In 1990, the Edmonton Oilers won the team’s fifth Stanley Cup in seven years. It’s difficult to describe the feeling of each win, but rest assured when your team wins it all the reaction you have is completely different each time. It’s like snow flakes. The 1984 win was the first one, shocking and emotional. The 1987 win is my favourite for many reasons, mostly because it was so intense right until the end, and the ending (Gretzky to Steve Smith) unforgettable. The 1990 win was delightful and unexpected, like an additional child being born into a happy family.
I don’t know if these Oilers are going to win the Stanley Cup. I do know that last night’s effort against the Los Angeles Kings is a winning formula. Every facet of the game was sea level or above, and it was a joy to watch.
The heart of the order, including Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard, are impacting the game offensively and defensively. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse are making contributions on the defensive side and having an impact.
The Ken Holland group, led by Zach Hyman and Mattias Ekholm, is easily the strongest group of the McDavid era. Evander Kane, Corey Perry, Cody Ceci, Brett Kulak, Adam Henrique and others are playing their roles and ironing mistakes out of their games.
I want to especially note Stuart Skinner and the young players who have emerged from outside the first round of the draft to take on key roles. He played in front of a brave and hearty defense, but the Kings brought live ammo and Skinner played them all like a Stradivarius. He is a young goalie on the rise, he has paid his dues and then some. The investment in Skinner’s future, including the playoff games with wobble last spring, all landed Sunday night in Los Angeles.
The Oilers amateur scouting staff takes a beating 24-7-365-even-on-Christmas-morning and I doubt that will change any time soon. However, on a morning when Stuart Skinner can twirl his moustache and enjoy the moment, I would like to remind you that the Edmonton Oilers traded up to get him, brought him along at pace, and are reaping the rewards of an astute decision.
Now I can’t say Skinner will make the Hall of Fame like Jesper Wallstedt already did (apparently), but can give credit for a quality draft pick who took advantage of his opportunities and is now leading a fine hockey club to victories in the NHL playoffs.
I would also like to note Ryan McLeod’s role on this team, Vincent Desharnais’ quality minutes (if you think he’s signing for $1.5 million this summer will be a shock) and young Dylan Holloway who is making the most of limited minutes.
That was a helluva hockey game, ladies and men. Music!
New for The Athletic: The Oilers’ matchups and tweaks most impacting series vs. Kings
https://theathletic.com/5455753/2024/04/29/oilers-kings-matchups-series-mcdavid/
Great playoffs so far Oilers. Leon was a beast last game. When he plays like that the Oilers are almost unbeatable. He is the key. Skinner has had 2 great games now. I couldn’t help but notice that Nurse is moving down the depth chart ever so slightly. He is not playing badly but the other D are raising their level and Nurse is staying the same at best. Nurse was 4th in ice time last game and by eye he struggled a few times with the puck including passing it back to the point on a clearing attempt with 3 seconds left in the game when he should have eaten the puck in the corner. Nurse seems to be an average D man on the team now and in fact I get more nervous when he is on the ice than any other D man.
Summarizing!
The bad news: Stefan did not garner soup despite four SOG.
The good news: Portland prevailed 4-1 to take a 2-1 series lead.
Prospecting takes a break until Wodin’s Day.
Don’t look now but we’ve got a series heading back to Dallas.
Of the “central” division heavyweights, I know it’s a bit of a pick your poison situation. Still a part of me is rooting for Dallas as a potential conference finals opponent. I still haven’t forgiven them for the repeated playoff beatings at the turn of the century and it would be nice to have some closure…
Dallas, Colorado, Vegas – all good narratives there.
Might have to win a few series first!
WPG and NAS victories tomorrow would be very nice before we have a chance to clinch on Wednesday.
Vegas in some trouble now – despite the extra salary and size, they look slow vs Dallas. Oettinger has matched Thompson in the last 2 games. Hope it goes seven with some casualties.
Tough series for (home) fans.
Dallas appears to be going the distance with Vegas. I didn’t see that series turning out that way.
With Tampa being eliminated, the fate of Stamkos is up in the air.
He might end up staying in Tampa but he also could be miffed they refused to negotiate an extension with him.
Perhaps he will be looking at trying to win another cup as Tampa retools and I wonder if he might sign with, say, Colorado in an effort to do so.
Thoughts?
Why don’t you move over to a Colorado forum and find out
He’s probably got enough hardware past point there’s much need to rover for cup. That’s still a good team. Wouldn’t be shocked if he just sweetheart 1 yrs his way to a office job, as long as they stay competitive.
If he wants a cup we can use a good 2rw next year.
In the first period alone, off the top of my head:
1) Drai had that partial breakaway and got a good point blank shot away
2) Holloway ripped a one-timer from the slot on a great Ryan pass
3) Cory Perry took that one puck to the net and created a solid chaos chance
Did the Kings have a single chance as good as any of these? Maybe one.
The Kings had the puck alot but they weren’t threats to score (except for a lucky one) more than the Oilers.
But… but… SOG favoured the LAK.
In fact possession, zone exits, zone entries, odd man rushes, turn-over scoring chances, and shots favoured the Kings. That’s a lot of stuff.
The Oilers had better quality of chances all situations. How much of that quality was on the PP? Need to push the game into special teams.
Quantity & quality both matter. It may be true that the Oilers had better chances and better quality. And in all situations SportLogiq expected goals won 1.49 to 1.31.
But the Oilers gave up a lot of quantity. And in the long run, that quantity can matter. If you take the 26 perimeter shots they surrendered, according to SportLogiq the chances that each becomes a goal is 3 percent. But the probability of surrendering 26 of these in a game, and having no goals is 45 percent. 55 percent of the games that you surrender 26 perimeter shots there will be a goal.
5v5 Oilers are losing this series 9 – 10. At Evens it’s tied 10 – 10.
Oilers are winning on special teams.
The best way to play the odds here is to play an aggressive – one might even say somewhat undisciplined – game. They have Perry and Kane for this. It’s good they can play a variety of styles and control themselves. But what you want is to stimulate the zebras into game management. Let them call penalties. Edmonton will win that battle. The more penalties the better. The PP is at 50% and the PK is 100%. Be dirty, be nasty. Hurt the Kings.
Also re: Vinnie. I would be very careful giving this player big $ or term. He is not young. He has zero offensive upside. He struggles to make outlet passes.
He has been great on the third pair and PK. I do not think he has much upside. This is no slight on the player. He plays his role very well. But I doubt he could consistently play higher in the line-up.
Further to my point last night about how bit players on teams making long playoff runs get overpaid: every Sportsnet/Athletic piece that mentions Des in the headline probably gets him another $250K/year.
