We had a flat stretch of land at the end of a long driveway, it wasn’t NHL size but enough to dream when you’re 10 and it’s so cold your feet are screaming and your Mom is trying to explain chilblains but you’re too excited to listen.
Two saw horses, one at each end. Both saw horses giving up very little net because of the 10-gallon Varsol buckets playing goal. If my brother was playing, he was the Bruins and I had to be another team (Leafs, Seals, maybe Flyers) but it didn’t matter because in my mind I was Orr the whole time.
Winter. 1971. Northern Saskatchewan. No one around for miles. I’d get up real early on Saturday mornings and set up the driveway, then play alone until my brother woke up. When he discovered girls, I stopped setting up the second net. Every once in a long time, our neighbour Keith Schwartz would yell “shoots, he scores!” from the road as he drove by. I liked Keith, so considered it encouragement, although God knows he probably questioned my sanity.
I played a little bit of organized hockey back in British Columbia, but was 17 miles from a rink (Maidstone) and couldn’t skate very well, certainly not well enough to make the town team (Maidstone had some good players, the Jets were the senior men’s team and were a force when I was a kid).
I love hockey. It’s embedded from early days in Canada, and it’s beautiful no matter where it’s played. Tonight, at Rogers Place, giants will cut the ice with their blades and thrill the home crowd with feats previously unthinkable. The game calls us every fall for the long season, and every spring for the Stanley or the heartbreak of a false spring.
It’s in our soul. The Stanley Cup playoffs start tonight. Nothing else matters. At all.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: Oilers regular season report card for 2021-22
- New Lisa Dillman and Lowetide: Oilers vs. Kings position by position: Who has the edge?
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman and Shayna Goldman: Inside Oilers’ adjustments that saved their season
- Lowetide: Oilers’ exceptional April saves a turbulent regular season
- Lowetide: Oilers junior and European prospects deliver strong seasons
- Lowetide: Why Oilers star Leon Draisaitl’s value peaks in the playoffs
- 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
- DNB & Lowetide: Why the Jesse Puljujarvi criticism in Edmonton misses the mark
- Lowetide: Evander Kane’s scoring prowess and what he brings the Oilers
- DNB: Connor McDavid’s Hart case
- Lowetide: Stock up or down for every prospect in the Oilers system
- 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
Do you remember the day of Game One of the Oilers-Jets series a year ago? The Oilers owned the Jets in the NHL playoffs heading into the series, with 22 wins and four losses. The GDT for that contest including much bravado, some expressions of concern but an overall mood that suggested a positive result.
Next morning? I was discussing the power of good country music (“Sing Me Back Home”) and referencing James ‘Rabbit’ Hendrick. That’s not a fun 24-hour turnaround.
The Oilers are favoured over the Los Angeles Kings. On merit. It’s also true all games and events leading up to tonight are history. Game One. It’s important. It’s at home. Jay Woodcroft has this town believing this year is different. Is it? You can never be too careful.
So: Stan Weir can play the violin with a piano. Stan Weir can dribble a bowling ball. Stan Weir’s belly button is actually a power outlet. Stan Weir can kill two stones with one bird. Stan Weir’s cowboy boots are made from real cowboys. Stan Weir will bring us winning, riches untold and women who are terrible judges of character. Ladies and gentlemen, Stan Weir!
OILERS PROJECTED LINEUP WITH NUMBERS VERSUS LAK
- E. Kane [3, 1-2-3]-McDavid [4, 3-3-6]-Puljujarvi [4, 0-1-1]
- Hyman [4, 1-2-3]-Draisaitl [4, 1-1-2]-Yamamoto [4, 0-1-1]
- Foegele [4, 1-1-2]-Nuge [4, 1-1-2]-D. Ryan [4, 0-2-2]
- Brassard [2, 0-0-0]-McLeod [4, 0-0-0]-Kassian [2, 0-0-0]
- Nurse [4, 1-0-1]-Ceci [3, 1-1-2]
- Keith [2, 0-0-0]-Bouchard [4, 1-2-3]
- Kulak [4, 0-2-2]-Barrie [4, 0-1-1]
- K Russell [1, 0-0-0]-Broberg [2, 0-0-0]
- Mike Smith [2, 2.00, .938]-Mikko Koskinen [2, 3.84, .901]
The big scorers for Edmonton in the four game set against LAK this year: Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard, with Mike Smith delivering two fine performances in net. A good guess would have Brassard and Broberg scratched, the Oilers going 7D-11F for the first game of the series. I am picking the Oilers in six. We’ll know more tomorrow. Godspeed everyone, along with the booze perhaps hit Blockbuster and rent a movie.
