There’s an unusual feeling that comes in returning to a place you’ve been before, with many years in between visits. Not exactly deja vu, more like a new appreciation for surroundings that were once commonplace, to the point where they were taken for granted those decades ago. I will tell you, and you may not believe me, but there was a time when the Oilers reaching the final four in a playoff season was the minimum expectation.
By 1988, there was a supercilious attitude about the Stanley in Edmonton. Stanley made an annual late spring visit, could be seen by the general public at the parade and other stops along the way and if you missed it this year, well hell we’ll get it next time, honey.
Those days are gone, the new day we see this morning surely has more value than the final four did back in the day. The build is the thing, ladies and men. The finish line, the ultimate, is out among the stars. Getting there, the struggle, that’s the good thing. Enjoy it, all of it. Stanley, life, the love of a good woman, a job you look forward to driving to and away from. Suddenly it’s spring in Edmonton, in a way that is different from yesterday.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: Oilers’ Zach Hyman’s value continues to rise in playoffs
- New DNB: Connor McDavid scored the most important goal of his career with his Battle of Alberta OT winner
- Lowetide: Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins having effective playoffs before big goals
- DNB: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins gets his chance to shine in the playoffs
- DNB: Cody Ceci making himself ‘irreplaceable’ in playoffs
- Lowetide: Oilers future relies on quality coaching replacement in Bakersfield
- DNB: Leon Draisaitl assists on all four Oilers goals in win over Flames
- Lowetide: Has Oilers goalie Mike Smith earned the net in 2022-23?
- DNB: This is how Connor McDavid wins: ‘He’s like a shark circling the waters’
- Lowetide: Reasonable expectations for Oilers could not see chaos ahead
- DNB: How Dave Manson is making the Oilers blue line better
- Lowetide: Oilers regular season report card for 2021-22
GOALIE
Mike Smith stopped 32 of 36, .889 save percentage. First goal, I thought Evan Bouchard was a little slow to get back and make a play on the puck, and it was a great pass. You’d like the save, but Calgary executed. The second goal was a brilliant tip by Mikael Backlund, he’s such a good player. Gaudreau goal saw Nurse track Tkachuk and Ceci late for the back door, quick move and that’s all she wrote. That’s a stoppable goal but Gaudreau got to a good place. The Jarnkrok goal was some luck (JP deflected the shot to Jarnkrok’s area) and it was a quick shot on the goalie.
DEFENSE
Duncan Keith and Evan Bouchard were part of the first GA (I think Bouchard had to be like Foreigner and go all “Urgent” on the play), but Bouchard scored a big goal later (Keith with an assist) in the game to help the team. Keith had three giveaways and a takeaway, plus some good work in a couple of minutes on the PK. His calm feet are noticeable and his passing has been solid. Bouchard had five shot attempts.
Darnell Nurse scored a huge goal, three shots, giveaway, blocked shot, it would have been fab if he and Ceci could have checked down to zone on the Gaudreau goal but in the heat of the moment things happen fast. Cody Ceci had a solid night (2-1 goals five-on-five, Nurse was 3-1).
Brett Kulak and Tyson Barrie were on the ice for 2GA but the possession numbers favoured the pairing. Both men struggled at times during this series but also provided important cover for Nurse when he was unable to play the big minutes. Suspect they’ll need to do the same in the next series.
LINES
Zach Hyman moved up to the top line and had a big night. He was 4-0 goals five-on-five, two assists in the discipline plus a goal on the power play. Several hits, four HDSC (two at five-on-five) and his series against the Flames had far more impact than the LAK series. Connor McDavid scored the series winner, two HDSC, took a penalty, and had some difficulty with the constant attention from Calgary. Leon Draisaitl made Darryl Sutter’s “one guy beat us” comment a punch line with what might have been the most productive five-game series in the game’s history. Three assists five-on-five, another on the power play. For the series, he was 2-11-13 at five-on-five, 0-3-3 on the power play and 5, 2-15-17 for the series. I don’t know how Jay Woodcroft can break up 97-29.
Evander Kane had five shots, two HDSC, a couple of good looks on rebounds and a penalty. He may not have been as sharp as usual (having babies means lost sleep, adrenaline rushes and a mind that has a difficult time focusing) but I thought he played well. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins picked up a PP assist and worked hard against the tough lines, for the series 93 was 7-6 five-on-five goals for the series playing No. 2 line minutes. It was a heavy job but the veteran was up to the challenge. Kailer Yamamoto was at his rambunctious best, he had a couple of good looks, drew a penalty, had a takeaway and was a pain for the Flames over 60 minutes.
Warren Foegele helped the Oilers keep the puck miles from danger and had more touches than in recent games. Made some nice passes and took hits to make plays (or to shelter the puck). A good game. Ryan McLeod had two shots, one HDSC and a takeaway during five-on-five play. He has put himself in the same area of the roster as JP and KY in my opinion. He’s a keeper. Jesse Puljujarvi had a breakawaay that almost cashed and then did in fact score later in the game. He is skating well now, freewheeling and creating turnovers on the forecheck. He can help a team in many ways.
Zack Kassian didn’t play after the Backlund goal, he was tardy in getting out to Stone for the point shot. Derek Ryan had two shots, one HDSC, blocked a couple of shots, and played 90 seconds clean on the PK. Josh Archibald was quiet, playing 3:16, just a little more than Kassian (2:48).
THE SERIES
The first four periods of the series were spent under Darryl Sutter’s spell, and then Woodcroft did his MacGyver work and things changed in a hurry. Calgary dominated the shot, Corsi and Fenwick five-on-five numbers but Edmonton outscored the Flames 19-15 in the discipline, 20-16 at evens, and special teams were a wash.
I started to think the series would be a little easier (I picked Edmonton in seven) than first thought when Matt Tkachuk began talking about “one guy beat us” and then Sutter’s avail yesterday about “maybe they’re better” was another tell. For the record, although it is NOT a one player team, McDavid on (14-5) and McDavid off (5-10) was a thing in this series.
