Connor McDavid announced his presence with authority on the weekend. He picked up four assists versus the Washington Capitals and followed it up with an epic performance Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks. In the last two games, he has scored a goal and added eight assists. His five-on-five goal share in those two games? 5-1. The transcendent talent that is McDavid has returned to good old our town. A giant walks among us.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: Oilers’ Philip Broberg reaches crossroads as NHL defenceman
- New DNB: Four reasons why the Oilers are very much in the Western Conference playoff race
- Lowetide: How is the Edmonton Oilers top 20 prospects list shaping up?
- Lowetide: Can the Oilers find roster solutions on the NHL fringes?
- DNB: Oilers must address goaltending situation before it’s too late
- Lowetide: Why the Oilers making a productive goalie trade is an expensive proposition
- DNB: Who is new Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch? These 3 traits define his approach
- Lowetide: What Oilers management must reckon with in roster construction
- Lowetide: Can Connor McDavid come from behind to win another Art Ross Trophy?
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 1-2-0)
- At home to: NYI, SEA (Expected 2-0-0) (Actual 2-0-0)
- On the road to: TBY, FLA, CAR, WAS (Expected 1-3-0) (Actual 1-3-0)
- At home to: ANA, VEG (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
- 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: 5-7-0, 10 points in 12 games
- Oilers in 2023-24: 7-12-1, 15 points in 20 games
The Oilers have a chance to land one point per game in the month of November. After beginning the month 0-4-0, the recovery (5-3-0) has been rock solid. Two more wins this month and music! In terms of the wild card race, Edmonton trails No. 8 Seattle Kraken by six points with two games in hand. The bigger issue? All of Nashville, Arizona, Calgary and Anaheim are ahead of the Oil drop in that race for eighth. I’m not sure this team can afford another losing streak, that will be the big story now through season’s end. Margin for error isn’t massive. Getting the chores done this early helps.
THE NUMBERS
The McDavid line was on fire last night, each of the forwards posting crooked numbers. McDavid (1-4-5), Hyman (2-1-3) and Nugent-Hopkins (1-0-1) were all brilliant. Interesting the trio had seven defensive and three offensive zone faceoffs. Although that runs counter to prevailing wisdom (faceoff starts with the elite offensive talent belong in the offensive zone), Darcy McLeod (Woodguy) has mentioned a few times that 97 seems to do better with a large canvas to work on (defensive zone starts). I don’t know if that’s still true, but it’s always worth watching a new coach for deployment tweaks.
Darnell Nurse had three assists and was 4-1 goals at five-on-five on the night. His pass to RNH for his goal was one of the best headman passes I’ve ever seen. In the last four seasons, including this one, Nurse is 219-199 (52 percent) goal share in the game state. Away from McDavid: 106-92. Since 2021-22, Nurse and Cody Ceci are 50.6 goal share at five-on-five, most of those minutes against the best available opposition. Without Ceci, Nurse is 51 percent, Ceci sans Nurse is 43 percent.
Stuart Skinner has a .900 save percentage for the year, some fine work recently has him here. I don’t think you run Pickard in the next game, and Skinner has a .951 save percentage at five-on-five over the last two games.
Zach Hyman owns a 3.04 pts-60 at five-on-five, that ranks No. 12 among NHL forwards. He’s an industrious player with a tireless motor. He is already one of my all-time favourite Oilers.
Evander Kane is a truly unique player. Staying healthy will be important but his physical presence combined with a brilliant shot make him a valuable player.
At noon today, Sports 1440, we talk Oilers, NFL and MMA. Jason Gregor will pop by to discuss the team’s recent success and we’ll talk about a dull Monday Night Football matchup. Maybe some baseball free agency in the mix today, too. You can reach me in the comments section, @Lowetide on twitter, or text us 1.833.401.1440 directly.
Three point night in Cowtown, of curse. Weegar scores in the last minute of OT, lugging the puck from behind his own net. He missed the net completely from mid-slot a few moments earlier. Flames started the OT with a minute of powerplay which they translated into 2 and half minutes of domination. Even when VGK had the puck in OT they played uber-conservative. No whistles entire extra period, so the whole thing was played at 4 on 4.