BAKERSFIELD BY THE NUMBERS, CONDORS BY THE SCORE
Friend of the blog (and Oilers fans) Eric Rodgers has gifted me the complete stats set for the entire AHL regular season. I’m never sure where best to start, but inevitably the defense gets the early nod. Here are the defensive even-strength goal totals, divided by head coach.
Broberg is the best defensemen in Bakersfield, but after that you’ll get some competition. Niemelainen and Samorukov (if healthy) look on track for NHL careers, the rest are pushing and this Darien Kielb fellow looks damn good in a small sample. Condors play Tuesday against Abbotsford.
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
We kickstart the playoffs with a really big show even Ed Sullivan would endorse. At 10:20, Lisa Dillman from The Athletic will help us understand why the Los Angeles Kings have managed to cobble together such a strong season, and what they may bring in the playoffs. Rob Schremp, former Oilers player, is building a post-playing career by making astute observations about hockey with video aids. Where is he heading? We’ll find out. Jason Gregor at 11 to preview game one, and Tom Gazzola live from the rink to give us the latest on Darnell Nurse. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. See you on the radio!
It’s good that they got their ‘check up from the neck up’ in game one against a weak opponent
Time to define who they are
Just finished watching this am…out east, very selective when I stay up for games last few seasons. I thought the Oilers had dominated good chunks of that game. Quick was great for LA. The forwards still like to fly the zone too often for me. Smith trying that in pre-season or up by at least 2 goals?…ok…in a tie playoff game in 3rd period?? Dumb…just dumb.
Oilers:
CF%- 45.5%
SF% – 46.5%
HDCF% – 35.2%
On the road, against McDavid and Drai and without their best player – LA will take that all day long.
There’s no excusing Mike Smith for making a pass up the middle like that in the late stages of a tied playoff game…
That said, it’s not a coincidence Mike Smith looks bad when the Oilers are playing scramble hockey and he looks like a world-beater when they’re playing Woody hockey.
The challenge is can the Oilers find their Woody hockey with LA breathing down their necks every inch of the ice. If they keep playing scramble hockey, they’re playing into LA’s hands.
Woodcroft has a lot of work to do today.
Well put
When the worst team in the playoffs looks like a formidable opponent, something probably isn’t right cranially. There are no credible excuses, Smith shouldn’t have cost them the game, it should have been over by the 3rd
Call for a sheet change asap
The boys played some intense hockey in that first game. The problem was the lack of focus on their game. Woody did a great job getting them up to the intensity level needed in the playoffs, now he needs to get them to focus on their winning formula that’s worked for months now.
That was an entertaining first game and we showed massive resiliency coming back three times to tie it up. Credit to the boys for not just folding and letting the game pass them by. Credit also to the Kings for matching our intensity and playing a solid playoff game. It was a good game…we just didn’t end up on top this time.
You gotta win 4 to move on. And I can’t see the Kings getting that many if the series stays at this level. Game 2 is ours…bank on it!
It was one game.
Helluva game at that.
On to the next one.
Jesse Puljujarvi – 7:52 0 SOG 0 Hits 0 Blocks Minus 2
Not good enough by a mile.
Yes when things don’t work out it’s always either Jesse or Mikko’s fault….😉
I don’t see where the poster said it was Jesse’s fault the team lost.
So we’re blaming the Finns.
This game isn’t on Smith. The Oilers are a superior team and should win by two or three goals. They were dominating when chasing the lead and tentative when the game was tied. And it’s not because of anything the Kings did. When the score was tied, they didn’t forecheck as aggressively, they made mental errors and they looked tentative. They have to get over the mental hurdle of playoff hockey.
The Oilers forgot everything they had learned since Woodcroft took over.
Under playoff pace and pressure, they reverted back to their old ways.
First GA. Collective blame, poorly handling pressure.
