Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft’s record as coach of the team is strong. During the regular season (last and this year combined) the record is 32-12-3, and his playoff performance (8-8) includes two series wins. Woodcroft, along with defense coach Dave Manson, has the “MacGyver touch” working overtime and solutions are arriving. What will November bring?
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers start October slow but finish month strong
- Lowetide: Oilers prospect Tyler Tullio adjusting quickly to AHL
- DNB: Oilers’ Skinner, an Edmonton native, closes door on Flames
- DNB: The Oilers have a third line that’s settling in
- Lowetide: Early season trade unlikely for the Oilers
- Lowetide: How the Oilers are working to solve second-pairing issues
- Lowetide: Are the Oilers finding chemistry with their skill lines?
- Lowetide: 5 Oilers prospects delivering exceptional early performances
- DNB: 5 takeaways from the Oilers’ first 5 games
- Lowetide: Oilers’ defence depth impacted by Philip Broberg’s early woes
- DNB: Warren Foegele Q&A
- Lowetide: Did the Oilers find the right fit for winger Zach Hyman?
- 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: Why Oilers’ Evan Bouchard will be a key to 2022-23 season
- New DNB: 11 bold predictions for 2022-23 season
- 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 NOVEMBER
- At home to: NAS, NJD, DAL (Expected 2-1-0 ) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: WAS, TBY, CAR, FLA (Expected 1-2-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: LAK, VEG (Expected 1-0-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: NJD, NYI, NYR (Expected (1-1-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: FLA (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: CHI (Expected (1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- November expected result: 7-4-3, 17 points in 14 games
- Actual November results: 0-0-0
- October results: 6-3-0, 12 points in 9 games
- Oilers in 2022-23: 6-3-0, 12 points in 9 games
This is a monster schedule, busy as hell with some strong teams and few surprises from the first month who could sustain. No easy ones until the very end and even then you never know. If the Oilers cover the bet, and they did last month, the record would be 13-7-3 after 23 games, 29 points for Edmonton. That projects as a 103-point season. A playoff team for sure, but that total wouldn’t win the division. December is an easier schedule and the team should have a better record by the end of the year. I’ll say this: If Woodcroft’s Oilers extract more than 17 points in these 14 games, we’re talking about a strong Stanley Cup contender. Tough, grueling schedule to my eye.
In the summer, we talked about the Pacific as a two- or three-team race. I had Edmonton winning the division, followed by Calgary, and then a group of teams with some questions and strengths like the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights. Those four teams are in the top spots this morning, and I wonder if we’re going to be looking at two-tiered division this season. Seattle Kraken have the best chance to move up, but the rest have issues. I also wonder about VGK health. They are a veteran group and injuries will have an impact.
POSSIBLE OILERS LINEUP
Three key developments in October, courtesy some inspired decisions by the coaching staff, have Edmonton’s biggest early problems less of a factor. I do think they’ll need to either make a trade of recall Philip Broberg soon.
One thing we should look for over the next 30 days is a shuffle between Edmonton and Bakersfield. A Broberg recall is the most obvious (I think Ryan Murray would be the player heading down, but it could be Dylan Holloway), but this is going to be a difficult month because of the sheer number of games and the travel. It’s a tough one.
James Hamblin is also a candidate and I imagine Klim Kostin will also get a look in the weeks to come.
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
A busy morning, TSN1260, Bruce Arthur and Glen Suitor among our guests 10-2. We’ll preview the Oilers-Preds with a report from Tom Gazzola live from the rink and reset the World Series Game 3. Comments welcome, 10-1260 text @Lowetide on twitter. Talk soon!
One thing we have to credit Woodcroft with imo is how much more relaxed the team seems offensively under him than it did under Tippett, Hitchcock, McLellan.
By my eye, they are a team that is being encouraged to think offense first and while it may look ugly when they leak shots against on the counterattack, it’s paying dividends in terms of their patience and creativity with the puck. One example of this is how often the D pinch under Woodcroft. Another is how often Ws crisscross in the O zone.
HCs like Cooper and Gallant and Sullivan are rare imo because they don’t sacrifice offensiveness creativity for the sake of constant defensive responsibility. Their teams are much more freewheeling in the offensive zone without a slavish devotion to positional discipline. They’re not trading chances as much as they are maximizing their quality chances for while mitigating their quality chances against.
