The inner circle of the Edmonton Oilers cluster (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisiatl, Darnell Nurse, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) all had an impact on last night’s victory over the Los Angeles Kings. The players who are still on value contracts were also represented (Jesse Puljujarvi, Evan Bouchard, Ryan McLeod) and the Ken Holland free-agent and trade additions (Mike Smith, Evander Kane, Zach Hyman, Duncan Keith, Cody Ceci) also helped push the result over the line.
That’s how it’s supposed to work, and coach Jay Woodcroft and his staff had a winning formula. Strong at even strength (3-0 goals), power play (2-0 goals) and penalty kill (1-0 goals), the series is back to level as things head for the Hotel California.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New DNB: Oilers end seven-game postseason losing streak, a party five long years in the making
- Lowetide: 5 biggest Bakersfield Condors stories from 2021-22 AHL season
- DNB: How Dave Manson is making the Oilers blue line better
- Pierre Lebrun: Can Jay Woodcroft’s message help the Oilers move past recent playoff failures?
- DNB: Should Oilers play Jesse Puljujarvi and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on same line?
- DNB: Connor McDavid produces magic, Mike Smith mistake proves costly: 5 Oilers observations
- Lowetide: Oilers regular season report card for 2021-22
- DNB: Mike Smith never stopped fighting. A playoff run would be his ultimate redemption
- 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: 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: 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: 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
- Lowetide: 7 Condors who could impact Oilers’ fortunes in the playoffs
GOALTENDING
Mike Smith with the shutout, stopping all 30 shots. Seven were high-danger, NST suggests his ‘expected goals-against’ would be 1.98. Smith is not an easy player to embrace, there’s a definite air about him. That said, stopping pucks is a ridiculous career so we can hardly be surprised that some portion of a goalie’s personality raises eyebrows. He was rock solid in a big playoff game. The last time I truly believed in an Oilers goalie during a playoff game? Cam Talbot.
DEFENSE
Duncan Keith played another solid game, he should have had an assist on the second Kane goal. His passing has been a terrific tool down the stretch and now into the postseason. One shot, took a penalty, GV. Evan Bouchard had two assists, including the McLeod goal, the young defender gets shots through no matter the situation. Three shots, three more attempts, three hits, two takeaways, GV. He’s going to smoke opponents with big scoring numbers beginning next year.
Brett Kulak had two shots, blocked a shot, and used his foot speed to great advantage. He was the only Oilers skater without a hit at five-on-five, but I liked his coverage, passing and was most impressed with his skating (that included sorties into the LAK zone). Tyson Barrie had a power-play assist, a five-on-five SOG and drew a penalty. I thought he had an effective game, but you could say that about all the Oilers last night.
Darnell Nurse scored a SH goal, a big goal at the time and even this morning. His skating is clearly less than 100 percent, he was beaten back to the Edmonton net for the first time in memory. Took a penalty, drew a penalty, played a physical game and was involved in several rushes. Cody Ceci played an effective game, no outstanding numbers beyond 4:16 (!!!) on the PK.
FORWARDS
Evander Kane scored a goal on three shots and one HDSC five-on-five, plus a giveaway and four hits. Also scored on the power play. Connor McDavid was flying and hitting and owning. At five-on-five, he had an assist, two shots, two HDSC, penalty, three takeaways, four hits, 10-6 on the dot and was dominating. PK assist. Jesse Puljujarvi looked much better than he did in Game 1, scoring a nice goal on two shots. He had two HDSC.
Zach Hyman had three shots, one HDSC, two takeaways and about a dozen collisions. Leon Draisaitl was quiet at five-on-five but did score on the power play, I think the big man might have a slight hitch in his giddyup. Kailer Yamamoto, one of the stars in game one, had two high danger chances, GV, TK, and four hits. He has been impressive in this series.
Josh Archibald had one shot, two takeaways, five hits, two blocked shots and played well on the PK. He had more impact than those who sat, and that should be the measure. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins picked up a power-play assist and helped his line to a glorious expected goal rate at five-on-five. Derek Ryan had two takeaways, a couple of hits and was 5-3 on the dot. Both Nuge and Ryan played over 3 minutes on the PK and performed well.
Warren Foegele had four shots and drew two penalties, that’s a strong evening. Ryan McLeod scored a goal, HDSC, hit some people and won eight of 13 faceoffs. Zack Kassian had three shots, one HDSC, two takeaways, two hits, and snarled at everyone. It was his best playoff game in years.
ONE
In the days after the 2015 lottery, I spoke to several friends and asked them how many Stanleys they thought Edmonton would win during the decade of McDavid. The answers included three, four, and several. No one said five and no one said zero.
I said one, felt that way until very recently. I thought the organization would he able to MacGyver one championship the old fashioned way. Now? I think two is possible. Why? Jay Woodcroft, Dave Manson and the progressive thinking and deployment the current Oilers are using. Daryl Katz is watching this, understanding the moves made are NOT old school, and has to be pondering what forward thinking might do in the other areas of the team. An analytics department, split between pro and amateur, aggressive procurement of free agents who are not expensive (Oilers have signed several over the year, Steve Staois an example) but can play. Math can help.
I think two Stanleys are possible, but none are given. It’s important to push this year’s team deep into the postseason, at least as far as 2017’s club. Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson may have started an evolution in the Oilers offices. Godspeed to all involved.
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
At 10 this morning, TSN 1260, we have a fantastic hockey game to discuss. Chris Johnston, TSN Insider, will help us navigate the early playoff results, including the Oilers, and we’ll give you plenty of opportunity to tell us what you thought of last night’s game. We’ll talk at length about Woodcroft and Manson, and your comments are welcome at 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. 90 minutes from now!
Highlights of last night’s Shawinigan match, featuring The Bourg doing Bourg things:
https://theqmjhl.ca/video/xavier-bourgault-leads-shawinigan-to-victory-huskies-1-cataractes-6
I want this Stars series to be a blood bath that goes as long as possible. The enemy of our enemy is also our enemy.