The stories last night worked, because of the Wichita angle on Skinner and Desharnais together. But if Kulak had buried that early chance to make it 1-0, the lead story might have been about Skinner and Kulak (who also had a pretty good game).
I don’t mind term if it is $2 million or under. I would do 5 or more times $2 million to keep him from testing free agency, where I think he will get a number like 4 or 5 times $2.5-3 million from somebody.
He would be a perfect Myers replacement in Vancouver, for example.
It appears Myers will be the Myers replacement in Vancouver.
Dhaliwal has been reporting he is interested in returning on a reasonable short term deal reflecting his 3rd pairing skill set.
What’s your ballpark for that AAV?
I have it pegged between 1.50-2.25% of the cap.
No long term deals outside the top 4. Ever.
Pretty 🙂 funny.
Me last night right immediately after game ended:
Connor McDavid after the game:
Whatever you say…”Ryan”…
We’re onto you.
It was a “9 dressed up as a 3”! -)
I thought that game did not play to Corey Perry’s strengths. Way too much skating with the dump and chase both ways.
In hindsight Browns skating would be better but who could predict that.
Perry is due a goal, a deflection coming soon.
I find it hard to really evaluate the skating of players without watching games live. I don’t live in Edmonton anymore or I’d love to see how Perry’s skating looks.
I remember back in the days that James Neal was still scoring for us, it was incredible to watch him skate. He had such a short choppy ineffective stride, I couldn’t believe he was an NHL player. He would jump over the boards and glide into the offensive zone.
I’d swear watching James Neal skate that I was watching a beer league player. His edges were so awkward. Amazing career he carved out for himself though.
Anyway, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to rotate in Perry for Brown for a game just to rest Perry.
I’d put Holloway up on third and rest Foggy for Brown on the 4 the line personally.
Foggy is not a playoff performer. Not sure why not.
Interesting commentary today.
My take:
Top-notch defending. The Oilers made few mental mistakes/big mistakes. A rare feat for this team.
The forechecking and breakouts were abysmal. The forwards looked slow getting to pucks.
I agree with the others below, the Oilers were lucky to win.
They seem to skate hard every second game
For what it’s worth, Gazolla on the Oil Stream indicating conversations for the Deharnais contract are in the $1.5MM to $2MM range – Oilers want around $1.5MM and Vinnyv is hoping around 2.
Tom presented this more of a “what he’s heard” than throwing out an opinion.
He also says he hasn’t heard anything about 6-7 years. When you think about it, that type of term seems kinda wild – not many 3rd pairing d-men with limited upside are signing near max term deals.
Nice strategy to keep the annual cost down over the next few years though. Deharnais gains financial security for the remainder of his career and the Oilers gain a value contract on defence.
If worse comes to worse and the Oilers have to rid themselves of a contract in a few years, it’s under 2 million a year and relatively easy to do.
Thing about a deal in the $1.5M range is it can almost entirely be buried in the minors if needed. That’s an IF.
Desharhais seems like the kind of guy who’s done playing AHL hockey. He’s major league and he’s a warrior. If the Oilers offered him $10M to play for 6 years he probably a) takes it, and b) does not begrudge the opportunity to play ~400 more NHL games.
Win – Win?
I’m not sure he takes that. I mean, he could probably get that AAV on a 1-2 year deal and “bet on himself” to turn in to a 20-21 minute 2nd pairing guy, right?
I know the security would be tempting but he’d be limiting his upside, for sure.
The Ryan Ellis $2.5MX5 deal is the gold standard for teams. Ellis put up 170 points in 340 games for $12M.
Not saying Des is worth $2.5M (and obviously he’s a different style of player than Ellis). But for a 5-year deal, I’d sure think about it.
Not sure he would, though.
What would Eric Tulsky do?
Well, the Hurricanes signed two players in the same age range to play 3/4 RD.
Tony DeAngelo, 28, signed a one year deal for $1.675 million.
Jalen Chatfield, 27, signed a two year deal for $762,500
Both players have seen action in these playoffs.
While not stylistically identical, they do indicate short term deals for bottom pairing D might be the way to go especially for cap strapped teams.
How do we know that the AGM was responsible for signing those two players?
Because one middle tier playoff team signed two bottom pairing D to short term contracts does that necessarily mean it is the only or even the best way to build a bottom pair for cap strapped team?
“As assistant general manager, Tulsky is involved in all player personnel decisions, oversees pro scouting and the team’s hockey information department, and assists with player contract negotiations, salary cap compliance, and other hockey-related matters.”
And Carolina is hardly a “middle tier playoff team”
They are favoured to win the cup by most betting sites
https://www.vegasinsider.com/nhl/odds/futures/
Wow Tony Deangelo?! The comparables are truly remarkable!
5,11
31 games, -7, cleared waivers
Bought out twice, on his 4th team, fights with teammates.
6.07
71 games, +3
Worked from the ECHL just for a chance at the show.
A cheap #7D currently playing with the Pesce injury.
Exactly, wouldn’t be playing if not for an injury, another comparison unrelated to Desharnais.
Yeah..Carolina does have better options but season before last he played 64 games for the Hurricanes scoring 51 points +30.
The Hurricanes obviously see something in him since they’ve signed him twice.
As I said, not a stylistic match for Vinnie but an example of signing bottom pairing D for cheap short term deals.
Well if we’re talking about any bottom pairing D on cheap short term deals, maybe a better comp is someone like Sean Durzi.
Perhaps.
Would you rather sign Durzi at $2.5 million or Vinnie for the same money?
Durzi is a puck mover coming off a 41 point season and is two years younger.
Reading all these comments is great. Oil fans love their TEAM. It reminds me of the glory days when we cheered for everyone. When we honestly wanted to see ALL the boys succeed. No player, or coach on this roster is dead weight. They are all contributing. The Oilers are a great team I’m proud of them all. It’s way easier to cheer for a team than those poor Leaf fans who have 20 individuals to cheer for; instead of, a team working for a common goal.
One thing I find interesting and perhaps disappointing is the Oilers struggle to come out of a won defensive zone face off with puck possession. One in every 10 times you’ll see this really slick reverse play and we’re coming out under control but then the other nine times they seem to be quite happy to flip the puck out to the neutral zone. So much so it’s clearly their plan A.
Id be curious to understand the analytics that lead to that strategy.
I’d hazard a guess that it’s higher risk. Off a draw the oppo forwards are in position to cutoff your outlets, the defense can hold the line, you run the risk of interference penalties if you try to create space. By dint you’re coming around your own net with limited space.
