The Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders will forever be remembered for the brilliant teams each club constructed in the 1980’s. Bill Torrey was the architect in New York, Glen Sather in Edmonton. It was a fun decade for fans of both teams. The teams have been unable to find another Torrey or Sather since, and ownership is different now in both cases. The cap changed many things, too. It’s safe to say both organizations are unlikely to have a golden era like the 1980’s. The question now is: Will either win the Stanley Cup in our lifetime?
THE ATHLETIC!
- New DNB: Evan Bouchard is unlocking his potential on the Edmonton Oilers blue line
- Lowetide: Do the Edmonton Oilers have enough actual NHL players?
- Lowetide: Winning or development? Assessing Oilers’ AHL team and what it means for the future
- DNB: Add a middle-6 forward or 2 to the long list of Oilers needs
- DNB: Why Paul Coffey’s surprise Edmonton Oilers coaching opportunity is paying off
- Lowetide: How much has Oilers trading prospects and picks actually hurt?
- DNB: Stuart Skinner takes blame as goaltending leads to end of Oilers’ win streak
- Lowetide: Are the Edmonton Oilers able to make a strong trade this season?
- Lowetide: 3 young Edmonton Oilers prospects looking for full-time duty
- DNB: Calvin Pickard’s play and improved defending give Oilers time to make a goalie trade
- Lowetide: The Oilers’ 4 most famous midseason demotions in franchise history
- Lowetide: Oilers’ Evan Bouchard has the points. But is his recent defensive uptick legit?
- Lowetide: Oilers organizational depth chart reveal elite centres, real needs
- DNB: Oilers’ Philip Broberg seeking trade, per source: Why he could be on the move
- DNB: The Oilers penalty kill has finally found its groove. What’s changed?
- Lowetide: What do the Edmonton Oilers still need to be a Stanley Cup contender?
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers top 20 prospects ranking, winter 2023
WHAT TO EXPECT IN DECEMBER
- At home to: CAR, MIN, NJD, CHI, TBAY, FLA (Expected 3-3-0) (Actual 4-2-0)
- On the road to: NYI, NJD, NYR, SJS, LAK, ANA (Expected 3-3-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 6-6-0, 12 points in 12 games
- Actual December results: 4-2-0, 8 points in 6 games
- Oilers in 2023-24: 13-14-1, 27 points in 28 games
The Oilers had a strong start to the month, and the hope is the club can win three (or more) of the road games and bring the month in over .500. I’m not sure it happens. Why? Historically, the Oilers don’t have a strong 10-15 games of defensive structure, something Knoblauch had them doing upon arrival.
He didn’t do it the way Woodcroft did in February 2021. Woodcroft turned Nurse-Ceci into a super pairing and relaxed the burden for the other two pairings. Knoblauch appears to be featuring Ekholm-Bouchard while also using Nurse-Ceci versus elites and fading the third pair.
My question about tonight and the rest of the road trip? Can the team clean up defensively after the Florida fiasco? There was one mile of vapor lock in the Oilers game against the Panthers. Not on the defense completely either, real coverage issues involving forwards, defense and goaltending.
I’m hopeful the Oilers give Stuart Skinner four of the next six games, in my opinion he gives the team its best chance to win.
I’m not thrilled with the move of RNH off the McDavid line. It’s a damning statement about management. Signing Connor Brown and having no replacement among the bottom-six forwards in case of disaster is poor form. Now, the team has to move a less than 100 percent Evander Kane to a line that is hot as a firecracker. The Nuge-97-Hyman line is 13-5 goals in the last 14 games at five-on-five. Music! That’s a major advantage for a team.
Noon to 2pm, Sports 1440, we’ll welcome Daniel Nugent-Bowman from The Athletic to the show, and talk about the road trip and his recent articles on Evan Bouchard, Paul Coffey and what this team needs to add before the deadline. Arthur Staple, New York Islanders columnist at The Athletic, will have the latest on the Islanders. You can reach me in the comments section, @Lowetide on twitter, or text us 1.833.401.1440 directly.
Dozen Losses To Catch Vegas Watch
Is being suspended until further notice.
