazy season for the veteran goalie. I expect he gets one more game before the playoffs start, although recalling Skinner for a game is an option.
DEFENSE
Brett Kulak moved up to the top pairing and flourished, film at 11. Kulak had an assist, two blocked shots, three shots, got flattened at least once, drew a penalty. I like him plenty. Cody Ceci stood up at the blue line often, he’s good at it and it’s effective. Assist, two shots, blocked shot. Played six minutes against Guentzel-Crosby-Rust and were successful in defending the house.
Duncan Keith blocked five shots and had a takeaway, Evan Bouchard scored twice but only one counted. Six shots, two more attempts, he also had a giveaway. Carrying the puck with more authority now, 12-30-42 in 79 games. He’s going to catch every Oilers defenseman in career points but Coffey (669), and he’ll pass him if the contract is workable. He is now 61-58 in five-on-five goals, 51.26 percent, courtesy a recent 12-0 run that began in the Nashville game.
Kris Russell had two blocked shots, playing just over 15 minutes. He played a simple game, not much to criticize, although there was that one time when he could have passed the puck to McDavid but shot it in instead. Egads! Tyson Barrie had an assist, some good looks on the power play, he also had two shots and a takeaway. He has six goals and 39 points in 71 games.
FORWARDS
Evander Kane went 1-1-2, five shots, two HDSC, one takeaway, three hits, I wonder if Brian Burke noticed. Connor McDavid scored another goal for the ages, crazy angle, it’s just all so impossible. 1-3-4 on the night, two HDSC, drew a penalty, 6-5 on the dot, 44-78-122 in 79 games. He’s earned the Hart, but they’re not going to give it to him this year. Kailer Yamamoto made a stunning pass to Kane for the goal, he’s a thinking man’s small forward if there ever was one. Three shots, five high dangers, created rebounds, drew a penalty, blocked a couple of shots, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Derick Brassard had his best game in some time, scored a goal but it was disallowed. Had two HDSC, a good look on a rebound and took a penalty. If he could contribute as an every game player? Music! Devin Shore had a shot on goal, worked hard, played a rugged game and contributed to keeping the puck miles from danger. Zack Kassian scored a goal (EN), two shots, one HDSC, took a penalty.
Zach Hyman scored a power-play goal, had a shot, HDSC and a giveaway. Just a hair quieter than usual, but still effective. Leon Draisaitl picked up an assist, two shots, HDSC, two takeaways and several astute coverage choices, two hits, three blocked shots. A 200-foot game with presence. Ryan McLeod had a takeaway but didn’t get as much done as you’d like in a feature (seven minutes with Leon) line. The line got Corsi’d by the Crosby trio (10-2 Pens in 4:31) but were outshot just 2-1 although there were some promising sorties for Pittsburgh with this matchup.
Warren Foegele had two shots and was part of what looked promising a couple of times, but no cigar. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had an assist, HDSC, three shots, created some chances with great passing. His line was never in trouble. Derek Ryan had three shots, takeaway, took a penalty.
THE CONDORS LOSE
I think Jay Woodcroft spoiled us, and it isn’t fair to rip on replacement Colin Chaulk because he’s been elevated mid-season with expectations. That’s a death trap, a suicide rap and Chaulk is getting some heat. Carter Savoie took a penalty on his first shift and delivered two shots on goal, but played a depth role on a night when the two points were more important than development. I don’t blame Chaulk, it’s a tough spot he’s in, but think Savoie might have been better served starting in the Saturday game.
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
At 10 this morning, we hit the ground running on the Lowdown, TSN1260. At 10:20 we chat with Bruce McCurdy from the Cult of Hockey at the Edmonton Journal about a strong road win! That’s breaking news! Keith Pompey from the Philadelphia Inquirer will talk 76ers-Raptors. We’ll also chat NFL draft. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. See you on the radio!
Some recent NHLes for Edmonton Prospects. I used the previous year for Holloway, and 2 years ago for Lavoie to compare his D+1 with the newer crop of prospects.
PLAYER – SEASON – LEAGUE – HPTS – DRAFT YR
D+1 from previous years:
Lavoie – 2019-20 – QMJHL – 32 – D+1
Holloway – 2020-21 – NCAA – 45 – D+1
D+1 this year:
Bourgault – 2021-22 – QMJHL – 35 – D+1
Petrov – 2021-22 – OHL – 35 – D+1
D+2 this year:
Beryozkin – 2021-22 – MHL – 40 – D+2
Savoie – 2021-22 – NCAA – 39 – D+2
Tullio – 2021-22 – OHL – 33 – D+2
Wishful thinking:
Kuzmenko – 2021-22 – KHL – 75 – n/a
Will all 7 of these youngsters be in Bakersfield next season? They’ll be exciting to watch. That’s a lot of firepower up front. Also a lot of growing pains.
Wanner finished with the pair of goals but Moose Jaw lost Game 4. MJ still leads the series 3-1 coming home for Game 5.
Jesus….Eichel only had 1 point In his last 5 gp
That is outstanding!
I hope he gets a full off season of preparation and regains his form.
He’s a special talent and it would be great for the league to have him get back to that level.
HH jinxed another player. According to him, Eichel would lead Vegas to the promised land!😂
The harpers hair lip kiss of death!
Check out @ocoutry on twitter. A very interesting group of tweets that may or may not be the musings of a certain current disgruntled Oiler…
Whoever it is liked that Spector and Matheson are the problems, I do appreciate that.
Kass always seems slightly disgruntled
That’s not Kassian unless he tweeted from the bench while they were playing the Knights on April 16th.
The account follows Windsor news channels, so it’s possible that its a member of his family, or a friend, or just someone that was a big fan of him from his days as a Windsor Spitfire.
There’s not a chance that’s an active player.