If you flip it out you’re coming at them with speed as they are backing up. So you have a better chance at forcing a neutral zone turnover, or at the least, you have very little space to make up to force tricky zone entry.
All about limiting the potential for a high value screw up.
As I read around about the Oilers I find it interesting that at ON there are two pieces that have somewhat different takes on last game, Curlock and Stevenson
Both give Stu his props, Curlock loving the solid execution of the ‘box plus one’ – yup they used that – Stevenson thinking Nurse Ceci defended too much because they couldn’t move the puck out well enough
Both are right. I think the key to G5 (and the rest of the playoffs really) is to link up the defensive structure and effort from last night with their usual intensity in the offensive zone. That link is their neutral zone transition game which is the only part of G4 that I wasn’t really too satisfied with. It they can play that type of suffocating defense – and effectively transition to offense going forward – they will be pretty much unstoppable.
Lol, the Oilers last night were “you guys can’t even play your own style properly, so we’re going to show you how it’s done, then you can try again Wednesday. Then we’ll show you how to score five against it.”
The downvote must mean that HH is back and in playoff form!
He’s been working hard every shift, giving 110% and leaving it all on the ice.
This is such a great post!
I said they call it stormy Monday
But I said the Tuesday’s just as bad
I said they call it stormy Monday
Tuesday’s just as bad
Wednesday’s full of sorrow
I said that Thursday’s oh-so
It’s oh-so-sad, it’s oh-so-sad
Not sure I was watching the same game as everyone else, but then again, that’s why we have amazing forums like this where people can voice different opinions respectfully.
I saw an LA team bring its LA game, keeping to a low scoring affair, which would tend to favour the more defensive club (LA).
Skinner stole the game, EDM got caved in fancies, shots against total, and if not for a PP that continues to defy the odds, I suspect LA would have rightfully walked away with the W.
Every time I saw Nurse and Ceci hemmed in, I clinched up. They were 6 per cent expected goals for. I saw Connor neutralized totally.
I roughly agree with that. But the Oilers PP was killer, and the Oilers PK was a wall.
The main concern I’m getting from this series is that the strategy to neutralize the Oilers from previous playoffs is still alive. Maybe it’s not quite as effective this year as previous years, but a team that takes few penalties and suppresses McDavid 5 on 5 will have a pretty good chance against the Oilers.
I tend to agree. I think we stole that game on the back of Skinner. Felt like LA smothered the oilers in the first period outside of a few moments where they maintained some pressure. The second actually seemed like the oilers bounced back a bit, but it still felt like an even game to me. Once they hit the third, LA was coming in waves trying to score, and in my opinion got quite a few good looks. There was no point where I felt like things were really buttoned down, but maybe there was something I was missing.
There were 2 or 3 minutes in the 2nd period where the Oilers were playing their structured game. It didn’t last long, but there must have been at least 2 line shifts.
I kinda agree and kinda don’t. If LA went up 1-0, you would have seen a much more aggressive Oilers team. They were essentially playing the game to protect the lead, even when it was 0-0. I don’t like that approach at all, but I think we saw score effects for basically the entire game.
The CF% trajectory changed significantly after the goal was scored.
I’m a huge fan of the fancies, and check out NST after most every game, but last night’s game is a great example of the fancies not quite passing the eye test.
While Skinner was great — well, perfect really — but I don’t think he stole the game. LA dominated the Corgi’s, but they were sending in muffins from every angle hoping for a deflection or perfectly timed screen. Their best scoring chances were all deflections as the Oilers didn’t allow them much in the way of clear shots on goal.
I believe the Kings had a single shot on goal in the last 6 – 8 minutes of the game and it wasn’t a scoring chance.
That’s a strong game.
NST’s scoring chances are scraped from the sats automatically, and while very useful over a number of games they can tell a false story over a single game. Other stat services had the Oilers leading the Kings in scoring chances last night.
While defending a one goal lead is never optimal — it just takes one lucky bounce to tie it — watching the game I never felt as if the Oilers had totally lost control. That a barrage of scoring chances were being fired on net and the tying goal is inevitable.
The Oilers played low event Kings hockey (excepting for the dirty play) and came out on top.
Well said, an excellent rebuttal to my initial post. I learned something, which is why I love this forum.
Seattle Kraken have fired head coach Dave Hakstol.
“The firings of Hakstol and an earlier sacking of Lindy Ruff by the New Jersey Devils marks the first time two Jack Adams finalists have been dismissed the following season.
Hakstol and Ruff hail from the same small Alberta farming village of Warburg, population 766.”
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/kraken/kraken-fire-coach-dave-hakstol/
San Jose, Buffalo, Seattle, potentially LA (Hiller is temp at the moment).
Maybe the Jets if they lose to the Avalanche. Maybe Dallas, if they lose to Vegas. Maybe Toronto, if they lose to the Bruins.
This has got to be Todd Nelson’s year.
He has a good chance of winning the Calder Cup two years in a row, and his 3rd overall. The Capitals were able to bring up young D from Hershey late in the year who contributed to the Capitals push to the playoffs. Lapierre also made the jump.
You would have to think now is the time.
The Hershey Bears were dominant again this season.
53W 14L 5OTL
Pretty impressive considering the Caps haven’t had a bunch of high draft picks to work with.
Woodcroft could land somewhere too. Wonder if Quenneville gets pardoned.
Would think not – he can spend time with Babcock reliving how it was not their fault.
Coach Q has a the spine of a wet noodle, allowing a young man’s NHL career to be ruined while he was repeatedly r*ped and Q did nothing except sweep it under the carpet. If the NHL gives him a third chance, it would be a travesty.
Spoken like it comes from someone who thinks they know facts based from social media accounts.
The Sabres forums were mentioning Nelson’s name before Ruff was re-hired there – and mentioning Nelson without even realizing he had a cup of coffee in the NHL.
Hope to see him in the NHL. He deserved better than he got, not that I have to convince anybody around here of that.
Damn. I missed that the Sabres rehire Ruff.
Bummer though. Buffalo would have been a great spot for Nelson.
Yeah, Nelson seems to be great with young guys.
But I can totally see why Buffalo hires Ruff. He’s had success with both Dallas and recently with a young team in Jersey.
Plus he still lives in the Buffalo area and is a great champion of a franchise (and area) that’s fallen on hard times. It’s a little like if Winnipeg could have hired Barry Trotz.
Agreed. Todd Nelson has more than earned a shot imo.
Someone on another site I frequent compared Skinner to Corey Crawford. Not bad, not bad at all.
Great comp – big, great with glove/blocker, square to shots but a bit less smooth than a Price or RInne.
May the similarity continue!