Second GA. Barrie reverting back into pre-Manson Barrie, and unable to find or pick up his mark
Third GA. McDavid. Blind pass backwards into the slot, leading to a four on two jailbreak the other way. And then he wasn’t 110% on his back track. (Puljujarvi fell trying to reverse course after the McDavid turnover).
Fourth GA. Smith wanted to be a hero rather than #DoYourJob and make the reliable play.
McDavid was trying to hard on the rush. This is a zone time series. The Oilers have to play it in the Kings end. That will neutralize their speed, Kopitar, and Danault. Their weakness is the same as the Oilers. Their defense.
I think less line juggling is warranted. It is hard to be consistent on the cycle if the lines are changing. Double shift the centres with McLeod and Kassian.
Too much effort on offense. Too little effort on team defense. Woodcroft had fixed this (except for Calgary and Minnesota). The offense will come if they put the effort in on defense. That is the lesson of the Woodcroft era.
The team that wins the first game of an NHL playoff series, wins the series 70% of the time.
Can the Oilers defy the odds.
I think they might.
Maybe this time
Mike Smith was the best goalie in the world over the last month and top 5 in the league over the last two months.
He wasn’t very good tonight and was awful on the winning goal.
Now Skinner is the “right choice”.
My goodness, Oiler fans.
Vasilevskiy let in 5 goals on 33 shots tonight.
Team has bounced back from losses these last months.
Penalties were called, this ought to favour the Oilers. They eventually worked their way back into that game and can do the same with the series.
Calling it now just demonstrates a lack of imagination for the multiple possible realistic way this thing plays out and if Oilers fans have learned one thing this season it ought to be that predicting anything is a fool’s errand. But playoff losses sting and the venting will happen one way or another.
Very interested to see how Jay Evens navigates this.
Regardless of pissing the game away, before that his play didn’t scream “start me game 2”
Vasilesky has history, a good one. He has some rope.
smith does not on either account.
Regular season is irrelevant.
Smith has lost ten straight playoff games.
As usual you are correct.
I suspect you are either a seer or a prophet. From now on I will place all my bets based on your recommendations.
Thank you for your insight, I will send you 10% of my winnings. Who else you got?
I thought the Oilers gamesmanship was very poor tonight and it started right off the draw with an a LA chance and then Yamamoto taking a penalty. Smith looked bored and tried a stupid pass up the middle and that’s all she wrote.
I’ll say the same thing this year as I said last year and the year before: Smith is too much of a high variance player to have as your go-to. High variance guys are the ones you turn to when things are at their worst. Low variance guys are who you want in your net.
And on D
If anyone can get these guys to pull together after a loss like this, it’s Woodcroft. Anxiously looking forward to game 2.
Too many nerves and too many forced plays. Kings got us to play a different game from what we have been playing lately. Including the goalie.
I thought this team would show up with playoff swagger and confidence. Instead…we got jitters and rookie garbage…again.
I think we all knew Kings would win one or two this series, so at least its outta the way.
I do think McLellan won that one….Woody has come coaching to do.
We have two in timeout, and it was trolling of a very silly nature, so it’ll be one week.
You are wretched
Yep.
Danault is erasing 5 on 5 scoring.
Conner with a pure brilliant , but lone, even strength goal.
Quick is a hell of a goalie.
He also makes the saves that drive a player gripping their stick too tightly mental.
The Oilers, and Smith very specifically, lost this more than the Kings won it.
Even their B- effort was good enough tonight aside from the goalie.
Sure he got away with the initial brain fart, but the shot that went in should be saved regardless. He lost track of the puck after the despatation then totally whiffed on a short side glove save. Edit – may have gone off Danault
At the other end I didn’t like the shot placement an Quick
I think some players need to take a very f-/:;()g big humility pill
Still forcing plays. Smith, McDavid, Draisaitl at the helm
Same results. Slow leaners
Drai was particularly bad and has been for many games. Awful. Turns the puck over like a rookie
So predictable, I thought Woody would have more.
I am expecting always. They may squeak this one out. I’d rather lose now than to the flames. I’ve had enough humiliation thanks
Smith has turned back into a pumpkin.
Koskinen is mostly useless.
It’s too bad Skinner didn’t get a chance.
I’d rather take my chances with Skinner after this.