Kings win 5-3 over Seattle.
Worth noting, the Kings have several of their injured players back in the lineup after long absences including Mikey Anderson, Matt Roy, Andreas Athanasiou, Brendan Lemieux, and Lias Andersson.
All of them figured in the scoring tonight.
Anze Kopitar got a rest.
😁👋👋
Awesome … all of those players are worse than Nurse and Bison King, who the Oilers were missing last night when they curb stomped an actual playoff team still battling for playoff position.
But go on and keep acting like Lias Andersson will still be in the NHL three years from now.
I bet the Oilers are salivating at the chance to beat these guys down.
The teams he picked to finish 1st and 2nd in the division missed the dance entirely, so he has to fall back on his 15 other favorite underdog teams that did make it.
He believes there’s dozen of defensemen better then Bouchard, dozens.
I’m beginning to believe he’s a created bot that spews blasphemy into a pot and stirs it with poles.
I have read about Lias Andersson being this asset for the Kings a few times this season.
He is up to 2 points on the season now (and 17 in 109 NHL games).
A younger Blogun Ratinatree!😂
Worth noting, all the players you mentioned, minus Anderson, have been back for numerous games now. They all figured in the scoring versus Seattle… yes Seattle. I wonder what excuse you’re gonna come up with for LA in the playoffs?? Your Nucks and Golden Knights didn’t even make the playoffs, so you’ll most likely fall back to Colorado or Calgary after this first round. Zero integrity as per usual.
A real scary group, them.
NHL News
@PuckReportNHL
The Golden Knights went to three straight shootouts with their season on the line.
Their shooters went 0-for-17.
Thompson – 14 of 17 for 3 losses
That just proves the the team sucks balls doesn’t it?
Can’t drive stick if there’s no clutch
Two first round beautiful results about to come our way:
1 Toronto media about to lose their minds when the seasoned Bolts destroy the Leafs. When was the last time they won a series? I enjoy so much schadenfreud over their playoff exits.
2 Nsh is a big, bad, angry team. And they’ll be pissed about the last game. Cgy will surely give up a game or two and even if they win, this will be an incredibly physically taxing series. I think if they don’t win in 4 or 5, they’re in trouble in round 2.
Is Saros back?
Eberle has scored at a 20 goal per 82 game pace or greater every season in the NHL, and this year is no exception. He scored his 21st tonight. His career pace is 25 per 82 so he has been fairly consistent for 12 seasons. And even in the playoffs, take away the 2017 series that got him run out of town (zero goals in 13 games), he scored 13 goals in 49 playoff games for the Islanders (that’s a 22 per 82 pace), For his career in playoff games he is at a 17 goals per 82 pace). Most players score at a lower pace in the playoffs to the regular season.
Even if trading Eberle was an emotional reaction, Ryan Strome was a reasonable return for Eberle, but Chiarelli subsequently went into panic mode and sold Strome for pennies on the dollar, for which the Rangers are very thankful.
This analysis just makes me sad….
Strome was a good return for half the price.
Dallas blows a 3 goal lead but hangs on for a Bettman.
Turns out Chicago put Vegas out of their misery a little earlier.
Barely. Even after Arizona tied it with 9 minutes to go in the 3rd, Arizona completely controlled the remainder of the 3rd and outshot them 7-1. Talk about wilting under pressure. The Vegas Chicago game was still in doubt at that time, and they almost choked it away.
Dallas got dominated in the last ten minutes of the do or die against Vegas as well.
I have a hard time seeing them upset anyone in the playoffs.
Summarizing (sort of)!
Petrov had an assist in North Bay’s comeback win to sweep Ottawa and advance to Round 2.
The Bourg had an assist and was named 2nd star in Shawinigan’s loss.
Chiasson was held off the scoresheet in the Wheat Kings’ victory. The series is tied at 2 heading back to Red Deer.
Wanner has two goals so far for Moose Jaw as they’ve come back to tie the game, which is now halfway through the third. (A good night’s sleep beckons, so I’ll post his update in the early morn.)
Appreciate all of this, Tarkus. Thank you!
Same here … you’ve been killing it with all these prospect updates!
Wanner’s seeing-eye wrister from the point gets MJ on the board. His 2nd goal of the postseason:
https://mobile.twitter.com/MJWARRIORS/status/1519501445837565954?cxt=HHwWhMC5rfWgrZYqAAAA
And he collects another goal, this time on the PP as the Friendly City closes within a goal as the second period nears its end:
https://mobile.twitter.com/TheWHL/status/1519505261160923138?cxt=HHwWhICs3f_-rpYqAAAA
Broberg recalled as presumed.
My initial thought is they’ll play Broberg and run 7D as that’s likely best with Nurse out.
At the same time, I presume they want to get the extra forwards engaged and have all them getting minutes down the stretch.
Will be interesting to see the lineup.
My initial thought is they’ll play Broberg and run 7D as that’s likely best with Nurse out.
At the same time, I presume they want to get the extra forwards engaged and have all them getting minutes down the stretch.
Will be interesting to see the lineup.
7D would be my vote with Nurse out for the final couple of games. Give Broberg some more reps because if Nurse is out for the first round, the Oilers may very well need all hands on board on the backend.
Guys like Brassard and Shore have been around long enough that they can probably be ready to go for 4th line minutes despite sitting a few games.
Plus the forwards are a greater position of strength then the defence.
Agree, good idea to get Broberg as many reps as possible. He would conceivably play a much larger role (~15 minutes, maybe up to 20 with injuries) versus a comparatively smaller role for Brassard/Shore (<10 minutes).
Jussi Saros with a lower body injury and may not be ready for the playoffs.
Calgary or Colorado licking their lips.
Cgy and Col must suck if they need the 7th/8th seed to have their #1 goalie injured.