Games like that are when players like Ceci and Desharnais prove how big of warriors they are. Vinny had 17 mins with a minute on the PK and was out there late eating pucks for breakfast.
Love that for Ceci, much maligned this year but had a terrific game. Any mistakes I chalk up the defensive version of the Taylor Hall turnover effect; he was defending waves all damn game and sometimes a little water seeps through.
Ekholm was a rocking chair.
LA played a nearly flawless 5v5 game and still didn’t win.
Excellent game for Skinner, cannot be overlooked how important versatility in style of play is in the playoffs.
Ceci quietly led the team in ice time. Impressive.
Who had that one in their bingo card?
Because he got trapped out on the ice a couple of times. Not his fault though. Two periods, the right D is the far side of the ice. And very few PP’s in the game.
There were two long shifts in the 2nd period immediately after Bouchard’s goal, but that’s it. None of Ceci’s 3rd period shifts were longer than usual, but there were a lot of them. KK kept throwing him out there.
I watched a bunch of clips from 1990 on YouTube the other day.
Boy did those guys ever know they were going to win. It’s a contest between the late-90s Yankees and that hockey team for best attitude ever to facilitate becoming a champion.
Yeah, what they lacked in talent, they made up for in mentality. And Messier was surely motivated to win one on his own.
MacT once said that teams at the end of a winning streak win games they shouldn’t. (And vice versa.) Maybe that applies to Cup-winning streaks too?
They didn’t quite know until the Jets started Beauregard over Essensa in Game 7 of the opening round.
Once they came back from down 3 games to 1 in that series, they were rollling.
Well done Stuart. Square, calm feet, never got lost.
Bouchard’s goal is a masterclass in shooting for defencemen. He’s ready but has to shift, still nails it. Rittich thinks he’s going to blast it at Hyman for a tip/screen and overplays just barely, so Bouchard hammers into the other side of the net. Perfection.
And lastly – you know how I always get squawking when the shot totals are reversed and the Oilers lose because people claim “we dominated”? Get it now? LA didn’t dominate a damn thing aside from wasting possession on bad shots.
The only thing I’d change at all for the Oilers in the third was there were a few too many dump-ins. It became choice 1 instead of quick choice 2. It should remain the latter.
It looked like a Al MacInnis bomb.
I had early career MacInnis as my Bouchard comparable. Gord willing, Bouch has a similar career arc.
Wonder how Mrs Doubtfire is doing this morning? Kane gave him quite a lick and he was in discomfort on the bench.
I’m far from a pugilist but one thing I’m surprised about is the Oilers choosing not to finish many of their checks. Hit stats be damned you can see it truly isn’t part of their game plan. I noticed it right from Game 1. In that dominating regular season game when Kane crushed Doughty early and then cruised to an easy win most pundits felt that would be the template.
The 1-3-1 forces dump ins that the RD needs to retrieve and the Oilers will get in and pound those guys and over a long series they’ll start to wear down.
Rob Brown specifically continues to remind that the Oilers are the largest and most physical team in the west and that LA isn’t nearly as big as their reputations.
But for whatever reason the Oilers aren’t really playing that style and instead are retreating and playing it safe.
Opinions on why?
REFS
Both teams held back last night. Fewer big runs for hits, and less physical play after whistles.
In a tight game like last night’s nobody wants to take a penalty that could change the outcome of the game. Except Andreas Englund who cost the Kings the game.
Oilers had a lead in the series and had the lead in the game and the two calls the refs did make were nonsensical. If the Oilers played a more physical game they run the risk of giving a ref an excuse to penalize them for it, and we all know the refs love to try to manage games/series.
Never forget:
Tim Peel: “It wasn’t much, but I wanted to get a f—ing penalty against Nashville early.”
That was a terrible comment by Peel. So much for impartial officiating.
I think the Oilers were committed to using their energy to win the hockey game and not to punish their opponent. Every extra stride a player makes to finish a check could potentially be putting them two strides further out of the play.
Secondly, I’m quite certain that making a hit can be as painful and destructive as taking one in some cases. It’s not all win-win in the body check world.
If hitting was a big part of the game plan for this game, I’m sure the Oilers would have crunched a few more bodies.
I think it’s smart to not play more physically than you need. The Oilers can play hockey with anyone, try that first and if necessary get physical. Player can get hurt and beating up the other guys isn’t the primary objective
This is true yet Hyman took a shot kicking last night and they’ve been targeting Kane all series. Maybe the Kings thought Kane would be easy prey but Doughty found out when you mess with the bull you get the horn.
Hyman did. I think it’s important to keep heads up. You take a hit to make the play, but that isn’t the same as letting yourself get smoked because you are watching the play or not watching out, have to protect yourself. I’m thinking of one on Hyman that hurt him pretty good and was avoidable
Kane was fantastic. And the attention he drew, took attention of the top guns. Great job. I hope he is able to keep it up
Great post, I’m with you on this. My hope is Jeff Jackson is taking notice and addresses this in the off season. I’ll be happy to see Ceci go and Vinny take his salary. Foegle looks scared out there, I really hope another team steps up and makes him unaffordable for the Oil. All this said, it’s hard to argue with the results. My best guess is they’re saving energy for future rounds.
Saving the most violent hits for Vegas… legal retribution.
Oilers have that game if they need it, but trading big hits is the LA game plan and a distraction to the Oils game plan.
Smashing up LA and Oilers gain little. Kings smashing up Oilers and they gain a lot. But refs were not having it this year.
“Opinions on why?”
Knoblauch likes a certain style of play. Meow. We will see how that fairs in the long run. Maybe it works. I’m not sold on it yet.
More penalties are better for EDM in this series. Game management means they will go on the PP more often, and the kill is perfect.
Last night’s Oilers win for all those fans (including me) of the Italian national football team.
Forza
ItaliaEdmonton!the Azzurri are way more frustrating than the Oilers. Miss the World Cup, win the Euro (which might be more difficult than WC), then miss WC again
This win had Germany written all over it.
If Moonlight Mile isn’t the best Stones song, it’s in the mix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PArSca1cI0M&ab_channel=RollingStonesA.R.
One of the impressive things for me last night was the last 3:30 of the game or so. Usually when the Oilers are nursing a lead late, the puck is in their end and they are scrambling around and quite often ice it. Last night there was no extended time in the Oilers end the last few minutes and they cleared the puck a couple of times without icing it.
Holloway is a handful for the opposition he finishes every check he’s quick on the forecheck and now has a taste of playoff scoring. This hound dog could turn into a 20 goal all facet jewel going forward. I myself would of pumped and dumped Foegele for a nice return at the deadline and had Holloway inserted. Injuries obviously played a role in Holloway development but he’s finally getting a legit opportunity and he’s hitting it out of the park.