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
A fun Friday morning on the way, beginning at 10 on TSN 1260. Steve Lansky will join us to talk BOA, and the dominance of Toronto on national media. We’ll also talk CFL agreement and the season to come. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. See you on the radio!
Is it time to pull Smith? Then put him back for game 2. Or does he need to stay in and “battle”? Oilers need to wake up…
Seeing how pumped McDavid was after Game 5 and even heading through the tunnel with Devon Shore, makes me want a cup for him pretty bad.
This is like Christmas, ladies and gents! What a day of glory. Don’t think I’ve been so proud to wear my Oilers cap.
I’m actually glad this ended on hilarious controversy. It’s fun to watch their world burn.
Eat shit Calgree!
No wonder Woodie was so stoked last night – he beats his mentor (McL) and then his nemesis: Woodcroft was AC when McL’s Sharks blew the 3-0 lead to Sutter’s Kings, who go on to win the Cup.
Such a redemption story.
REALLY!? Thanks for looking into this. What a story indeed.
I do think that 4 full days between games for the Oilers is ideal.
Girard is out for COL ; which means Jack Johnson gets ice time. But Makar, Byram, Toews & Manson are the goods …
Rantanen has 1 empty net goal all playoffs. He might be hurt ??? Anyway, Edm’s F more than matchup with the Avs.
KUEMPER vs SMITH – Who knows.
Hope its a 6 or 7 game series. OILERS PREVAIL 🙂
Interesting tonight that Makar and Byram were taking some shifts together.
How interesting…
Looks like the Avs were pretty much going 5 D and then J Johnson gets 1 shift every 10 mins ….
This matchup should be unreal. LOADS of high end talent on both sides
RHD mins tonight;
MAKAR – 28
E JOHNSON – 18
MANSON – 14
LHD
TOEWS 26
BYRAM 19
J.JOHNSON 9
Rantanen says he’s fine…just nothing going in…his shooting percentage is in the 4s.
He does have 10 assists.
I was looking at Manson before he was traded over at least the past 2 years & he came out looking like an overpriced 3rd pairing Dman to me.
Has he honestly stepped up his game with the Avs?
His goal share was just over 35% this season as an Av (expected goals share at 41%). Its better during the playoffs but still slightly below 50%
Manson the old man is facing his son. When’s the last time that Happened?
Bill Dineen coached his son Kevin with the Flyers back when Pittsburgh was having a heyday. That’s the only instance I know of even that occurring beyond minors or high school… and they didn’t make the playoffs.
Playoffs
CF% 51.99
FF% 51.78
GF% 43.75
xGF% 59.04
PDO .976.
Running a streak of bad luck.
Looks like Joe Sakic won’t get fired for at least another week.
Gotta love your staying power on this HH. Cheers
Who will be sticking around longer, Joe Sakic or Harper’s Hair?
DSF, if the Oilers beat the Aves, will you openly cheer for them the way you openly do the Aves?
Or is your allegiance solely the hope of prior predictions coming true (that are coincidently almost 100% anti-Oilers)?
I would bet on Joe…I’m much older.
The game last night was fantastic. Local ‘neutral’ fans are still looking for the extra shooter on the grassy knoll but my friends who drove 9 hours to watch from the nose bleeds in Cow town were firm in their understanding of FATE. Bring on the Avalanche. If the media can’t understand and get behind the potential storytelling around a motley but skilled crew from the frozen north they are missing the story lines. Bring on the pretenders. Let the pucks flow. I got the faith.
St.Louis can’t get the save and it’s over for them. Bring on the Avalanche.
Looks like Binnington was a difference there… at least on that last goal.
AVS – OILERS.
LETS GO !!!!!!!!!
Helm scores with 6 second left and the Oilers will be in Colorado on Tuesday!
Darren Helm still plays in the NHL?
Wow good on him.
To be honest, I think next Thursday is too long of a break.
The Oilers opponent will get the same amount of days rest no matter if this series goes 6 or 7 but I think I’d rather start round 3 on Tuesday than Thursday.
Enough time to heal the bumps and bruises and rest up and get some practice in but not too long. I don’t think the extra 2-days will make a big difference to those “more seriously banged up”.
Am I wrong?
— I think it’s both a relative and cumulative thing.
— by the third round all teams are banged up. It’s like being in the 5th of a tennis match. Both players are tired.
— I do though think that cumulative playing a team that just played two nights previous while you’ve had a proper recovery is physically better. This assumes elite sports science and fitness planning.
— talking to a few hockey guys about this over the years they feel the recovery outweighs the potential rust for the start of a game. If a few extra days increases mobility or reduces inflammation or bruising by another few percent it’s net worth it.
— guess it doesn’t matter Kinger. Tuesday it is!
This is true but the Oilers opponent would have had 3 days off before round 3 no matter if their series went 6 or 7.
The only difference would have been 4 or 6 full days off for the Oil.
We would like them to have taken another opportunity to get banged up, injured, add miles, doubt etc regardless of the length of rest. Any extra wear and tear is good.
I think where you’re coming from is that you would prefer the Oilers not sit for too long. I don’t disagree with that preference but would advise that we’re not privy to the true injury situation and really that should dictate how long is optimal.
Happy 6th birthday to Ben on this glorious day!
Good, very good, hockey teams but neither of these teams scare me to the extent that I don’t think the Oilers don’t have a realistic chance.
Watching Blues v Avs and really enjoying Singh and (surprisingly) deBrusk – way better than the commentary on the Oilers v Flames last two games. Other observations – Parayko looks like Kulak’s twin brother. Makar looks like something else – a magnificent player.
Noticed that Singh was much more measured and calm in this series…a big improvement.