They don’t need it but Rittich is .883 with a 3.56 GAA .
Shooting fish in a barrel.
I don’t sports bet, but a DSF projection is almost a sure thing the other way! The gift that keeps on giving…
By all means…bet on the Predators.
Big Save Dave against the team that didn’t want him. Dave is streaky Goalie that could upset the flames in 6.
.883 this season.
.888 last season.
He was .901 last season. Not great, but not .888.
Evan Bouchard is now 30th in league scoring amongst D. If we filter out all the D who are negative in the plus/minus column, there are only 20 D ahead of him in the entire league.
He’s 22, and is not yet the undisputed powerplay quarterback on the team. I see a few 60-70 point years from him in the future once that happens.
Bouchard is right on the cusp of being a top pairing D, if he isn’t one already.
I think the upside for Bouchard is sky high: the Larry Robinson comp rings true.
Filtering out the D who have a negative plus/minus is a massive fail of context.
By definition, many of those players were drafted by poor teams and their results reflect that.
Additionally there are more than a few D drafted since 2018 who have much superior upside but are in various states of arriving in the NHL.
Can you please enlighten us with who these defensemen are?
Don’t feed the troll. Its just craving attention again. I’m tired of hearing about Brogan Rafferty.
Bornagain is in one of those “various states of arriving in the NHL”
Sure.
Moritz Seider
Bowen Byram
Jamie Drysdale
Jake Sanderson
Owen Power
Luke Hughes
Of course, that doesn’t include the 2018 draft cohort who may be playing on poor teams and are being penalized for playing on poor teams.
Rasmus Dahlin
Noah Dobson
Ty Smith
And, of course, there will be another crop in the 2022 draft.
The 2018 draft was filled with a lot of interesting D-men with Dahlin, Hughes and Boqvist all going before Bouchard who the Oilers wisely took in the 10 hole. Who is going have the better Career Bouchard, Dobson or Ty in other words if you were G.M which one would you have chosen?
Would you trade Bouchard for Rafferty straight up?
He’s a Quinn Hughes apologist!😉
Agree +/- is limited and for sure driven by quality of team (and quality of opposition for that matter).
Still, I don’t see anything in Bouchard’s game that says he won’t be top pairing at some point. His floor is a very, very good second pair D.
Also his ceiling…as I’ve said all along.
No one literally ever: Bouchard is the best dman in the league.
HH: there are dmen better than Bouchard!
No shit! Great point!
If you cannot appreciate how talented Bouchard is you are missing out.
Just pat his head and smile 😬👋👋
There are dozens of defensemen better than Bouchard.
Of all the Harper’s Hair arguments you’ve made, the is the Harper’s Hairiest.
“Arguments”
Still waiting for Brabant Laughatyou to “arrive”, your can’t miss 25 year old prospect who you claimed was superior to Boucher in all categories, going so far as to say he would play 60 games for Vancouver and that we can “book it”. Two years later…
As an astute poster here put it, everything you touch turns to shit. Look what you did to a promising young… well, sort of young… LOOK WHAT YOU DID!! He could have been a rarely used 8 or 9 D for a quarter of a Canuck season.
Bouchard is having a great rookie season.
Early in the season he was getting beat fairly often with outside speed, but he has adjusted admirably. Also still getting PK time where he has been decent.
The offence isn’t a question mark at all. His passing is sublime.
The questions were around defensive prowess, and Bouchard has been making nice strides in that area.
He’s going to be a fantastic defenceman in his prime.
Agree with all of this.
I’m actually very happy with his defensive play. Yes there are hiccups here and there, but he’s gaining experience in real-time and it’s not too often he repeats the same error. I don’t think he has consistent coverage gaps, let’s put it that way.
Bouchard only has six PP points. Based on a quick visual only (approximately) 15 D have more ES points. He is tracking well. I watched the ESPN feed yesterday and the high quality of his passing was commented on. (P.S. Calgary Cass was one of the commentators. Sorry to say, but she seemed ok to me, or to put it another way, said twice as much as Louie with half the words.)
I think this’d be better corrected for deployment, PP minutes, and pts at 5on5. Bouche is absolutely killing it on the offensive side of the puck. Still needs some time to learn the dzone against grown men. I still can’t believe he gets such little PP time. Barrie commits just as many errors…no?
So far, the power play is still more productive with Barrie than with Bouchard. The first unit scores at a rate of over 11 goals per 60 with Barrie on it, and close to 7 with Bouchard. Only Adam Fox and Morgan Reilly have higher on ice PP g/60 than Barrie this year and over the last 2 seasons, Barrie’s on-ice PP numbers are 1st among D in the NHL.
Bouchard still has more giveaways per 60 than Barrie as well. Bouchard is a very skilled passer, but he doesn’t yet think the game as quickly as Barrie. That will come. It is even starting to show with Bouchard in his 5 on 5 play lately. For now, Woodcroft and Gulutzan are in agreement that deploying Barrie as the first unit PP point man is the preferred option.
I’m not sure if most people realize how fast Barrie is at moving the puck on the powerplay. His decision-making is liquid quick, and his hands dead accurate.He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen at moving it. I’d bet money it’s in those moments he feels most alive. He’s almost unconscious good.
Prospectiana!
With Youngstown’s elimination, only CHL’ers remain among Oilers prospects in NA whose seasons continue. Two of them could advance to Round 2 by night’s end, as Petrov’s Battalion and Wanner’s Warriors could haul the brooms out tonight.
Shawinigan (The Bourg) @ 5 p.m.
North Bay (Petrov) @ 5 p.m.
Wheat Kings (Chiasson) @ 6 p.m.
Moose Jaw (Wanner) @ 7 p.m.
As always, all times are Warburg time.
The Bourg helps himself to an apple as Shawinigan opens the scoring in period 1.
