The Edmonton Oilers looked determined to start the game with more structure and gain more share in shots and chances, and my goodness the first period was fine. The second period featured some important players making mistakes that ended up in the back to the net. The third period was a furious attempt to get back to even, but (and this is now a two-game trend) the group fell short. I blame Eric Comrie.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: Did the Oilers find the right fit for winger Zach Hyman?
- New DNB: Another Oilers loss isn’t ideal, but it shows why they have little to be worried about
- DNB: How the Oilers can manage Connor McDavid and star players’ workloads
- Lowetide: 6 Edmonton Oilers positives from an uneven start
- Lowetide: Can the Oilers’ AHL affiliate sustain a productive prospect pipeline?
- DNB: Oilers need Jakob Chychrun or another top-4 defender, as loss to Flames shows
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers early impressions from season-opening win
- DNB: Oilers must adapt to short-handed lineup because it’s coming again
- DNB: Oilers goalie Jack Campbell enters season intent on exceeding expectations
- Lowetide: Why Oilers’ Evan Bouchard will be a key to 2022-23 season
- New DNB: 11 bold predictions for 2022-23 season
- Lowetide: What’s Oilers prospect Reid Schaefer’s NHL ETA?
- DNB: Oilers’ missing pieces? Trade strategy? Breakout player? Mailbag
- Jonathan Willis: Jakob Chychrun would look good on the Oilers, but is there a deal to be had?
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers reasonable expectations for every player in 2022-23
- Lowetide: Oilers top-20 prospects, summer 2022
WHAT TO EXPECT IN OCTOBER
- At home to: VAN, CGY, BUF, CAR, STL, PIT (Expected 4-1-1) (Actual 1-2-0)
- On the road to: STL, CHI, CGY (Expected 1-1-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 5-2-2, 12 points in 9 games
- Actual October results: 1-2-0, 2 points in 3 games
- Oilers in 2022-23: 1-2-0, 2 points in 3 games
I don’t believe the Oilers played poorly (second period was a mess) but they are 1-2-0 after three with the Carolina Hurricanes coming to town. No matter what you want to call last night, a win was required and didn’t arrive. The five-on-five goals (3-7) are the culprit, and Edmonton has seen goals in that game state from exactly three men through three games: Connor McDavid, Ryan McLeod and Cody Ceci. We know that will change, but don’t know when.
THE GOALS
- The first goal was from Rasmus Dahlin, he moved to the middle of the ice on the power play, kept moving and kept options open. Great release, 1-0.
- The second goal was from Tage Thompson. Jesse Puljujarvi shot the puck hard and it rang around the boards. Leon Draisaitl stopped it on a strong move, but didn’t have any good passing options. Down at the other end, Nurse let him go enough for Thompson to make a lovely move for the goal.
- The third goal was Draisaitl’s pass to the middle in the Buffalo zone missed by only a little, and then it was jailbreak the other way. JJ Peterka is a nice player.
THE PLAYERS
- Stuart Skinner. Stopped 20 of 23, .870. I expect some will fault him on the Tage Thompson goal but that was a power move to my eye and sometimes you have to give the other man his due. I thought the Dahlin goal was also a good goal, the shooter didn’t seem to commit (to my eye) to a shot until late and even then it wasn’t telegraphed. I don’t think the loss was on the goalie.
- Darnell Nurse had a high-event night, scoring a goal, getting seven shots on net including three HDSC. Took and drew a penalty, needed to do more on the Thompson goal but (as I mentioned in the Skinner comments) Thompson powered through on a terrific play.
- Cody Ceci picked up an assist, had a takeaway and had an expected goal percentage of 65 on the night.
- Evan Bouchard had six shots, a giveaway and some good looks, but had a night where he passed when he should have shot and vice versa. It’s a minor quibble, his possession numbers were sublime and expected goals share (74 percent) high quality.
- Brett Kulak led defensemen with a 79 percent expected goal share (all five-on-five) and took a penalty, drew one and minded the store. No quarrels here.
- Tyson Barrie had five shots, a takeaway, a couple of blocked shots but was caught on the Peterka breakaway. The Sabres had TWO trailers on that play, suspect the news is out on turnovers and these Oilers. Through three games, at five-on-five, Edmonton has turned the puck over 47 times. That should be talked about more. Calgary has done it 24 times through the same number of games.
- Ryan Murray had one shot, drew a penalty, and Edmonton was 1-3 HDSC when he was on the ice.
- Markus Niemelainen had a solid night, hit some guys, but did bite on the Peterka play and that’s less than ideal. Remember, growing pains happen with young players. You have to endure them.
- Connor McDavid played just shy of 27 minutes. He had an assist, four shots, three HDSC, three giveaways (now at eight for the season) and was 56 percent in the dot. Through three games, he is 1-1 at five-on-five. That’s a story.
- Evander Kane had five shots, seven HDSC, created two rebounds, had seven hits, blocked a shot. No one likes a slumping No. 1 left winger, but if he’s in a downbeat, seven high dangers is a pretty solid tell he’s working at getting out of the slump.
- Leon Draisaitl had an assist, four shots, one HDSC, but also five giveaways and that’s a large number. I do think he may have ignited a new No. 2 line that could be fire, my article at The Athletic today discusses it.
- Zach Hyman had four shots, three HDSC, two rebound attempts, a giveaway and a takeaway and was so close to tying it very late. He, like Kane, is in a slump, but these numbers he’s producing are a real positive.
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a goal, seven shots, six HDSC. People text or tweet me that Nuge doesn’t score much without expert help and that’s always been Nuge since arrival. He does many things, but is a complementary offensive player at five-on-five. Very good player because he’s versatile.
- Kailer Yamamoto had a shot and a HDSC, but needs to be more prominent in the game.