I apologize for any and all influence this series has had on gameplay. Whatever was sent out into the ether was not my intention but it is my responsibility nonetheless.
My only two cents from the Islanders game: When the very recent “best power play in history” can’t beat the worst PK in the league this year 5×3 when the chips are down I’m sorry it’s not goalie it’s headspace.
Two teams that have and really suffering bcs they can’t resolve their goaltending are the Canes and the Oilers
Some teams don’t seem as affected by it. In the case of the Canes they play great team D and it still doesn’t help them
Here are four NHlers with more points this season than Connor Brown:
Connor Ingram
Logan Thompson
Jacob Markstrom
Akira Schmid
He is a spectacle now…..
Jack Michaels describing the insane, lamentable, struggles of Pierre Pageau tonight. Only has 2 goals.
Meanwhile…..
Skinner let in one bad goal tonight. It happens. The team scored only goal. That’s why we lost. IMO this team gets terribly deflated by single moments. They seem to lack resolve and fortitude.
Exactly
We scored 1 goal on a injury riddled D core
@AHL
Mavrik Bourque’s 4TH OF THE NIGHT seals an OT victory for the @TexasStars.
https://x.com/theahl/status/1737316806296060143?s=61
(click for video)
@BCurlock
Xavier Bourgault’s teammate and often linemate. 12-24-36 in 25 games. 30th OV pick. Development is a salary cap free expense.
Bourque is draft+3. Bourgault is draft+2.
But I agree that Nill has a better development record than Holland.
A vast understatement.
Better draft record too.
This is what ails the Oilers.
I am pretty sure true Oiler fans have acknowledged this more than once. We don’t need your gaslight around here to just troll. Add value or leave and do not come back.
Will black-hole-brown score a goal this year?
Brown will never score again. This universe has spoken.
calendar year or season?
We’re very close to getting to the stage of the season where he goes full Rieder, resulting in fans actively hoping he ‘doesn’t score’ because it’s hilarious and well, #becauseOilers.
Will management then convene a season’s ticket holders season-end party and explain that the only reason the Oilers didn’t make the playoffs this year is because Brown didn’t score more?
This team, man.
no.
This team is in trouble. It refuses to play mature hockey and it doesn’t have the backend and goalie to provide cover for that type of hockey, still. I don’t know what the answer is. Not sure anyone else does either.
A: Play mature hockey maybe…?
I’m beginning to wonder abut the culture of that dressing room. I’m sure the core is driven for success. They don’t seem driven by the sacrifices they need to get that success though. They keep having to have the same lessons taught to them over and over. “Mature” is definitely in question.
Three key penalties tonight by team leaders Hyman and Draisaitl. One led to goal against and the two others stifled dominant play.
Two bad passes by veterans led to goals against. Have to be better. You can say, “yeah, but we out-chanced them,” The chances don’t show that theirs were a 3 on 0 and multiple 2 on 1s. That’s the kind of team an Oiler goalie has to backstop. If a team this skilled, paying for this much offense, needs a top-three ranked goalie to win games, goalie isn’t the problem.
Could Skins have stopped the first one? Sure. But he also made three or four where I wouldn’t have blamed him if he hadn’t. He made some great stops tonight. And the number of odd man breaks, sheesh… Did he get out-played? Yes. But that doesn’t mean he had a bad game either. Both can be true.
We completely disappeared for an entire period tonight. Veterans made mistakes. Got out-special teamed, allegedly a team strength. I cannot put that loss on the netminder. We could’ve played that game better–smarter, more complete–and come away with a win.
But the skaters keep asking the goalie to rescue them. That is not a recipe for success, whomever the Oil can acquire to do the goalering.
This doesn’t mean the Oilers don’t have to do something about net—assuming they don’t trust Pickard. The February sked absolutely demands two functional trustworthy goalies.
well said
Thank you, sir.
Well put.
“The chances don’t show…”
At the Cult of Hockey we track Grade A shots, which we had at 16-9 Oilers, & the subset of the most dangerous “5 alarm shots” which were 6-5 Islanders. The only stat I saw anywhere that said anything but “Oilers dominated” but which supports your major point.