My issue with Singh is how many plays he misses…
I’m not sure I’ve ever heard him say any of the following: Slap Pass. Dump In/Soft/Hard Dump. Cross-Crease. Back-Door/Tap-In. Drop Pass. Cycles The Puck. Boxes Out. Ties Up His Stick. Pinches(defence). & a plethora of other well established & widely understood descriptors of base-level hockey plays.
Point being, what he does can barely be referred to as “calling the game” he mostly seems to say the name of the player with the puck, followed by pass/es or shoots (unless the play moves too fast, then it’s every 2nd, or 3rd players name) in various ranges of inflection.
Hrudey is partisan hot garbage but I love Cuthbert. For me, hearing him is nostalgic. I’d do anything for a Bob Cole deep fake AI to just do the games!
We were truly spoiled when it comes to play-by-play guys as Oilers fans.
Bruce Buchanan.
Surprisingly I thought Hrudey did a good job until the disallowed goal then he showed his partisanship in spades. While I’m a big Craig Simpson fan in general I think he’s fallen off a fair bit. His commentary seems to be delivered in a “haltingly” cadence and his voice isn’t as strong as it used to be. But as somebody said having Jack and Louie has spoiled us big time.
My prediction from May 17, 2022 1:14 pm
my prediction
1st game: Oilers 3 – Flamers 0
2nd game: Oilers 4 – Flamers 2
3rd game: Oilers 1 – Flamers 3
4th game: Oilers 2 – Flamers 1
5th game: Oilers 5 – Flamers 2
This is what I envisioned in my dreams last night, so it must be true 🙂
score and win arrangement may be skewed, but overall not too bad.
Is is possible to call for a review of an offside goal if you are the team prior to the offside? Watching the second goal by Kyrou/Blues it looks like the Av defense thought that they themselves were offside at the Blues blueline, allowing Schenn and Kyrou to take off on the one on one. I think the answer is buried in the wording ‘play entering the zone’ or something like that but wine has me raising the question.
What a save by coach Manson’s kid…..
Summarizing!
Well, the North Bay Battalion were dishonorably discharged from the playoffs, falling 6-0 to Hamilton this evening, completing the sweep. There haven’t been such dominant Bulldogs since Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid won the tag team championship.
Petrov’s playovs conclude with 2-8-10 in 13 games, but also with a ghastly -16.
Prospecting takes a break till Sunday.
I wonder if Petrov is done with the OHL.
I would suggest that, while he may start next season in the AHL, he will be returned to junior.
Watching the Avs Blues game and after watching BOA, I’m confused – why the score is still 0-0 with all the quality chances? Shouldn’t it be 3-3 by this point?
LT- please crop Rattie out of the photo the next time you use that one. No disrespect to Rattie but that brings back bad memories🤮
I used it to remind all of us about the many roads traveled on the way to now. 🙂
Some of those roads were indeed mud and gravel!!
And a few nails in there, too!
Not sure if its been mentioned but, from accounts (this is heresay, I haven’t listened yet), after the game last night, Stauff was talking about a potential that the org goes long with Bouch this summer (and don’t wait until next off-season to get it done).
If the org plans on moving Barrie and letting Bouchard take over 1 PP next year, getting him signed long term before that happens would be the best move by far.
Given his play for the past 2-3 months, I don’t know if you really want to move Barrie. That’s a good player for $4.5M.
Don’t want to move him, as I just posted a few minutes ago – may need to. As Holland said recently: “can’t keep everyone”.
The writing is on the wall for Barrie, Bouch and Ceci aren’t going anywhere. At least Barrie can conceivably fetch a 2nd and prospect (despite all the fanboy fantasy GMs laughably saying you’d have to add a 2nd to “unload” him).
Theres still more pages to write in this book yet, but I daresay that this off-season will be even more interesting than this past summer.
Yup, I would agree.
I presume the org (and the players) want to keep Barrie – I know he is very well liked in the dressing room and, while some many not agree, he does help on the ice.
Of course, as Holland said the other day “can’t keep everyone” and well, offensive minded RD seem to be a position of strength.
Getting Bouchard signed long term is a must before he gets a sniff of PP1.
This
Woody is always a good listen in the media but a real great spot on the Gregor show today (I find Jason does a great job 1 on 1 with his questions).
Some good intel on tactics against the Flames defence activating and some great intel on why he changed his forward deployment last night (i.e. in response to Sutter with the Backland line against McDavid and Woody wanted Kane against Tkachuk, for example).
Jason did ask what it would take for Holloway to get in the lineup – Woody, of course, called him “healthy and available” and then went on to say how well he knows him and he knows what he brings and how comfortable he would be inserting him. At the same time, he did make a point of saying, to paraphrase “in the same way as I’m comfortable with Devin Shore and Brad Malone and D. Brassard”
Kane neutered Tkachuk he was scared shitless he was going to get thumped. That’s the reason he didn’t pull any stunts all series
LT or others: Puzzled how Jesse can be 0-0 and 0-1 on the shift chart table, despite scoring an even strength goal?
This is for a specific line (as listed) not the player overall. He scored on a different line, Hyman the initial shot, which isn’t listed here.
After watching that series between Calgary and Edmonton, I challenge anyone to name a defenseman on the Flames who outplayed Duncan Keith over that series no matter what their cap hit was (Did Zadarov look like a $3.75 mlllion D – the going rate for free agent D last summer). Tanev gets a pass since he missed 3 games and was playing hurt. Many on here watch Keith like a hawk looking for every mistake he makes to pounce on and complain about his cap hit, but Calgary’s whole defense was making mistakes all over the place. All defenseman (and every other player) make mistakes, but its the overall game that matters.
None of us can factor in what Keith and his experience mean to the team on the bench and in the dressing room, but he can still play playoff hockey on the ice. Sure, long term Calgary’s D has a decent future ahead, but In 2022, Keith is helping the Oilers more than any of them helped Flames. Edmonton is one series win away from giving Chicago a very late 2nd round pick instead of a 3rd round pick in next seasons draft. Who will say it wasn’t worth it if that happens?