So the player voted best passer in the league by his peers is 2nd in the NHL in goals – an all-situations beast?
Must be a good player.
Consolation prize, it’s the Lady Bing of that poll.
And yet that guy’s not even the best player on his team.
And the best player on his team likely won’t be given the Hart trophy.
Eastern media bias probably wins out again….
The Ahl All-Rookie team;
https://theahl.com/2021-22-ahl-all-rookie-team
What does HH call that?
Oh yeah toiling in the minors
Just another who gives a crap.
Savoie, last night. 10 shifts, started on the 4th line, taking Philp’s spot.
He didn’t get much done and barely touched the puck until late in the game. He did get 2 stints with the 2nd PP, but one was at the end of a period, so only about 15 seconds and about 30 seconds on the other.
He got a few shifts towards the end when the coach was in desperation mode where he played with Marody and Malone.
He was credited with 2 shots, but I only recall one low hard shot, easily handled by the goalie. He does seem hampered by a lack of separation speed, but he will adjust. Hopefully he gets upgraded linemates, as will Philp, and we see more flashes of their skill in their final regular season game on Saturday.
Editorial comment – skilled players need to play with skill after a couple first shifts, in my opinion. Sure let them get their feet wet with the grinders, but give them more opportunities once they’re up to speed. However, the team is fighting for playoff position and has a less than optimal DCorps, plus the coach is trying to get a permanent job, so he is maximizing his vet forwards and riding them like rented mules.
Re Eichel: I confess I hadn’t been following his progress until he returned to Buffalo as a Vegas Knight. His interview and my subsequent investigation has moved him right up with my early Lindros hatred.
Something about entitled millionaire man babies.
Anyway, watching the Knights implode has been a pleasure of the late season. Last night was perfect: Now Vegas cling to a faint hope that they win their last 2 games while Dallas lose theirs, all in regulation.
#spiteful fan
Mixed feelings here. I don’t really mind the Knights imploding either, but I was sort of hoping to see the Avalanche run into the $90 million cap Knights.
I laughed when he was interviewed a few weeks back when a reporter asked him if the current games were equivalent to a playoff atmosphere and he laughed that he wouldn’t know what that is like.
The Knights were trying to pull a fast one with the cap ceiling. The smartest men in the league will be walking on eggshells once they’re eliminated. The drama Queen goalie Lehrer who is 30 has been on 5 different teams. I bet they trade him this off-season, Lehner still has 3 years left at 5 million per year. Holland pretty please stay clear of this man.
What makes him a drama queen? Only thing I’ve ever heard from him was when he called out team’s bad medical practices, which seemed pretty reasonable to get upset about. What gossip am I missing out on?
Wanting certain other teams to lose is part of the fun of fandom
Kniggets miss after the shenanigans and ‘feebly legit’ cap ‘management’
The Flames Leafs disappointing after a season of having to listen to the parade planning
The Avs out again just because
Of course that probably leaves The Wild and Preds, two nemesis teams, but tossing those monkeys off back and into the stands would give the sports writers their storylines
And please whomever gets the Sparkles please make them pay for their thuggery
Absolutely. Though for me, I chose to use all of my hate on the godless Flames. Not much left for anyone else. Well, maybe there’s a little left for the Stars.
Quoted from Athletic article on Mathews
“But he’s advanced even another step this season, more expertly blending together the sheer power of his 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame with those quick hands.”
“He puts himself in good positions to turn pucks over and because he’s such a powerful skater, Matthews is able to swoop in like an eagle and snatch the puck like it’s a mouse in an open field.”
Mathews didn’t write it of course, but the guys in the dressing room will roast him anyway. Good natured of course but they can’t pass on such an opportunity!
Some writer has clearly been sniffing L’Air D’Underpants.
Too bad the Leafs run into the Bolts in round one.
That’s pretty harsh.
Really a shame
Other than the Oilers taking them out and Connor getting 20 pts in 4 games or something
Haha I can see it and hear it.
Gonna hear some fantastic rationalizations and insane takes once they get taken out in round 1 again.
He is deserving of the Hart, but if Mcdavid and Nuge lose the Calder for not being ‘healthy enough’ (as if those injuries were in their control), then for those reasons with Auston, I’m out.
You could sing that as a Steve Miller Song:
I want to Fly like an Eagle to the Sea ….
Swoop in and snatch …
I see Hyman/Drai/McCleod at xGF rel. of -55.7% Didn’t see the “rel” at first and was imagining them pulling a Steve Smith to be at negative goals for.
I’d give Conklin a neg. GF% for SCF game 1…
I had the Oilers at 103 pts in my wildest dreams for this team. That means Oilers would have to lose of the last two games in OT/SO. Not going to happen.
Las Vegas Raiders already won the 2022 NFL Draft
To prove just how valuable the Devante Adams trade is, NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks recently examined the blockbuster move along with the top trades of the offseason thus far, based on the Jimmy Johnson trade chart.
“Davante Adams went for pick 22 and 53. You add up those points, it’s 1150, which [is] the equivalent of the 13th overall pick,”
Then Tyreek Hill moves to the Dolphins 🙂
#DoubleDouble
I said this a couple of weeks ago that Connor will have to win the scoring race by 10 points over the field, if this happens he was the Hart.
how great would it be for Leon to hit 59-60, would that remove AM from Hart discussion?
I think it’s likely a done deal, certainly nothing will take Matthew’s out of the discussion at this point.
The only trophy I care about seeing Leon’s or Connor’s name on is Lord Stanley’s mug, after years of watching the Oil/Laughs underperform in the playoffs those trophies don’t mean much to me anymore.
League has to throw the leafs a bone!
Smith Vs Quick, a re-match ten years in the making.
It’s damn near biblical.
