All those years. The coach would tell the young stars that offense comes from good defense, turnovers in the neutral zone, forechecking, backchecking, being tough in the corners. All those years. The tendency is to blame the kids, they’re ‘flying the zone!’ and not paying attention! Kids today! No attention span.
It’s possible the problem was at least partly the messenger. You know, the Oilers have had older coaches for some time, with only Dallas Eakins bringing youth to the equation. I think Woodcroft’s communication skills are a good match for this group. After listening to the elder speeches of Todd McLellan, Ken Hitchcock and Dave Tippett, the snappy patter and punchy verbal from Jay Woodcroft and ‘The Godfather’ whispers from Dave Manson appear to have reached the youths of today. Whatever it is, it’s working.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: Early look at Oilers’ options for 2022 NHL Draft
- DNB: Mike Smith a big part of Oilers win in Game 3
- DNB and Lisa Dillman: Inside Oilers-Kings matchup between Jay Woodcroft and Todd McLellan
- Lowetide: Why Oilers line up as summer trade partner with Ducks
- DNB: Oilers’ Derek Ryan’s under-the-radar play instrumental in Game 2 success
- DNB: A long travel day, dim lights at morning skate and who’s on the real PP1?
- 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
- DNB: How Oilers’ Matvey Petrov mastered English and became a promising NHL prospect
- Lowetide: Stock up or down for every prospect in the Oilers system
TONIGHT
The Kings can’t go down 3-1 with two home losses, so tonight we’ll see their best. The power play got one on Friday, maybe that gets the club some traction.
For the Oilers, the goal share in this series is 17-6 over three games, so keep on trucking has to be the motto. LAK’s PDO is 90.4 percent, Edmonton’s running 109.6 percent. PDO is a great stat, but the regression doesn’t run on standard clock time. A massive game tonight.
I love the five-on-five stats for this series, it shows a good direction. Edmonton is 52.6 percent Corsi, 51.9 percent shot share, 10-5 goals (67 percent), 56.7 percent expected goals. Music!
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
Mrs. Lowetide will enjoy a nice, quiet day. If I listed all of the thing she does in a day for this family I’d be writing until Wednesday, so will just say that if she ever left us it would take 10 minutes for this house to resemble “50 years after people.” I got lucky in marriage, the kids got really lucky, to have a Mom like her. I know there’s about 10 hours a day she could be playing her “Jewel Match Royal” Mahjong game, but she spends those hours making sure I don’t leave the house with two left shoes, the kids get to work with their heads on straight, and that Ziggy is well looked after. She keeps all the books, drives all over hell’s half acre, picks us up when we’re down, sits through endless sporting events and Matlock episodes, and still hasn’t changed the locks on me. What a woman! Happy Mother’s Day!
You only get one Mom, they’re simply too valuable. They care for you when you’re helpless and care for you when you’re grown up and think you know everything. They especially care for you when you’re down and out, in need of encouragement. Now it might come in form of a kick in the ass, but that’s part of their charm. Please call your Mom today, make her feel special and let her know she’s appreciated. The worst Mother’s Days are all of the ones after they’re gone. Trust me on this. Take the time.
TULLIO and CHIASSON
The Oilers have a large gathering of young men in Bakersfield currently, and two more were added yesterday. Tyler Tullio and Jake Chiasson will enjoy the California sun and get in some work with the Condors over the next few weeks. Carter Savoie and Noah Philp have also been with the team for a time, each getting in a couple of regular season games. Only Philip has played in a post-season game, and regular playing time in games for these men is unlikely during the playoffs.
THE DRAFT
I wrote a piece on Edmonton and the 2022 draft for The Athletic, it’s up this morning. The math of this draft is fascinating and I do think the Oilers should consider adding picks in the middle rounds. More in the story posted above and more to come.
McDavid is putting this team on his back. Holy crap.
Barry Trotz can’t overcome a crazy schedule and Covid to keep his job – fired.
He will surely be hired before these playoffs are through if he wants it. Maybe the Jets?
Keep 1st line intact, dress Shore play his hustle with Drai and Yams. Put Hyman with Nuge as the puck transporter. Drop Arch altogether, have Brassard take shifts from Foegele during practice, then dress Foegele to see if he responds.