Keith has been good no question. It’s hard to judge D-men as they all make mistakes, and usually highly visible and aggravating ones.
Still hoping for a Keith trade, buyout and triumphant return in the offseason. haha
We will see what you think when the decisions have to be made this summer. His 5.5 cap hit may preclude one of signing JP or Yamamoto and or being able to keep Kane. His acquisition cost was high but not getting cap hold back by Chicago unforgivable!
Why is it unforgiveable if that could have been the only way he was going to get Keith? No one knows what Bowman would have done if Holland tried to insist on retained salary while still only offering Caleb Jones and a 3rd (Holland said Bowman would have retained if he gave them Bear plus a prospect plus a pick – Bear had considerable more trade value last season than Jones). Bowman did not have to trade Keith. Keith asked for one, not demanded one, and no one on here knows what would have happened if Bowman told Keith he’d trade him only if he can get a certain level of return.
As for signing Kane, and next year’s cap, an alternative for a bona fide experienced top 4 d would cost the Oilers something too. The going rate for that kind of defender is a minimum $4 million plus anyway if they are available. Bandaging the hole left by Klefbom’s injury with Jones, Russell, Koekkoek or some rookie was going to be the way to go for another season. The real problem for keeping Kane (who wasn’t part of the plan last summer to begin with), is the $5 million in dead cap space the team will have.
Holland firmly believed that a player of Keith’s capabilities and, even more importantly, experience were important ingredients to add to get the Oilers to the next level. So far, he is not wrong. I concede it was a risk and I am sure Holland knew he was taking a risk as well, and it’s still possible Keith’s play in the next round will be a main reason (vs. a comparable alternative) if they don’t advance to the final, but I am not expecting that.
Yes and I think we forget that we lost Klefbom, and Keith filled that gap. I know we didn’t have Klef the previous year either but there was a hole on that left side.
Unforgivable? Like fire him for that trade? Like there is no amount of good that can make up for that trade? For the record I have already forgiven him for that. I mean hes put a team together that is in the conference finals. Cheer up!
A 3rd/2nd round pick and Caleb Jones – the acquisition cost was far from high. Taking on the full cap, while I wouldn’t say unforgivable, that was the issue with the deal at the time.
It seems that Bowman wasn’t willing to make the deal without disposing of the entire hit. I’ve always stated that, if that was the case, Holland should have walked away. If he did, would the Oilers be having this playoff success? Depend on how else he spent that cap but its hard to argue that Keith isn’t providing some real value for this team on the ice and, from ALL accounts, real value off the ice – the players consistently bring him up in their media avails.
that’s awfully hyperbolic language sir…
I think it’s leadfarmer who mentions Keith retiring this summer turning the deal into a stroke of genius. Might be kinger. One of the two. Anyway, the Keith cap hit for two seasons was the issue, and I think unforgiveable is fair, but if Holland gets Keith to retire (I doubt it happens) then we’ll all have to downgrade the fury over what looked at the time (and still does) a fantastically bad trade.
It was Kinger.
Keith is a fav from way back for me
I see him like a better Rusty
I thought all the D did pretty well, obviously I suppose given the results
I don’t like the mix though. So it’s not a particular player, but 5 non physical D (by nature, everyone is stepping it up a bit) isn’t ideal. And Bro isn’t either
I think they could make some improvements with balance. But not Gudbranson type improvements
On the defense mix, in fairness to Holland, he believed he was going to keep Larsson when he made the Keith trade. He had to pivot quickly and the options for experienced big strong shut down types were not great. He did manage to grab/retain two free agent experienced right D defenders who both have solidly contributed to the Oilers current success in their own way. Shoring up the left D with the Kulak add at the deadline has been great as well.
Agreed
Although Holland gets no pass from me not knowing Larsson’s decision and if true ‘having to pivot’
Tons of managers and owners on the blog, I assume would agree, that is a failure, not a surprise, at that level of business
Respect the player but at some point you have to know what’s going on, not the day of the draft or whatever
If Larsson didn’t tell him, how was he supposed to know? From what I understand, Larsson legitimately changed his mind for personal reasons very late in the process. And what could he have done to mitigate it more than he did prior to free agency opening up? Larsson, like all free agents, hold most of the cards.
You could be right
Still what other teams do we hear having that happen?
How can a manager know a player’s decision when the player himself hadn’t made, let alone expressed, a decision.
From accounts, there was a real negotiation over months. Larsson’s decision to move on was indeed made by him at the last minutes.
At the end of the day, the pivot was a massive win for Holland. I’m not so sure that the team isn’t worse if we simply remove Ceci and add Larsson and I am very sure I want Ceci for the next 3 years at 3.25M for his prime than Larsson for $4M – while not much older, I do think Larsson breaks down MUCH quicker than Ceci in the next few years.
Yes I see
OP you do big business
So you get blindsided all the time because people won’t tell you things and you just wait and put on a hemp bracelet and hope for the best?
A major pet peeve is when people try and equate business dealings and what not from places like the NHL to other dealings.
I don’t think there there is any point in trying to equate NHL contract negotiations with my negotiations in corporate finance.
With that said, absolutely, I have acted for lenders in bidding for the lead on acquisition financings, got very far in the term sheet and commitment letter negotiations, thinking my client was going to win the deal and the issuer went another way.
Yes, it happens.
As far as “hope for the best” – Holland had plan B wrapped up damn quick – Plan B turns out to be a MASSIVE WIN!
Remember that time Kassian destroyed Nathan on the railway tracks. No way in hell Nathan has forgotten that violent at full speed clean hit.
I wore one of my Oilers jerseys around Stettler today, had quite a few folks say that Calgary was better, the goal was legit, refs were kissing McDavid’s butt… ahhh fLames fans 😁 but there were a few proud, fellow Oil fans which was great! Had some good conversations. Fans are upbeat! 3rd round here we come.