Styx Best Album Pieces of Eight
Favorite songs BOTH Side B: I’m OK and Renegade
Favorite Oldie: Lorelei
Favorite Tommy Shaw: Girls With Guns
Dude on the internet posts
“Have always loved this song (I’m OK). Also the organ part was recorded at my father’s church. He was Dean of St. James Episcopal Cathedral in Chicago from 1972-1978. The guys from Styx recorded this right when we were moving from Chicago to San Diego in summer of 1978. Will never forget it when seeing them in the Cathedral one afternoon, didn’t know who they were then, was only 8 hehe, but wow, what a special connection I’ll always cherish!”
Can you imagine?
Now let’s do Sweet
Little Willy
Ballroom Blitz
Fox On the Run
Love is Like Oxygen
One has to remember—no matter how dark it now seems after the Septade of Darkness in the skills competition—that the Vegas Knights know a thing or two about winning.
What Dallas is learning about their team name, is that you can drive hard for months and months, and those little dots of light on the horizon—so tangibly crisp and obtainable—barely seem to move. Especially while touring the Canadian Rockies. You emerge out from under the shadows of sheer granite, and those little dots of light seem even further than before. Especially that one particular star you used to admit you were swimming toward.
The problem for Dallas is that this is now almost beyond puck luck. Twenty games ago they had Brownian motion fully subscribed. Ordinary thermal mechanics should have carried the day. But no, it turned into a Red Queen turtle race that even had Methuselah groaning, “come on, man, it’s right there for the taking”—more than once. What did they ever do to Maxwell? Because his daemon sure seemed attuned to taking the piss out of their every golden prospect.
I think last night we witnessed the Seven Deadly Sins vs the Seven Sisters.
The official shooting order for Dallas was Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Envy, Wrath, Pride, Sloth. But Sloth managed to hogtie the other six—his rare bursts of energy catch everyone totally by surprise—and then he took the first six looks, variously disguised, before Pride struggled free and staged a classic Gimpectomy with a killer-rabbit right cross. This after selecting his shootout move carefully from behind the menacing service counter of the Scary Movie Everything Store. Or was that Wrath? It’s so hard to tell, sometimes. They’re practically twin brothers. Two sides of the same coin, like Florin and Thorin.
The problem for the Bearded Knights Hospitaller—”Are there any women here today?”—is that the youngest sister spurned Orion. This put a curse on the whole bunch. The official shooting order was Maia, Alcyone, Asterope, Celaeno, Taygete, Electra, and Merope. But entirely futile. At one point, Merope was all but waltzing up the aisle with studly Orion, but she pouted and pouted and pouted, and then finally decided she didn’t want no stinking Star. So she eloped with Sisyphus. It was a simple civil procedure, but let’s just say the vows were protracted.
“Do you, Sisyphus, take Merope to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
Sisyphus slides down hill. Much struggle ensues.
Magistrate [drumming fingers]: Come on, man, it’s just one “yes” each. Get with the program! I’ve got tee time and then tea time.
No he didn’t. What he had was turtle time.
Civil ceremonies don’t ordinarily involve bondage, but by the time some passing well-wishers had Sisyphus secured in place with heavy hawsers, mysteriously near to hand, there wasn’t enough twilight remaining to make him comfortable. So they parted the ropes enough for him to speak, and they finally got it done.
When her sisters caught wind of this later, there was a long night of “what has Merope done this time?!” They were still repeating this basic lamentation like a mystified chess mantra when the sun rose the next morning. Truth be told, the curse of Sisyphus was already setting in.
More truth be told: they were all kind of happy deep down that Merope had blown off this star-crossed marriage. But did she have to elope with Sisyphus? Who ordered that? And why were there heavy hawsers standing by, to seal the deal with the slippery sea lion?
Me suspects a rat fink. Atlas—absentee father-of-the-bride—must have stuck a fatigued finger into someone’s favourite continent (again). So many enemies of the clan, so little time. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize that the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea are misbegotten geographical oddities, two weeks from everywhere (the globe is slipperier than it looks, and Atlas has to stab his fingers into the bowling ball of mostly roiling water somewhere with a decent grip).
And so began the rumours of little green men fortified with geopolitical prescience stacking hawsers behind the courthouse to ensure that Sisyphus is finally and fully snared. It takes a village—and a lot of molten candle wax inside an inverted onion—to get Sisyphus to the church on time.
In all this, you can’t fault Sisyphus. The man has a lot of try. Epic honeymoon. I mean epic honeymoon. Nothing at all in straight lines. But as they say, it’s the road, not the destination.
I’m going to start working the phrase “classic Gimpectomy” into more conversations.
Love you.
Welcome back.
Is Sisyphus happy? One would have to imagine so.
And FYI. The longest road in the world is between Brooks and Suffield on a clear night. But no hills. So I guess Sisyphus wouldn’t mind it too much.
A lot of up and down on that honeymoon, but who knows how it turns out… at least he kept the ball rolling.
Anyone else having problems reading the Athletic?
I get this popup “Get Offer” in big font then “log in” below.
When I click login, it goes to a login screen, then I get a popup about accepting cookies.
then the “Get Offer” popup comes back.
Rinse and repeat.
Occasionally, I’ll login, but then it still goes to the “Special Offer” popup and circles again prompting me to login, or accept cookies.
I read on my phone through the app and have no issues. Through the web I have issues.
No issues here using Safari.
When I accept the offer, it opens up without actually giving me the offer and then it works fine.
Ah, like an offer you can’t refuse!
I had an similar issue where it was giving me an offer and telling me to log in. I just assumed I accidentally signed up for only a month. Checked back a few days/weeks later and the problem sorted itself out.
I am curious based on the conversations over the past few days.
What is the definition of a #1 defenseman?
#2 D-man?