Skinner is the right choice at this juncture. As he was quite some time ago if they weren’t acquiring a goalie to take them to the Cup.
But we don’t have an inspired leader who would make that call leading the Oilers.
It’s one game. We had spurts of good play but lost our heads to many times. Very unlike the last stretch of games.
That Smith blunder was a killer. Coach has to talk to him about game management. Don’t try to be a hero. Just concentrate on stopping the puck.
This wasn’t our “A” game. We gotta bring it next game or we’re gonna be in a work of hurt.
I know we’re better than this.
You might. They don’t. And that’s the problem.
I lost my shit over the 17 loss because of how important it was for this group to see early success. It would have taken the pressure off.
Nothing but super intense pressure now. Woodcroft will earn his extension if he can get them through it.
What do you need to survive early round playoff pressure intact? A rock of a goalie.
They don’t have one.
Massive problem.
I’m not ready to throw Smith under the bus just yet. He made some really good stops. The third goal wasn’t great but the first two he had no chance. The fourth was a bank shot/deflection in but the chaos was because of his dumb pass. He’s been much better lately so I’m gonna chalk this up to nerves.
Our Dzone coverage was bad a lot. Forwards got caught a lot. We didn’t do that when we were winning. Those are correctable.
I agree it’s on Woodcroft and Manson to settle the team down. Get them back on the same page. I’m confident he’ll get through to them. Mike is gonna get a talkin to.
Next game I expect a determined and professional game.
The point is this – winning squads find a way to win that game playing far from perfect. Probably 4-2 or more. It was right there for the taking.
They need to effing relax and remember how good they are.
But it’s harder to do that with that sort of goaltending waiting behind you.
I was one of the ones who wanted Mike gone mid season. I was wrong. He totally found his game and got us to the playoffs.
Mike screwed up. I think he’ll own it.
We’ve been a really good team the last 40 games and borderline great the last 10. I think the players know Smith will be better. The players know they have to be better.
We’ll see a better game on Wednesday. This game sucked but they didn’t beat us at the top of our game. They beat us when we’re looked nervous as hell and Mike gifted them the back breaker.
I’m not worried yet. Next game is the tell. I can’t wait!
History says he won’t own it. We’ll see
Winning a hand betting on 10 and 2 off suit doesn’t make it a good choice.
they are better than this, and because of that, there’s a good chance they lose this series due to “Luck and Goaltending”.
it’s the oilers way.
You could feel Smith’s ego growing as the season was ending, started shooting for empty netters, Woodcroft must not have watched last year’s tape.
I work in the mental health field and am legitimately concerned for you if this is what brings you joy in life. This is not meant as a shot or insult or anything, I’m saying seek help, and not as a colloquilism, but as a real suggestion for your well being.
Our collective suffering is his only friend.
One goalie stood on his head
The other one shat the bed
100%. Same as it ever was.
I’ll push back a bit on “stood on his head”.
Quick wasn’t seeing grade A Oilers shooting.
Kane was misfiring.
Leon didn’t connect.
Connor only had a couple really good ones.
Plenty of muffins.
Good tips were lacking.
The Oilers should have taken a lot better shots this evening.
But Quick did stop basically everything he should have.
I thought Quick was very aggressive and got way out for stops. He also guessed right on a few passes across the crease to make saves. I think the guys will adjust their game and have a better outcome next game. Quick was already stretching out his leg. Might be a factor the longer this goes.
I agree to some extent but the poetry would be hurting…and it wasn’t exactly Emily Dickinson to begin with.
They helped him having a strong game by not having a lot of quality in their shots. Thing with Quick is that he’s fast laterally and takes away the bottom half real well so you don’t really benefit from getting your shot off quickly it’s better to focus on quality because if you take your time he will open up plenty of net to shoot at, look at both McDavid and Draisaitl’s goals.
I think part of why Quick has been a better playoff performer than he’s in the regular season is the fact that the high pace, high pressure play of the playoffs has guys just trying to get the puck towards the net rather than picking spots. And that plays into Quick’s strengths.
I haven’t watched the replays.
The second goal was a bad read by Smith to my recollection.
The third goal, he was deep in his net.
The fourth goal, well fuck, he tried to make a pass up the middle of the ice that they taught me not to do in pee wee as a defenseman.