I wish my ‘fucks given’ meter was as broken as Darryl Sutter’s. Dude is as cool as the other side of the pillow.
Do I want a Battle of Alberta?
Or do I want to see the Flames lose to Dallas in a game 7 where the Flames only score 3 goals the whole series?
Hmmm….
Definitely Flames lose in round 1.
2 games into the playoffs and only 2 teams in fear of being swept.
The LA Kings were a better team at preventing goals during the regular season than the Dallas Stars. At the same time, the Oilers have scored 9 goals in two playoffs games against the Kings while the Flames have a single goal through two games against the less-stingy Stars.
Dallas was the toughest out for the Stanley Cup winning Blues. Took the Blues to OT in game 7. Dallas went to the finals in the bubble. Last year they struggled with injuries. Ditto a big this year. They are a good all-around team with low variance. They are not going to beat themselves. They are well-coached. They are underrated and a hard out.
Would you take Heiskenen over Makar?
Be close but I think I would.
Either way you have a stud. I remember going to an Oil stars game a couple years ago and Miro played half the game as the stars roared back and beat us in OT. Criminally underrated how elite his skating is imo. That said I take Makar because i like the flashier big play factor while also noting he is not a liability defensively at all. Plus we have Nurse as a fast workhorse so somewhat redundant. I would prefer Miro over Nurse though.
Fun thought experiment.
Dallas gets the empty net with 1:09 left. Good thing Calgary sucks (except for a hot goalie) cause the Stars were mostly just hanging on. And they can’t pass worth beans.
Flames and Stars – most boring series so far?
For sure. Calgary got out-Suttered tonight. Johnny H skating miles to nowhere, passing grenades to no one.
His points% is 100 though.
How bout them high-scoring fLames?
Jim Matheson had a Holland quote comparing McLeod to Kris Draper…..I like.
Interesting comp from the GM.
Draper was a former Selke winner and along with McCarty and Maltby, he played on one of the best checking lines ever. Like McLeod, he could certainly wheel.
Personally, I’m hoping McLeod has a higher offensive ceiling. I think he’s capable of 20Gs per season with the right linemates.
Kris Draper scored 20, once. But yeah it is an interesting comp, that’s very high praise.
I agree McLeod has a chance to score 20 as well, though I find his offense really hit and miss. Sometimes he looks like an obvious top 6F, other times not at all.
I’m not sure he’ll ever bring that consistently, but a can be a really important player regardless.
Quite a strange experience cheering for Dallas. Go Stars Go.
Out of all the Flames players I hate Rasmus Andersson is at the top of the list. I can’t wait to see Kane and Kassian smash his face into the boards.
If Dallas could actually make and take passes maybe they could give Calgary serious trouble.
How many games with the Oilers does the Bourg play next year? >40?
3
In preseason! This is Holland’s slow roasting system now.
I don’t think he’ll start the season up here but his season is impressive. He’s a first round pick so he might get more of a push. If Holloway had no injuries he would have seen some time up here. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bourg plays >20 next year and my question was about how high could that number get?
His season was indeed impressive.
It would be interesting to see his splits with and without Bourque in the lineup.
I don’t have the splits, but IIRC he was close to 2 points/game earlier in the season (20 or 30 games in) when Bourque had missed most of the games. I think he’s proven to some degree at least, that he can drive offense on his own.
I’ll guess 15.
I think he’s got a good chance to progress quickly and get an extended look next season, hopefully ready for full-time duty starting in 2023.
I’m calling that ‘quickly’ because next year will only be his draft +2 season. He’s got a late birthday so is AHL-eligible next season, but he’ll be among the youngest guys in the league. He’s also eligible to return to junior next year, and if he wasn’t scoring like he has been he’d be headed back there.
I would posit that the “plan” on draft day was always for Bougault to turn pro in draft plus 2.
Not many “real prospects” play a 20 year old over-age season in the CHL.
It would have had to be a fairly disappointing season for that to play out.
Yes, fair enough the expectation was always that he’d turn pro draft +2.
I’ve never considered draft +2 for late birthdays to be an ‘over-age’ season though. Bourgault will still be 19 when next season starts (20 at the end of October). And he’s fully eligible for CHL or AHL next season. True over-age players are limited to 3 (?) per CHL team, and I’m pretty certain Bourgault is not in that category.
The ‘quick’ progress I was referring to was getting 15 NHL games next year, then transitioning to regular in 23-24. He’d be younger than fellow #22 Eberle as a rookie, and 15 games would be more than Yamamoto (also a #22) got at the same age.
I know that it is typical for fans to overhype their prospects, but I think that Bourgault, even though Oilers fans think highly of him, is generally sold short. He is a great talent.
I agree, I really like him as a prospect and think he’s got a chance to be a quality top 6F.
His offensive game gives me Eberle vibes, in that cerebral, can score or make plays kind of way.
Call it Stockholm (Wallstedt) Syndrome
🙂
Wallstedt plays for Lulea.
It will be interesting to follow these 2 (i guess Munzenberger as well) to see if that trade was a miss or not.
The jury is still out IMO, Wallstedt has some great numbers, but he’s been the backup all season and only played one of Lulea’s playoff games (13 for the other guy).
With Holland’s extensive European/Swedish connections and clear willingness to draft players from across the sea, I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt in not picking Wallstadt at that spot.
Hannifin and Anderson – yikes!
I don’t get this Basketball copycat where the Oilers and the Rangers sat with the puck for the last 30 seconds with the other team quitting.
I believe the Oilers quit as much as the Kings did.
It was a great end to the game showing that game was pure dominance.
I thought they were just passing it around below the goal line to keep Smith from the puck and ruining his shutout?
Prospectarino!