- Jesse Puljujarvi had two shots, three HDSC and is now a full throttle concern when there’s a 50-50 puck along the wall. He’s more physical and gets pucks going. Drew a penalty, and sent Hyman in alone via a subtle but brilliant pass.
- Ryan McLeod was mostly quiet, despite touching the puck plenty. That’s what you look for in productive young players, touching the puck.
- Warren Foegele, had two shots, a penalty, drew a penalty and had two takeaways. Sent the pass to Holloway that set up the hit of the night.
- Devin Shore had a giveaway and a takeaway, but didn’t play much because Edmonton needed a goal.
- Dylan Holloway has one entry on his NST line: One hit taken. Yes. That’s exactly right. I hope he’s okay.
THUNDER ROAD
So, I’m going to tell you a story. Back in the day, I would get a ride with my parents to Saskatoon and spend all my money on albums and posters, plus Rolling Stone and CREEM. I would sometimes buy three albums, others none. When I got home, I would open the albums , one at a time, best to least best based on my feeling about the artist. I’d look at the cover, read the liner notes, check for lyrics, and then place the vinyl on my Dual turntable. I would put the needle on song one, side one. I imagine everyone did.
Often the best song on the album was the first one. In the summer of 1975, I was in love with Thunder Road by the time the screen door slammed. I knew Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow would be a success before Man on the Silver Mountain was halfway through.
It didn’t always happen this way. Chilliwack’s Dreams, Dreams, Dreams best song (Rain-O) came near the end. It remains one of my favourite songs, and the best version of a song that has been done several times by the band.
What’s my point? This year’s Oilers didn’t start with Thunder Road or Man on the Silver Mountain. There are good songs to come. I promise.
LOWETIDE AND JAMIESON
10-2 today, TSN 1260. An enormous day of sports, we’ll talk Oilers, Raptors, MLB playoffs and football. What a time to be a sports fan. Bruce McCurdy from Cult of Hockey at the Edmonton Journal and Daniel Nugent-Bowman from The Athletic will join us and your comments are welcome. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter.
Kostin comes out of the penalty box and drives fast and hard towards the opposition net, Hmblin with a nice neutral zone play to gain zone and the wide 2 on 1 – perfect pass to Kostin who buries it.
Bourgault with some solid board work, gets in back to Kesselring who buries his second floater of the day.
3G in 3G for Kesslering.
Condors 2-0-1 to start the season.
They are back to back in Tuscon Sat/Sun
Summarizing!
Chiasson finished with the singular assist in a 3-0 win and was named 3rd star.
Missed the Knights’ go-ahead goal but tuned back in to see Kostin gain entry with a few seconds left in the 2nd period, hauled down, no call, puck goes back to left point, Demers over the Kesselring in the middle, snap shot, buzzer beater, tie game.
An aPPle for Chiasson as the Kings of Wheat open up a 3-0 lead in the second stanza.
4th line of Philp/Engras/Tulio with a solid 45 second offensive zone shift and some hard board work – Tulio got a good slot tip of a point shot the created danger.
Who is playing C and who is LW? Assuming Philp and Engaras respectively? Although Engaras is an actual Face-off wizard….
3 RHS on one line, this is quite the uncommon situation.
Engras is playing centre.
Condors D allow the zone entry, a couple of low danger short but Pickard kicks the rebound of the second in to the high slot and Marino bombs home the tying goal.
Kaldis drops em with the Henderson captain…… didn’t expect that.
Solid little fight. Nothing major landed but both parties got some punches away.
PP1 with good pressure for 45 seconds. Griffith back to Kaldis at the point. He hesitates, no pass, walks in 3-4 feet and a clean wrist shot puts the Condors up 1-0.
Hamblin with the 2nd assist, I think.
Kostin with the big screen in front.
Confirmed no Brtoberg – he must be hurt for real (which Mike Griffith did advise us of).
So, I think we have:
Kostin/Hamblin/Griffith
McKegg/Malone/Bougault
Kambeitz/Esposito/McPhee
That would leave, Philp/Engras/Tulio
Kesslering/Demers
Kaldis/Kemp
Kielb/Peters
No Broberg mention but that is a solid spot for Bourgault for tonight, and I presume the other top 6 line is: Kostin/Hamblin/Griffith
Forgot to post the tweet but Bourgault is playing with Malone and McKegg….. Pickard starts.
I presume no Broberg or he would have been mentioned by Holt.
When the expected goal share is high but actual goal share is not, there can be many reasons, including lack of skill/finish. Or am I missing something? Point being, its nice to have a high expected goal share, but it really means nothing, as the reasons for lack of actual goal share are too numerous and subjective. It’s all about W’s.
Something we as Oiler fans need to get used to is that we have transcendent talents and a team of very high caliber at a time of very rapid change in the NHL.
The change in the NHL is clear to those that want to see it. Offense is at a premium and guys are scoring at a rate not seen since 1995. Offense is back in a very big way.
McDavid and Draisaitl offensively, are heads and tails above folks in the last 30 years. Crosby/Malkin don’t work as a comparable cause McDavid will pass both in career points while they are still playing. Crosby was generational, McDavid is transcendent. Say that with me Transcendent.
McDavid is the best hockey player to touch the ice outside of Gretzky, Lemieux and Orr. That’s it, those are the only competition.
You don’t so much coach talent like this as you direct it and that’s been the problem with Oiler coaches until this exact moment.
McDavid creates offensive chances (not necessarily goals) at the rate of a basketball player not a hockey player. Coach after coach plays him as much as they do because he’s different. He’s Jordan, he’s The Great One, he’s Tiger Woods. You put him out there because he can score on any given shift.