I supported keeping Foegele as depth matters. Someone in the top 9 will go out during the run the eventual SC win. Even if it is for just a few games, I would prefer not having Ryan, Sam Wise, Brown et al in the top 9. Also, would you even have been able to get a 2nd for Foegele?
Yes if he was dealt it should have been last summer. WF got 20 goals so he had to fetch a 2nd, at least. Maybe a 2nd and a prospect. Not sure Kenny could bring that, but many GMs would. Big fast 20G PK and cheap has to have value at the deadline
Foegele has priced himself off this team. I can’t see the Oil having the cap space to keep him. Holloway is a nice replacement who will come at a much lower cap hit.
Would like to see Jackson get them to where they aren’t walking guys to free agency. It’s far better have that replacement in a year before so that you can trade them for something or you run out of bullets
Contenders will always walk own rentals to UFA free agency. It is a natural part of the process. Coleman Goodrow Kadri…Tampa had to let good veterans with term left to get cap compliant.
IMO it’s a great example of the team structure working as it should in the salary cap era. A player like Foegele is becoming possibly too expensive but is being made replaceable by a in-house drafted & developed rookie on an ELC.
Ideally, that is the way it should work, and I think Holloway replacing Foegele is an excellent example.
But in an ideal world, the Oilers would have already won a cup before having to offload expensive players. Like Tampa or Chicago had to AFTER they won a cup. Oh well, maybe this is the Oilers year.
My concern is that their window to win seems to have been compressed. If McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard can all be extended, they might be able to stay in contention for the rest of the decade. But where are the next cheap replacements coming from? Cause after you extend those 3, you are going to need some cheap replacements.
After Broberg, can anyone name a future core 12 player in the Oilers system. And we are not even sure yet, what Broberg is. The obvious move is to replace Kulak with Broberg next year, and that is what I would do, but has anyone looked at the LD depth chart next year if that happens?
I think the Oilers pro scouts are going to have to earn their paychecks the next few years because the Oilers are going to have to backfill with cheap veteran contracts.
Kenny had a 5 year window this is his crescendo maybe if his son was taking over he wouldn’t of completely drained the pipeline.
Foegele was an own rental. And his play this year meant there was an extreme high bar for an upgrade. It was the right decision to NOT trade him unless his cap space was needed.
It will be a mistake to re-sign him this summer, unless he is willing to sign a 2-year deal for 50% of his current salary.
Foegele is not resigning he got pumped and definitely responded in a contract year. I like Foegele him a McLeod definitely came up large starting with the comeback win in Jersey when things were bleak. In saying that at some point you have to take advantage of a asset on a expiring contract if he’s not returning. Tell me where we’re at if Leon and Evan walk into free agency with no return?
How does Evan Bouchard “walk into free agency with no return,” as an RFA, Reja?
What TF are you talking about?
Very Impressive finish to a fine hockey game.
They clogged up the Neutral Zone nicely, didn’t give the Kings an Inch, and supported each other well.
There was a moment during the game where I got worried.
Ceci was out there for what seemed like forever.; they fought hard to get it deep.
It was curious decision to keep Desharnais out for PK1 after him and Kulak were already out there. He battled hard.
Holloway’s speed and tenacity for pucks is showing up at the right moments and disturbing the Kings flow to enter the zone.
Gretz said during Game 3 you’re not always win a blowout. You gotta win a 2-1 game. They did just that last night.
Bouchard continues to improve due to experience, playing partner and coaching (shout out to Coffey). The Kings are targeting him as much as possible but he appears to be holding up even though he is only 192 lbs (as listed on Oilers site). He is a difference maker offensively (1-5-6) and is now holding his own defensively – turning into a 1st pairing guy before our eyes.
I have always considered dmen below 200 lbs to be a questionable bet in the long run of tough and rough playoff hockey. There are always exceptions to go along with Bouchard (Makar: 6′ / 187 with 2-6-8), but if your best dman is small there will be issues. Quinn Hughes (5-10 / 180 with 0-4-4) got sandwiched last night and looked the worse for wear. If Van prevails, the Oiler forecheckers should be able to really put the hurt on this guy.
I am not looking ahead (OK yes I am), but the Oilers have a clear path to the final 4. Just need to finish off LAK without any significant injuries.
Sometimes I wonder how truly accurate those height/weight measurements are. Bieksa last night saying how Nuge is definitely shorter and lighter than what he’s posted at.
Meanwhile, there is just no way Draisaitl is only 209 lbs at 6’2″. I’m 6’3″ 210 lbs and I look like you could fit two of me in Draisaitl’s frame. I think he’s gotta be closer to 225 lbs of pure German Holstein beef.
I’d be shocked if Bouchard is under 200 pounds.
Those numbers date back to when he was in London as a teenager.
Bouch is known as one of the stronger guys on the team and I think he’s filled out that 6’3 frame – he seems very solidly built.
NHL Public Relations
Sergei Bobrovsky, Thatcher Demko and Connor Hellebuyck are the three finalists for the 2023-24 Vezina Trophy.
Fine with me they all had great seasons. Skinner will get the ultimate prize and be on record as the 2024 Stanley Cup winning goalie.
Yawn – Hellebuyck wins this easily but only one of those 3 is doing his job well right now.
Are you blaming Demko for getting hurt? Demko is a very good goaltender with availability issues.
Too bad Hellebyuck stopped showing up after the regular season
Colorado can do that to any goaltender.
They played without Lehkonen and Nichushkin for long stretches in the regular season and both have been fire in the playoffs.
MIddelstat also seems to be a great fit at 2C with 5 points in 4 games.
The Jets are playing like shit in front of him. I don’t think Chevaldayoff can bring Bowness back if they don’t beat the Avalanche.
I agree:
Skinner did have a really solid night last night in goal. Solid enough to merit trying to grasp at any non oiler goalie related straw that you could find the day after to use as slite.
Of course, according to HH logic, if one of the 3 Vezina finalists was in net it would have been a ‘better’ shutout.
Backhanded compliments are still compliments. Skinner was good last night but NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR VEZINA THIS REGULAR SEASON!!! (Que the whistles in my brain)
https://youtu.be/SJUhlRoBL8M?si=ijI8xhsPFTdiSm47
If there was a Vezina for these playoffs:
Goals saved above expected.
Swayman 8.5
Thompson 4.8
Varlamov 4.7
Shesterkin 4.0
Anderson 2.2
Skinner 1.0
Saros 0.8
Vasilevsky 0.8
Swayman has been ridiculous…Expected goals, against 12.8…Actual goals against 4
Now do the regular season. Because the Vezina is voted on by NHL GMs based on regular season performance.