Early days still but Woodcroft seems cut from this same cloth and that is an excellent fit for a team whose greatest strengths are on the attack.
Summarizing!
Much like Kane, the Reid Rocket launched a hat trick–the last into an empty net–and a team-high 6 SOG in a 6-3 win. He now has 13 goals and is once again tied with Connor Bedard for the Dub goal-scoring lead. (Schaefer has done it in 10 games, Bedard 15.)
Also of note, Bedard has scored his 13 goals on 91 shots, while Schaefer has taken 47 shots.
Last season after 10 games Schaefer had 4 goals on 35 shots and Bedard 8 goals on 84 shots after 15 games.
In retrospect, Reid the Red Rocket has really ramped up the rate of his rips.
We don’t need to worry that much about Soup yet. Start thinking of him as a Grant Fuhr light, he’ll make the saves he needs to but you might have to win 7-6. Even that’s likely to be a stretch, he’ll settle down the next bit here, especially if the team in front of him can get their act together on the PK. Too passive right now, need a bit morepressure here and there. Not worried lots of time.
We’re gonna have to mentally reset what we all thought was possible offensively. They aren’t quite rolling yet and McDavid has four 4 point games and Draisaitl is easily on pace for a career high in assists and points. The two best swapping roles for a bit, fricken LOVE it. Just wait until Bouch and Barrie start to kick out the jams in the next few weeks. It’s gonna get weird in Oiler town, a Blast From the Past in the best possible way.
The Dallas game should be a good one and a bit of a test. Can’t get sucked into their boring ass style. Play em like the Phlegms and we’re laughing.
This road trip should be fun. LT throwing a bit of shade but outside of Carolina, who are the goods, there’s a whole lotta question marks with them other teams. Tampa isn’t up to form yet and is slower than past years, Washington is injured already and slow, and if you coax Florida into a track meet these Oilers might put up a ten spot on that Russian Sieve in net.
LA and Vegas are easy outs and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to see a table run during the six day stay in NYC.
I see a very viable pathway to 21-22 points this month with Leon and McD breaching 50 each but I’m a tragic optimist.
Injuries is always the key worry of course and this sorta schedule invites them. Let’s pray for good health.
Go Oilers!
A tip o’ the hat to the MC5 reference.
The sometime narrative that Nuge isn’t a huge part of the PP and is mainly just a function of 29/97 is clearly misguided, right?
I don’t think anyone has seperated nuge from the 97/29/93 trio on the PP
only 5×5
which mcleod covers now
Oh, yes, there are those that think Nuge is replaceable on the PP with little effect.
Nuge has been a PP witch from day one.
This was identified by our host pretty early on in his rookie season.
Helluva player.
After 10 games, 5 Oilers forwards are averaging more than a point per game (2 of whom are over 2 pts/game)
Enjoyed the stress-free watch. Holloway is getting better with each game.
Just like that Kane is on a 40 Goal pace Kane scores in bunches I’m expecting a bushel full in the next 5 games.
Kane is truly menacing. Even on his EN goal, he utterly flattened the Preds blue liner to get the puck moving north.
Unlike Hyman Kane is a stone cold killer with the net empty.
Kane scores Hatty, Leon going off and is only 1 point behind Connor. Flames outworked and lose to the no name Kraken.
Good thing the Flames have an easy schedule starting tonight.
When the rubber hits the road. Huberdeau is useless so far 9 more years of him. Treliving lowballing Johnny is going to haunt him for years and years.
He made the best out of a bad situation but they are nowhere near as dynamic up front. Huberdeau has been a ghost in the games I’ve watched. He’ll likely start playing a bit better but it won’t matter. That team is so over rated by the media it’s crazy.
When Craig Button and the so called Experts predict that they are winning the cup I laugh lol
Button’s brother works for the Flames that’s why he’s always giving the Oilers goofy snide remarks. When he said a few years back that Bouchard was a bust and the Oiler should of taken Dobson really pissed me off. We have no one to call these assholes on the shit they say.