Playoffs begin for The Bourg–actually, Game 1 has already begun for the Cataractes as they entertain Rouyn-Noranda, and the home side has already opened the scoring less than three minutes in.
The Bourg has extended the lead to 2-0. The Google-Translated description from the Cataractes Twitter account:
EDIT: He tallies again just 42 seconds later, this time on the PP. He is, how do you say, en feu.
EDIT 2: And now, une pomme pour Le Bourg and it’s 4-0, still in the first.
End of the first. The Bourg already with 5 SOG to go with his 2+1. Shooting mentality!
In his last four periods played, he has 5 goals and 4 assists. Catching fire at the right time.
Mon Dieu!
Bourg finished with 3+1 on 11 shots (9 dangerous) and was the 1st star in a big 6-1 win for Shawinigan. Solid start to his playoffs I’d say!
Last night was ‘proof of concept’ for the players. In 3 nights span, they witnessed what happens when you play loose vs structured. Buy-in will be 100% moving forward.
McDavid set the tone with a couple of big hits early. If Kassian makes that hit in the corner would it have been 5 and a game. I bet McDavid feels a little tougher with Kane on his wing and having his back. Speaking of the Kane factor on McDavid’s line I think he started the football stiff arm about the time they signed Kane.
It’s very effective for him – he’s no longer getting slowed down as much by the hooking in the O-zone.
Its effective and it does embarrass the Refs but he needs to give a harder face wash which will almost make it comical like the 3 Stooges.
The next game is a fascinating one. We will see what Woodcroft is really made of.
A win by more than 2 goals in the playoffs is a big win. A win by more than 4 is dominant. A win by 6 is a rare feat and the boys’ minds will by flying high over the next 48 hours.
The chance that the Oilers lose the next game after a 6-0 win is much higher than whatever mathematical odds will be placed on the game by the sportsbooks. The sportsbooks are not good at calculating emotion. An LAK bet will pay better than it should.
The Kings are furious and have two days to stew over the loss. They will be fired up and ready to go in game 3 at home.
The Oilers are going to be pleased with themselves – for good reason – and like LT, may already be dreaming about a deeper playoff run than what they have earned up to this point. That lost focus means lost edge and will make them vulnerable in game 3. They are just kids after all – most of them under 30. Controlling emotions is a lifelong endeavour and playing with an emotional edge is exhausting. A 20 year old welcomes a break.
This is where Woodcroft steps in. It’s a tall order to get this team away from the dominant game 2 result and focused on the next task. He has to find a way to make them forget, a way to make them respect LA and their incredible champion goaltender, a way to get them back on the edge. These are the moments where coaches make their money.
Will he be able to pull it off? I can’t wait to see.
Well, he has been preaching “deal with the one game in front of you”, and also “we enjoy the wins for about 20 minutes and then move on to the next job” pretty consistently over his tenure. He’s focused on the now and being in the moment.
I think Woody has his framing exactly correct. The onus is now on the players and whether they have or can continue to internalize that focus themselves. And yes, that will be interesting.
They already have one playoff game as evidence they can do it, though. They responded well after the loss in Game 1 and showed no signs of the of being rattled or succumbing to the pressure in Game 2, unlike many other playoff seasons.
I get your point here ashley, but I’m not sure that I agree the chance the Oilers will lose is “much higher” than the Oddsmakers say. Interestingly I was reading some of the Kings blogs and they were saying:
1) The Kings got pretty high after the first win and the blowout shook them (similar to your point)
2) The Kings are young (especially D) and they worry about the Oilers “veteran” savvy and physicality (Smith, Keith, Kassian, Kane got called out as the instigators)
3) The (young) Kings will be squeezing the stick in their home arena.
4) Where are the LA vets? Brown has been invisible and Kopitar hasn’t been amazing. It’s the second line that is giving the Kings their jam. Will this continue at home?
I agree that this comes down to preparation and emotional leveling. I noticed in the press conference after Woody said (paraphrasing) – we need to go back to neutral, go back to equalibrium – and honestly that type of message works *better* on the road when you’re playing in a hostile environment. The Oilers need to play a solid road period in the first and then build from there.
I also noted with interest every Oiler standing at the blue line for the anthems had their eyes closed. Visualization exercise?
Maybe I’m reading into it too much, but found it interesting.
For me the last game is a better measure of true ability. They played poorly in game 1 and could have won it still
The Oilers are a far deeper and better team. If they play their game and stay focused on details – assignments and one on ones – LA shouldn’t have a chance
If the Oilers can’t keep it together there are big problems. As far as the success that matters goes
Precisely why analytics is a great descriptive tool but ultimately less useful at predicting future outcomes than anticipated (As heard today on TSN 1260). It would be a damn shame if an analytics department came at the expense of the social sciences. You need both to win.
How does this being many kings’ first home playoff game added to the stewing about the loss enter into the equation? Just like the Oilers first playoff game with fans in so long led to them trying to do too much, the kings have that much more push to try do more. I think the kings are more vulnerable than the Oilers next game due to excessive emotion.
Two cups? I would settle of a playoff series win to start and see what happens after that.
I wanted to check a comment made by Rishaug his morning.
He claimed that after the Oil had made it 3-0 Smith stopped going behind the net to play the puck. I.e. he was playing it safe.
This actually didn’t happen. but largely because there was no opportunity. From the 3-0 goal to the puck off the official—which Smith clearly did intend to play—the Kings had five dump-ins. They were opting to carry the puck in more, and when they were dumping, the Oil were disrupting at the point of the player playing it in.
Of those five dump-ins, two were in the corner unplayable by Smith. Two were on line changes with zero puck pursuit and Smith played them, so it was safe regardless. One was straight on net which Smith, of course, played.
I have been talking about this cap penalty for next year for a while now. Per Puckpedia:
The #LetsGoOilers Performance Bonuses Earned:
-Bouchard max $850K “A” bonuses for G, A, P, P/GP
-McLeod $46K of max $57.5K GP Bonus
=Total $896K Bonuses
With finishing over cap by using LTIR, entire $896K will be a carryover overage cap hit next season
Dang.