They still have home ice but they must come out game 5 and attack from opening puck drop.
I’m not on the “Devin Shore 2nd line” train.
Ryan just ‘dinged up’ according to Jay post-game and held out as a ‘precaution’.
https://youtu.be/YSHG6G7VbDw?t=373
Nuge’s post-game, which was pretty dead on. He sounds so growed up in the first half of it.
Serious lack of quickness in both legs and heads tonight. Overall the team was just slow to react which lead to both terrible passing and a complete death of the physical play that’s been so prominent the last two games. Instead they ended up with the post whistle scrum pseudo physicality to mimic some sort of playoff intensity.
Funny how in sports you can go from 14-2 over two games to that type of performance.
On to the next one. Will tell us a lot about this team. As someone mentioned, it didn’t feel like it was LA playing great more that the Oilers were mediocre. Imo this series is more about Oilers trying to avoid losing to themselves rather than losing to LA. The Kings are good enough to jump on them if they come out flat but the Oil are a straight up better team and if they bring it they will win.
Beating themselves has been a theme this season and playoffs past. This is the hump they must get over.
And they have to learn how to deal with success as much as they’ve learn to deal with adversity. They clearly took this game too easily and were not ready for what was required at puck drop. Lots of stupid cutesy plays on the puck, missed passes, half battles, slow to the play, individual efforts and general game-chasing.
I think the Kings deserve credit for bringing the effort and intensity they brought tonight. We couldn’t match it.
I think they missed Ryan too. Pujo has to find a way to start making a difference, because we don’t have a good enough player to move up to replace him higher in the line-up. He sure would be better on the 3rd line though. He seems a little overcome by the moment of the playoffs. I also think Jay made an error in not getting Kassian out more after the early 2-0 lead. The Oilers needed to make a physical statement in the first and it never happened. Kass almost scored a goal early which would’ve changed the game.
Everything was off tonight including the special teams. When he said (again) they were still growing in the pregame, he was asked what was the area of growth the team needed the most. He said, “Consistency.” I usually call it sustain. But man is he right.
Not a great night in LA. King’s fans think the refs want Canada to win as much as Oilers fans think there is a conspiracy for big market American clubs. Hah.
On to game five!
I don’t know dudes, 1988 Oilers went 16-2 in the playoffs for the best record in the modern era. Guess they have to sweep the next 3 series.
Can someone find that life size cut out of Margaret Whitton from Major League?
Looked like a regular season effort in a playoff game. Huge chance to put a stranglehold on the series…but instead gave them life.
This team drives me nuts.
Playoffs Solly. Best team wins in a 7 game series. Hockey doesn’t care about the fans health along the way.
Ceci best Oiler tonight.
RNH.
Other contenders are Smith and Ceci, so mostly agree.
https://www.naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20212022&game=30184&view=limited
Brassard, Archibald, Draisaitl, Hyman sub 40 percent CF%.
Having your second and third lines dunked on is not going to end well, generally.
The Drai line was bad, but will bounce back.
Archibald – Brassard as your wings on the third line? In the playoffs? That result is going to happen, particularly on the road.
Elevate Foegele and get Ryan back. And Woodcroft is going to have to match well.
Nothing much to take from this game but I will say this. If we we’re going to lose, this is how I would want to lose.
Embarrassed. Out muscled. Out played.
All the motivation in the world to come out like gang busters next game!
I’m pissed!!! They will be too!!!
You don’t know what you did, LA.
Your not going to like the next game. We’re not gonna just beat you on the scoreboard.
We’re gonna beat the hell out of you in the alley, too!!!
One of the worst efforts in this calendar year.
Well that wasn’t very inspiring.
Everyone was skating in sand tonight.
PP looked like the Tippet Walking Dead PP.
Oh well, onto the next one.
Ugh, I didn’t mean pull him, I meant take a time out, switch your goalie, calm your squad down and tell them to try to spend the rest of the game trying to get some licks in on their players.
Ceci got jumped. That guy should get a match
Now that’s a goal
The Kings backs were against the wall and came out desperate and dominated the game. Sometimes you just have to give the other man there due. The Oilers are fine and will come out hard Tuesday.