Coaching a team with transcendent talent is different than coaching the lowly Avs and their mediocre leader in MacKinnon, or the talented but greater than the sum of their parts Tampa Bay Lightning. Those teams offer good ideas but not a model. The Flames suck and aren’t worth worrying about, it’s why their stars tucked tail and ran.
The model needs to be “we have two guys who can tilt the ice to such a savage degree that we need a very good reason to keep them apart.” If that reason doesn’t manifest You go with the talents that can score on any given shift. This isn’t a negative, it’s like holding pocket Aces every single deal while recognizing you’ll lose your shirt if you go all in every single deal. Most coaches have been “we need to keep these guys apart cause that’s what Mike Babcock and Joel Quenville told us!” Old school thinking!
After playing wayyyyy too many minutes last year, OPs preferred stat these days, McDavid scored at a level in the postseason (while compensating for an injured Drai and Nurse) that would have been in the Top Five of all time if the WCF went to seven games. Again, the Top Five of all time, before the SCF.
This version of the Oilers only needs to make the playoffs. If you want the Presidents trophy’s go cheer for the Leafs, Carolina or Florida. They are flash but don’t know how to win when it’s on the line. We’ll get to that point here but not for a few years.
The oilers are fine, the team is fine, no need to panic trade anyone we all just need to breath like LT has recommended. This team is about peaking. They need to peak and be healthy and that’s it.
McDavid currently has 703 points by hockey db.
Crosby has 1415.
Sidney Crosby is 35-years-old.
Malkin has 1012 points, so even then, that’s 309 points and Malkin is already 36.
Maybe if Malkin plays until he’s in his forties, McDavid might catch him before he retires. Still unlikely that he plays more than two or three more years before retiring.
There’s no chance he catches Crosby before his retirement.
You’re making a very blatant error. You’re not comparing apples to apples, you’re comparing a player who is ten years older and has a nearly complete career to a player that, hopefully, still has over half of his career games still remaining. In McDavid’s first seven seasons, so everything except the six points he has had this year, he had 697 points. In Crosby’s first seven seasons, he had 609 points. Crosby’s points per game over that time was 1.403, while McDavid’s PPG was 1.431. This isn’t primarily a matter of whether it’s plausible that McDavid can catch Crosby, it’s more a matter of whether he will be healthy enough to do so.
Is it too early to wonder when Gulutzan will get his shot to lead this team from the bench?
oh please no, never
not a leader
He does have elite hair though
Someone, perhaps it was Godot, unless it was someone who longer posts here (correct me if I am wrong) did an analysis of Stanley Cup winning coaches a few years ago when TMac was coach. Their conclusion was something like if they haven’t won a Cup in their 1st 4 seasons as an NHL head coach, they won’t ever win one.
Although Jared Bednar says hi.
Are we “waiting on Godot”?
Most definitely
It wasn’t me.
I’d find that a strange conclusion as only 2 of the last 7 Stanley Cup winning coaches (winning coaches from the last decade) did it in their first 4 seasons (Berube, Sullivan).
I was going to post this comment at the start of the season, but didn’t get around to it…
For the Oilers to do well and seriously contend for the cup this year (at least final 4) they need:
Three games in is not time to press the panic button but the focus has to be on team D and puck support. They need to protect the house every shift. Until then, expect more of the same…
Sometimes the new Oilers don’t understand what’s important. Did you just let a bottom feeder team walk into your building, hand you a loss AND blow up your brand new rookie? No repercussions? They are laughing at you.
Oilers winning the fancies is encouraging. Hopefully they keep that up and the wins will follow.
We can give Woodcroft an F for his first training camp. The team was not ready to start the season.
they really aren’t, I agree
they got it in spurts but they don’t look ready to me either
Let’s wait for the 20 game mark before we make too much of anything.
The comments today have a lot of accurate observations, good read.
What I would say to Manson is it appears Oilers D constantly give up the blue line allowing all sorts of room to Buffalo. While Buffalo D are challenging zone entry every time!
And to Woody – remember when you took over for Tippet? He, like Tippet, wants to “do something” so trying to hard on line combinations. Go back to Derrick Ryan and his words, they need the whole team participating and involved to win. Lock it down now and let the team figure it out.
One issue – this team follows it’s leaders. Why an issue? Everybody starts to think “pretty pass” I like when Foegele or Kane first arrived, they fired the puck at every opportunity. Now, I see the Oilers enter the zone and set up around the perimeter for puck control and low percentage shots. They concede the middle slot.
Contrast that even to Vancouver who quickly get a shot away and chase the rebound. Calgary has no more talent than Edmonton, but their game plan is simpler, and more effective, more repeatable.
Every team facing the Oilers is aware of the offensive threat. They try to shut the oil down and wait for opportunity. Oilers should be playing chess, keep things shut down themselves, defence first. Patience. Patience.
With respect to Manson and the zone entry opinion, that doesn’t line up with the data through the first period (and I don’t think it was any different through the rest of the game, maybe in the 2nd, but certainly not the third)
https://twitter.com/JasonGregor/status/1582554318594789377
It’s funny how we see the game/games differently
I watched the 3rd and thought that while they pushed hard and got a lot of shots, most people of them weren’t quality
They seemed barely able to raise the puck, makes a butterfly goalie’s job pretty easy. Most of the shots right into Comrie or pads as he had the bottom net closed up. Goal scorers get the puck up and actually hit the net. They should stay after practice and work on it
I find they also don’t do offensive net front well, still. Either not close enough or in way to close to the goalie or D to be able to make a quality chance, they just bang away low percentage
It’s timing I think. A big part is arriving at the right time. Even Lazar can do this getting a nice deflection goal because he read the play and so did his linemate who took a shot he could tip, and they did it right
The same issue with breakouts and dump ins, they seem out of sync
Connor and Leon were also forcing low percentage plays – turnovers and losing possession. As a group really poor puck management which is causing all of the turnovers
Man do the Oilers ever need a D like Guhle to emerge. I don’t think there is a guy like that in the system though. Like Nurse but with better hockey sense. It’s one thing to have a slow start, another to be at the bottom of the league in numerous defensive metrics. He problems still run deep, lipsticked up by Connor and Leon some games
They were playing like this under Woody last season. I sure hope Woody can move them forward with some of the execution of structure timing and smarter play
Again the Duo on super heaters hid the problems end last season and playoffs with underlying play which have plagued the team for years. Go Woody
And if he can’t move it along soon the solution is different players that can make the correct play more often than not and want to do the dirty work and win battles
Exactly. We made Comrie last night.