One would be obligated to replace Bobrovski with Binnington.
There’s a reasonable chance bias comes into play in omitting the STL tender. Especially considering Stolarz had better GSAA numbers than Bobrovski, on the same team.
That certainly was a hell of a game. I kept wanting more goals for insurance. But they truly were confident they could keep the., Kings off the score board. Another lesson for LA, Edmonton isn’t just an offensive juggernaut. I think they not only wanted to prove that to the Kings, but to the league and their fan base. Now it might appear that the Oilers are just toying with the Kings. Bring on game five.
Arguably the best part of the game was the last five minutes. Kings couldn’t get any sustained pressure and you could tell Hiller was nervous about when to pull Rittich. How much 6v5 time did they even get in? Maybe a 1:20 total? Oilers were like a boa constrictor.
The ice was so bad in LA yesterday with all the other sports being played there. Embarrassing really for the NHL to allow a game to be played on such sub par ice but that’s where the game is at.
Edmonton always keeps trying their plays and failing, LA was content to sling pucks and hope for a bounce.
Watching the highlight pack is interesting – lots of Edmonton chances show up but nothing really on the LA side. It was a more even game than the shots indicated. I didn’t get the stress in that third period because the Kings didn’t really threaten. There was no sustained zone time for them. Still a great game by Stu and I think it’s imperative for the Oilers to win it Wednesday, and not have to head back to LA.
Aside from Skinner, three players stood out to me:
-Bouchard, who if he could play a tight defensive game like that every night, would be a Norris winner next year
-Nurse, who has been quietly playing a phenomenal game (and last one as well). Simple, effective, suffocating.
-Draisaitl, who seemed the main offensive threat on 5v5. God when he’s moving his feet and protecting the puck in the downlow in the o-zone, nobody is able to get him off the puck.
I thought McLeod was amongst their best forwards last night.
I would also 100% agree. His backchecking coverage is also suffocating.
Some talk about the Oil being outplayed last night, but I think 2 things modify that perception. First, the Kings shoot from everywhere but lacked a lot of dangerous chances. OP pointed out the High Danger were 7-4 and at the COH it listed the 5 alarm at 2-1 for the Oil. LA had no sustained pressure (or very little) and a lot of the opportunities for second and third chances were cleared by the D before LA could get a hold of them (or Skinner used his rebound control to move it to safe places).
Secondly, the ice was by all accounts terrible. For a team that relies on puck control this is killer. The amount of times pucks bounced, would not sit or simply wouldn’t slide, impacts the Oil far more than LA. I am sure that was by design, and Knoblauch adjusted strategy to be successful in that environment.
I am pleased the Oil played that game the way they did. I am sure it has to be extremely demoralizing for the Kings players to get beat at their own game, when everything was set to allow them to be successful.
My concern with the game last night was the approach of the players. They basically tried to protect the lead for the entire game – what you typically see in the third period with a team leading 3-2 or something. They were never aggressive in the neutral zone or the ozone the entire game. It worked last night, but that can easily bite you in the ass.
Yes, there was a real danger there. But as I was watching with my son, he pointed out that it wasn’t that the Oil were sitting back, they were aggressive in their defense & really did attempt to counterattack a lot. The Kings got hemmed in their own zone a lot in the first half of the 3rd period. It’s just that the emphasis wasn’t as much on scoring as it was on controlling the play. I don’t think you can do that against a stronger offensive team, but it worked to a tee last night.
It’s nice to win any time but it’s definitely better to win by a few goals. It also takes the bad guys out mentally, easier to win when that happens
I put myself in the Kings’ shoes and it felt like the umpteenth hard-won loss to Dallas.
That’s an astute point about the ice. Although benefitting the slower, grindier team, the ice at Crypto has been in/out for a week with the Lakers and Clippers playing, so expectedly crappy. Hope Rogers ice is chilling at -10 degrees as we speak!
Nice cold weather predicted for Wednesday (high of only +8c). With no other events scheduled at Roger’s Place prior to the game, they should be able to get the ice close to perfect.
Note: need to get this series done in 5 as the Lakers play the night before game 6 in LA and there is a WNBA game at Roger’s the day before the scheduled game 7.
i will say, i have been incredibly critical of evander kane in the regular season.
His absence at practices
The complaints to the media about ice time
His refusal to change his style to a more cycle based one following the coaching change.
The questionable underlying numbers (i know they are less awful if you subtract time with brown)
The dip in actual production
the fact most of his goals came against non playoff teams.
But he has showed up this series with hard work, high percentage plays, and some big goals and assists. Kudos to him for rewriting his season and showing he still has it.
Those “complaints” about ice time were so milquetoast, and yet overblown at the same time, I find it galling when people point it out as evidence for some theory.
Missing practice and a dip in production, while nursing a hernia.
Tough crowd.
Theres just something about Evander Kane that lets people project their own …. insecurities … not a big farm boy from Sask, what would he know about hard work.
I loved the media narrative that people ran with for a good chunk of the season as well:
“Kane wears out his welcome on the Oilers already just like he did on every other team. He is getting underneath his teammate’s skin”
Which seemed fueled largely because there were some clips of Draisaitl and Perry having animated discussions with Kane on the bench.
MacT talked today with Reid on OilersNow about how men will have heated discussions about getting better, and in the due course of those conversations flared emotions like we saw are all water under the bridge.
Only takes one troll to amplify the discussion about that water passing by for the rest of us to drown in it…
Similar to what we saw with Kassian, that physical edge game gets harder to play night-in-night-out over an 82 game schedule, and it shows in week long periods where they’re invisible or outright awful. Come playoffs those players always shine, however, even if just for a few games.
Everything LT said except for the complete lack of offensive pressure from the Oil drop. Can’t be that way through whole games and end well often. That said it’s a new look for this team, and its leadership, to not chase a damn thing.
Nurse was a cucumber.
Vinnie a monster.
Bouch is a killer.
Stu had it dialed in like never before.
Baby Nuge quite strong for his age.
I think the lack of offensive pressure was, in my opinion, largely due their hyped awareness to not get caught on odd man rushed. They were determined to not let an Oilers mistake lose this game and bet on la making a mistake that they would capitalize on. Credit to la for charging almost the entire game but in the end, our chance came and Bouch buried it.
Unlike some years past, the importance of winning this game was not lost on the guys. They were going to play hard in the d zone and take a chance if an opportunity presented but not going to cheat. No way were they gonna lose this game due to getting caught.