Flames beat Vegas in OT to move into a wildcard spot.
Great point. Vegas is 3-5-2 in their last 10.
Dallas Eakins takes his skills to the DEL.
https://dailyhive.com/edmonton/former-oilers-coach-eakins-germany
Don’t know why, but the first thing that popped into my head when reading “DEL” was “Dallas Eakins League”.
my second thought was “wow, he was so terrible of a hockey coach that he had to create his own sport/league where players must learn to chop water, carry wood”
He’s also going to be the GM.
Should be fascinating.
To stereotype the Germans might like that
Just booked a trip to Phoenix in February to see the Oilers battle the ‘Yotes. This will be our first trip there.
Any Phoenicians here who can tell a brother what to expect? Climate, transportation, etc. Any info much appreciated.
Also, is it worth getting tickets ahead of time or should a guy wait till closer to game day?
I would get your tickets now. Rink only seats 4600 and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be sold out. Rink is fairly accessible, just a few blocks off the north 202 loop.
Weather in February is usually mid to high 20’s.
I lived there from 2001-2006 and can make four recommendations. First, if you like burgers, go to In-n-Out Burger. Second, find a good Mexican place too (my favorite restaurant went under several years ago so no specific rec here). Third, make a trip to the ASU campus, walk around, and take in the sites. You will be surrounded by natural beauty everywhere you look. Campus is pretty too. Fourth, hike south mountain – a real pleasure that time of the year and not too high (about 2500 feet).
Also, before you go to bed every night, check the covers for scorpions (this is not a joke).
And shoes in the morning, too.
Just down there last week and had a great time. One highlight was the Taliesen West (Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter house) tour. Need to book tickets asap but absolutely worth it.
I second the Taliesen tour. Went through a couple years ago. Fascinating.
Dean Evason fired in Minnesota…John Hynes taking over.
https://theathletic.com/5093666/2023/11/27/minnesota-wild-dean-evason-fired/?source=user_shared_articleMinnesota Wild fire coach Dean Evason; hire John Hynes, per sources
I just realized something interesting: Evan Bouchard has scored 56 points since last year’s deadline, regular season and playoffs combined.
He’s tied for the league lead with Cale Makar. Of course Makar has only played 40 games while Bouchard has played 51, but still quite the achievement.
Employment recruiter at accounting firm: “What is 2 + 2?”
Applicant: “What do you want it to be?”
Recruiter: “You got the job.”
My Grampa told my Dad that joke when he was 10.
That’s why it is a classic.
Wish we could find a good 3rd line center somewhere. A Foggy 3c Brown could finally get us some depth
Holloway might be that guy.
He’s likely a winger for his career
Not sure why you think that’s “likely.” He has decent defensive awareness, can take faceoffs and has reasonable vision offensively. Plus he’s got the size and strength.
Bcs Oilers
Maybe KK will see different
Because they like that type of player on the forecheck
Wingers are the easy. C is harder
Are they?
In the past year the Canucks have acquired:
Teddy Blueger
Pius Suter
Nils Aman
Aatu Raty
Max Sasson
The first 3 on the list are currently on the NHL roster all at reasonable cap hits.
Going to my first Oiler game at the new rink. Taking my Dad for his birthday tomorrow.
Coming in from Saskatoon. Im wondering where is a good place to park, any recommendations on where to eat in that area and is there anything to check out before the game. Plan is to get to the gates an hour before puck drop. Thanks
Kelly’s Pub on 104th street, blocks from arena.
Beef Dip is wicked good.
Went to the game last night and, as always, used the surface lot on the NE corner of 103 Ave and 106 St. Short walk, cheap and easy exit after the game.
Have a great time!
Campio Brewing checks all those boxes and then some.
I second Campio Brewing. We’re from Saskatoon and went there last time before the game. It’s excellent. Would highly recommend the McDavid pizza.
Uccellino is close and delicious if you like Italian. Otherwise I will second Campio if you want delicious deep dish pizza and beer. Rosewood foods has amazing donuts and good coffee for the morning after the game.