Don’t get me wrong, Comrie played really well.
But quite a few Oilers, as you point out, trying to score along the ice again.
(save for Yams on off the cross bar)
Have no doubt both Hyman and Kane will bust out here.
I was at the game last night (first of the year live) and I agree in that I saw it differently. One of those eye test doesn’t quite match the fancy stats games. A few thoughts:
Last night Nurse was Roy Kent (for better and for worse).
Despite the high shot count there were a fair number of plays where they tried to shovel a pass through 3 or 4 sets of legs without any realistic chance of success. There also seemed to be an abundance of times when players were waiting for the puck to come to them or for their teammate to go get it vs. an urgency to get there first. These sequences seemed to turn into the muffin shovel pass with no hope.
I’m not convinced all HDSC are really a HDSC, in that shooting into the goalies pads from 10 inches away when he’s set and in position isn’t a high danger play. Comrie had a great game and was positionally very strong, but there was a lot that went right at him and despite the high shot count it wasn’t like he was standing on his head. Oilers timing isn’t quite there yet.
Is the slowish start due to a very long pre-season. The team went from the intensity of the final 4, to a protracted 8 game pre-season. It’s impossible to play at playoff level all season – players need to pace themselves and get into the groove of the grind. It seems they are having early wobbles finding where that successful floor needs to be. That should come soon and some road games early may have helped some.
Surprised to hear Bouch had a 74% expected goal share – that is a dominating statistic. I wouldn’t describe his game last night as dominating. The urgency thing again for him (which is also a big part of his calmness with the puck) in his own end and particularly net front. Maybe he misses Dunc’s mentoring more than we know. Have to remember he’s basically a sophomore this year as a full time NHLer.
The Cowboy > Murray. Does Krusty cell coverage on ranch? I thought Neimo outplayed Murray and don’t mind him joining the odd rush. You want him to learn and play confident. He had a little play in the first, where the puck came to him at the blueline and he ehld it for a bit to let his wingers get to the front of the net before shooting. Didn’t, but came close – right idea.
Woody says he doesn’t have the official update on Holloway yet but he’s in good spirits.
First and foremost, hope the kid is OK.
Secondly, a short-term injury (i.e. out but not on LTIR) would put even more pressure on the lineup – locked in to 11/7 with no extras…….
If it is LTIR, well, that would really suck for the kid (and the org).
1) I agree with LT, overall, the Oilers played quite good in this game. There was about 15 minutes in the 2nd where they did NOT play good and made a few turnovers/mistakes and that led to goals against. Other than that, they essentially dominated the game. Dominated the 3rd completely and it wasn’t much different in the first period, they should have/could have been up by 2 or 3.
2) The Oilers lacked finish (Hyman, Kane, etc.) and Comrie essentially stole the game. Oilers’ goaltending wasn’t the problem but, at the same time, Skinner was the 2nd best goalie in the game and that was the main difference.
3) All of the above aside, the Oilers lost the game and, well, 3 tough games coming up and 1-2 can turn in to 1-4-1 quickly. Lets hope some more consistent play, better finish and some break in the next week.
4) Darnell Nurse got beat badly on a great play by a very good power forward. Nurse is a high event player and we will see a few mistakes a game. That particular mistake stands out as it led directly to a goal against but, damn, overall Darnell Nurse played a fantastic hockey game. He may have been the best Oiler on the night, even with getting beat for that goal. I can’t believe the vitriol towards his play on social media. Having to see “$9.25MM” pasted every time he makes a mistake is the WORST thing about the Oilers right now. Yes, we all know he is overpaid on the cap but my goodness does he make this team better and had a great game last night.
5) McDavid played almost 27 minutes. This 21 player roster and 11F to start games (plus shortening the bench via injury and coach’s choice) is not sustainable, even for another few weeks. If Holloway is out but not long enough to go on LTIR, well, that’s 18 healthy skaters and 11 healthy forwards on the roster. We are getting to the point where a trade for cap out needs to happen.
6) I posted about (and tweeted about) it now being in to the 3rd season where Nuge is really “an OK player that touches all aspects of the game” and that he used to be “more” than that. He had a great third period as a material contributor to an offensive push. We NEED that player. He is more than what he’s been lately (and “lately” is a couple seasons now) and we need that player back.
7) I guess Niemelainen played well but, at the same time, while not the primary culprit, he was part of the pain on a goal aginst. I’m not sure that Marcus Niemelainen, of all players, need to cheat up ice on that rush. Drai and Yamo made the primary mistakes but, Nimeo cheating up ice, magnified those mistakes. Nimeo needs to be more of a “lock down” defensive player and he wasn’t the last season, in exhibition or last night.
8) Here is hoping that Broberg is in the Condors’ lineup tonight.
I disagree on 6. I love Nuge’s game.