#3-4 Dman?
I think we can all agree and recognize a bottom of the order defenseman, but as a group, what is the definition of a true #1 or #2 or 3-4 D-man?
PP, PK, top Elite % comp on Team = true number one to me.
Darnell Nurse is a number one Dman. Determining if you’re an effective #1 is a different matter.
I think that is a fine definition to me.
The other one I have heard is that there must be 32 #1D, since there are 32 teams.. but I am unsure I agree with that. That’s like saying that Barrett Hayton is a #1 center since he is the top center for the Coyotes. He is likely a 3C that is playing too high in the order.
Likewise, a team can have two 1C’s on the roster, or 2 1Ds, a la 97 and 29. or the Blues with Pietrangelo and Parayko, or even before that, Nashville’s lineup with Weber and Suter plus Josi and Ellis bubbling under had potentially 3 or 4 #1D in the lineup.
If you were to do a redistribution draft where every team picked 1D, which 32 would get picked? To me those are the #1D.
Some teams just forgot to show up in draft day so some teams got to pick twice.
The reasoning behind there being 32 number one defencemen in a 32-team league is not necessarily that every team has one. It could also be that the 32 best (by whatever measure you think most appropriate) defencemen in the league are, by definition, good enough that they should be a team’s number one defencemen. By the same logic, the Oilers clearly have two number one centres, and Arizona zero.
To me, saying (as some do) that there are only a dozen or so “true” number one defencemen in the league reduces to meaninglessness the numerical measure “number one”.
(Confusingly, saying that somebody is *a* number one defenceman is different from saying that he is his *team’s* number one defenceman. Same with first-line centres and starting goaltenders.)
Surely contributing significantly to offence should also be a factor and is reflected in Norris Trophy voting every season.
Would .5 PPG be a reasonable line in the sand.
I think you’ll get more consensus on the question “how long is a piece of string?”
3 feet
Wrong
1 foot
The correct answer: “yes”
When did you start talking physics?
Based on all available data, we can definitively conclude that Darnell Nurse is NOT a piece of string. Certainly not on a contending team
I know I tend to be alone on this but:
To me “#1” is not a subjective term, it is clearly numerical, as opposed to say, Elite. So to me there are 32 #1 D men in the league, and those are the 32 “best” by whatever combination of criteria you use. Some teams may be fortunate enough to be hoarding more than 1, but that is the definition. “Elite” is the creme de la creme of the previous 32, the upper 20-25% of those. So you’re talking 6-8 guys, who are in a first blush look at possible Norris votes.
It’s pretty easy. A #1 dman is trusted by his coach to play the most minutes. Look at the the top 25 or so dmen based on minutes per game. All the right names are there. Nurse plays huge minutes, mostly against elites, scores more than adequately, and brings a ton of physicality. About 31 other teams would take his contract in a minute.
I have had this exact discussion with GMoney back in the day here…
These are some of my recollections of things we discussed.
The 24.5 would eliminate:
Pietrangelo
Reilly
McAvoy
Carlson
Fowler
Morrisey
Slavin
Brodin….and more than a few others.
Some teams apportion TOI differently because they have two very strong pairings.
For example, Rasmus Andersson for the Flames plays 22:41TOI/GP which is actually #1 on the Flames and only 2 minutes more than Tanev.
The Clock is ticking
Hunter1909’s Playoff Death March for 2022…
1 – Predict how many playoff wins Oilers get
2 – Predict how many goals McDavid gets
3 – Predict how many goals Draisaitl gets
eg: Wins 11; McD 7; Leon 9
Its easy!
note: Make sure to keep the McDavid/Draisaitl(tie break) predictions separate
ps: Contest entries close at puck drop Game 1 of Oilers playoffs
1 – Wins – 10
2 – McDavid Goals – 10
3 – Draisaitl Golas – 10
1 – Wins – 7
2 – McDavid goals – 8
3 – Draisaitl goals – 10
Waited long enough …
Wins – 16
McD – 9
Drai – 10
1 – Wins 11
2 – McD 8
3 – Dra 7
1 – Wins – 16
2 – McDavid ‘spriocanna a bhaint amach’ – 16
2 – Draisaitl ‘ziele’ – 15
Wins 6
McDavid 8
Draisaitl 10
I am also disappointed to not see Holloway. By next year though I am really looking forward to the new kid line tearing things up in the 2023 playoff’s.
Holloway Mcleod Bougault !!!
The playoffs last well into June.
Susan and Terry Jacks defined “Melancholy” for me when I was young.
#GreatCanadianSingerSongwriters
How did I miss the balance photo?
does anyone have a link please 😀
Only waited 15 years for it….
It’s printed, framed and sitting on LT’s mantel next to his shrine of Pisani.
Signed by Sam Pollock.
It was Grace Kelly in a pool, from To Catch a Thief. Something like this, but maybe a gif. I’m often bad at remembering.
How did you miss the fourteen conversations over the months started by people saying “How did I miss the balance photo?”
I just thought they were joking 😉
Lol. the link has been take down, but here you go…
Some Oiler content on the NHLPA Players’ Poll:
https://www.nhlpa.com/player-poll/2021-22
I feel validated and less like a homer when I tell people Draisaitl is the best passer in the league now.
It’s always good to feel less like Homer. Oh wait – you meant something else
Very interesting given it’s the NHLPA. (the definitive source imo)
Agree with a lot of it.
Interesting that Rogers Place is voted second best ice in the league.
While I think we all accept Connor won’t win the Hart, safe to say based on this he will win the Lindsay.
42.4%(!) of players voted McDavid as the one player they would want on their team to win a game.
Also, there are 6 non-goalie player categories that are voted on: player you want to win one game, most complete player, best stick handler, best passer, player you wished you could shoot like, player you like playing against the least but would want on your team. McDavid was top 5 in all categories except shot.