That amount of overage is actually peanuts given the cap! The fact that we are as cap strapped as we are is due to having to correct past management errors with buyouts and inefficiencies in other cap management areas. ie no hold back on cap in the Duncan Keith trade. The wounds unfortunately are self inflicted!
In my opinion that fact that we have a bonus overage reducing our cap by almost $1M is notable.
I believe most people putting together rosters for next season do not take it in to account.
I liked the line up last night. Forth line looks good. Good enough to give more ice time. Third line with Archie would be more dangerous and effective with Holloway.
Quick looks weak glove side ????
I don’t think Quick looks weak at all. The Oilers had a plan and just never let. They didn’t get frustrated or start making mistakes, like they did in game 1.
The Kings D are their weak point, and the Oilers broke them down. Quick valiantly tried to hold things together,
Play in the Kings zone, and the Oilers should prevail, no matter how good Quick or Peterson are.
I think that if was Smith letting in those six goals half of the denizens of this blog would be out with pitchforks today. You should know the rule. Only Oilers score good goals.
It is physically difficult to raise your hands up quickly when you are going down. Oilers burned him by going high almost every shot, because he goes down on virtually every shot. This is the same issue with most goalies that use this approach. Oilers took full advantage last night…I can’t see Quick changing his approach, so lets hope the Oil can keep on keeping on…
He seems far more gettable up high like Koski.
Smith is tied for most shutouts this postseason ????
That pinch by Bouchard and resulting backhand sauce from Drai was a thing of beauty. Bouch has been my welcome surprise thus far in these playoffs. One of my favorite aspects of playoff hockey is seeing which players grab another gear and surprise me.
Thinking back and I would say that every forward had a positive impact on that game last night.
Yes, even Archibald and Kassian had positive impacts at 5 on 5.
They “finished their checks” with authority and aggression and I didn’t notice either of them going out of position to do so.
I’ll take 8-10 5 on 5 minutes of that play from those two every game.
LT mentioned it on the show and it was first reported by Dreger – the Oilers are flying to Vancouver, busing to Washington State and then flying to LA.
This is to avoid the US required mandatory testing to fly in to their country.
I presume the Kings are doing similar but don’t know.
The Leafs are doing similar, busing to Buffalo before flying to Tampa (they don’t have a second flight though).
What you don’t know can’t kill you! -).
I mean at this point positive tests would be pretty devastating.
Sums up a lot…really
Imagine getting a player the caliber of Duncan Keith for only Caleb Jones and 3rd round pick. That is a massive improvement to the team.
Yes, I know, cap hit and failure to retain, and I agree – my post is made a bit in jest but Duncan Keith is a substantial piece of this team.
I keep seeing: “Holland overpaid for the player.” That lacks nuance.
The smarter ones frame it more correctly. Holland could have got Keith for less or had salary retained.” It’s hard to put a percentage on that possibility without knowing full context, which we are not privy to,but the possibility did exist.
One thing is for sure. If trades are evaluated on the basis of who got the better player, Oilers won the trade hands down. If they are evaluated on the basis of which team fixed a bigger hole, the Oilers won the trade, again easily.
Price and quibbles over price are important. But not as important as the actual asset and the hole filled.
You may not be so sure when the hard decisions are made after the playoffs re the restricted free agents that need to be signed. All that looks like gold may lose some of its glitter for you at that time! I hope I’m wrong!
I don’t understand why this is such a binary thing for some people.
It is perfectly valid to like the player AND hate the contract.
In western capitalist business practices, it is absolutely VITAL you squeeze all the value you can from a deal.
Millions that could have been saved could have been used to deepen the squad. Keith has been good. Munny is right, context is everything.
Yeah some of us suggested that him not playing 24 min a night may be a positive thing and players that play a lot of minutes on tire fire teams tend to have poor fancies. Jones wasn’t much and the pick is pretty meh. But that cap hit should have had retention on it.
i still would like to send him to Arizona for a draft pick for them to buy him out in offseason and then re-sign him for 1 mil more than he’s getting for playing along.
give him 2.5 mil and saves us 3 mil cap hit
And the retention should have happened not because we wanted it, but because it is normal on a high contract for a fading older than normal player with remaining term, and was expected as such
I think the nuance is that fans that understand the cap are well and truly tired of their team not getting it, and ‘cap losing’ most deals and trades in an overall sense
Keith is a long favourite of mine. I think he is helping in many ways. Especially teaching the young guys how to be hard to play against even if you’re not a beast. It would be harder for Nurse to say ‘stand you’re ground, being a physical specimen and a beast
Keith is a smaller D but as mean as they come when he chooses. As we saw last night. Sent a message that trying to run around on him will come at a filthy cost, and he’ll be happy to remove a vertebra or organ, while you’re still using it
Still don’t like the deal
Retention only “should have happened” if there were mo other suitors. What if there were teams willing to take on that salary?
Would the lack of retention cause you to walk away?
Would have for me, but maybe Kenny is way smarter than me.
The Oiler’s needed an experienced 2LHD.
To wIn now and help Broberg soon.
2LHD defense that were available.
Maybe better options
Graves – but he cost more
Ghost
Maybe worse
Leddy
OEL
Dillion
Schimdt
Gio
I watched Bakersfield last night, the first period before I watched Oil and the skipped thru the last 2 after the main game.
The vets came thru with all the goals, and the teams were fairly even. Podkolzin wired one to take a 2-1 lead in the 2nd. Other than that, there weren’t many moments he was noticeable, JHolloway has a far greater impact on the game as a whole. That being said he had a lot of chances, lots more blocked and deflected pucks in this game. There is no quit in this group, similar to last season’s run. Just when you count them out, they get back in and win.