He’s not a 70-80 point calibre forward without elite linemates and that’s fine. Let’s keep in mind he was tasked with bringing along Holloway whilst playing on the third line with Foegele. Not exactly an easy gig. I don’t see any downgrade to his skating or shooting. He still makes those deft touches that result in goals but not always assists. Even prior to his goal last night, he had a dandy wrister in the second that Comrie turned aside with the blocker; that shot was labeled top corner.
I’m with you all the way on Nurse. I love the player, I think he’s top pair quality, and look — even those players will be on for GA. Happens. Thompson made an incredible play, he’s 6’6 for Pete’s sake, I think Darnell defended that about as well as he could without taking a penalty, and that’s the only thing that could have prevented that goal. The real problem with the D right now is that Nurse is the only elite skater we have back there.
~27 minutes is too high, agreed, but let’s not end the 11/7 experiment just because of one injury. The real beauty of 11/7 will be the flexibility to give other excellent forwards more time, not just 97.
Gabriel Landeskog out 12 weeks after knee surgery.
Aaron Ekblad on LTIR with a serious groin strain.
— too much line blending in the last 3 games. One of the positives then Woodcroft came in was players saying they liked having a line and a role and line mates. McD playing almost half the game also not so much.
— Doesn’t seem like a strategy to me which is disappointing. Funny games. Small sample in terms of results but deployment seems clear as in mud
— Nice to see Skinner get a start early. I hope he does get a decent allocation this year to optimize his chances of becoming a dependable G: give him a dependable schedule.
This has been the most unusual aspect of this season …. Woody has fallen into the same trap that snared Tippett; over-reliance on McDrai and McBlendering to the detriment of have each line establishing some familiarity and rhythm.
— yeah it’s just not good coaching, full stop.
This was not quite the case yesterday. Yes, with 11F to start and one leaving the game before the half way mark, there was some juggling but McDavid/Drai wasn’t gone to early or often. At 5 on 5, McDavid played ape:
16 minutes with Drai
11 minutes with Yamamoto
4 minutes with Drai.
Who are the truly elite skaters on the Oilers blue line?
Nurse.
Ceci, Bouchard, Kulak are okay. Murray, Niemo, Barrie are a little below average.
Improve the D, sure, but I would want the guy added to be an elite skater. It’s the reason I suspect Broberg will have a massive impact, when he is up and running.
I would argue that Nurse is not elite.
While he has good speed straight ahead, he lacks the edge work elite D demonstrate.
Agree, Nurse certainly isn’t a Makar, Heiskanen, or Hughes. But he’s the closest to elite we have. The rest of the D are middling or worse with respect to their skating. It’s magnified against teams with multiple mobile D, like Buffalo.
And it’s a growing concern as teams keep adding plus skaters every draft.
There has been recent chatter about “positionless hockey” for teams that have an abundance and Colorado is experimenting with a second PP unit containing 3D…Toews, Byram and Girard.
Because he’s big
Victor Hedman is 6’7” 245.
Aaron Ekblad is 6’4” 215.
Hes not trash like Hughes that’s for sure.
Nurse- Elite
Slightly above – Kulak
Average – Ceci
Slightly below- Bouchard
Below Avg. Barrie, Niemo and Murray.
Your point here is extremely valid and likely why we are seeing issues against certain teams.
This season rests on Broberg emerging or Holland swinging a trade for a 2LD.
A lot of good performances to build on from last night’s game for sure. The execution and finish is lacking right now, but with the volume of chances they had last night, could have easily scored 5-6 goals.
One minor, minor quibble with Bouchard (who are otherwise had a pretty good night):
At the 12 minute mark of the third period, Bouchard was breaking out of the d-zone with time and space on the left side. He could have gotten the boots moving and broken the puck out himself or made an outlet pass. He instead kind of floated, which allowed a back checking Sabre to strip him of the puck. That led to prolonged Buffalo possession.
Just need to have a bit more urgency there, IMO.
It’s called Jultzing. Oh man did I just say that. Lol.
You’re not wrong … Bouchard appears to have more than a little Jultz in him. He doesn’t even play 20 minutes per night, yet he’s coasting like he has to conserve his energy to play 30 minutes a game.
I think that many here who were far too optimistic about Bouchard this summer (e.g. calling for Barrie to get traded cause his skills were ‘duplicated’) will look back at the 2018 draft and realize that Noah Dobson was the better player … once the Oil-tinted glasses come off.
Right now Bouchard is deservedly playing a 3rd pairing RD role on Manson’s blueline.
No team should ever be able to absolutely crush our #1 prospect without a major response. It doesn’t have to be a fight to the guy that hit him (we don’t have fighters for it anyway), it can be going out for the next 7 shifts and having the mentality to hit anyone on the other team in a position to be hit. Find a guy that’s in a position to be hit and punish him. Skinner was trying to be a pest after they leveled Hollywood and no one did anything to him. He’s Yamo-sized and we treated him like he was Zdeno Chara. I’m so disappointed in this team for not responding…damn.
We still have too much chaos in our game and I truly believe its the never-ending line blender. We’ve had the blender on full tilt for years now…it needs to stop. Our guys need to know where and how their linemates play so they can create plays and have rhythym.
If we’re going to go with an 11-7 lineup…then have 4 sets of wingers and 3 centermen. The blender is never going to help our team play to its potential. Hope Jay figures this out.
I know that the NHL rulebook is its own entity, separate from other levels of hockey, but I didn’t like that hit at all. Lots of people will defend it, and I get all the arguments as I love big hit hockey, but to my eyes that was a predatory hit. To me, the principal point of contact is Lybushkin’s shoulder into Holloway’s head, basically a blindside hit as Holloway had no time to react/prepare for the oncoming train.
Hits like this, and their legality at the NHL level, make officiating lower levels of hockey (where this would definitely be a 5+GM for head contact) more difficult as players/parents/coaches/fans see the NHL game and think it’s the same no matter the level.