Beiska and dip-shit Hrudey said on Saturday that the flames are the better team so far, that comment didn’t age well. Wait till the Flames lose to a pissed off Preds team Thursday.
The preds are going to be a angry team when they play the Flames Thursday.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing.
The idea that you can lose 2/3 of your top line and not miss a beat is just so naive. Listening to the media guys on their blogs and podcasts is entertaining … their answer to teams struggling is to make a trade. The bigger the name the better. That’s why they all fellated Treliving this off-season … cause he engineered the big swing that saw two big names traded for each other. Never mind that Huberdeau needs to play sheltered minutes to succeed and would need to be signed to a cap killing long term deal to retain. Treliving made the trade to the detriment of the Calgary Flames to save his job. And the media guys are doubling down on their opinion that Calgary is a top 5 team in order to save face. It would’ve been better to trade Tkachuk for picks and prospects and then bottom out this season to get their own superstar Connor. Instead they are on a slow spiral to the mushy middle and cap hell.
absolutely correct
Calgary has a better team than last year. 2C is infinitely better. Backlund as 3C is very strong. Huberdeau has been one of the highest scoring wingers in the league. He will produce.
Don’t underestimate the Flames this year. The problems for the Flames will be real and spectacular – in about three years.
I thought it was high risk to tie up 25% of their cap (going forward) on three players that have never played for the team.
Still, Calgary needs a new barn, and they can’t risk rebuilding at this point. They need to ice a competitive team. Weegar mentioned in his interview that there was no joking around in the dressing room. This team is still getting to know each other. Hopefully they like each other because they are all stuck together for a long time.
Imagine the draft pick haul they could have gotten moving unsigned Huberdeau and Weegar at the deadline?!
I’ll bet Lucic gets in a fight.
I forgot McDavid scored twice tonight. How spoiled I am to be an Oilers fan.
Working tonight so couldn’t watch the game. 4 goals on 10 some shots doesn’t look good for Campbell, can someone provide some context for his play?
20 some, my bad.
1st goal was weird – deflects off of ceci’s stick, Campbell half stops it, rebound to a streaking Pred, goal
2 goals were tips on the PP…not much chance for him to stop either.
Other goal was a good one-timer, that he saved, into his net (off his blocker into the top shelf)
He was the worst Oiler on the ice…but we played outstanding. Made the saves we needed at the right times…another tough out for him.
Not a lot of sugarcoating to be had. Skinner is the better goalie by a country mile at the moment.
Soup truly worries me. He looks neither comfortable nor confident. Rebounds galore, loses sight of the puck, flops… Halloween was yesterday, that was when to be scary, not now.
Crazy that you score a hat trick, and are the THIRD star of the game! Deservedly so too!
phlegms lose Oilers win. Can’t beat a nicer way to end the evening
Nucks probably losing too 🙂
LA lost already and Nucks looking at another loss doesn’t hurt either 🙂
Just those damn kniggets spoiling a perfect night!
Kane was an absolute beast along the boards tonight. Took some cheap shots and didn’t retaliate either.
hes definitely gelling with this team! Fits like a glove!
And since he’s not “the guy” on the team, I can’t see him causing any so called bad blood in the dressing room like in his previous teams.
How did the “Best Team in Alberta” lose again? lol Well done Bison King!! Nashville with the exception of two or three players is a bunch of thugs!
They can take out their frustration on the Flames on Thursday.
lol
Bison King!!! Rockin by accident!!! Whoever was trying to get throwing but Jesse just held him a length and he couldn’t do anything! lol
Bison strength > Predator Strength
Was hoping Puljujarvi would drop ’em there. Nice big man hit leading up to it.
lol get McDavid his hatrick thanks.
I keep hearing how tough the Preds are. Edmonton has completely dictated the physicality, IMO, hit count be damned.
Somebody taking Sherwood’s number thanks. Gutless wonder.
Phlegms blow a two goal lead. You love to see it.
Ha 5-4 loss to the Kraken. Love it.
McD and Drai are from another planet.
I am a bit worried about Campbell.
Agree on both accounts
He got no hope on nearly all the goals. The save percentage doesn’t tell the true story.
I think it can take some time with new goalies. They can run Skinner again next game and then decide about the weekend game.