How good are they?
How did Savoie look OP?
Aside from one-shit, very “meh”.
He was playing with 4th liners but, at the same time, he was clearly in the midst of a LARGE jump in speed of play.
A scatological performance? Just yanking your (toilet) chain.
The typo made me giggle more than it should 🙂
Must have left quite the impression on his teammates and the opposition.
That poor zamboni driver, though…
AAHAHAAHAHAA!!!
😂🤣😂🤣
I’ve heard the term “shitting the bed” before, but I suppose anything’s possible these days.
Dont you mean you have “Heard” the term shitting the bed? #amandaheard
? Sorry man, I have no blasted idea.
Is Keith good for Bouchard or what?!
There will be wobble in the playoffs from every defender; This pairing gets better by the day. Is Kris Russell doing something similar for Barrie?
I’ve always used the Penguins as a measuring stick for the Oilers. (two similarly constructed teams)
Our No Name Defense reminds me a lot of the 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins
Hainsey
Dumoulin
Shultz
Daily
Cole
Matta
AND now, with Crosby, Malkin and Letang on the decline and McDavid, Draisaitl and Nurse approaching “Peak”, I think we have finally surpassed the Mighty Penguins.
Of note, declining Letang now has 67 points, matching his career high.
Good point. Rare beast. On the incline at age 35?
Letang has never been more then a #3
What is the definition of a #1?
You must not have watched the 2016 playoffs. Letang was all-world.
If your referring to how high he got in Norris votes, then you’d be correct. He finished 3rd in Norris votes in 2013 along with 6 other seasons in the top 10 votes for Norris. Number 3 defensemen don’t play 24 minutes a night average for their 16 year career. He is a top pair defender in every sense of the word.
I was worried about Bouchard in the playoffs but his game is really rounding out lately. 12-0 run recently is impressive.
Remember when Specs said McDavid couldn’t carry Sid’s bags, I’m sure he doesn’t.
McDavid probably doesn’t, but I sure as hell do. Analysis by ineptitude.
Honest question. When did he say this?
Connor McDavid uses his surreal speed to fly the zone and scorer highlight-reel goals, but not often enough to prevent chances in his own zone. He’s great with the puck, but without it McDavid — who has spoken of his need to defend better, and has made strides — still couldn’t carry Sid Crosby’s equipment bag.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/dave-tippetts-fate-oilers-ironically-sealed-poor-defensive-play/
Spector is such a loser.
Ya. That take didn’t age too well.
Definitely!
At the time the message was correct.
And since Tippet was replaced (due in no small part to the “lack of a defensive conscience” displayed by the Mighty Oil) McDavid has changed his play and is becoming a more complete player.
The sad part about being normalized to Connor McDavid’s performance is that we sometimes get lost in the greatness.
The soft patch that ran from December through mid-February saw McD run slightly higher than a PPG pace. Huge for mere mortals but a massive drop in production that took us from an “Oh my Gord!” season to one where he might run the table in the last two games to crack 130 for the first time in nearly 30 years. He’s set a career high in goals, his 3rd career >40 goal season, despite a very material 2.4% dip in shot% (which is also a career dip). If he shoots his career he’s at 50 goals this year. The last three weeks has seen an eye test increase in defensive commitment. All of this comes with another new coach a rolling set of line-mates (stabilized now) with some of those a bit soft in the finish department. As I type it I shake my head at just how “normal” this all seems.
If the points hold McDavid will be tied for 6th in career Art Ross trophy wins. He’ll finish the year likely at or ahead of 700 career points. Incredible, what a player.
On Nurse – I think keeping him at the term he’s signed for increases the odds that McDavid and Draisaitl re-sign. I think the re-signing of Nuge at term and Hyman at term increases the odds that McDavid and Draisaitl re-sign. When Kenney re-signs Kane this summer I think the odds increase that McDavid and Draisaitl re-sign.
On the Cap – there is one more tough year and its only tough by a little bit. I think you can re-sign Yamo and JP, both of whom have offensive consistency issues, for one year apiece without too much problem. Kulak won’t cost an arm and a leg. I think the rest of the defense stays put including Barrie. You won’t want to sacrifice that much cover after seeing what happened injury wise this year. Plus the guys love Barrie. Bouchard and Broberg are cost controlled next year and likely for the next 5 apiece. I think the Mikko replacement is internal with Skinner and the 3rd stringer should come in several million less than Mikko. A trade of Kassian to a warm climate in Arizona, California or a wet one in Seattle can open a bit more space. Starting lineup in 2024 will show a defense set for a decade with smaller signings/pieces the only thing necessary from a cap perspective.
After next season Cap Space starts to open up. You have important markers everywhere for max salaries and the performance to get to said salaries which keeps things cost controlled. We’re now near the stage of starting to harvest draft and develop that were overripened before hitting the AHL which will keep things cost controlled. And if you peak hard at the age structure I don’t think we’re at peak potential of CmD and Draisaitl yet. I think you have six to nine years of runway left given our current group of young forwards and prospects. The leadership core is in the early stage of “contending” category.
A Decade of Dominance is closing in on our Northern outpost team. I like the first round matchup and think they can play against any team on any given night. Favorites this year they are not, that part is coming and should be in place for a decade. At the exact time you need to re-sign McD and Leon, the rest of the team will be entering their peak years. This here is what Kenney is paid the Big Bucks for.
To come full circle – Before he resigns we’ll see McDavid hit 1,000 points, probably in the next three years. If he scores his career average (1.432 pp/g) he’ll hit that mark in 698 games, the 5th fastest of all time. If he scores at the pace set the last three years (1.628) he’ll reach it 673 games 4th all time. He’d need to score at 1.79 ppg if he wants to stand alone in 3rd spot. None of that seems crazy.