Apologies for the rant…..
I agree. I thought it was a head shot as well although the broadcast team last night didn’t seem to think so.
I hadn’t realized, but Bob said on Oilers Now that Lybushkin missed the rest of the game as well.
Re: Lyabushkin, FYI, not quite accurate. He continued to play after the hit; took 12 shifts, but didn’t finish the game after the PK where he blocked a shot and then struggled to get off the ice..
https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/sabres-notebook-ilya-lyubushkin-misses-practice-considered-day-to-day/article_88a8d742-4fda-11ed-b966-bf539711cc19.amp.html
Thank you for clarifying, much appreciated.
Sometimes the 1st goal for the season is the most difficult to get. Getting off the schneid would help.
I really disliked the Oiler Schedule when it came out. I was hoping the boys were on the road for 7 of the first 10 games.
I liked Nurse last night despite the goal against. When he broke up the play and then jumped up and scored it was beautiful. I thought Nuge and Bouchard had poor coverage on the 4 on 4 play which led to a penalty and eventually a goal against. It started with another Nuge face off loss. Those two are poster boys for starting slow in games. Jesse looks like he is never going to get another shot on net never mind score a goal.
The PR crew will anoint another Vezina to a back up goalie ( Oilers fan trademark) in Comrie..but we are having trouble scoring here.
Now, clearly Kane and Hyman are getting chances and just not converting.
It is the 3rd line that I was looking for improvement on. ( yes, it is early)
Holloway’s injury derailed last night.
Looking for RNH to lead a 3rd line and own the Parkay Margerine comp.
( against most teams)
Not really noticing Yamamoto a lot either. If is he not 100% not healthy- don’t play him.
( long marathon season here)
Well, Comrie did play very well last night. Of course, the Oilers were not “polished in their finish” but Comrie had a big day in that. Switch the tenders and the Oilers win, end stop, right?
Kane and Hyman each with lots and lots of chances last night, and on the year – those two score in bunches. At some point heaters will come. It would be nice if one of them could have banged one in last night thought
Before the Flame game, the verbal on Yamamoto was that “it was a matter of pain tolerance” so, nope, definitely not 100%. I agree with the premise of to playing him but remember the limited options. They have 12 forwards and, if Holloway is out, that leaves them will 11 including Kailer…… Unless Kailer/Holloway are out for 10 games/24 days minimum, well, we can’t replace them and there aren’t many options. Niemo back down for Hamblin or Malone or something is the other option – leaving the team with only 6D.
Chilliwack. Rain-o. You have sublime taste in music. Might be the best song they ever did, and that’s saying something IMHO
Leon Draisaitl had an assist, four shots, one HDSC, but also five giveaways and that’s a large number.
********************************************************************
It’s been a theme to start the year. And it is not just the number of giveaways – it is the where and when on the ice -some of them are occurring.
So bad that Louie DeBrusk actually mentioned it on air.
I assume Louie is being electrocuted in some dark room today now for it.
( if Remenda had said this…this place would have went up in smoke)
Maybe I am an outlier. I have no interest in a home broadcast crew that can’t say it like it is. Drew had the unfortunate timing to be a fairly critical broadcaster during a period when the on ice product was less than stellar.
Draisaitl has to make better decisions with the puck if he is going to run his own line/outscore doing it.
Listen, I see it in my local market here and in other broadcasts.
Nobody ( or, very, very few) has any interest in the truth about their local sports team.
Your point about Remenda and the gross roster we had back then only illustrates my point. Remenda was a truth teller. Most just didn’t like the message.
So we shot him.
Been happening since the dawn of time.
That’s why teams hire they way they hire.
It’s only when guys are caught on the occasional, and accidental, ‘hot mic’ does the truth come out. ( last one that comes to mind is John Garrett in Vancouver)
There are nice songs to come, I promise. They need to punish teams for daring to play on their turf for those songs to play, The D is huge concern, Nurse got walked like a pylon by Thompson, made another egregious pass that sprung a breakaway. 9.25 mil for his current level of play won’t win divisions or championships. They need an upgrade on defense, the Avs figured that out last year. I’m confident Woody and Manson will address zone entries and team defense, Nurse is fast and will adapt I’n hoping. But he’s not worth anywhere close to his contract IMHO. I believe this team is at least 2 strong D men away from being a true contender. I fear we have one of the weaker D corps in the league. Am I wrong?
” Am I wrong” Nope!
We went to the final four last year.
Yes. On Nurse.
They think they are the Harlem Globetrotters. Too many passes when in a shooting positions, too many passes deep across the crease, too fucking fancy. Shoot the puck. Want to know why they have so many turnovers, too many fancy (low probability) pass attempts…….
Do you think we could get a special dispensation from the NHL to play Sweet Georgia Brown over the PA during power plays?
That would be great! The other day I mentioned a haka then I saw a college FB game that the warm up song was Metallica and the crowd and team were going crazy. That’s what we need!
Not sure how others saw last night’s tilt with the Sabers but here are my impressions:
Oilers would’ve won the game if only they had more finish to their game – was it because Comrie was brilliant or because the Oiler forwards are not as sharp as needed or a combination – Kane, Yams, Hyman, Leon, McDavid all had clear looks but no dice.
What is Ryan Murray doing as our 2nd pair LD? Looks so tentative and afraid to engage along the walls…just comparing him with Dahlin and Power (top picks of their respective drafts, though Murray was 2nd overall) – what a world of difference. And Murray is an experienced defenceman… Unless he ups his game majorly, we will need a top 4D in the near future. Also, I don’t see Broberg anywhere near either Dahlin / Power / Guhle etc. Are we overhyping the young fella?
Why do Oilers keep making these cross-ice passes that get picked up resulting in odd man rushes the other way?