I am not sure what you are into. Audrey’s books is close to the arena and always worth a browse. The legislature is a bit further but nice to walk around. There might be holiday lights already set up.
I will third Campios. They have a pretty interesting beer selection and a beer flight to try out I think 5 or 6 beers?
Their cocktails are pretty unremarkable though. Food is good.
Certainly not cheering for the Flames (…spits), but hoping they play their most physical game of the season, tonight vs Vegas. Soften ’em up, beat ’em up prior to their trip here tomorrow night… any help would be appreciated.
Except for Petriangelo. I hope it is the Oilers who lay the beating down on the hatchet man
If Knobby ever gets them to being a ‘complete team’ – which would be making teams work for most of their goals – they will be a leviathan
I would be playing Broberg every second game in Kulak’s 3LHD slot. We have a smooth skating 3 pairing Journeyman defensemen, playing every night and an 8th overall smooth skating defenseman in the pressbox.
Focused on Vinny last night and it was just ok. We know what he is which is a good 6-7 Dman which is very, very valuable given the length of the season.
Broberg should be playing 2 out of 3 games minimum. Need to give him at bats for when the eventual injuries happen. Play him instead of Vinny one night, Kulak the next game and then a press box game.
Two games ago 97 was 65th in scoring. Today he is 13th. That is all.
Hard to stay ahead of a guy who is prone to putting up 14 point weeks.
Did read some comments on McDavid’s poor start to the season from eastern media. At the same time they also did not say any nice words, just negative ones, about Draisaitl even though he was above a PPG.
Those two players have set the bar sooooo high that when they are around an 82 pt pace they are somehow letting their team and the league down.
Last season there were 27 forwards at 1 PPG+. Only 6 teams had more than one player that qualified and only TBL had more than 2 (they had 3) while the Oilers had 4.
There are currently 47 forwards with 19+ pts (roughly a PPG though some teams have played more) and the Oilers have 4 of them. Lots of fireworks on the Oiler team.
One of Connor or Leon should win the scoring race to go along the the Conn Smythe!
Mike Kelly
@MikeKellyNHL
Connor McDavid is never out of the race:)
His rank in points over the past few weeks…
Monday, November 13th – 94th
Monday, November 20th – 70th
Monday, November 27th – 16th
I’ll go out on a limb and say he won’t grab the scoring lead by the end of the month. Circle Dec. 12 for that. The home game against the young Connor
Up arrows for many of the players and the team. I guess the Ducks did not get the memo on how to beat the Oilers as there was a lot of open space in the slot and for cross seam passes. I hope they are turning the ship around with focus on simplifying and executing on their half of the ice to reduce 5 and 10 alarm bell chances against. Hopefully they can keep it going against stiffer competition that have read (and wrote) the memo 🙂
I thought the Ducks came out with a clear game plan to try to pressure the Oilers early and often. They were attacking pretty recklessly and it got them ahead on the scoreboard. The Oilers for once adjusted and started getting behind their defense for open looks.
Once the Oilers got ahead, the Ducks folded up like a cheap tent, which is what young teams do … but the Oilers were fortunate that Dostal was even shakier than Skinner, otherwise the game could have been a lot closer.
I agree the poor play of Dostal was poor, probably the most significant factor in that game. (Although at least one Lowtidean felt he played well)
Really? The most significant factor?
I don’t think the Oilers got better tending that the Ducks – Skinner was brutal in the first 10-15 minutes.
19 minutes, 1G, 1A, 4 shots on net, 2PIM, 10 hits…….
He was primarily culpable on the 1st goal against but he got that right back for the team.
That stat line above, and he’s banged up (he’s missed a few practices recently) – he’s a warrior.
I keep waiting for his engagement level to drop (he can be quite a poor player when he’s not engaged – see first week or so of the season) but he’s being “going” for a while now, consistently.
On a team full of of passive personalities Kane has more than brought a element we sorely lack. Discounting the first 1/2 dozen games Kane has been by far our best player. After the possible career ending injury along with his style of play and his age Kane has been the feel good story in this disappointing start to our year.
Wish we had more greasy players like Kane.