I love the Nuge . . . but does he really move the needle towards a Stanley Cup?
If not . . . the return on a trade might
Going in to tonight, Nuge had 15 points in the last 10 games (7 at 5 on 5) and was 28-9 goals in those last 10 games (all situation but he plays both PK and PP).
I’ve seen a lot of games this year where they pummel the other team in the 1st, the opponent bends but doesn’t break, and the oilers get 1 but play like they’re up by 3. Then the game is tied. Then they go down 1-2. Then it gets out of reach.
I’ve seen this scenario play out at least 5-6 times this year.
I don’t blame Stu for this one and good gord does this team have flaws. You’d figure those flaws were very apparent by the end of the VGK series. Dutchy didn’t remedy them.
In my opinion, the buck stops with management. You can’t keep just blaming 1-2 players. Brown, Stu, Vinny, McLeod, if any one or two of those guys is the reason you’re losing on the regular, we already aren’t in good shape boys.
^should be the only post required this evening.
Holland has slooooowly gotten better players. However he doesn’t seem to see or care whether they fit the need or balance the roster. The team needed better team defense, so he signed Brown which took little effort really
When the defensive aspect lacking was really more about overall play than individual, and what his top 6 really lacks are natural scoring wingers. Nobody is a particularly great finisher except Leon ‘usually’ on the PP and Kane when he’s not hurt. Brown wasn’t going to solve the defensive issues by himself
Connor is like Gretz. He’s so good he gets his goals but isn’t really a shooter. They need a guy or two that can find soft spots to be set up and can reliably put it in the net. It would open the O Zone up more
I like Ryan, but really the main reason he’s still a regular on the team is because Holland can’t find a right shot C that is good at faceoffs. Or doesn’t care about it
These players are available regularly, they just aren’t on tap. You need cap space, and you need analytics or some hot pro scouts to know who you get when they do become available, and you get them bcs they are available
Gorton and Hughes in a couple of years have revamped the Hab’s D group and it’s going to be formidable soon. They needed RS D and got a bunch by draft or trade. Etc
Off the top of my head couple of guys rumoured to have been available recent or in recent years, who would not have been overly expensive, and filled current holes are Demko and Dowd, goal and RS C
I think for fans that remember the 80’s teams it is particularly painful. Because they have seen this before, having the world’s best offensive player by a wide margin and other high end talent, and it was executed at a far, far higher level than this time around
It was normal to see good deals and moves, always pushing forward, leading the league in every way, not making horrendous blunders, or not often, or without some type of recovery. Watching these managers sitting with a stack of dusty books and creaking ideas about the game, fishing peanuts out of their belly buttons, sucks
Yo Mr. Tide (and gentlemen of the board). First time, long time here.
In my opinion, the season was lost in the third against Tampa. Don’t anyone say they got goalied; they scored 4 that night. Two very VERY saveable goals go in during the crunch time, and that’s the game. After a very leaky first one tonight, Skinner was fine, but on the other hand, how many genuine scoring chances did the Islanders have all night, 4? 5 maybe? And three go in?
Now, is this lost season on Skinner? In my opinion, mostly yes. Regardless of defensive coverage (which in both this game and the Tampa game, they were excellent. The Islanders had 21 shots; that’s excellent defense), the long and short of this season is average goaltending gets you to a comfortable wild card spot. But Skinner is also a sophomore in the most crucial position on a so-called championship team, so not having a plan C or D is inexcusable from management. Praying for Campbell to somehow “return to form” of a six-week heater he had in a contract year on a very good Leafs team was the very opposite of management.
Two losses against the Devils and Rangers, which seems the likely outcome, and they’ll be four games under .500 at Christmas, and it will take another 8 game win streak to climb out of. The coach bump is over. They are who they are. Unbelievable.
And don’t get me started on Connor Brown. I would genuinely rather Gaetan Haas.
Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz passed this summer. Him and his Dad have had questionable personalities. They also had tremendous influence in the League. None the less. That’s not my focus.
The Focus is the new Wirtz, Danny, and what seems like new leadership. A new direction.
