Once again, it’s going to fall on Stuart Skinner’s shoulders. What does that mean? It means Jack Campbell is not a goalie to be relied upon. There is time to push up the standings and there is tremendous talent on this team. Today would be a good day to begin a winning streak.
THE ATHLETIC!
- Lowetide: Oilers already leaning on a push from the AHL. Who could be next?
- Lowetide: Can Connor McDavid come from behind to win another Art Ross Trophy?
- Lowetide: Will Edmonton Oilers redeem themselves after baffling October?
- Lowetide: Can the Edmonton Oilers make room for Raphael Lavoie?
- DNB: Oilers rewarded for their season’s most complete game in Heritage Classic win
- Lowetide: Oilers top prospect Xavier Bourgault is spiking in an important area
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers’ injuries already a major story in 2023-24
- Lowetide: Can the Oilers count on any short-term help from AHL Bakersfield?
- Lowetide: Can defenceman Noel Hoefenmayer help the Oilers?
- DNB: Connor McDavid’s injury only adds to gloom for Oilers
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers’ third line showing promise but not scoring yet
- DNB: Oilers, in early-season disarray, left searching for answers: ‘It’s just unacceptable’
WHAT TO EXPECT IN NOVEMBER
- At home to: DAL, NAS (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 0-2-0)
- On the road to: VAN, SJS, SEA (Expected 1-1-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: NYI, SEA (Expected 2-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: TBY, FLA, CAR, WAS (Expected 1-3-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: ANA, VEG (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: WPG (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 7-6-1, 15 points in 14 games
- Actual November results: 0-2-0, 0 points in 2 games
- Oilers in 2023-24: 2-7-1, 5 points in 10 games
I have the Oilers going 6-5-1 for the remaining November games. They will eventually need a winning streak but at this point a win should be considered breaking news. I don’t have any confidence in this team at all. They won’t lose to San Jose. There, that’s the amount of confidence I have in them.
JAMES HAMBLIN
James Hamblin is exactly the kind of player the Oilers are wise to sign. Undrafted, he showed well in junior and was signed to an AHL deal. There are some things about him that aren’t NHL level (he isn’t a finisher and he isn’t big or physical) but Hamblin can play. He’s quick, not fast, he owns a 6-1 even strength goal share this year and can score goals at the AHL level.
In 10 NHL games, he has shown ability as a face-off man, has good five-on-five possession metrics (1-4 goal share, though) at five-on-five and makes good plays when he gets to the activities. I did think he had a chance to be the recall, along with Xavier Bourgault and Lane Pederson when he gets healthy.
RAPHAEL LAVOIE
He played most often on a line with Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele. Those are good linemates. The trio did get scored on in 1:46 at five-on-five, but were 6-1 corsi events, 3-1 shots and 86 percent expected goals. Lavoie played 9:25 at five-on-five, had three hits and one takeaway. I hope he plays more tonight, but with Hamblin here now I suspect Lavoie-Hamblin-Ryan to be the trio. McLeod is a better center for this player.
TONIGHT
I see the Oilers as a team waiting for McDavid to McDavid, for Ekholm to Ekholm and a goalie to realize the season is underway. Beyond that, I don’t have much to say. Defensively, the Oilers are the tower of babel in terms of communication.
Noon to 2pm, Sports 1440. I’ll tell you the truth about the Edmonton Oilers at the beginning of the show and you can hammer me senseless for the next two hours. Jason Gregor will pop in to talk about tonight’s game and we’ll have a Canucks guest, too. You can reach me in the comments section, @Lowetide on twitter, or text us 1.833.401.1440 directly.
Holland looked extremely stressed in those shots of him during the game last night. Maybe he is on the hot seat.
I would f ucking hope he is on the hot seat. He signed the worst goalie contract since DiPietro and he is about to piss away the last years of McDrai.
The defense is so stationary playing that zone defense their response to practically anything that happens is delayed. They’re doing the exact opposite of ‘playing on their toes’. Lambs to the slaughter.
They don’t look too bad in the offensive zone relatively speaking. Not their best, but far from completely inept.
At this point I think Campbell needs to relax his NMC and accept spending a month or two in the AHL to try to resurrect his career.
Time for Holland to cut his African Safari trip short and fire Woody who lost the plot 5 games ago. The longer he hides the uglier this will get.
The team that Holland built
The Oilers used to be the Harlem Globetrotters. Now they are the Washington Generals.
Woody is already prepping for his next job – he should have come out and absolutely ripped the refs, the team and the goalies. Instead he gives a super diplomatic post-game presser.