Skinner had a lot of shots, but like last game not much were dangerous, the D has been very good at keeping the play to the outside.
Of note, Philp was the major reason for the tying goal when he took the puck from the blue line and cut across the crease for a great shot and rebound that Cracknell cashed. Holloway was also on the ice, but had just stepped off of the bench.
I think Philp has a dynamic skill set and has enough defensive acumen that he would serve the team better with skill and more than 5 or 6 shifts per game.
Hopefully he opened some eyes with this play and gets
more favourable at bats. I only remember seeing him twice after this play, though.
That was a great shift by Philp that led to the tying goal – and, to think, I wanted Savoie in over Philp……
The Condors have a full week before their next game – it will be interesting to see who stays in the lineup if any of Benson, Sceviour, Perlini are back to health.
I think Philp is a superior option right now than all of Kambeitz, Schaller and Brosseau. The coach doesn’t see it though.
I also really like Engaras, I am disappointed that he only got a couple of games and only a few shifts per game. He is a good skater and has a solid skill set.
I think he has far more upside than Esposito, who is very trusted by the coach as a PKer, FO man and trusts him at the end of periods and late game deployment with a lead. Plus he gets some PP time.
For all his tools Philp hasn’t gotten a sniff of PP time, yet Esposito and Schaller do. My point is, for all their success to date, if the coach uses his depth players a bit differently, he would have even greater success. Their PP hasn’t really looked good recently, IMO, so they should change it up.
Just like Woody says , they can enjoy this win for 20 minutes then start to prepare for the next one . Because just like the Oilers said after the game one loss , it’s just one game .
LA is going to take the same approach .
This series will hinge on which coach reacts better to the other coaches changes, will it be the master or his disciple?
The master as you call him may have been the benefactor of a very astute disciple and the master in title only!????
We will see who has the best HockeyFu.
The Oilers’ roster is so much better than the Kings’, for me it’s not a coaching duel. More can Woody react to the adjustments Flattie will do to try to give his team a chance, being seriously outgunned. And there won’t be anything he hasn’t seen before, being an NHL assistant for a decade
I’ve said this before but why do they not show us in the broadcast who is on the ice at any given time? They have been using their cheesy 90’s fly outs before face offs.
Just put the players numbers above the team name in the scoreboard. When players change, show it flip to the new number.
bonus if they could highlight the player who had the puck at any given time.
Maybe the tech isn’t there yet but for a game that consistently tries to figure out ways to market their players, I think showing who is on the ice would be a great start!
Compare this to the MLB and how much more info they have on their boxscores
Baseball is a much slower game! You can go for a beer between batters. Not saying that’s a bad thing.
This reminds me of how in game 1 there was an awful graphic that would pop with player names and numbers at the top of the screen with arrows (light grey coloured, because someone thought light grey over a white ice surface and over a team with black/white jerseys was a great idea) vaguely pointing in the player’s direction.
I didn’t recall seeing it in game 2 though?
Was this graphic a SportsNet thing that only happened in 1 game or did I miss it in the 2nd game?
That’s what I’m talking about. They clearly have the data about who is on the ice, and have these horrible fly out graphics that hover above the players head.
Isn’t this why the players started wearing names and numbers on their backs and sleeves in the first place, so the TV audiences knew who was on the ice? Maybe you just need a bigger TV.
Trivia
” . . . eventually numbers would be moved to the back of the jersey, and the board replaced by individual programs. In 1954, the NHL requested that player’s numbers be painted in white on the boot of their skates. This was to help recognition of players for the awarding of assists and in television or photos where the uniform numbers were not visible. This only lasted for a few years.In 1977-78, the NHL passed a new rule stating that players had to have their names appear on their jerseys along with their numbers.
Leaf owner, Harold Ballard refused, claiming no one would then buy his programs. The league threatened heavy fines, so Ballard gave in. For Toronto’s next game in Chicago on February 26, 1978, the names appeared on the Leaf’s blue jerseys….in blue, making them unreadable. The next day the league changed the wording of the rule, to stipulate the names must be in a colour opposite to the colour of the jersey. The Leafs then began using a contrasting colour as the rest of the league.
https://thehockeywriters.com/a-brief-history-of-nhl-uniforms/
Well if it was a good decision in 1977 it should probably still work today, right? Even with all the player tracking data!? Why change, right?
If they want to get serious about sports betting they are going to have to move their broadcasts out of the past. They are serious about sports betting advertisements however.
Ya l also like how they always turn their backs towards the camera!
They do it on the jumbotron at Oilers home games. Should be able to pull something off on TV that is similar.
Apparently Brink told Smith during play last night that the puck that caromed off him in the 3rd would NOT have counted if it had gone in.
Good to know – thank you.
I was wrong in last night’s thread – apologies.
I’m not entirely sure Brink is correct, just wanted to report that’s what he said.
Just looked it up…
Brink is correct.
Anybody else notice Bettman was at the game last night?
When has that happen in the past.
I almost thought the game was in LA
He was in Calgary the night before, so probably making his rounds.
I was actually concerned for him. He didn’t look well.
He had a noticeable tremor!
Reports the Oilers are in the running for an ASG and hosting the draft in the next few years. Also, Bettman was hitting Katz up for primo Sinemet by the looks of him.
Special Teams in the Series so far…
PK: 4-0, 1-0 in goals
PP: 4-8 which breaks down to 2 goals for PP1 and 2 for PP2
When was the last time we got depth scoring like that from the second unit?
sorry that’s 8-0, (or 8-8, depending on how you want to think about it) on the PK. I must’ve been a little too focused on last night’s game…
I don’t know exactly how much credit Woodcroft and Manson deserve for this (likely lots), but they’ve prioritized the biggest issues and checked them off in turn as they’ve gone along.
First the 5v5, which Tippett (and McLellan, except for 16-17) was never able to do.