I have been quite hard on Adam Erne but I will give the man props for having settled in and having two solid games on the 4th line, games where he’s made some positive puck plays and I would say has made a positive impact.
Right now, that 4th line, with Janmark back and Hamblin, is a serviceable 4th line that can play 8-10 minutes of responsible hockey and they are banging in the odd goal – wow!
Nuge/McDavid/Hyman will always be an elite line and, with the way Kane is playing, he and Drai are making 2/3 of a plus second line (and Brown is coming along).
God damn if that 3rd line, I’m looking mainly at you Ryan McLeod, could get going at 5 on 5 – Holloway will/should help in due course.
Seems like Woodcroft forgot that little fact, and it was his undoing. He played them together less than 30 seconds this season before getting fired.
His lineup decisions were his undoing more so than the systems he was trying to implement.
when is Holloway returning?
He went on LTIR Nov 15th, so the earliest he can be back is either Dec 10 vs NJ (10 games or 24 days).
The initial “unofficial” timeline was months and the new coach called him week to week.
I wouldn’t think we see him this calendar year but we don’t really have any real info on his injury or timeline.
Darnell Nurse is good at hockey – end stop.
Darnell Nurse is a legit 1st pairing d-man in the NHL – end stop.
Those numbers are put up by playing some of the toughest competition minutes in the NHL. Yes, there are lots of “McDavid Minutes” but Nurse also wins the battle when away from McDavid (and still facing tough comp).
He also does this while NEVER having had another legit top pairing d-man as his partner, never.
Yes, his cap hit is high but this player is immensely important to this hockey team.
Thea amount of “little positive plays” that he makes nightly, and rarely get mentioned is astounding. He gets in so many shooting lanes and blocks shots from the slot (and TOUGH place to block a shot, not right up against the shooter), the number of passes he deflects with his stick, the fact that he will almost NEVER get beat on the outside on the rush, his ability to win the puck on the boards, etc., etc., etc.
Nurse needs to keep it simple though – he’s not an elite offensive defenseman … there was a play last night that illustrated it well, where he could’ve just dumped the puck into the corner, but instead tried to thread a pass through to the net. it got blocked and then it was a jailbreak going the other way.
This happens routinely and its avoidable.
I also think that these lapses are fixable with better coaching. Getting him to bear down and make the safe play, rather than trying to do too much, and have it cost him with a dash 1.
The Oilers beat two bad hockey teams. Lets plan the Stanley Cup parade.
Beat two bad hockey teams, by a combined score of 13-2.
I love your proactive thinking, a good parade takes time to plan after all!
Lots to coordinate in a few short months: lawn chair, stocked cooler, umbrella, jersey, friends and designated driver!
Washington is .647 and 7-2-1 in their last 10. You have an expansive definition of “bad”.
While the Caps are certainly no world beaters it should be noted they had won 5 games in row going into the Oiler game.
The Oilers record against teams currently in a playoff position is 0W 7L
This is incorrect. Likely another deliberate incendiary falsehood. As usual.
Based on points the Kraken are in the playoffs and of course have lost to the Oilers. If you base it on winning percentage rather than points, then the Caps are in the playoffs, and have also lost to the Oil.
They’re getting the losses out of the way early. The winning streak against those teams will be magnificent.
Another shitty post HH, it doesn’t advance any conversation we have here.
EVERY Single win the Oilers have had this season, other than their first was VS a team higher in the standings, so what exactly is your point supposed to be?
While I am it, isn’t it well-past the time for another name change, dontchya think?
Messier’s Mark would be fitting.
So you are saying there aren’t any positive takeaways from these 2 games? What about the last 5?
Could it be? Could it really be that Paul Coffey just might be what the D needed in order to play with competency?
I hope Coffey can work with Bouchard to improve his skating speed – Bouch has great lateral movement, but when he turns to go chase down a puck entering his zone, his first couple of stride are very slow. If Coffey can fix that part of his game, it’ll make these retrievals much less risky for Bouchard.
Also mentioned post-game, by Nuge, that Nuge goal was a play that Darnell set-up before the faceoff – not only did Nurse make an exceptional pass, but he set-it-up prior to the faceoff, Nuge said that Nurse told him where to go, he went there and Nurse hit him – lovely.