2 examples.
Corey Perry behaves inappropriately. In the past? who knows what would have been done. Now? They terminated his contract immediately
Kevin Korchinski is a 19 year old rookie. His Dad passed away last week. Ownership flew the entire team to Saskatoon for the funeral.
Anyway. That’s a new topic LT. 🙂
Beautiful. And spot on.
How to build a team.
Awesome post.
Holland (Jackson?) should have his answer by now. Need a better goalie. Current ones not getting it done. Not sure what sort of cap gymnastics they’ll need to pull off to make it happen, but it needs to happen, or the season is toast.
edit: I, like others have mentioned, Would try Rodrigues first. But we all know that won’t happen.
An average goalie isn’t going to fix this.
You are probably right.
so… what say you? What WILL fix this?
Start by playing more than 30 minutes. Don’t suck on special teams
It’s a start bcs neither are currently regular. Stu has technical issues and Pic like Des sees himself in a light higher than on ice NHL performance. Pic could have cemented the deal last game, but was AHL level
One that score as well…..
Is there a worse team in the league at defending a 2 on 1 than the Oilers? Either go to the shooter or commit to taking away the pass. Its not rocket science.
It’s peewee D level stuff.
That’s what happens when you don’t trust your goalie. The d-man tries to be a hero and sets the goalie up to fail by taking neither the pass or the shot. It is cyclical.
They just need to take the pass away.
I say its more a reflection on the coaching
Big Stu with 3 goals on 20 shots.
A super awesome .850 his 3rd in 4 under .900z
He follows up his garbage performance against Tampa with another AHL effort tonight… I thought Soup was in the Bake?
Smarten up Stu or you’ll be selling cars in no time.
The 1st goal was really bad, but the other 2 no chance . He made some great saves. Special teams were terrible
Nurse could have stayed with Horvat. There was nothing he could do about the pont shot after Brown effed up the PK coverage. Nurse put himself in no man’s land, not able to defend the point shot or block out the forward from the rebound. Let Skinner handle the shot. Take away any chance on the rebound.
we can complain about Skinner all we want. The reality is he has been thrust into a role he probably is not ready for … HE NEEDS HELP !!! And that’s on Holland and crew.
The timeline is littered with posts about Skinner. I understand you don’t like him and weren’t impressed. Perhaps you can post about something else? It’s dominating the timeline and not moving the conversation forward.
Please and thanks.
It’s your space and I apologize. I’d kindly urge a similar stance the next time the Bouchard Train reaches runaway speed cause that can last weeks once it’s in motion but again, your space, your topics.
There’s a story here that touches on one of your season themes. Lots of lamenting the lack of direct and measurable push for “new” AHL youth. Comparatively little time spent discussing the results of the current youth on the team.
Bouchard – ppg – whipping boy for the first half thus far.
McLeod – four shots in his last six games. Two goals in his last 57 games.
Holloway – one goal and injured, again.
Stu – wont repeat.
Is it that much of a mystery why Holland isn’t eager to throw another two or three guys into the NHL? After watching JP and Yamo flame out he’s starring down three very sub-NHL performances from guys who were supposed to take the next step but we’ll have underperformed. Some much worse than others.
Big story, very big, not as sexy as the Brown Saga but a very big story nonetheless.
Skinner is a sophomore slump, or could be. Evan Bouchard went through it. I understand the upset, but the alternative is no better.
McCurdy was talking some time ago about how often the Oilers youth stall. It’s an issue. I don’t think blaming the players is the right play though. Edmonton needs these kids to break through and play prominent roles. Those 30+ guys are going to age. Having Broberg ready to catch Ekholm when he falls is a good idea.
LT, with all due respect, (and trust me it drives me nuts the same narrative from the same posters over and over), there is a troll here who has been pushing the same narrative, Oilers suck, every other team is better, for years. That is not moving the conversation forward either. Why chose this hill?
20 years of experience tells me that the individual I asked to change topics would comply. There’s a general goodness to this board.
As for the “troll” I would suggest beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are several trolls on this board, it depends on your perspective.
Agreed, general goodness and he did comply. That should be the norm.