What I did notice was the age discrepancy today, older folks pulling for the Oil and the younger (not greybeards like me) people backing the Flames. Strange times.
Any idea when tickets for round 3 go on sale?
Probably have to wait for the Avs/Blues series to end.
Once again, the Flames have had the life squeezed out of them by the BoA Constrictor.
I’m seeing on the Twitterverse today a lot of Oiler fans who are willing to give Ken Holland some credit for this playoff run and a LOT more people who are not. Some ‘fans’ even go so far as to suggest their enjoyment of this run is lessened because it gives tacit approval to Holland for not doing enough to improve the team.
What we experienced last night is known as “having your cake and eating it too.” Are some folks really going to bitch now because they didn’t agree with the ingredients that were bought or the temperature of the oven?
Woodcroft. Smith. Hyman. Ceci. Keith. Kane. Kulak. We can parse these individual moves until the cows come home but the bottom line is the final product exceeded expectations. We don’t get to enjoy the fruit of the GMs labours while simultaneously suggesting he did a crappy job that any armchair GM could have bettered.
Woodcroft was a risky hire. Kane was a contentious signing. Ceci, Keith and Smith were all criticized to varying degrees. Hyman was really the only acquisition that there was near unanimous approval on.
This is the crux of it. As fans, our opinions run the gamut. In hindsight, we’re right sometimes and we’re wrong sometimes but nobody’s keeping score on us. We are keeping score on Holland though and his moves got the team to the final four. That is elite and for that the GM deserves commensurate credit.
One of the perks of success is its supposed to silence your critics. Winning means never having to say you’re sorry, etc. For these complainers on Twitter that have likely never achieved success of any substance and therefore don’t understand this simple concept, I politely say “shut the fuck up.” We have a winning hockey team after a decade plus of gross ineptitude. This occasion calls for champagne not whine.
Not a word out of place, BoP.
Talk to me in the off season!😉
Is there no amount of success that will make you happy with Holland?I mean theres a line there somewhere right… finals? Cup? Or would you still be upset with him?
I get your points, and agree just enjoy it, long time coming
However for me it misses a critical factor. Holland deserves credit. Nobody is all good or all bad at a job, or it would be rare at least
The factor is what really drove the bus and it wasn’t his acquisitions. And at that the reason he could get the acquisitions outside of Smith is also the factor, which made the acquisitions come in the first place.The factor made the acquisitions do what they did, far above their norms
That Connor and Leon went supernova is the factor. I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere, but their combined production must also be an NHL record or records
Holland made the team better than it was over his last season choices for sure. But he also capped himself out with retirement contracts. Probably is going to do another
For me the credit goes to the Dynamic Duo. They have won both series (others getting outscored right?) and drive the acquisitions to new he gets they never did elsewhere. We’ll see how Holland moves forward, at least for me before getting too chuffed about the GM. At this point Chia could have success with how dominant C & L are
Its just starting, I’ll enjoy the ride, but don’t ask if we’re their yet, we just left the house. The team is getting their work done on the ice. the brass has tons to do still, the jury is still out
Of course Leon and McDavid going supernova drove the bus.
At the same time, they don’t have the ability to go supernova to that extent without the likes of Kane, Hyman, Jesse and Nuge – all players signed by Holland.
Bringing back Smith (and not overspending in the off-season on tending) allowed the money to be spent on the likes of Hyman, Ceci, etc. If Holland did what almost all fans wanted, and acquired a goalie in-season, well, no cap for Kulak, that’s for sure.
Its not nearly as black and white as suggested.
Agreed but I would say my position is the one not black and white and that’s my point
Because they won now Holland is above reproach
But if they had lost I suggest the same original comment I replied to may have been the opposite
Holland can have been mediocre (the retirement contracts are the problem and the players are playing at a higher level than established because of who they play with, but not right now) and the team excellent at the same time
Noone is saying that Holland is above reproach – well, not that I’ve seen.
At the same time, I did see this comment on another game-blog:
If the Oilers make it to the SCF then Holland will not have been mediocre – results matter.
Sure, the “retirement contracts” are’t the best but, of course, wasn’t Oiler country unanimous in “win now” mode? There are only so many ways to get 29-30 year old players that can make real impacts and compliment the younger core.
George McPhee drafted Ovechkin, Backstrom, Kuznetsov and Carlson. He couldn’t win with those guys in the nine seasons he had with Ovechkin, and got fired in 2014.
Brian MacClellan took over and won the cup 4 seasons later.
Eddie Johnston drafted Lemieux, got replaced by Tony Esposito, who was replaced by Craig Patrick who finally won the cup as GM in 91 & 92. He subsequently drafted Fleury/Malkin/Crosby and Letang then lost his job to Ray Shero who won one cup with them. Shero stepped aside for Rutherford who won 2 more.
Smith, Pulford and Tallon drafted most of the key members of the Blackhawks winning teams, but Bowman came in in 2009 to get them over the top.
McDavid and Draisaitl can do what they do better in part because of having the right mix of a team with them. Mobile defenseman who can make passes and guys like Kane and Hyman contribute to Connor and Leon shining more brightly.
We’re talking about the Oilers right?
If there is a pattern we want to follow it’s the perennial contenders and those that get there with determination
Tampa Colorado and the Knights aggressively look to augment to find a better balance the Knights being reckless
Holland added a bunch of forwards and rolled the dice on goalies
He built a D that doesn’t handle physicality well
To get his forwards he handed out a few retirement contracts with trade protection
Sounds like Dubas, he’s going to have trouble soon enough
I love what’s happening, but both success and lesser management are possible at the same time
Tampa: Sure
Colorado: Hasn’t been to the third round since 2012 despite huge top end picks (like the Oilers) and MacKinnon is almost through his massive value contract
Vegas: Their GM made MASSIVE mistakes trying to be aggressive (i.e. trading MAF)
There is no one-strategy to make it far consistently in the playoffs.