So…goaltending. Am I right?
Vinny not as effective this year. Nuge not effective at all. McLeod , who I like, should have become something by now but loses posession. Nurse, looks like an average 2nd pair D. And Coach has no answer. Note, he also had no answer to vegas. Teams have figured out everything the oilers try to do, offensively, defensively.
Vinny now playing his last games before demotion/waiver wire trip. Absolutely crushed the last three games when he was given the opp ahead of Broberg.
In photo on 4 GA tonight.
He scored the first on Stu himself lol, backed in on the Suter goal (Mainly Stu and Holloway), screening Stu on goal 5, falling over the wrong direction and cutting off nothing on goal 6. Another penalty tonight.
Didnt hear Rishaug or Spector mention him once though. Heard lots about Bouchard and how he wasn’t benched. Weird they never mentioned who would have covered that benching and what his stat line was in tonight’s game.
“I liked the fight in our team.” – Coach Woodcroft speaks after tonight’s loss.
Honestly, what a quote. They started strong and completely collapsed when they got scored on. ‘Fight in our game’ would perhaps better be shown by battling through adversity rather than getting completely flustered when you are tied or losing a game where you have temporarily outplayed the other team? Getting frustrated and taking penalties isn’t ‘fight’ and won’t win games.
Is he being ironic or sarcastic?
Jay is clueless.
Man. I don’t see how this team can go on with this goaltending. Skinner’s rebound control was terrible. As has been said so many times, we watch every other goalie take goals away from the Oilers, and talk about how we ran into a hot goalie. They can’t all be hot goalies, that’s just what NHL goaltending looks like. This team is turning into coach killers, but no team can perform with this level of goaltending. NHL goalies take away goals. Regularly. Our defending is horrific, but with reasonable goaltending we’d be .500.
And it’s clear the players are not buying Woodcroft’s system. Change it or change him, or both (my preference). Reduce 2’s 5v5 ice time, put 73 on waivers (nice story, AHL player), bring up Kemp/Broberg/Gleason and see what other changes can be made to get some hunger in the lineup. Keep the glimmer twins apart. Reintroduce actual accountability into the team, stars included. The season is almost lost, ‘we’ve tried nothing and are all out of ideas’ is not an option.
Woodcroft may take the fall, and perhaps he deserves it. But the one who is truly responsible for this mess is Ken Holland, the highest paid GM in the league. This is a team built in his vision, with his goalies, his free agent choices, his players, his coaches. Even though this is his last year, I think he should be let go immediately. I don’t dislike Ken Holland, he seems like a nice fellow actually. But he hasn’t done his job as GM of the Oilers.
Then, send Campbell to the AHL, get a new goaltending coach, and call up one of Rodrigue or Pickard and hope for an Aiden Hill moment. Season is likely done regardless, but its absolutely disgraceful to do nothing and watch it happen.
Yep, ask anybody in the organization but Dustin Schwartz who is better between Pickard and Rodrigue and get them up. Send Campbell down and hope he can relearn how to play. Skinner is just as bad, could probably send them both down and run the AHL tandem with similar results. Fire Woody, retire Holland. Put the new analytics dept to work to find some AHL players who can contribute speed and intensity on the bottom 6 in the short term. Send a message about accountability by hiring a coach who communicates and enforces expectations with his players.
On paper this is the logical business move. It feels like a long-shot to happen but who knows, Jackson/Katz could be all business and make that pivot. We really don’t know what kind of working relationship Kenny and his leadership team has with Katz. It could very well be a long leash, in which case Holland’s only play here is to fire the coaching staff and hope that resets the team’s mojo. I think sending either tender to the AHL (maybe even both and do a full swap) is something Holland is too chicken to do.
Well … that went pretty much as expected. I find it hard to imagine that anyone is in favor of keeping Woody at this point. He’s lost the team. Just move on. Name an interim coach if you must but get rid of Woody. An earlier than planned retirement by Kenny is probably appropriate as well.
A loss against SJ, and I make some phone calls offering a package of A)one of the goalies, and B) Nuge or Hyman. This team needs a big shakeup, not a little tweak.
After a great start Skinner shit the bed again with no saves in the 1st. This goaltending is outrageous. No chance at winning a game if they can’t get a stop. Connor and Leon got rattled early and that was all she wrote. I thought Bouchard on the 4-2 goal was floating to no mans land again and then didn’t tie up his guy on the back check. The game was only 3-2 at that point. This is what happens when you play this guy too much. Sooner or later he will gift a goal defensively. Leon’s game is especially bad right now. He is a giveaway machine. Don’t fool yourself, they could put Skinner on waivers tomorrow and no team would touch him. I don’t care about his strong start that he had last season. He hasn’t played a good game since before the playoffs last year. He is a 1 million dollar goalie getting payed 2.6 million. Throw him on the pile of bad contracts too.