Nurse told him where to go and then hit him?
That’s not nice!
He “hit him” on the tape, Baby!
Thanks for sharing, I did not see this discussed.
Also worth mentioning is McDavids set play off the face off where he went around the net, dman found him and he hit Hyman for the goal, as Hyman flared out from the net. Set play.
Coach mentioned during the post-game that he tasked Mark Stuart with the PK since he took over. The PK is running 90% in that time and actually 3-3 goals, one of the shorites being an empty netter I believe).
I couldn’t tell you about any structural changes but kudos to the group.
Coach also specifically mentioned Janmark coming back as helping as it takes some pressure off the top guys to kill and it means the top guys are fresher for their 5 on 5 shifts and also the PK guys, like Janmark, are fresher for the kills.
I caught that. Do you recall who was running pk before?
I’m still trying to adjust to KK’s interviews. He seems so unhead coach like and more like a substitute prof at college. When asked about what was behind 97’s resurgence he replied with more or less “I dont know”. I could hear almost Woody in the background answering the same question with his “well if you saw how hard Connor works every day like we get to, you’d know…”
Very different styles, and more baffling: you mean all this time Paul Coffey could have fixed this defence years ago!!!!!!!
KK has the most uninteresting pressers ever. You’re right, he doesn’t speak like a typical head coach. But he does have a quiet likability about him. Of course, I only care how well he coaches, not how well spoken he may or may not be.
But I will say I used to look forward to watching Woody’s slightly snarky and insightful pressers every day. Now, I can’t even finish watching KK’s haha.
They are definitely less “entertaining” that Woody was.
First thing I do the day after a game is listen to OT Openline at the gym and I always looked forward to the live Woody media avail.
I almost “dread” the live Knoblauck Woody avail but, at the same time, I agree, its about his team on the ice, not what he says.
He is VERY clear that he’s big in to learning about everything about his players, their pre-game routines, who they hang with, what they do, etc., etc. and its clear that he’s still learning a ton from his staff, etc.
This is one of those situations where it might take some time for the coach to really impact the on-ice product but I see this guy as a very detailed and, once he has the information he’s requiring, he’ll use it ALL to formulate his structures, his player relationships, etc.
I think a KK interview is a breath of fresh air.
Woodcroft loved the sound of his own voice. He always came across rather smug and arrogant to me Almost condescending. I don’t know if he was trying to send messages to the team during his media avails, but he almost seemed like he was preaching at times.
Different personalities for sure, but I prefer the calm and quiet of KK.
Agree with this – I wasn’t much impressed by how Woody hammed it up for the media.
I’m not positive but I presume that Manson was running the PK.
I have to wonder…..is watching McDavid right now roughly similar to watching prime Bobby Orr back in the day?
Yes but instead it’s like Orr is playing forward.
Connor reminds me of a more well rounded (and more talented) Pavel Bure.
Nurse had a great game. If the Oilers have that version of Darnell for the rest of the year, that will go a long way to making the playoffs and doing some damage when they get there.
I don’t think I have seen him pass the puck like that. Ever.
If Doc could just be that guy consistently he’d be a hero.
The Oilers have a window of opportunity here. As LT said, little margin for error. But there’s a window.
3 points back of the Ducks, 1 game in hand
4 points back of the Flames, 1 game in hand
6 points back of the Kraken, 2 games in hand
They need to jump those 3 at least for a playoff spot.
They need to win those games in hand. They can’t lose more than 1 in a row. And they need to crack out one or two moderate sized win streaks.
To be honest, this team is ‘capable’ of that. They did it last year for long stretches of the season. They ‘should’ be able to do this. And their xG from earlier in the year suggests they have the ability this year too.
They just can’t stumble. And Skinner can’t slip.
Hold on to your butts friends. This a big month until Festivus.
They would also need to jump over either Nashville or St. Louis.
Nashville is on a 5 straight win heater and has a +3 goal differential.
St. Louis is 6-4-0 in their last 10 and is 6-3-0 at home and have more home games remaining.
The Oilers do not have games in hand over either.
So what? Lots of teams have hot runs early then go cold.