Ceci with the blackbelt and Connor with the ghetto choke. I’m loving that, wish we’d seen that kind of pushback earlier.
I might pull Smith at this point just to make sure he doesn’t get injured. This is to hockey as diarrhea is to poop, and I’d rather not risk splattering it on my starter if I don’t have to.
I think Smitty would hurt them, should he choose.
A gentle giant, Smith is not.
Wtf? In a 3-0 playoff game?
Watching buddy run into Smith I had a real bad flash of “crap what if Smith gets injured on the ass end of a lost game?” Woulda been a weird move, you’re right.
Nurse and Drai do not look 100%.
Well, the rest of this game just got a lot less interesting.
I want a pound of flesh.
Series goes at least 6. Never ever should have happened.
Too long. Not good for a longer run for this squad.
Don’t disagree. I tend to side with you on the burden of high expectations.
But that take would ignore the fact that the dynasty Oilers were built on the highs of beating the juggernaut Habs, losing in the Miracle on Manchester, and to the filth merchants on Long Island, before finally ascending to historical status.
Oilers have been beaten in every grimy battle tonight. Playoffs are a grind. Oilers in 6.
Not sure how that was a goal.
To my eye, it seems obvious that he must have gloved it in, but I couldn’t find a replay that explicitly showed it, therefore call on the ice stands. Don’t like it, but I’ll file it under ‘ref made mistake but was trying to do his job’ and move on.
Oilers were never really challenging tonight. I agree with thelongdark. Game was over well before the 3-0 goal. Oilers, you can’t expect to win a playoff series with this level of effort.
I dunno, maybe I’m an optimist, but right up until the 3-0 goal I thought we were at least hanging around. Boys definitely wasted a quality start from their goaltender. Hope we don’t regret that, you can’t always take those for granted.
I cannot be that upset about the call.
The Oilers have been dogshit this game.
The Oilers need a really big mirror they can all look into. Smith can sit out the exercise.
Ya, that was an impressive display of not a single player showing up outside of Smith and maybe Kane for a couple shifts. You didn’t even have to dress the bottom 6 that game.
Nuge says hello.
Oilers didn’t show up tonight that goal makes no difference to the outcome of this game.
This is the correct take. A really lame effort from everyone sans Smith.
Didnt see the leadership group good tonight but hey it’s one game.
Adjust the sights and onto the next one 👍
Better team won
There is no way under the rules to declare that a goal.
What complete and utter shit.
I figured it would go that way. They’ve been pretty consistent re: push from the defender.
Bullshit call. Seen the same all over the league this playoffs. Guess it’s ok to knock goalies around this year. Good to know going forward…
Good challenge. 3-0= game over.
How does Kane get an extra ten?
Edler did as well – Louie implied it was due to jousting in the box.
Ahh, thank you
Gary’s California rules. Push the goalie out of the way for a goal. Good Goal. What a joke
Smart move by Woody.
Nothing to lose with a challenge at this point.
Had to challenge that
That’s horseshit.
Open season on goalies!!!!!
I have no faith in this league anymore…
Screw this league, I’m here for the Oilers, and if I had three wishes I’d burn one moving them into a hockey league.
With the way Grundstrom pushes Nurse down, I can’t really fault Nurse for knocking him down.
On the other hand, considering when CG goes down it would be awful hard to avoid the goalie on his way into the crease.
Elliotte says the League’s position is Nurse caused Grundstrom to go into the goalie, but what about Grundstrom pushing Nurse down to the ice just prior?
I repeat, what the hell was that
Why did I bring up bullshit goalie interference goals?
I’m looking for a bounce back next game. If it doesn’t happen king’s take this in 6
This sounds like John Snow level general knowledge, but what do I know?
I don’t think that goal should count and, if it doesn’t this game is still not over (as much as is feels like it is).
What would we tell Corey?
funny….oh not so funny….
Well, this game was a disappointment. A troubling flashback to series past.
Nurse beat wide there – took a bad angle and didn’t play it well – that’s the takeaway from that play – Nurse isn’t right.
Nurse’s knee buckled, he’s not right
Ha ha, that’s the most Oilers thing ever!
Tough series, again.
what the hell was that