Holloway needs to go back to the AHL for a few weeks (at least), & get his confidence back – he’s had a rough 3-game audition. Get Janmark from Bake as a replacement.
And finally, I feel we should have a bigger body on the top line rather than Yamomoto. He gets pushed off pucks handily by bigger players and loses possession rather easily. Not sure if JP is the answer, though.
Something tells me that we’ll probably play our best game tomorrow but still lose to the Hurricanes. And then we’ll be down 1-3 in the win/loss column.
1) I saw the game similar. Oiler dominated 2 of the 3 periods and couldn’t finish – partially their own “lack of finish” but, of course, Comrie “stood tall”. I’d add Nurse to those with clear looks (he missed a chance prior to his goal).
2) On Broberg, nope, he’s nowhere near Dahlin or where Power will be shortly but, of course, those two are 1st overall picks, both VERY highly touted 1st overall picks as well, and that’s not really a fair comparison, is it? Also, lets not get ahead of ourselves on Guhle. I like this player and he’s on his way to being a very good NHL d-man but, my goodness, no Oiler fan has mentioned this player and then, boom, one good game and now Broberg is a bust relative to him?
3) Don’t disagree on Holloway. I’m not sure there is cap room from the Holloway/Janmark switch but I’d have to check – it would be close. Also, if Holloway is injured and its less than LTIR. well, that offs them and locks them in to the current 11/7 roster (there wouldn’t be room to swap Shore and Janmark for sure).
4) Both Yamamoto and Jesse are tweener top 6s and that’s continuing this year. 3 games in (2 for Kailer) and neither has taken a step towards solidifying!
I think it was MacT who said in an interview back in the day (I said that? I’m OOOOLD.) that you lose some games you should have won near the end of a losing streak, and you win some you should have lost near the end of every winning streak… have faith!
Puljujarvi trending on Twitter this morning. The working premise seems to be Kane and Yamamoto missing chances last night is proof Jesse is a good player. Gotta love the intertubes.
The disconnect of that argument does help me to better appreciate how some folks can acknowledge 22 degrees in Edmonton on October 18th while simultaneously denying climate change.
I think most of the comments are just pointing out that Jesse is pilloried when he misses chances, but not Yamo and Kane.
As LT is fond of saying, some players develop a history.
It’s true, Yamamoto is invisible for games at a stretch 😉
Career shooting percentage
Yamamoto 15.1%
Puljujarvi 9%
Still being pumped by the 25% he recorded in 19/20
It’s interesting that an accomplishment that shows what a player is capable of is now derided as ‘pumped.’
Remember that season that ‘pumped’ Aaron Judge’s HR numbers? That guy sucks!
It’s called a heater.
The record career shooting percentage in league history…200 goals scored minimum…is 23.7%
The esteemed sniper Mike Bossy had a career shooting percentage of 21.2% and his highest one year was 24.7%
Yamamoto is no Mike Bossy.
He needs to be used like a utility knife up and down the line-up not a permanent top 6er. The top 6er should go to whoever is willing to drive to the net and get some ugly Goals for a change.
October is arguably the very best month weather wise in Edmonton – no bugs
Try November 18th to compare your climate change argument ha ha
I guess you call it an ‘argument.’ I mean 97% of the scientific community agrees on it so it’s kind of like ‘arguing’ against gravity or Pi. But whatever floats your boat…
Yes and the breathing air tax should be doubled immediately.
?
I thought it was the “We ride in jets while you are told how bad you are” tax.
The EU exempted private jets from their carbon levies. Not passenger jets.
Lysenkoism, eugenics, ulcers, plate tetonics – the list is endless really. Arguments from authority are weak. And even so, every lukewarmer on the planet falls into the 97%. Meh
I think it’s safe to say the contributions of science have made your quality of life better by a demonstrable factor and leave it at that. Try to picture progress without it…
I’m sorry:
I didn’t know you wanted to argue Climate Change.
All I was remarking about was Edmonton’s pre-snowfall(which lasts for 5 months) weather.
Fair enough. Happy to drop it. I’m fairly positive it’s not a debate that LT would like to see continue for an extended period.
I’m actually surprised LT hasn’t deleted it already. Must not have noticed. Lol Here’s my last word. Will not post another comment about this.
97% agree is a political statement – not a scientific statement. We owe a debt of gratitude to science and the enlightenment. Our comfortable lifestyles are also directly linked to the development of cheap, reliable, dispatchable energy. Just look at the lives of people who don’t have access to this.
This will always be a reliably popular take in Alberta.
The green energy transition as currently conceived really isn’t green.
Any actual green transition requires nuclear energy as the largest part.
Any feasible green transition requires in the increased use of fossil fuels in the short term. (One needs to build an entire parallel energy infrastructure before dismantling/abandoning the previous one, or billions of people will die of famine).
Science is not a democracy.
“The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”–Thomas Kuhn.
Out of all the years ….like promoting the US banking community in 2009.
Its going to take a while….for the recovery.
Some of the PR guys at PFE -still working on a new slogan.( and new numbers)
The reality of climate change does not mean that the faux non-nuclear green energy transition and ESG movement are not totally delusional.
Any feasible energy transition actually requires greater fossil fuel usage in the short term.
6 of the next 7 against playoff teams (from last year) … so Buckle up !!
it would be nice if Edmonton would score first …..
Again, the Oilers started 9-1 last year with Tippett. They need to figure it out but so long as they don’t get too far behind by US Thanksgiving they’ll be fine.
The Oilers were in a giving mood last evening. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work if you want to win a hockey game. I would love to see the takeaway and giveaway ratio switch in our favour.
Prospectolation!
Jake Chiasson was held pointless last night, but he gets another kick at the can as the Wheaties swing into Kelowna this evening.