52 year fan of the Oilers. Realistically the Oilers were outplayed last night. I know they won. Shots 33-13. The Oilers bent but did not break. The Kings will play the same way in Game 5 as in Game 4. With any puck luck (a lucky bounce) -they will score. The Oilers need to bring more energy to game 5 in my humble opinion. They need to have the killer instinct and put the Kings away. It will not be easy as Rittich is a solid goalie. If the Kings win game 5 the series will go 7 games.
I don’t think they were out played at all. They just showed LA, they can play their best game and it’s still not good enough. LOL One more way the Oil can beat the Kings.
You mean like how the Oilers played the same way in game 2 after their really strong game 1?
Or how LA replicated their game 2 effort in game 3?
Or how the Oilers brought the same dominant game 3 play to game 4?
Or uh. Hmmm.
Also, why would the Kings winning game 5 mean the series goes to 7?
the way I saw the game, I saw the Kings forcing the play for the most part. They were beating the Oilers to the puck often and there was alot of play in the Oilers end of the ice. IMHO the Oilers were playing to protect the lead and not really taking the game to the Kings. LA played a good game and a bounce/a deflection and they could of scored. They did give up some chances and Rittich was solid. I think if the Kings score first in Game 5 they will play to their strenghts and could win game 5. IMO if they win the Kings it will give them alot of momentum and they will believe they can win and with Rittich playing strong they will win game 6. Rittich had a .926 save percentage over the year and in 2 games this year has only given up 1 goal to the Oilers. IMHO the series is not over…
You aren’t giving the Oilers enough credit. Maybe in game five the Oil will decide they want to play a different style of game. What will the Kings do? Not much.
Yeah, I’m not counting anything over until it’s over. I just see no reason to expect game 5 to look like game 4, especially considering the wild swings we’ve already seen between games this series (and in prior years against the Kings, and really in all playoff hockey for all teams).
You’re forgetting about the other game he played against the Oilers in February when he gave up 4.
It seems they don’t come hard two games in a row. Lose game 2 skate them out of the rink game 3 win 1-0 with out the same push as game 3 in game 4. Hopefully 5 they push them hard again
Some chatter on Twitter about the Nurse Ceci pairing.
They had a 15% Fenwick for last night. Nurse’s expected goals percentage was 8.5%
Keeping them to the outside is one thing, but I’m not sure those types of numbers can hold up longer term.
A clear example of the “possession stats” for individual meaning essentially nothing in a game – at least in my opinion.
I thought that pair was very good and Ceci had a splendid game.
Did the chatter mention Holloway’s 9% expected goals? How about Nuge’s or Ryan’s 12%.
Leon was an elite defensive player last night – expected goals at 20%.
Those tweets are Nurse, Ceci and/or Nurse/Ceci narrative based.
100 percent.
Could not penetrate the neutral zone, and could not retrieve a dumped puck. Effectively collapsed and performed the penalty kill during 5v5 play. It seemed to be a coached response to lack of winning the neutral zone, which the Kings owned.
Given that the Oilers are winning on special teams, a somewhat undisciplined style of play is in their interest. Force physicality, take a penalty, kill it, wait for game management to return a PP, score. If there were no calls, it likely would have been an OT loss for EDM.
I thought it was a patient and deliberate game. They knew la would come out motivated and charge hard. They defended hard, kept everything to the outside and gave Skins clean looks. Very little was dangerous and when it was Skin was ready.
The patience displayed, as they waited for their break, warmed my heart. No cheating for offence. No frustration. Just a mature display of sticking to a game plan regardless of the opposition’s pressures.
Masterful.
We’ve had the talent to score a tonne of goals for years. This year we’re showing the commitment to defence and the maturity to stick with it.
Skinner didn’t have to be fabulous, just steady and ready.
What a tool bag we have, now.
Wanna run and gun? Good luck.
Wanna drag it into the alley? We’re ready and willing.
Wanna batten the hatches and see who blinks first? We won’t flinch.
Throw the kitchen sink in a desperate attempt to get lucky? We have a turtle shell defence that’ll keep you outside looking foolish.
100%. Masterful! Great word to describe things.
So watching that game last night was stressful enough and then you had to flinch every time you hit the refresh button!
curious why the two day break before next game? TNT tv rights?
My guess is it was due to last night’s late start time
An extra day off so the Kings players can go see their therapists.
All series get scheduled at least one multi-day break.
This is perfect.
Notwithstanding my opinion that the team defensive effort and execution was elite, mad props still need to be given to Stuart Skinner.
The Oilers were great at defending be they were defending a lot and the puck was in the defensive zone a lot. Not a ton of high end shots but Skinner had to be “in his stance” and up and down and side to side a ton last night. I’m no goalie but from what I’ve heard/read over the years, that’s very tiring on the tender. Often that will fatigue a goalie and a late goal or two leak in.
Not last night.
Great job Stu.
The extra day off will benefit Skinner. He had to be exhausted after that one!
I’ve been thinking the exact same thing.
How is everyone’s ticker this morning?
Great game! I thought Nuge was exceptional winning puck battles and demonstrated some real baby Nuge man strength against bigger opponents.
Draisaitl jumping over the boards to thwart a major moment in the D-zone may have saved the game, it was unexpected and welcome from this player.
We believe LT… Skinner is the goods!
I appreciated Bieksa highlighting some of the slippery skills that Nuge brings to the game – keeping pucks alive in the O zone etc. I also thought both Draiaitl and McDavid were tenacious and determined. Henrique seems to have a quick first step which serves him well in the tight cycle game. I thought it might go to OT but wasn’t really worried. This is a game they perfected all season – when inspired to do so.
LT
Happy they came out on top, but I’ll take umbrage with the “joy to watch” comment. That game was Boring with a Capital B and I don’t think being outshot by 20 shots is the “Defensive” game formula for winning.
Skinner stole the game. The rest of the boys looked like they wanted to be on the Kings, staying back and bending/not breaking, with little to no forecheck. Not a long term plan for success.
Booooooo. That was a tense game with non-stop action and there are always low scoring games in the playoffs. Difference this year is they won a game I don’t think they do last season.
Also, pretty standard that most series victories include 1 game that goes down as at least a goalie steal if not a goalie win for the team
I’m with you on this one. I’ve never seen so many people spin a game the same way, when all the evidence points to the opposite.
The Oilers got fed last night, pure and simple. Yes they did a nice job of defending in their own zone. but they spent the whole fricking night defending! I can’t believe people are saying that is the recipe to win a cup. The reality is the Oilers lose that game 8 times out of ten.
I’m with the 2 of you. The Oilers spent the entire game in their own end, Skinner stole the game. The Oilers had only 12 shots. There’s no way to paint that pretty. According to NST, HDSC were 14-4 Kings.