How long have you been following sports for?
Absolutely.
Both Nashville and St. Louis started the season relatively cold but have stabilized recently.
Thing is, St. Louis has an 8 point lead so gaining 9 points to pass them is a tall order if they keep playing at their current pace.
Nashville a bit easier but their secret weapon is Saros who is capable of winning games on his own.
Ya good point fold the team. What about their strength of schedule that one’s always fun.
Interestingly enough, Dom has added Strength of Schedule to his model but as you can see it doesn’t mean all that much this early in the season since teams still have remaining games against all levels of competition.
https://theathletic.com/4938709/2023/11/27/nhl-playoffs-chances-projected-standings-chart/?source=user_shared_articleNHL 2023-24 Stanley Cup playoff chances and projected standings
You mean Dom’s model that shows us ahead of Nashville and St.Louis? That model?
Of note… 7 of the next 8 are at home. Time to put the fear back into the visiting teams coming to our barn. Although Vegas and the sunshine state bookends are going to be a tough test. .500 hockey or above to close the month out on the road.
We’re not dead in the water yet!
Hate to say this but I agree with HH … I wouldn’t start popping the champaign bottles just yet.
Two wins against other shitty teams, after being soundly beat by three playoff bound teams is the actual record over the past 5 games. They’ve got a long way to go before they’ve climbed out of the septic pipe at Shawshank to catch up with the teams in front of them.
If they can climb back into a playoff spot by Christmas, then we can start talking about playoffs. Injuries to key players, spotty goaltending, other teams ahead of them getting hot, and just plain bad luck and poor habits could sewer the season before then.
If the Oilers make the playoffs it will be all-time historic. Unless I misheard, or the stat was wrong, no team has ever been 10+ points out of the playoffs at US Thanksgiving and made the playoffs.
Now, that’s just an arbitrary stat (as “US Thanksgiving” is an arbitrary date) but its still real.
Making the playoffs would be historic but, lets not forget, the Oilers have a historic player (plus another future Hall of Famer) and a historic duo.
Historic players lead teams to historic feats!
The only thing historic about McDrai, right now, is that they may end up going down as the highest scoring duo to never win a Cup.
Statistically, right now, their chances of making the playoffs is less than 50:50.
This is supposed to be a site that respects analytics, no?
One game at a time. Let’s keep our expectations in check until Christmas.
In all 7 of Edm’s wins, they have scored 4+ Goals. So that is good and I think it tells us that when #97 and crew are rolling Edm has a good chance to win. We also know that come playoff time against better teams, it’s unrealistic to score 4+ per game for 4 rounds.
For me the corner will be turned when Edm starts to win some 3-2 & 3- 1 games.
Well yes and no. I have to agree we want better defense. But we got better offence. We might have to play the cards dealt.
Fun game.
With Janmark on that 4th line maybe they can play like that more often. They were really good in the amount of time they were on the ice
McDavid’s pass to Hyman for the open-look goal was a beauty. 3 Duck defenders on or watching the captain. Given McDavid’s shot per game increase over the last 4 seasons, and success rate, this leaves opposing teams with some hard defensive decisions.
McDavid’s assist total divided by shots-per-game has remained fairly consistent over the last 4 seasons ranging from 19.0 in 2019-20 to 20.7 in 2022-23. However, his shot-on-goal totals have increased during that period ranging from 3.31 in 2019-20 to 4.29 in 2022-23.
As the captain, my captain, shoots more, his assist totals walk in lock step. It looks like McDavid is feeling better and hope he increases his shots-on-goal from the current 3.00 per game.
Ive been ragging on Nurse’s lack of passing ability and vision for years…if Coffey has unlocked something here then lookout. Nurse has always had the athletic tools, if he has finally gained some patience with the puck, some vision, he will be top 5 in the league and value for the contract
Nurse has always had the ability to make some great passes. I’m sure it’ depended on game state and coaching. Maybe you’ve just been judging him unfairly?
Nurse made two bone-headed passes last night that we were fortunate did not result in goals against. That being said, he is absolutely the team’s best defender. Nurse plays as many ‘hard’ minutes as anyone in the league and comes out at better than 50%. If he can reduce the number of really bad plays he will become the defender we all want.