Then on to the special teams, which were really poor for a while after WoodMan took over (and had been poor for months under Tippett, though he did have them humming prior to that).
For the last month of the season and into the playoffs (????) all game states are a positive for this team.
Incredibly impressive work, and everything appears to be pushing in the same direction now. I sure hope they can keep it up.
The success is due for the most part, in my opinion, by a combination of attention to detail exemplified by the coaching and a total buy in by the entire team!
Yes that’s probably the biggest thing overall, and is kind of an umbrella over all the specifics.
But the coaching staff has: 1) prioritized the teams issues, 2) successively focused on them, 3) then had the team actually respond with clear improvements each time.
What they’re teaching is very clearly working, on top of them getting buy-in on the execution side.
PP 2.5 got a shift last night as well – it included Kassian and Foegele.
Hey Mr Lowetide. If you were to consider adding Patreon sponsorship to your website I’d certainly subscribe, if just to remove the Ads and buy you a Starbucks once in a while.
Bouchard
plays like a 30 year old
Looks like a 40 year old
got the teeth of an 80 year old
I’ve been surprised at how willing Bouchard has been to get into the rough stuff. He’s obviously never going to be an enforcer, but its nice to see him willing to get his nose dirty in scrums and the like. Didn’t know he had it in him.
Definitely. It was nice to see Barrie throwing a few shots at Lemieux last night post whistle. Everybody looks like they’ve come to play.
I liked Archibald’s game last night. He’s a little prick that loves to needle the opposition. That kind of thing is infectious.
Agree he had a good game and did add an element.
As recently last week I did not think Archie with his 72 minutes during the regular season could contribute more than other available players. Man was I wrong! Archie’s game is playoff ready.
ha ha
Bouchard sure adds a different layer to the offence he’s starting to get more comfortable and gain confidence he almost looked like John Carlson last night. If only we had this type of player Bouchard available against the Jets in the Playoffs last year the series may have been altered.
Lol. What a horrible comparison. Carlson is a hot mess. Now if you had said hes starting to look like Ekblad or someone that actually plays defense then id agree. Bahaha Carlson.. thanks for the days laugh and head shake.
A young Duncan Keith?
Honestly, this is what I was thinking last night. Keith is/was a bit dirtier. Both are great passers and have great sticks. Keith was never the fastest but made up for it with his big brain.
I’ve always seen Carlson in his game, I think he’s a solid comparison
Ryan McLeod is a perfect example of the Red Wings development model in action. Put an offensive talent on the 4th line. Teach him the nuances to learn the system and round out his game. Give him the odd taste higher up the depth chart to maintain his offensive confidence. Stay this course and sometimes a Top 6 forward can blossom on the vine.
The beauty of players that rise through the minors like this? They’re glue. No one respects the crest more than the player who was patiently developed and groomed to succeed.
I’m a huge fan of McLeod. I’ve often wondered why he doesn’t play more minutes though last night, he played 15 and change.
He skates well enough that I frequently mistake him for 97 until I see numbers on his jersey. He wins faceoffs… Doesn’t make any glaring errors and transports the puck really well… Creates chances and great at zone entries.
His skating has a smooth as silk thing about it. But I can tell him apart from 97, different styles enough to distinguish but seems as fast.
I hope and expect he will learn to handle the puck at speed (you can see he is getting there… and not like JFJ ) and his brain/decision-making will sync up as well – then the confidence, then the results, then the salary overpay….lol..
This young man is going to be a force in this league with his skating and assertiveness. I can see him replacing in a couple of years what RNH did in the top 6.
After the dust has settled L.A has to be happy to post a split of the first 2 games. I do think the Oilers will play a simple game on the road which leads to odd man rushes going the opposite direction with L.A pressing.
In the immortal words of a current outcast, ‘LA has a great road record’ ooops
Nurse shifted the scoreboard at both ends last night. Behind Smith and in front of Quick. lol.
But the burning question still remains… Will we really have to suffer through Singh’s terrible play-by-play the entire playoffs, or just this series?
Because you can’t even look away from the TV while he’s calling games, I swear he only calls 10-15% of what’s happening, it’s almost all just calling out the players names, not what they’re doing… Between what seems like a lack of knowledge on what’s happening on-ice & the numerous stumbles, it’s practically water-torture listening to this hot-mess of a broadcast. Just saying.
They should give Leah and Cassie a few games and give CBC a different look.
I’m not sure using the only Play-By-Play people worse than Singh is the “different look” anybody wants to see (CC is an awful colour commentator IMO)
Cassie is tied up with ESPN. I’ve been watching her and Gord Miller call games 1 and 2 (with me being in the States).
With the Flames not involved in the game, she’s actually been very reasonable and pretty insightful. I was a bit surprised, but I haven’t minded her and Gord at all in this series.
nhl66 did not give me them as an option. Only the Kings home crew, who are awful homers, but least the PbP knows hockey.
Agree with this. Cassie has been fine, her catch of the Oilers putting vets out against the 2nd PP line of the King’s (and the subsequent shorty) was spot on.
ESPN would be better served if they had AJ Mleczko listen to what Cassie brings – and maybe give her a perch in the booth instead of between the benches because all she does is quote the nhl.com press releases and gush about the obvious.
I actually like her if she’s not doing the Flames games of course she’s going to be a homer with her hubby working for the Flames.
Singh is just late on the calls. I know this is a tough job, and having calls right in line with the action is difficult to pull off. But consistently, Singh doesn’t go into his “shoots and scores” routine until the puck is well into the net.
Jarring play by play. It hasn’t been good so far.
not only late, but often scrambling to keep up, to the point where he’s leaving out a bunch of the action in his calls. Not to mention the frequent inaccurate calls (of which there are many such cases)
Jack Michaels had to tone it down to make his personality relatable to the TV audience. I’m a huge huge fan of how he calls the game. Exciting and observant.