The Jackson/McDavid management cabal is not off to a good start.
Spoke too soon on your class…
Anyway, Jackson had nothing to do with it but it’s his problem to solve now.
Coaching is easy when you have two guys with 125+ points. This is where coaches earn their money and Woody blew it.
Jackson should move decisively and wave goodbye to Holland and Woodcroft RFN.
While I don’t have much confidence in a management team where an active player has far too much influence, there is a real risk in having too many voices in the room with mixed messages.
To me, Woodcroft totally lost the plot tonight by losing control and composure which sets a dreadful example for a team that lacks exactly those qualities,
Bingo
Yep. The season is on the precipice, and there has been zero improvement over 11 games (Calgary doesn’t count). There is zero accountability, goalies can perform at sub-NHL levels and continue to start. Defenders can watch their man score without missing a shift. Superstar players are allowed to take petulant penalties and fly the zone (even when the defenders with the puck have never shown an ability to hit them with a long pass) rather than supporting a breakout. And then we get a Woody interview about chasing the game, and ‘to a man’, and ‘we all wear the same jersey’. We haven’t had effective breakout in Woody’s entire tenure. As I said above, a real GM could intervene and make personnel changes. It’s not always about skill, a little hunger would go a long way.
They are at the same time dilettantes that can’t see a coach tossed but need a Big Strong Man to come from above and fire everyone.
And of course you would want them to pull what the Canucks did that set them back five years lol. Not shocking
The Canucks fired Jim Benning and Travis Green on December 5, 2021…less than two years ago.
They are now 3rd in overall league standings, have the top scorer in the league, the best defenseman in the league and the likely Vezina winning goaltender.
Seems to have worked out just fine.
Holland makes 5 million dollars per year.
Highest paid GM in the league.
Woodcroft says he can’t see his way to bench Bouchard after a goal-causing error. After that start to the season.
This isn’t good enough. Flat out.
Yeah, his response to that question was not good. Essentially, he said that he couldn’t bench Bouchard because they needed his offence. Nice job holding players accountable coach.
Players coach …
Campbell out – Pickard in
Bouchard best potential trade bait, some team has enough cover to afford his mistakes. He’s even crashing Ekholm. Love him but he is what he is at this point and he just cannot defend. Could an Ethan Bear do better 5×5? Probably yes. Lots better out there and they just might have to do it.
Macleod – he skated away from front of the net. He actually exited the offensive zone at times he was so far away from the puck
Let’s see some tryouts for that 4th line. Those intense speedy 4th liners from Van were killing us.
Babcock could fix Bouchard … but you’d have to be willing to look past his methods. But Bouchard is what he has always been – a supremely talented offensive player that plays a very selfish game. He has the talent to do better on defense, but he lacks the the humility to try harder on defense.
Listening to post-game…
”the Oilers keep running into hot goalies…”
Hahahahaha…
When every goalie you play is “hot”…it’s not them!
You know it’s ugly when even HH is letting up. Send out the second chirping unit. This thing is over.
Hahaha, rofl
rofl is sooo 2010. The new thing is “IJBOL”
(I Just Burst Out Laughing)
No seriously, it’s a thing!
He’s all class tonight
As reluctant as I am to say these words, I don’t think the team can not fire the coach. Whether the blame falls mostly on him or on the players, the changes he has made have led to such a disastrous start that it’s highly unlikely that the team will be able to recover this year.
Better to fire the complete coaching staff before SJ so at least whoever takes over (even if it’s Sam “Reggie Dunlop” Gagner) they get a lay-up win against potentially the worst team ever.
oooorr….
hear me out…
we TANK and give SJ a run for their money at 1st overall! Then we’ll finally get one of those elusive High scoring Left Wingers or Left-shot Cent…ers…
…
…wait.
The other teams attack the Oilers net front and make plays, get open
The Oilers attack the corners and stay below the goal line. Zero net pressure. Not gonna score much from there
This is the scouting report
I’m liking Cassie tonight
we have all played.
you outshoot a team 20 -3 in the 1st period and are losing 3-1.
curtains
got late, early
We’ll that was unsettling.
The kind of game that feels like something changes afterwards. Something.
Can’t disagree.