Agreed. Where were these “critics” when the Oil outscored the opponents by a 34-12 (or something like that) during the win streak. This current streak is more about forwards that can’t score OR defend.
Missing half their D core , and being actually forced to play Robert Bortuzzo, Oilers only score 1 goal.
Wont win many games scoring 1 goal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8
Outworked and outsmarted two games in a row–shameful–and back to trying to out-score mistakes. Well, Kris, it’s on you now.
No Ekblad.
Islanders missing half their d core …
Could you imagine if the Oilers could defend like the Islanders
Lessons learned in this loss?
0
We would’ve been using that last powerplay they got to run up the score rather than secure the win.
What have you got to lose? Play Broberg, Holloway, Lavoie, and maybe even Rodrique.
Might lose a few players to waivers.
Erne, Gleason, and one of Hamblin, Brown, or Gagner.
Gents,
Nuge is a complementary player.
A complimentary player is a guy running around telling everyone they have nice teeth.
And a guy you find wrapped in foil and left on your hotel pillow by the chambermaid.
Lol. I thought that was a dental hygienist.
Islanders not even worried about shooting this Period. They trust Sorokin to make a save.
Stu meanwhile gonna book his 3rd sub .900 performance in his last four…
That’ll be six sub .900 games under coach KK.
Oilers still dead last in the league in team save percentage.
The Islanders played maybe 26 minutes of this game and Stu found a way to let in three goals…
He’s been horrible all year and there’s nowhere to hide after what he did in the Tampa game.
The Oilers are awful at team defense. No average goaltender is going to make a difference.
I’d kill for average haha
Soup and Stu have been the worst in league this year.
KK needs to calm them down, probably not this game. On that rush Connor was going wide and couldn’t turn, and the other guys over skated the play not even thinking about strategy in positioning
For top end players (not completely Connor but he didn’t win that) that is not enough game. Like how the Islanders execute a plan to the open guy or trailer. Hockey 101. Trying too hard and not thinking further ahead isn’t a great way to play. The top lines should be picking apart defences
another PP opportunity goes wanting
This goes to what I am saying. Any pressure and it can turn into a loss of vision and thinking, and they can’t score needed goals. Forcing and high risk passes or low percentage shots. It has happened repeatedly in the playoffs in key game moments
I can have a loss of vision and thinking but it’s usually after the 4th beer out of a 6 pack
Keep taking pucks to the front of the net
Looking like another text book game plan vs Oil. Keep them to outside in the D zone and take away cross ice passes. Make them pass the puck around the outside. Eventually they’ll force a low percentage play and we’ll counter the other way on their D who don’t know how to defend a rush and a goalie with a weak lateral push. Five 2 on 1s now?
Immature players, Not good enough G, and KK schooled again
Rinse. Repeat
Leon with 4 low percentage pass fails in under 20 seconds. All he needs to do is move his feet and hold the puck longer. I feel like he needs more spinach in his diet.
Doesn’t matter there is zero accountability on this team.
Brown has 1 assist in the entire season and gets opportunity after opportunity.
And the PP1 got very little done all game and received 95% of the PP time
Nurse still covers a lot of ice
Will beats skill when skill has no will
#2 in the twighlight zone there. Needs to Recognize it’s a 1 on 2 and your partner is in trouble
Need to keep getting to the front of the net like that
That’s a big kill to start the period
Connor Brown walks in and shoots it into the crowd
deflected into the crowd….
Shooting past a deflection is a skill. I am piling on but this team needs players that contribute, no room for passengers unfortunately
Seravalli reporting goalie market has just tightened, with Detroit losing two of their goalies. Reimer is the only heal;thy one they have standing. Kings still poking around too. Doesn’t think anything will break before the Xmas trade freeze.
Good, you think they might be interested in Campbell?
The number of goalies who’d have to go on IR before Campbell gets a sniff can be expressed in dozens.
He is that bad.
🫰
Oh Bob Stauffer has said it! Need to get some stops.
Stu on the clock now. Gonna need to
man up or he’ll find himself down and out.