But Jack’s going to have to tone it down another notch or two to be selected to call playoff games on CBC. Maybe next year.
Jack needs to make far fewer anecdotal comments with and about DeBrusk and spend more time calling the PbP.
The anecdotal comments are what really makes Jack shine though. I love his commentary.
Sure, I like the ancedotes too… in reason. A few times, especially late in the season him and Debrusk are talking about something for 5 minutes and then whoops “they score!”.
Anecdotes are good, Jack needs to just be better at picking & choosing when to use them. I do like his PbP style though, makes the regular season exciting.
Good to hear CC is doing well on ESPN. I have not been impressed with her colour but I find her “talking head” points on the panel to be well thought out and interesting. So it’s probably an experience thing too.
Ha ok, that’s true. I’m also want to roll off on long tangential stories as well so maybe that’s why I’m such a Jack fan. I used to listen to the games on the radio rather than watch them for a long time there.
I will say I don’t dislike Singh though, he’s fine for the most part. There’s definitely been far worse commentators in the last decade or so than him (granted, bit of a low bar sometimes).
Singh has really improved over the last year or so.
Last season I found he was behind the play, but he has improved considerably. I like his voice … it has the right amount of grovel and intonation when he calls a goal or a big hit.
He’ll continue to improve and he’ll be among the better play-callers in a short time.
X (to doubt) he’s got a lot of work to do, as he’s currently spending 75% of the game behind the play, while only calling some of the action (constantly leaving out the important bits).
His constant comments become annoying very quickly. The man seems to be in love with his own voice!
Agreed. what I do really appreciate about Jack is that I almost always know what’s happening & when to look up from my work to see something exciting.
I don’t get this. I never saw this Singh dude before last night, so cannot comment other than the play by play seemed better to me than it ever has in many years of suffering through Oilers broadcasts. I stopped watching Oilers years ago and always look for the other team unless it’s Calgary which has an insanely freaking terrible female who gushes endlessly about the Flames.
Last night I decided to watch the Oilers broadcast and there was this dude wearing a turban, who I assume is your man Singh.
I really like Singh. I think he’s really good. He was the one calling the play by play, right?
Asking for a friend.
He’s good, and I like him. He’s also employed by the people bringing the broadcast to you, so he was always going to be chosen ahead of all non-network broadcasters. The three Canadian teams all have a network pbp man and a network commentator. None of the people being talked about are employed by the company broadcasting the games nationally. It’s kind of a silly argument, but I do like the love for Jack Michaels. He is excellent on tv pbp and should be considered for national broadcasts.
he literally only calls about 15% of what’s happening… next game, try closing your eyes for 5 mins, you’ll have no idea what’s happening other than who touched the puck last (sometimes)
I’ll admit it’s not bad if you’re paying attention to the game. but I often watch while working & look back when something exciting happens… this is next to impossible while Singh is doing PbP.
It’s preferable to Jack in my mind who is not stop with drivel and inconsequential comments throughout. Commentary should accent only, I enjoy watching the game and can see what’s going on!
Jack is good at expressing when something exciting is happening in the game via his inflection… but he tells WAY too many anecdotes about baseball & wrestling, etc to be an actual good PbP man (although for what I’m looking for, he’s much better than Singh, as I have no idea what’s happening in the games Singh calls unless I’m actively watching, sing Singh calls only 15% of what’s happening in-game).
Singh is fine as a pbp guy. Jack is way over the top and you wonder what the Oil were thinking to hire this dude. Like goofball Gene, won’t get a national game in my mind.
Now Cassie is a homer, just like Debrusk and Garrett, etc. What a surprise.
As an aside, where is Kevin Quinn?
His Wikipedia shows he is 64 years old – so maybe he has retired?
I liked Kevin Quinn as well.
Count me in as being ok with Singh. The few times I have heard Cass she has been fine also. Louie …. Sigh. Uses a lot of words to say very little. Jack I like, but the buddy buddy routine with Louie .. yuk. Overall things have improved a lot the last couple of years.
While we’re on this topic, no shots at Sir Commentor Mentality? I feel like I enjoyed Louie a lot more a year or two ago.
Speaking of Jack, I noticed that ESPN was using a clip of him in their postseason promotions before the playoffs. He has the voice to be a signature guy in the league, and perhaps the rest comes as he gains experience?
LT: “Warren Foegele had four shots and drew two penalties, that’s a strong evening”… while Ethan Bear was scratched for his second consecutive playoff game. Huh… who knew? Kenny!
And the spot he would be playing is being occupied by Bouchard.
It cost Tippett his job if he couldn’t see this he deserved to be fired.
Smith seems to be a bit of an after thought in the 6-0 win and, fair enough, Oilers dominated the game.
At the same time, the save with 1:20 left in the second and up 3-0 – a point blank one-timer from the mid-slot – that was HUGE.
Thet goes in and it likely changes the game going to the third.
How about the first shot and the great play by Nurse to clear it. If that squeaks through it’s a different game.
Or the early powerplay post by Iaffalo, watch the replay, Smith actually just gets a piece of it. That would have been Kings up 1 zip. Mike had a good game
The stats on scoring the first goal in the playoffs are daunting.
It might have been a much different game.
Ummmm, yes, it was, but I was posting about Mike Smith. Feel free to start a discussion about Darnell Nurse’s play, or anything you like, in a new post/thread.
Don’t have a hissy fit it’s not a good look for you Captain Obvious.
Who is having a “hissy fit”?
I was subtly wondering why you were responding with a post that had nothing to do with the one you were responding to.
If Nurse doesn’t clear the puck and Smith falls back and knocks it in the net it’s a 1-0 lead for L.A and a totally different game. There’s certain turning points in every game I believe the Nurse play was a bigger turning point then L.A scoring and making it 3-1 to end the second.
That’s true.
Nothing to do with my post but that’s fine.