Mike Smith…
And 40
I expect they will play better to start next game. They still should have won, though, with all those grade A chances. I’m confident that they will tie up the series on Wednesday.
They had one more HD chance at EV, and 2 more SC at EV. Mike Smith is a dumb dumb, but this game was a coin toss all night long.
One goal off a deflection off a broken stick.
Lucky.
Nah. Not a coin toss. I don’t care about EV. All game state scoring chances are important and the Oilers won that handily. Natural Stat Trick has all game state HD chances overwhelmingly in favor of the Oilers. Also, expected goals, scoring chances, Corsi percentage; pretty much every category except goals for percentage. So yes, I think that the Oilers should have won that, Mike Smith blunder notwithstanding.
A veteran goalie tries a high-risk play with the game tied and less than 6 minutes left. That is what makes me angry. Plain stupid and idiotic.
This is it right here yup.
Totally unnecessary, he had time to eat it, fire it around the board or do anything but throw it up the middle to get picked off.
Yeesh.
Keith was in position early, wide open, uncovered, on Smith’s strong side in his line of sight, and available.
Exactly, just plain stupid. Need to flush it and get ready for game two.
No, flushing it is the problem. He needs to watch these plays of his screwups before the playoffs begin.
There are no words that can describe how much I detest Mike Smith and that ego of his. Absolutely no reason to force that play at that point in a tied game other than wanting to “flex”. Get the fuck out of here.
What’s that now … 7 straight losses in the playoffs in a row? Really hope they get this 300 lb gorilla off their back soon
Smells like Winnipeg last year. Feels identical
Smith has lost 10 Playoff games in a row. How is that possible?
Well. You saw the winning goal. That’s about 6 of those 10 straight loss3s
smith has never won a PO game for us
Holy Gord Mike Smith. Don’t fuck around with the puck with 5 mins to go in a playoff game. Looked like Ty Conklin there….ffs
Well at least we hoped for the best.
Very unlikely to win being outscored 4-1 at even strength.
This
Deja Vu. And that shit still tastes the same.
That sucks
This feels like game 5 of the Winnipeg series
What?
The result felt like a continuation of the 4 losses to Winnipeg – a 5th loss
100 percent on Smith this game… again
Mikko game two?
Fire the Mall.
It’s such a big mall.
It would burn for a really long time.
Home ice advantage given away…
Recall Skinner.
I’m not joking.
Yep. Time to Binnington this shit.
That doesn’t mean you will be taken seriously.
I’m still dumbfounded.
it wasn’t like that was a perfectly clear lane. He waited forever, guys read it.
Man that was dumb. Really really dumb
”Quick the save” is annoying me more than I thought it would…
This is my fault. I missed the entire game.
See, it wasn’t Smith’s fault.
This is my fault, I watched the entire game. (My “watching them lose” ratio is through the roof). In the 2006 playoffs, EVERY game I watched, the oilers lost. So I stopped watching until the finals. I watched game 1, they lost. then didn’t watch again until game 7, where we all know what happened.
I will retest this theory and not watch the next few games, only follow scores.
Got talked into a playoff pool
First time I’ve given in
Sorry all
Connor may have found his Achilles heel. Drai as well
Playoffs
Awful. Maybe try playing well in the first half of a game. Even from the puck drop!!!!!
Baby steps
Smith trying to be a hero. Passing the puck thru the middle with 4 minutes left. Same as it ever was!! Maybe he should just stop the puck and let his dmen make the play. I truly think he just cost the Oilers the series. Fragile team going in and another fucking stupid play to lose.EVERY TIME!!!!Good night Oilers playoffs 2022!
The Oilers are going to be outdone by goaltending again in this series
Maybe instead of pulling the goalie, Smith should just skate down to the other end and be the 6th skater
Meh, I don’t think Smith has been all that bad.
he Has been good. Then he fucking killed us.
You can make that stupid play 5 mins into a game. Not 5 mins to go…
They were being outplayed by the weakest team in the playoffs in the third period before Smith tried to hand the game away, plenty of blame to go around.
Going to be a pretty full ledge when this one ends.
Oh, it’s Mike Smith…..the ledge was pretty full before the game started. Lots of lawn chairs out here.
That’s pretty funny…