The final picture says 1-0 Oilers – that is a Picasso in my books.
Exactly, congrats to LA winning the Expected game last night.
Sheesh, don’t let small sample sizes and context get in the way of a good story.
Nobody wants them to play like that, we’re just glad they CAN win that way if needed.
As usual, some folks genuinely don’t want this team to win if they don’t win the way they think they should.
Who here has said they aren’t happy with the win? While also happy with the win, some of us are disagreeing with the overwhelming commentary here that last night was an exciting game and a well played game by the Oilers. You seem to be disagreeing with me, Who and OilerParty yet you write “nobody wants them to play like that.” Maybe you are actually agreeing?
The Canucks were mocked for getting 12 shots on net in their 2-1 win on Friday, including this comments section.
Prospectomongo!
The Hawks of Winter, with James Stefan and his team-leading 14 points (7+7) in 10 GP, get to enjoy plenty of home cooking. With a 2-3-2 format in the Western Conference, Portland can win the series at home if they run the table. It will be a daunting task against PG though.
Puck drops at 8 p.m. Lundbreck time.
Per @MikeKellyNHL
“Wasn’t Edmonton’s ‘A’ game last night but a great defensive effort in 1-0 win. Kept LA to the outside and Skinner was perfect.
Shots: 33-13 LA
Slot shots: 8-7 EDM
Perimeter shots: 26-5 LA
Expected goals 1.49 – 1.31 EDM
On average, you need 30 perimeter shots to score 1 goal.”
This is a remarkable stat line. If a point shot with traffic has a 3% chance of being a goal and they had 26 they “earned” just under a goal so we were a little lucky. That many point shots just has such a wide range of outcomes; we’ve seen a shutout like last night where the Kings don’t get the bounces they need and we’ve seen 3 “Californians” find a way in.
As well as we played I’m not sure I want to tempt the hockey Gods again like that.
Each and every shot has a 3 percent chance, independent of all attempts. The first the same as the 300th.
But there is a large range of outcomes that are possible, with a range of probabilities.
Provided there are 26 perimeter shots, with each resulting in a save or goal, and the probability of each individual perimeter shot being a goal 0.03%, the probability of a pattern of no goals is approximately 45%.
Over 100 games, the probability of no goals from 26 perimeter shots would happen 45 times on average.
So, its not a bad bet that there are no goals from 26 perimeter shots. But your chance of getting tails on a single coin flip is slightly better.
Interesting stats. Thanks for posting. This sort of detail certainly adds to the conversation about the value of Save Percentage and a few other things. Not sure how the calculations for EG’s are done but this looks more like the game I saw last night, not the raw shot clock that stays up on the screen.
Great game in retrospect, but difficult to enjoy in real time! The defensive structure was impressive although I felt they gave LA too much ice through the neutral zone. Would prefer more pressure.
I wonder if Nuge for Henri swap would help the top two lines? Nuge isn’t getting his nose dirty right now and Henri looks a step behind the play. 5 on 5 has been a saw-off so far so this may help.
Bouch! Not many players in the league are beating a goalie from that distance without a screen. So many weapons on the PP…
I respectfully disagree on your Nuge/Henrique statement. Specifically regarding Nuge, it makes me wonder if we watched the same game. Nuge had one of his best games last night and was involved all over the ice.
Evan Bouchard was awesome last night. Great two-way game and some amazing plays below his own goal line to create space and start a breakout.
Dave and Bruce and I are in the same page. I said last night that I thought Ceci was very good last night despite getting caved in possession – I though Ceci was so good on his own zone.
Yes, a great game for Ceci. I also though McLeod was outstanding – skates miles and made solid defensive plays seemingly every shift
I don’t have a problem with signing Desharnais long term. Just make it 6 years and for the love of gords don’t give him a no trade.
My guess is 6 x 2.5
Paying bottom pairing defensemen too much has bigger implications than looking for someone to contribute above replacement level.
I love Vinny, he’s a great story of perseverance and triumph, but for the love of Gord, the Oilers need to stop over paying at the edges of the roster.
What do bottom pairing D get paid in your opinion?
Cause they don’t get paid a million a year
Using CapFriendly to narrow down RHD who play under 18 minutes per game, there are only 14 players making more than $2MM per year.
Those 14 players aren’t exactly a murderer’s row for value on the cap either.
As of this current season, MOST third pairing RHD are in fact in the sub-$2MM range, and almost all of them (the overwhelming majority) are <$1MM.
So to answer the question you didn’t ask, I’d put Vinny’s next AAV somewhere in the $1.5MM range (wouldn’t want to go over $1.8MM).
Source: https://www.capfriendly.com/browse/active/2024/toi/all/defense/all/desc/right?stats-season=2024&limits=toi-0-18
Or as a percentage of cap, his loose comps would put him in a range of 1.50-2.25% of the cap. That would make it easier to project with the coming increase in cap.
i think the tradeoff you give vinny is guarunteed money and job security for him to take less $.
1.3 x 6 or 7 would make sense. he gets enough money to provide for his family for the rest of his life, and the oilers get a solid value contract.
You really think his agent would tell him that’s the best he could do?
Is that what Kostin’s agent told him?
The best he can do for himself isn’t necessarily measured in dollars and cents.
Exactly. EDM was the only team in the league to believe in the guy and he probably doesn’t make it out of the ECHL otherwise. This is a great situation for Vinny. If he wants to chase a few extra dollars, well who can blame him, but the grass may be decidedly less green on the other side of the fence. He seems like a grounded guy who knows what’s important.
Sportlogiq had the high danger chances at 7-4 Oilers last night.
The Oilers were effing awesome last night.
And NST had it 14-4 Kings.
I trust SportsLogiq WAY more than NST which takes in to account nothing else but where the shot came from – that’s it.
It also lines up with my eye test which doesn’t recall anywhere close to 14 high danger chances for LA last night.
Gregor has a piece up at ON and mentions this stat
According to Sportloqiq, the Oilers had more slot shots (8-7) and more high-danger scoring chances (7-4). The difference between Sportloqiq and Natural Stat Trick (they had HD chances 14-4 for LA), is that NST just scrapes the game sheet. Their HD chances are based on shot distance and location, but not every shot from 15 feet is equally dangerous. Sportlogiq uses video, and they go over each shot to see if the play was impeded, if they had good velocity on the shot, etc.
https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-getting-comfortable-defensively
Good piece. Those stats are all situations, including the PP. Oilers collapsed and limited chances in-zone. But struggled big time with possession, exits and entries. It’s neat they can win that way. But it’s not a long term formula for winning.