This is so much fun!
Great post!
I suspect Kulak will ask for at least $2 mil and 3-4 yrs.
Nice one
Either Kulak or Bro don’t get a reg spot if they sign him
Give Rusty another year he’s still good and can miss games
They need more physicality back there to take it up a notch
Trade Barrie and get a physical Kulak with size right side to help Rusty or Bro or Keith if he slips down
A season later and Sammy or Niems can be the physical left D
I like all the thought you put in here.
I would say the team could be looking at a ten year run. To do so though, they must find a long term goaltender. If they come up short this year, the quickest way to get better is to find that goaltender.
And nothing against the good goaltending happening today – they still need that long term goalie.
Internal development will have to pay off. If our troop of youngsters pan out, we can do without high picks for a while.
By the time our stars need to re-sign, they should be able to look around the locker room and say “I’m not going anywhere”
To Scungilli – Kulak and Broberg can play opposites and are pretty good at it. As a 3rd-ish pairing you can play them that way and I don’t think you’ll skip a beat. Manson ran Broberg on opposites in the Bake at times and we saw it already in the NHL. Kulak is homegrown which is a good thing. Cost control and flexibility. Plus you have Barrie sitting around as someone’s partner as a RD… I think all of Nurse, Kulak and Ceci can bring the nasty if called upon. I think Broberg’s size will allow him to do that as he grows into it. Bouchard’s beard sometimes gets the crazy eyes. He’s not a shrinking violet by any means. Being a dink is something he might be able to pickup from Keith.
I agree bring back Krusty for another year, he takes a slight pay dock and Kulak gets a slight bump for 3-4 years and everyone wins.
To Winchester – I think the answer is Skinner. He played well when he came up and has played very well since being sent down. Played his whole career in AHL with ManWood. He’s the guy. Next year he gets full time NHL backup to learn from Smith. Its a Kenney move. You need some cover for that and here the GM gets to be a bit flexible. I’ve got a weird inkling that Koski might be back at a pay cut. Wouldn’t rule out Reimer. Also wouldn’t rule out someone I haven’t even thought of.
It could work but Kulak gets knocked around a lot, they need the opposite
Also Bro is like JP he has size but he’s not mean. For me they need Kane mean on D somewhere
Sammy and Niems are a couple of years away from being solid enough for a team whose time is now if ever
We’ll see how the playoffs go fingers crossed
I’m guessing that Yamamoto will stay on the top line when Puljujarvi returns. Do they just switch lines? Seems to make sense.
Anyone care to fill me in on the Brian Burke reference?
LT thinks PIt will sign him.
They’ve got their hands full trying to re-sign Malkin and Letang; Unless they decide it’s time to rebuild on the fly.
I’m sure Kane noticed we lit them up, why would he want to go there.
Money?
Why would they call Skinner up? To give Smith the full night off (i.e. not dress) in the game that Mikko starts?
Not sure that’s necessary but, I guess……
WIth that said, if they call up a d-man, they don’t have the cap space to add Skinner unless there is a way to finesse an emergency call-up.
On top of it all, it would blow one of their four call-ups for absolutely no reason… when one is likely to be used on Nurse’s replacement. Not to mention add to controversy and noise surrounding the team if Skinner does well… when he needs his goaltending tandem focused.
I think LT was smoking the ganja this morning.
He said on the radio we’re past the point of the 4 callup limit.
Only applies for the regular season.
I don’t think they’ve used any, have they?
Those Bouchard numbers are very impressive. He is looking more confident by the day, and I hope will be a force come playoff time.
Decided to peak into Keith’s numbers since the WoodManson takeover. At 5v5, he’s leading the team in GF% (23-12, 65%), bested by only Bouchard in CF% for Dmen who’ve played over 400 minutes, and has a respectable 51.76 xGF%.
I’m sure glad we got this version of Keith and not the one that was talked as being the worst d-man in the league while in Chicago. Curious to see how his game holds up in the playoffs.
That offseason analysis of Keith was always ridiculous. He’s playing pretty much exactly how I expected him to.
It certainly seems to have been quite a bit of hyperbole. The Blackhawks were (and are) a tire fire, and it looks like he was unfairly painted with that brush.
I don’t know when Mike Smith’s goal is coming, but one is going down in the Guide and Record Book before he retires.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YB6TEDp94-k
Well that’ll teach me to just talk about the G&RB instead of reading it.
Sounded like a full barn in Pheonix there!
He “almost” played last night. Sounded like he was going to as the pre-game with Chaulk and Holt spoke about his return but, alas, he ended up not playing.
Must be close though – although it seems like they are rushing him back a bit given they were planning on playing him when he wasn’t quite ready – not erroring on the side of caution.
In any even, presuming a d-man is called up (Broberg), they don’t have the cap space for both – that changes come the playoffs but I don’t see him playing NHL games this season.
Balance Photo, Unicorns; Holy H E Double Hockey Sticks, Whats next? A goalie who wins the Conn Smythe?
#ProSmithConnSmythe
Archie will need to be activated leaving apx $1MM in cap space.
I suspect they recall Broberg for the last two games – I would think that, even if they don’t run 7 for them (which they may), they’ll want an extra around just in case.
Has there been no extra D at all on this trip? That was sure risky as hell.
Well, they were healthy getting on the plane so no issue for the CBJ game – a bit of a risk no having an extra for Pit but to call someone up from California to get them go out east, sit and come back…..
There’s the “Bouch Bomb” from the point; And then there’s the “Heat Seeking Missile” wrister from the top of the circle.
#OffTheBarAndIn
LT, the Oilers and Kings have played 6 playoff series against each other since that 1982 series.
Maybe you meant it has been 30 years since we played the Kings in a playoff series.