KISS needs to be his mantra.
I’ve been his greatest cheerleader, but his passing was always weaksauce.
Someone broke it down a few years ago, attempted passes vs completed by zone etc and Nurse was consistently 5th or 6th on the team.
How many times a game does Nurse ice the puck, it’s been his greatest weakness for years and if he fixes it that’s a major upgrade to his overall ability.
Nurse’s pass to RNH was Erik Karlsson-like.
Apart from the Nurse pass, the other fascinating play was the Hyman goal. McD wins the o-zone faceoff and immediately jets forward and behind the Ducks net without taking a look back.
He loops around the opposite side and gets the pass from Vinnie – and the rest is magic. A beautiful set play that left the Ducks d-zone coverage in complete shambles. Perfectly executed.
Thank you for pointing out that McDavid didn’t look back. I hadn’t noticed. I’m old and my memory isn’t what it was, but I can’t remember seeing such a complicated and well executed set play in a hockey game before. Four of the five skaters touched the puck and only 6 seconds ran off the clock. Incredible.
Yes. I was waiting for the commentators to mention how he raced directly behind the net without hesitation. Desharnais wasted no time putting the puck on his stick either; credit to him.
There’s no chance Louie DeBrusk notices anything that subtle. He couldn’t really have used the terms “battle” or “elevate” to describe it; just too complicated. I wish they could get someone smarter to pair with Jack Michaels.
That’s a Ferraro observation for sure.
Is this a Drew Remenda burner account? Lol it took me a solid 45 seconds to dig Drew’s name out of the recesses of obscurity, I almost had to google kevin quinn sharks oilers ugly colour announcer
Does anyone know
did Vegas send Lehner to Robidas island or is he planning on playing again?
Not likely to play again.
He’s battling mental health issues and is facing numerous fraud charges.
He as asking about Lehner, and as usual you manage to make it all about you.
Classic HH.
He’s a big snake guy so we can rule out the British Isles as to where Robidas island is.
Love Kane in the offensive zone
dont love Kane in the defensive zone
He was primarily culpable on the 1st goal against but damn if he didn’t outplay that mistake materially last night.
Yes you can float a player or two for other talents, but floating the lot of them turned out no bueno
They all need to try to be better, play a rounded game, and they have been, but the only ‘passes’ for me are Connor and Evander, because no one else on the team can do what they do
One other thing this team needs, a third line centre.
I think you mean fourth line center.
I think McLeod is an actual 4th line C man this year. Or should be unless he really starts popping. What has he got, a few assists? That is unacceptable for a 3rd line C man. Hope he gets it going, but I have been hoping that for 20 games now. He looked so good down the stretch and for the playoffs driving to the net and hitting . We have seen absolutely none of that besides a few periods this year.
If Clouder could be depended on to shut guys down, I’d groom him to 3C à la Boyd Gordon. imo the Oilers really needed a Gordon in the VEG series.
totally agree, he’s passing out of the young prospect into the “this is what i am phase”. Lack of driving to the net and (surprise, surprise) corresponding offense were always the concern with him long term. Can you still be considered a 3C if 10 goals and 22 points and sound D is what you bring? With this team’s top 6 they don’t need his offense thankfully, but much of his play seems to be from the 4C+ tree
McLeod did okay in that role last year, but can’t seem to get untracked offensively this season.
I’d like to see Holloway get 3C for 10 games too.
McLeod should be the 3C, and he was last season and in the playoffs, but absolutely agree, and I’ve said it over the last few weeks, he’s played as a 4C this season so far.
Even the new tweener 4C, who’s only played a handful of games, has managed to score a couple of goals.
McLeod IS the 3C but he hasn’t played like one this season and he needs to find his 2-way game.
LT is always quality. But I really enjoy these happier, more optimistic entries. Or maybe its the events that caused them. No idea what changed with McDavid, but somehow multiple players seem to have turned the corner.
— It’s stages of grief. We are in the acceptance phase.
— Barring significant games lost by McDrai they probably are playoffs.
— Then who knows : they could make a run.