Maybe the Oilers D doesn’t handle physicality well. You put a premium on that – well they are one of the last 4 standing even though you don’t agree with how they are built.
The Oilers major core are locked in for term and either at the beginnings of their prime or in their primes:
1C
2C
1/2 LW (Hyman)
2LW or 2/3C (Nuge)
1LD
1/2 RD
Their 3C of the future is cost-controlled (McLeod)
Another top 6 or middle 6 winger is on the verge and cost-controlled (Holloway).
Bouchard about to pop and won’t be expensive in the short term.
This team is set-up to challenge for the final four for the foreseeable future.
You were the one suggesting that Holland should get no credit because he inherited McDavid/Draisailtl I merely pointed out several teams who had GM’s who had or inherited similar superstar players, that didn’t win, followed by new GMs who made the moves to get them to win. McDavid/Draisaitll alone were no guarantee for success. Building a continuously successful NHL team is hard. And on that score there is also no single recipe for success either. Pittsburgh won 2 cups in 2016/2017 with no big defenseman. And Pittsburgh has been a perenial contender a lot longer that Colorado and Vegas. Same with Washington. Chicago had about a 8 year run as a contender and won 3 cups. Colorado and Vegas have won nothing.
Tampa is good, but they took 12 years after drafting Stamkos and 11 after Hedman to win the cup and 3 GM’s. Yzerman’s teams missed the playoffs 3 times and he had a team that went to the Conference final his first season. Yzerman never won a cup as a GM it took Brisebois to finish the job.
The Oilers beat Calgary because overall, they are the better team and Holland helped make them that. There were bumps along the way, but if they played again next week, they’d win again.
Leon was really funny in his post game last night, even before this gem:
“I was celebrating with the fans in the first row. I actually didn’t see it go in to be honest, I heard it go off the post and I got snot bubbled in the other side there. So I barely saw it but I heard the post and saw everyone get excited. It was an amazing feeling.”
Lol. Help me out Lowetidians. What is “snot bubbled”?
P.S. – If he was real smart he would have been celebrating with the fans behind the Calgary bench.
Getting hit so hard that the escaping air creates a snot bubble coming out your nose.
I’m sure that happened later.
Is Auston Matthews watching Ceci, Barrie and Hyman going into the 3rd round and wondering if he can find a way to play for the Oilers?
I am kidding, but I do wonder if the shoe were on the other foot and the Maple Leafs advanced to the third round while the Oilers were eliminated in the first, if some of the media would be pushing that kind of narrative about McDavid.
Why in God’s name would you wonder such a thing? Of course they would.
— another disappointing season and I’m hearing Austin wants out. Really a shame that his best years are stuck with such a team.
— besides it would be better for the league if he wasn’t playing for such a bush league team.
— pretty soon his agent will be having a talk with management
haha: this was the Conner narrative in Toronto.
On Calgary Puck they did a poll on how many games it would take the Oilers or Calgary to win the series.
Oilers in 5 had 0 votes.
Every other option had votes.
Just thought that was funny.
Flames in 6 had the most votes.
Whatever happened to HH? I’m very curious to hear about what the other teams are doing. How’s Pettersson’s putting game doing? Is he falling all over the greens like he does on the ice?
Is Bouchard good yet? Is he a bust with only 8 points in 12 playoff games?
Quinn Hughes is not an NHL Playoff defenceman at this time.
Come on he’s young he could get a growth spurt!😉
Mediocre and -3.
If you don’t want to roll in the shit, then don’t summon a pig.
No need to insult pigs like that. They are very intelligent, friendly and playful in comparison.
Yummy too.
Now THIS is great. About sprayed bourbon all over my computer.
He’s probably contaminating a Flames board as a fake Oilers fan.
Remember when he said the league had figured out McDavid and McDavid was more like Bure than a generational talent? He really shuts his brain off when it comes to the Oilers.
It was a very cold rainy night under the bridge!
Not a single post the day after the Oiler beat a noted Cup Favorite in 5 games and make the final four.
Can’t even man up and admit he was wrong on the flames or the Oilers or congratulate the host of the platform he uses daily on his team’s success – nothing.
Come on Harper! Man up and do it! Show us your heart is not 3 sizes too small!
All this talk about that one goal as if that was the one lead Calgary could actually hold on to
Exactly. What about this series informs you they were likely to even win that game, let alone the series. It would have been nice to win without the controversy, but the end result seemed pretty clear by that point.
It only matters to those that want subjective reffing
They actually got one right! Not allowed to kick it in
Western Series will run Tue Thu Sat, the East on M W F.
If Colorado ends it tonight, we start Tuesday, if it goes 7 games, we start Thursday.
Per Spector on ON
So in that case, we’d want the Avs to wrap it up tonight, right? Game 3 of the WC on HNIC in Edmonton! That would be mental!
If HH could please join and discuss Mike Smith’s playoffs. I think he said Calgary in 6 book it.
I want to hear more about how great of a pickup 5 point Toffoli was for the playoffs.
you mean slew foor Toffoli?
What Calgary paid for Toffoli would have made Peter Chiarelli say, “That’s too much.”
Calgary CBC Sports reporter lays down the ultimate Connor McDavid legend – Streamable Video
Re: jgs goal on Smith
Every time a goalie takes something away, they have to give something back. When a goalie is in the reverse vh, if they want to lift their shoulder to take away the near side top corner, they have to shift their weight and it costs them the ability to keep a strong seal along the ice with their far side pad. Unless they’re like 6″10 I guess. Jg went for that near side corner 3 times then went far side along the ice. If you feel like our boy should have saved that I feel you, but I’ll also tell you that’s a pretty clever strategy to use to score on a hot goalie. You need to have enough of a shot that they believe you can actually hit that top corner in order for it to work though. I’m sure there are some goal scorers IRL who post here, try it out some time and let me know if you make it work. If the goalie isn’t very good it’s a waste of time though, just score on him.