I don’t want trade the guy or banish him but man his results aren’t pretty.
They are amongst the worst in the league and that ain’t good enough.
They can’t out-skill us. They can only out-work and out-smart us. So far they have been (since halfway through the 1st). Very reminiscent of rhe FLA game.
This team is exactly what their record says they are.
Nuge has been sloppy the last couple of games. Very un-nge like.
I would disagree. He’s been inconsistent mostly for a few seasons at least. The heater last year helps us forget how he has been getting beat at evens before the last days
Connor floats most boats
Highlights mentioning how smart Kucherov is. Our Oilers cannot maintain smart play and go into rookie panic mode distressingly too easily. Straight ahead obviousness and it only works if they get lucky. They need some calm and chess in their games, immediately
Nuge is 13-13 goals and 60% expected goals without McDavid.
Nuge is also 50% goals and 56% expected goals without McDavid or Leon.
Nuge is floating his own boat this season.
You may notice that I referenced a larger body of work
I will put the most stock in to last season and this season….
It was nice while it lasted!
Nuge is 100% complimentary. Not a bad thing, but he can really be bad when it’s not going his way. See: last playoffs
For me Nuge is a fair weather player. Awesome, or usually not noticeable. Or worse. The Oilers have a lot of them, as we see when they can’t get to a place where they can beat other teams doing what they don’t like to play against, consistently
Which is the all important next step. Sadly they need a major roster remake, from the Holland roster, and we have no idea who is calling the shots next
Nuge has 15 points in the last 10 games (7 points at 5 on 5) and is 28-9 goals in those 10 games (and he plays BOTH special teams).
He IS a complimentary player but a high end one and is on a massive value deal.
My comment was based on Montours goal last game (blown coverage) and the pass to Bouchard this game. I understand this is an observation in an analytics blog but both plays significantly impacted (will impact) the outcome of the game. Agreed they need some chess in their game, very disappointing that they haven’t figure that out as a veteran team.
Analytics are aggregated. So beware small sample sizes. But the play we ‘see’ them constantly revert to isn’t a small sample. If the leaders don’t get less prone to over doing things, without a deeper roster I don’t how the outcome is different. The pack follows the leaders
Everyone thinks I am being dramatic when I say the Oilers are in tough to make the playoffs. They dug themselves a big hole early and coaching was not the primary issue.
The winning streak was great but this team has a proven track record of regressing defensively, they do not have depth scoring, and of course, very poor goaltending.
For me coaching was not good enough. But they also need better players. Coaches are trapped in Holland’s multiverse
This sleepy group outside of Connor and a few really need their Kurt Brackenbury
Sure looks a lot like if a team collapses they don’t know how to break it just like old times, forcing things and take super low percentage shots. The seam plays and guys going to the front with timing up in smoke
*low sad frustrated exhale *
They were rolling just fine until CannonBall Stu decided to sandbag em again.
Stu can’t squeeze it and boom.
Stuart Skinner rocking an 0.883.
Now 3rd last in the league…
They were fine until Derek Ryan made a horrible neutral zone decision – then Stu.
the pass by Nuge was more egregious
Yea focus on Derek Ryan instead of Stu’s ECHL stats.
Talk about accountability, Stu should have been in the Bake after what he did against Tampa.
Now he hangs his head after every shot and inspires all the confidence in his team.
well the 4th line set up the 1st line perfectly there for a late goal finish and instead it reults in a penalty 180 feet from our own net
Obviously time for a new coach……
These guys are making me angry.
They get gifted what should have been a get out of jail free card and do a whole lot of nothing.
No focused urgency. None.
Geez being an Oiler fan can be tough.
Horrible decision after horrible decision, all over the roster, for the better part of this game. Woof.
They have complete PP tunnel vision again
Man have they reverted hard
NY fans expressing their season’s greetings to the refs
5 on 3
Good crowd tonight. Adding a little somethin somethin to the game.
That wasn’t a great play by Bouch. Chose no man’s land
Would MUCH rather have the 5 on 3 than a penalty shot.
Or not….
Bouchard defends neither the puck carrier not the pass on the two on one. Lost in the middle.