He wasn’t awful tonight; but he needs to be better.
What about Goals Against Average?
Does that tell us anything?
That the Oilers need to score 6 every time Campbell is in net?
That’s how it looks. Very similar to Mikko and Mike. Not good.
PLAY LA BAMBA BABY!!!
McDavid is such a clever, unselfish player. He knows Kane is on his wing. He passes it to Draisaitl and then immediately drops off the rush so Drai doesn’t pass it back to McDavid and opts for Kane for the hatty.
Another ho hum game for Draisaitl vs Nashville.
Five points for Draisaitl.
Love that shot of the preds bench when the hats are being picked up! lol warms my heart. 👊🏽
I thought Kane was going to get the EN/hat trick goal, though I didn’t really think the Preds would get back close enough for it to happen.
HAT TRICK KANE MOFOS!!!
7-4 flatters the Preds.
This hockey team is fucking good.
BOOM!!! That’s called Karma!!! Kaner started it and gets the gravy.
Dammit Connor get greedy! 50 in 38!!!!
i like putting mcdavid and drai out on the early EN here
and goal
Fuck the Preds!
I have to say, as good as the oilers have been, their PK has been horrendous. Gotta get back to form when they were tops in the league in the Tippet era.
it’s been an achilles heel for sure
I think they were 22 nd coming in to the game and likely even worse after tonight.
Coulda called the hold on yammos stick…but no…
That appeared to be a pretty weak call on Barrie.
Holloway with a really nice play in the D-zone erasing his check and regaining possession. Very strong game from him.
Yea don’t see how you can send him down. Not sure he can learn much more in Bakersfield.
holloway is right where he should be.
I actually don’t think they can under the cap. It’s a moot point. Hollaway deserves to be in the bigs. We need him in the bigs. Changes the entire complexion of the bottom 9.
Why couldn’t they send him down under the cap? I’m not saying they should at this point but simply noting that there are a number of players in the AHL he could be swaped with and the Oilers would actually save cap space – not Janmark but various others….
Hynes reminded the refs their penalty ratio was off and it seems they agree. God forbid the team that is dominating the flow of play get more power plays.
Drai slashed across the wrist on that dump in. Again.
Guess no more penalties for the game?
How do you not call that????? Yea I know 5-1 penalties….
Nice to see McDavid haul ass to backcheck in a 6-3 game.
Nashville ich bin dein Vater
Remember when Jagr suggested McDavid could score 100 goals? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
see hynes there on the commercial break yelling “5-1 powerplays”
basically a 60-20 hit differential, haven’t seen too many stick infractions by the oil. would think woody stressed that after that 1st blowout
Hockey is the only pro sport where there is an expectation the penalties should be even. Nashville is a physical team, the Oilers are not. It has to be expected that sometimes penalties won’t be even.
In football, teams that take too many penalties get criticized. It’s not like the football refs start looking for more calls to make against the other team to “even it up”.
If the NHL even will be taken seriously in the gambling world, they have to get rid of the ref bias to even up calls.
just saw McLeod get hauled down, no call because it hasn’t been even enough for Hynes I guess. Ridiculous!
Yeah I mean in football I think like 70-80% of infractions are on the line and pre-play.
the rest are in the passing game which is rightfully being criticized for the past decade for being inconsistent and pro-offense.
the mcleod haul down was a penalty I agree but I don’t see a comparable sport for NHL refereeing. It’s a system, and a system the coaching staff and players need to play.
ie if you want to use football reffing as the golden standard, you are working from a very uneasy position, never mind hockey is much more chaotic (ie less set plays, more on the fly motions)
end of the day, im sure numerous personal interactions/reputations between refs and players influence calls
as does the score
but the human element of a team in the lead will be watched more wrt infractions and play
that is extremely hard to remove from refs and is folly to think it would be
Yes, it’s ridiculous of us to think the reffing should be fair.
What are we thinking?
Draisaitl with 4 points and counting..
BOOM!!! Drai from his spot!!! Great pass by Nuge!!!
That’s the Deterrent right there, baby!!!
Draisaitl from his office.
Never gets old.
How can you not call that boarding?
#becausekane
What a pass!