Now about that game last night…
A couple thoughts. First on the disallowed goal. Right or wrong, the entire series didn’t ride on that goal. The Flames had 5 games to score and didn’t. It brought me back to a great lesson by the legendary John Wooden, which he wrote about in his book, They Call Me Coach. In the book, Wooden talks about speaking to a player who felt bummed out about missing the final shot that would have gotten UCLA a win. Instead of comforting him, Wooden admonishes him, saying that in the game, they had numerous chances to win and that if the player thought he was the sole reason for the outcome, then he wasn’t thinking about the concept of team. That lesson always stood out to me and it made me realize that yes, players step up and do wonderful things and other times, you get lousy calls, unlucky bounces and that’s it. Team always comes first. Sutter should be the first one to learn this lesson along with the players who said they got beat by one player. What a ridiculous statement. The Flames as a whole put themselves in the position of their season riding on a call that could have went either way. They had ample time to correct things.
Secondly, Woodcroft is doing amazing work right now. His in game adjustments and ability to get the most out of his players, is exceptional. He gives a little more ice time to those who perform and reins in those who don’t. Not sure if he expected a slow paced game last night, but he turned it into a track race again and got the W.
Go Oilers.
Astute commentary as usual CC!
It’s called Leadership! It is in what he says and also in his actions! His players believe in him because he shows trust and belief in them! He is the major reason why I picked the Oilers in five. Depending on the health of Draisaitl and Nurse the Oilers win the next series in six games. Woodcroft has the ability to adjust the game plan in game which has been impossible for most of his predecessors. He is what MacT thought he was getting in Dallas Eakins!
When I was a kid, my dad got a teaching job in Edmonton, and we moved there for a year (the job didn’t go well for him). It was during the 89-90 season and I got to go to a couple of games and see that great team play. I’ve been a fan since then, even though we moved back to Southern Alberta with loads of Flames fans around.
My roommate got me tickets to an Anaheim game for my birthday this year and it was a great game where the good guys won. When we were talking last night we realized that the last time I attended a game in person, the team won the cup that year. If we win this year I will have to attend at least one game next year to see if it is a thing haha!
Measured against the best playoff SP% of goalies the year they won the cup, Smith right now is tied for 12th.
ALL TIME
The “bad Mike Smith cameos” detract more from his reputation than his actual ability imo. Easy to feel that way when you’ve gotten a fairly steady diet of “good Mike Smith” though.
I think the style he plays, and the gaffes, lead to people underestimating his play (me included). Playing deep in the net, lunging at pucks, doesn’t seem repeatable. Somehow when he’s on he makes saves at an elite rate, I’m just always worried about what happens if he’s not on. A big positional goalie may not have the highs that a Smith does, but the lows aren’t as low either IMO.
My thought is that when Smith makes a mistake it is undeniable and totally egregious! They stay in the memory banks but while they are for the most part very few they are extremely memorable!
According to Debrusk, when he saw the ESPN highlight of the OT goal last night, ESPN had gone with Jack Michael’s call of the goal over Cuthbert’s.
Cuthbert has been a favourite over the years but clearly Hrudey had a effect on him. Also Mr.do-gooder Ron MacLean suggesting that the Refs aide Calgary in OT was sad. Not one word said about the linesman having a direct involvement on the 4th Goal Jarnkrok scored. The 1st Flames Goal was really close to being off-side was never even brought up. I would have liked to have seen a replay on the blue line entry.
And the complete hooking of McDavid in the first period was ridiculous.
I honestly think a bit of the Calgary homerism (beyond Hrudey) is just that Sportsnet / the entire sports media establishment wanted the BoA to go 7 games.
They’re all insanely motivated to have it go 2 extra games. Big ratings, lots of highlights, lots of buzz. It’s great for hockey! Great for Alberta! And some of that snuck through to the commentating.
Looking forward to being Canada’s Team from now on.
Hey folks,
I’ll get the Oilers part later, but I wanted to share something with you. I sit on a committee here for BC Hockey that is trying to bring reconciliation into the sport. We’ve been moving really slow, but making little strides here and there. Our goal is to hopefully make the rink more inclusive for Indigenous people and to teach others about our experiences.
Now I could sit here and tell you all about being the grandchild of a residential school survivor, but that’s painful to do and it invokes all sorts of horrible emotions. All I know is that I work hard everyday to end that cycle with me and my daughter. I spent a considerable time in the education system doing this and it was so joyful to see my daughter, along with many others in her school drum everyone into school a few weeks ago. Made me proud to think my grandma wasn’t allowed to do this and her great granddaughter is allowed. Special day.
Recently an association has stepped forward and I just wanted to share it with you. The Semiahoo Minor Hockey Association has worked with local Indigenous people to rebrand and rename their association. Here is the link https://www.searchrescue.ca/semiahmooravens
The jersey is beautiful and the shoulder patch that honours the children and survivors of residential school, it one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen on a sports jersey.
I just wanted to share this with you.
Thank you
Great rebranding, great jerseys, great message. This is amazing!
Excellent logo. Whoever designed has real talent. When I was going to school in the ‘70s, they bussed native kids to our school. There were some amazing native athletes. They never ever got a shot to play advanced level sports.
Great work! Reconciliation is going to be a long hard intergenerational slog imo. I have lots of respect for the people working to make it happen, in whatever form they can manage.
Thanks for showing that off. A great message and a great jersey.
I’d also like to say I’m really a big fan of the land recognition video that the Oilers have. Chief Littlechild is an engaging and well spoken advocate for sport, reconciliation and we’re lucky to have him.
The messaging in the video is so great – “The recognition of our history on this land is an act of reconciliation and we honour those who walk with us.”