Puck drop is @ 8 p.m. Tillicum Beach time. Like yesternight, a summary will likely happen on the morrow.
No one seems to be talking much about Barries role in the Buffalo 3rd goal so I’m going to point it out.
Everyone is blaming Draisaitl for the turnover, and rightly so, but that was a physical error. He made the right play. Yamamoto was wide open as the trailer, he just couldn’t handle the pass in his feet.
The reason Yamamoto was so wide open was because Neimaleinin had joined the rush and drove the net, taking the first backchecking Sabre forward with him. That was the right play by the rookie dman. To that point it was a perfectly executed 4 on 3.
But what was Barrie doing getting caught inside the Sabre blueline on the play?
He’s obviously the last man back. He’s not really a passing option, but he just can’t help himself.
Tyson Barrie is wired to think offense first. ALL THE TÌME. His first instinct is never to defend. He will make some great plays, and at times, create something out of nothing. But he will also have moments like last night, where he makes you wonder “what is he thinking?”
Good point
He’s probably think Drai isn’t going to make such a shit pass 😆
It’s not always how you start, sometimes it’s how you finish. There’s a reason why my favourite song on Born to Run isn’t Thunder Road (or the title track, which still rules) but is actually Jungle Land, the epic closer. The lyrics, the arrangement, and quite frankly the hope bubbling underneath the darkness gives a hint of what was being left behind and where things would go in Bruce’s discography. It’s the only song on the record that, at least in my mind and to my ears, matches the intensity and fire of Darkness at the Edge of Town (my favourite Springsteen record of all time).
Slow starts happen. We’re seeing it with this team, both in terms of the individual games (or periods) and in terms of the season. This is a work in progress, let’s see how they finish. As Leon said last year vs. the Rangers… “hold on, it’s coming.”
Always loved the line, “Barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge
Drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain.”
Tagging onto this thought stream, I agree as mine are somewhat parallel; “start as you mean to go”. There’s a handful that are learning NHL, Oilers hockey. Bouchard and McLeod took a big step last year, hope they will take another.
So Nuge helped a ton on Draisatl line with Hyman (great article in the Athletic LT).
So top 2 lines look like
Kane-McDavid-Yamamoto
Nuge-Draisatl-Hyman
Foegele-McLeod-Puljujarvi
Holloway-Shore-Ryan
I like Puljujarvi on the 3rd line. it’ll be a fast beast on the forecheck and while it may not outscore, it should play even and be responsible. Which is all we need if the top 2 lines pick it up at 5v5.
So do they send Holloway down? Or do you play Holloway with Jesse and McLeod, and have Foegele on the 4th line to make a solid defensive line. Can that top 9 make it happen because something needs to change at 5v5, and i do like Nuge as a 2LW better then 3C (he isn’t strong enough at faceoffs and McLeod is as good in his own zone, so let the kid run).
I wonder if Holloway is going to need some time off after that hit last night. Yikes. Once he is healthy enough to play (and hopefully that’s soon), spending some time with the Condors might be helpful to get him up to speed and to get his confidence back.
In other words: Holloway is getting the shite kicked out of him so better to return him back to where he came from.
Prospects deserve no pre season achievements lol
Truth be told, Holloway has played 3 NHL hockey games:
1st game, a poor pass on his first shift leading to a goal against. Moved down the lineup with a handful of shifts as his team chases the game.
2nd game, more relevant offensively but part of the problem on a goal against (shot from point). Moved down the lineup with a handful of shifts as his team chases the game.
3rd game, lit up partially due to simply not being aware if circumstances. Tough pass but head was down without no head check, etc.
Rookie mistakes in each game.
There is nothing wrong with a 2nd year pro spending some time in the American League.
There is nothing for Holloway to learn in the AHL. Break him in this year means he makes a more meaningful impact in the next two years, which are the final two years of Draisaitl’s contract. The Oilers should be enduring Holloway’s and Broberg’s rookie season this year.
Puljujarvi should play on the first line.
Holloway with McLeod and Yamamoto on the 3rd.
Agreed. I would go further.
If allowed to get games in the NHL here- by Feb – we will see a marked improvement in his game
I can’t agree there is nothing for him to learn in the AHL – the just turned 21 year old has played 37 professional hockey games.
Yes, there is a stage where a player’s next development step needs to happen in the NHL but we aren’t quite there with this player and there is plenty he can continue to learn about the pro game at the AHL level.
For one, I mentioned over the summer and last week that he has alot of “early career Taylor Hall” in his game, which means some recklessness to it and he’s going to need to learn to perhaps slow down a bit at times and protect himself overall. This can be learned at the AHL level.
If the coach is going to commit to 14 plus minutes for him a game for a material stretch, sure, maybe the NHL is the right place but that’s not a surety and we also know the coach is simply not going to do that.
I’m not saying to bury him in Bakersfield until March but some AHL time is likely a good option.
One has to compromise between the needs of the many and the needs of the one. The needs of the team and the needs of the player. If they are playing Murray and Foegele over Broberg and Holloway, with two years left on Draisaitl’s contract after this season, the Oilers are not optimizing and compromising correctly.
Wanting players to be ready for certain roles to fit a timeline does not mean they are.
Huge props to Eric Comrie for a stellar night. Good battle of local tenders trying to make their names.
When you get out-goalered, what do you do?
🤷🏽♂️
Also, Hi Verdad!
In case Verdad does not show:
Fire Holland he is an abject failure
Trade Nurse for a bag of pucks
Campbell is not a goalie
How bad does this team need to get before major changes are made?
Backup goaltender, local boy, stones Oilers. Same as it ever was.
Just wanted to be the first to say, “Good Morning Verdad!” have a great day buddy!