I’m surprised we haven’t had a players only meeting yet, but I assume at the least that’s probably happening as I type this comment.
Going purely off vibe, but I expect to wake up to some sort of news. Then again, waiting for something to change last December was agonizingly slow.
People will quit posting what their record needs to be in order to scrape into the playoffs and then get swept..
(The gallows humour is the only thing making this self immolation moderately bearable)
Jackson could clean house tomorrow. something has to give
Arrange for Holland to be on the same BUS to Bakersfield w Campbell
They have enough evidence to determine what and who is working and contributing and what and who is not. It’s not all bad.
But the bad is so substantial it cannot be overcome.
There has to be some action.
Woody may not survive if we lose to Seattle ….I am *assuming* we win against San Jose.
This is it for Woody I think. He’s a goner.
so who’s the next sucker willing to throw their career into the toilet?
Canucks have the Oilers number. Out score them 18 to 6 over three games.
The Oilers have the Oilers’ number. They just continue to beat themselves.
No I think the Canucks were full credit for the victory.
11 games into the season, we’re 14 points behind the Canucks. Man.
Somethings gotta give. Something is broken on this team. I really think this game will cost Woody his job. And maybe get some guys sent out.
I’ve been watching the Oilers since the early 80’s and I’ve never seen a team this outta sync…
Late December last year.
Every game against Toronto and Winnipeg during the Canadian Division year.
Hope dies last.
Hope springs eternal.
Im glad you’ve been able to come full circle for now. Let’s see how long Demko’s knee and groin hold up with this sorta workload…
Dallas eakins will end up w a better career, lol
Ugh.. Lee
How in the hell do they let guys continue to be wide open. They continually puck watch…,
PK…..
Nice work, nice shot. But there will be no goals tonight
i expect it’s a wrist injury to McDavid.
He’s pissy and he’s mad. And for the first time in his career it’s impacting his play. His first real slump if you will.
I suspect a hip flexor. It’s the Oilers’ new shoulder injury. You might say it’s the new “hip” thing in injuries.
Oilers GA each game so far
4
1 – WIN
4
3
7
3
2 – WIN
4
5
NOW LIVE MESS AGAINST VAN……..,,,,
Aint rocket science how to win. still remains a 3-2 league
So they should have at least 7 wins with their scoring capability. Even with bad goaltending.
Coached wrong at both ends.
That’s it for sure. Last year Campbell was brutal but we outscored it. The coach put a limiter on his team this year because he missed the mark on how to respond to what happened in the playoffs last year. Can he adjust?
He’s proven over and over adjustments are his weakness.
I’d like to see the player adjust to picking up their backcheck for an entire game.
Just one game to start with. We’ll go from there.
what do we expect our RD depth chart of Ceci Bouchard Desharnais
Lavoie has been able to find some open ice in the danger areas and the puck has come to him.
He hasn’t cashed but this is a good sign, a very good sign for his potential ability to score goals in this league.
He served Woody’s bench minor. Hilarious
He’s the one guy the canucks seemed ‘confused’ about. They seemed a little less structured defensively when Lavoie was in the mix.
Seasons over, yikes
What do you think, LT, save yourself some a truck load of grief and just retire now, get off this sinking ship?..
Who wants to cover this shit show as it burns up into nothing but ashes and broken dreams
Way to go dumbass…
And they never saw Woody again.
Ha!
Coach kicked out for chirping?
Not sure the last time I’ve seen that.
“coach”
Interesting…
He will never say, but would love to hear Kenny Holland defend passing on Quinn Hughes in Detroit.
Kane has been a hammer
I hope the whole team is in a pissy mood. They put me there with their play.
You’re still watching!?!?
That was last week….
Firethemall
We may have broken the Flames in the playoffs, but….I think the Knights broke the Oilers
Knights broke Woody….
It happens. The Finals loss in 2006 broke Lowe and MacT.
i Think the more likely scenario was someone higher up told Woody to find a new way to beat Vegas, and he decided that the system needed an overhaul (which was not the problem in the first place) the problem was always player deployment, and execution.
Des is so slow he makes Boeser look like Bure
He shouldn’t be in the NHL. If it’s true that Toronto wanted him for Lafferty, Holland should have made the deal with Toronto retaining cap.
Woody loves Desharnais way too much, the guy should not even be in the NHL, or should be the 7th Dman at best. Can’t believe Oilers passed up on trading him for Lafferty this summer. Talk about overvaluing your own players.
Nurse should have set up Ryan
Yep, as usual he has the blinders on.
Looked like 97 saying something to Woody there. This may be it
Let’s hope so.