If L.A is up 1-0 3 minutes into the game do the Oilers squeeze their sticks tighter. Everyone’s planning the parade today but I thought we could of easily been behind after the first. Actually no one’s talking about the dive by Smith that gave us a power play and then the very important 1-0 lead.
That’s nice.
The coaching has made all the difference. I marveled at the TOI numbers for the star players and how well distributed it was throughout the lineup. Connor at just over 15 minutes?!? Never would have happened under previous coaches. I’m still nervous about our goaltending, but this team as a whole is looking far more like it’s morphing into something we’ve all longed for since ‘the draft’.
I will agree with the general premise but would note that the ice time is materially a function of the game and, yes, Tippett would do the same.
For example, game 3 of the regular season, a laugher win over the Yotes, McDavid played 15:28 and Leon 17:31:
http://naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20212022&game=20061
Can you say “you say” Kikuchi?
Kikuchi – Garcia – Ramano + Team Defense beat NYY
#YyseiYousay
The Blue Jays are such a smart org. They know they’ve got an excellent bat at SS with Bichette but he can make unforced errors in the field. Solution? Go get one of the best fielding third baseman in the majors to take some of the pressure off. This is what smart management does. You focus on what the player can do not what he cannot.
“The Blue Jays are such a smart org.”
Thank you for the morning’s big laugh.
Well they did end the Yankees 11 game winning streak last night. Wonder what % of Torontonians actually watched it? I was actually impressed that they still drew 29k with the Leaves competing for the paying customer,
Not all Torontonians like the Leafs, in fact lots of them despise the Leafs. It’s almost impossible to go to a game, it costs a fortune, and the team has been inconsistent.
Jays on the other hand, easy to go see a game, relatively inexpensive, a good and exciting team.
After working with many easterners over the last 3 years, I have a different opinion on the Canadian love for teams like the Jays and Raptors. They are Toronto teams first, and I just don’t feel the connection to them.
Unfortunately baseball lovers in this country don’t have a lot of alternatives. My first baseball love will always be the Expos but I’m not going to maintain some tenuous link to the Nationals to cheer for a team I rarely see on television.
Blue Jays coverage is omnipresent and the team has a likeable and charismatic young core. That’s not a bad thing imo. As a Canuck, how can you not root for Jordan Romano?
Guy looks like he should be maintaining vending machines for a living and then he comes out throwing high heat that absolutely backs them off in the box. The best relievers are mean bastards! lol
My exact feelings, plus they make baseball fun to watch.
They do make impressive moves. Chapman is a beauty. Love the way he sets himself releasing the ball on the run. Money. Bichette should watch that and learn.
– The Jays are from a management perspective developed as one of the elites in sport. While they don’t spend quite as much on quants and layers of MIT grads as some teams from top to bottom they have a combo of industry types and quant guys. Hockey management is akin to being manager of a fast food restaurant mostly. Other sports have truly professionalized their craft. The best ones recognize all the human and psychology qualitative and quantitative and sports medicine amd science: it’s interesting to look at org pages of the Jays vs the Oilers and see the differences. Plus the non-management groups in baseball.
Moneyball baby!
That was a complete roster buy-in last night, top to bottom. Not sure I’ve been able to say that too many times since the 2016 playoffs.
Not sure if something’s clicked for Bouchard but he is moving better in the DZ. Had a couple of blocks, couple of hits, couple of tied-up sticks. He’s not chasing too high anymore. He’s getting there.
And in the OZ? I think I counted twice where he knocked a puck down that was going to be cleared. Dented the crossbar on the one chance, had that glorious late-period chance from an incredible pass by Drai.
And was deservedly out with Nurse late in the 3rd for some extra time.
I had talked last game about putting Bouch on PP1 but after thinking it through, it makes more sense to keep him on PP2 and have he and Keith be an effective PP pairing there. The Kings can burn their energy trying to keep up with PP1.
“Not sure if something’s clicked for Bouchard but he is moving better in the DZ.”
Holland overpaid for Keith for sure, but I imagine part of Bouchard finding his game and settling into it has to do with Keith. When you are a young D finding your game, I imagine having a 38 year old, 3 time Stanley Cup winning D to use as a sounding board would be invaluable and would be a confidence booster for sure.
He had a real rough patch there, but he was pretty solid earlier in the season I thought too.
He definitely has settled in big time down the stretch and into the playoffs though. I feel like it’s confidence more than anything (and not sure where to give credit for that, but the individual, the coaches, and partner could all be playing a role).
One specific to add: Woodcroft and Manson really dialed back his minutes and responsibility. Tippett was treating him like a 1RD/PK1 guy which is such a huge responsibility for someone still under 100 NHL games. ManWood have allowed him to focus on smaller parts of the game, and it sure seems to be paying dividends.
Agree with all of this + CC being able to play at first pair level has saved EB from being the next Justin Schultz. What a signing that has been.
The seeds are there for a legit #1 dman. Miles of track yet, but he’s improved defensively and he’s still a kid.
After years of ripening, Bouch is now working on his PhD at Defence under the tutelage from one of the games past masters. Who by the way has been throwing 100 foot darts for the past 2 months. With Manson now behind the bench he really is in a position to reach his full potential which might be stud level.
I was worried Quick would go on a hot streak to begin the series and stop everything. I was worried this would cause the Oilers to lose confidence, especially since they were riding a playoff losing streak. I was worried the depth scoring would then dry up, leaving Draisaitl and McDavid feeling like they have to carry the team on their backs.
After 2 games where the Oilers scored 10 goals from various lines and players from various states, I think it’s safe to say my concerns are gone.
I can see this being a 4-1 series for the Oilers, unless Smith’s groin implodes or he tries to play forward.
I had the same worries, and McDavid’s goal in the first period of game 1 was such a relief. Not just the timing to cut down a 2-0 lead, but the kind of goal it was. McDavid saying to Quick “forget any notion you had about being the star of this series”.