It’s one step, but when I was up for Game 5 in round 1, the fans were fantastic with it as well. Big Let’s Go Oilers cheer, which quieted right now for the video and then a huge applause afterwards. Made me proud to be part of the crowd.
I wish other teams had such content… I won’t make a negative comment on other teams efforts, but let me say I hope to see this continue.
That’s awesome. I know when my friend was president of BC Hockey, I was always on his case about doing the land acknowledgement and eventually, about 10 years ago, they started at provincials.
Willie Littlechild is an amazing man. First ever Indigenous MP, lawyer, former coach with U of A, former player for the Golden Bears and Swimmer for the U of A. Truly an amazing human being.
We all have much to gain when we work together! We cannot change what went before our time but it is imperative to acknowledge the wrong and make sure that this can never be repeated in our life time!
First… Congratulations. Important work well done.
I’m not saying this to be an ass kisser. I LOVE Indigenous Art. (and so much of the culture)
The culture has SO MUCH to offer us all if we are willing to walk “the path” together.
Thanks for sharing.
A boy at my wife’s school created the Indigenous version of the Elks logo. The Elks sanctioned it as Official Elks apparel.
I have the T-shirt….also Orange in color.
You know, there’s pretty similar roster constrution on the Oilers and Avs…starting with the duo at the top. Don’t get caught up in the “scale” of these players but most of these fit as placeholders for the tiers.
McDavid and Draisaitl vs MacKinnon and Rantanen
You won’t find a more comparable foursome in the league. You’ve got the undisputed elite/generational #1 skater with freakish skating and his massive and cerebral foreign-born pass-first sidekick, who you sometimes wonder if he might actually be better.
Hyman and Landeskog
The rugged (not rough) glue guy that does everything right, puck protects like a beast and has plenty enough talent to play on the top line.
Bouchard and Makar
Scale remember, but you’ve got the elite offensive young defensemen who with some defensive development (which seems to be coming) could get Norris votes in the not-too-distant future.
Nurse and Toews
The other guy puts up the points but here is your mid-career true #1 defenseman and absolute horse minute muncher who only plays against the other teams best.
Nugent-Hopkins and Kadri
Here’s your tier. “Drafted to be an elite #1C and now has settled into a role of 200 foot Patrice Bergeron-lite center that can sometimes steal the spotlight” OR
Kadri could also be their Evander Kane; the lightning rod that is loathed by other fan bases but loved by his own…except when he does something stupid.
Puljujaarvi and Nichuskin
Foreign born, early drafted enigmatic man child winger. There are times they feel like second line play drivers and there are times they make you scratch your head.
Barrie and Byrum
The possibly unfairly maligned 3rd pairing guy who brings tremendous offense and maybe a bit more defense than his fan bases give him credit for. But ideally, let’s not let this guy play much versus Alpha and Beta up above.
Keith and Jack Johnson
Don’t look now but this old guy that the fan base is pretty sour on is hanging in there as a second pairing LD.
Maybe Yamo and Newhook?
Erik Johnson and Brett Kulak?
Thanks for this. I like the side by side!
Minor quibble: Colorado has Eric, not Jack.
no, they have both Johnsons.
Berube will not allow the Blues to go without a dogfight. Momentum is in the Blues favour all the pressure is on the Av’s.
CBC broadcast last night
Oilers chance
Hrudey: “What a fantastic save by Markstrom.”
Flames chance
Hrudey: “Let me show you what a fantastic play Toffoli makes to get this shot away.”
Haha if I spent my playing career getting lit up by the glory oilers I’d probably be salty about it too.
I could feel Hrudey seething at the end. That pleased me.
Those were my exact thoughts on the Yamo drive/ Kane deflected shot that markstrom got his toe on. I thought he was going to comment on the great play Yamo made going 1 on 3 to set up Kanes chance, but no, gets over zealous on Markstrom stretching to stop the puck that was trickling at that point.
MADE UP: Toffoli didn’t get any shots away!!!!!
Busted
What unbelievable stats this playoff. This is the complete opposite of last year.
Hyman scored in every game this series
Leon with 17pts in 5 gms
Kane with 12 goals in 12 games (with a baby on the way)
Bouchard with 3 important goals this series
Nuge holds the fort as #2C (I didn’t think he could do it
Mike Smith as cool as a cucumber even after getting lit up for 4 in the game (and after the game 4 gaffe).
Something about this team…
Suck it, Shelbyville!
I went up to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. Anyways where was I. Oh ya, I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time.
So this is where that age old expression “suck an onion” comes from.
Now it all makes sense!
😁😁
I’m on a flight to Uganda on June 27……. the Stanley Cup will be awarded by then, right?
You going to see the gorillas? Or is it work?
For pox’s sake leave the monkeys alone!
The gorilla tours are very respectful of the animals and the area. Not sure what your complaint is here…
What happens in Uganda stays in Uganda.
Uganda, Rwanda, DRC – yes there will be gorilla trekking!
But more importantly, will the beamer be parked on the driveway?
Will you go to Lake Victoria? My wife’s family is on the Kenyan shore, around Kisumu. We go there once and a while, but it’s been more than 3 years since our last visit.
Yes sir – itinerary says sunset cruise!
It also says: This is always a fun evening and may or may not end up in lots of dancing and merriment…..
On my first trip we went to a croc sanctuary. I held an adolescent croc in my hands — it was maybe 50 or 60lbs. Freaked me out a little, but went well. I was holding it a little too tightly around its neck so the croc was pissed at me, thinking I was trying to strangle it. But it didn’t hurt me, even though it easily could have.
Woody was like a kid on Christmas morning when that goal went in. So beautiful. Then, he slams open the bench door and gets all sassy waiting for Sutter. I love this man. Sign him forever.
That was quite a hilarious shot. I think he waited quite a while before calgarys coaches came to shake hands