This is where you ramble on about ‘the dice have no memory’ isn’t it?
Yes, usually. Although in this case I was going to lead with “hold on to your ass!” because I do think this game will be wild. If it’s a blowout either way it could get ugly. Oilers in Game 7s has a history, it’s a long and winding road filled with incredible memories along with moments of extreme pain.
Is that your good luck photo now? Lame.
It’s a photo I took last summer, when I started to have hope for a brand new day in my life. That photo represents hope, or at least it does to me. I think it’s a good photo for a Game 7.
You know, not everything about you is interesting. Perhaps something more germane to tonight’s game would have been a better fit.
If you’re an Oilers fan, or a Canucks fan for that matter, hope is the key tonight. There are no guarantees in Game 7. If you’re a little older, then the mere mention of Glenn Anderson versus Ron Hextall or Fernando Pisani almost scoring in the third period is enough to send you to heaven and hell in the same moment. There is great joy and searing pain ahead for hockey fans in Western Canada tonight.
What are they keys to this game?
Goaltending is always a big deal, injuries too. I think the Oilers power play needs to score and I wonder about Connor McDavid versus JT Miller head-to-head. In 51:18 five-on-five minutes versus Miller, McDavid has 63 percent Corsi, 58 percent Fenwick, 68 percent shot, 59 percent expected goals. The actual goal total is 2-2 in those 51:18 minutes.
Is there a better matchup for Vancouver?
He is 1-2 goals against Lindholm but all of McDavid’s possession numbers are over 50 percent. On defense, he’s seeing Tyler Myers most often, McDavid with the edge in goals (6-4 in 58:34) but just 50.7 percent expected goals. These are all such small sample sizes.
Who is in goal?
I suspect it’ll be Skinner versus Silovs. Don’t you?
Rutherford beat Holland senseless at the deadline. Admit it!
The additions of Nikita Zadorov (5-4 goals in 98 five-on-five minutes during this series) and Elias Lindholm (6-3 goals in 73 minutes against Edmonton in these playoffs) by Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin have had a positive impact. Holland’s additions are Adam Henrique, who has been hurt, plus Sam Carrick and Troy Stecher who haven’t played much and are not a factor in this series. Allvin absolutely has a big edge here.
Are you on the radio today?
Yes. Noon to 2pm, followed by Jason Gregor 2-6 and then Kevin Karius. It’s all hands on deck for the big game tonight, Sports 1440. My guests will be former Oilers captain Al Hamilton, Rachel Doerrie from Staff & Graph Podcast and Jason Gregor.
Do the Oilers have a chance to win the Stanley Cup?
A good one, I think. Have to win tonight, though. The Canucks are a tough out and this might be the biggest test of the spring for both teams. Vancouver could win Stanley, too.
I hate you for saying that.
I know.
Judging by the reaction after the Ceci goal of Vinny and Evan immediately turning to Coffey and the head nod from Coffey has me believing he’s coaching up the D to shoot more if there’s a lane.
The curse of having the two best players in the world but never being able to score an ENG is surely an interesting trade-off.
About the last 5 minutes, the Nucks got a grand total of ZERO shots on net after their 2nd goal.
Knob chose to use the timeout, made a world of difference.
https://x.com/SNstats/status/1792775052070387971
I was looking at the record for ‘most points in a playoff series by a defenseman’ and it looks like this:
Orr: 12
McInnis: 12
Leetch: 11
Bouchard: 11
Coffey: 11
That’s heady company. We all knew Bouchard was good, but his calmness in high pressure situations is incredible.
I cannot believe how many people in here are digging for the negatives and cannot seem to allow themselves to enjoy the pleasure of this victory…
Sure, only halfway to glory, but c’mon… If anyone expected this all to be a cakewalk…
As i say….The tits were calm people…..we did this
Smooth sailing until McLeod gave that gift. Crazy how fast a game can change.
He played well in games 6 & 7, probably more.
It was a split second accident mistake.
I’m glad the team pulled out the W, for his mental well-being
Not one player mentioned the gross turnover in the post games.
They referred to it as “we”. This is a team.
The way I heard it, is th amount of brilliant defensive plays that McLeod makes, he’s bound to make an oopsy from time to time.
Sometimes you gotta learn the hard way and that was one of those gaffs that you hope is burned into his brain now. Going deep into the playoffs more often than not, changes players forever. Losing or a negative experience biologically creates a stronger memory than a positive one… i.e. a magician will forever remember the one time they screwed up a magic trick but will never remember the thousands of success card tricks they do.
Great team win!
Per LT’s recent blog about Leon, I didn’t want to chime in during the series. But win or lose the Cup this year, I was taught to find and keep good players, and he is one of the best there’s ever been in regular season and playoffs. You pay the man what he wants, and you do the same with McDavid and Bouchard. If it means that we have to offload Nurse, or another contract to keep your best players who are dominating playoffs year after year, then you do it. This isn’t a Toronto situation where the core are criticized (some unfairly), and Vegas has shown that offloading contracts can be done. The only reason the Oilers core should be broken up is that one or more do not want to re-sign, which is hopefully not the case. Reaching the conference finals 2 of 3 years is something that not many teams can boast
Leon is a Warlord. Warlords get what they want. That’s why they are warlords.
I guess Zadorov can add golf as one of the many things he can do in Vancouver.
Also, it’s a great place to watch a conference final playoff game
Twist the dagger!
Or Sochi.
Ohhhh he can do a whale watching tour
My friend (who happens to be a Flames fan) said that he can now quite literally “take a hike”.
That. Was. Solid. Pretty much perfect hockey. Smothered the Nyuks for the first 50-55mins and then withstood their inevitable last gasp push with gusto.
Two vanquished foes lie battered, bloodied and broken in the Oilers’ wake. Fk both of them. I spit on their graves.
Two more to go.
I guess personally I would have preferred not getting a cardiac stress test and close out the full 60 min
That was a solid 60min effort, imo. I don’t think it’s reasonable to not expect a serious push back from the Nyuks at some point. The fact that it took them 50+ mins and an absolute stinker of a giveaway to get that ball rolling is a testament to the Oilers.
The last 6 periods have reminded me very much of The Streak. No one is cheating defensively. They are pushing the pace offensively. They are weathering the storms that intermittently blow in. They are kicking in locked doors with persistent effort.
Holloway has emerged and he is necessary to this team’s success.
Stankoven vs. Holloway
Harley is playing for Dallas. They didn’t slow play him.
Yes, now is the right time to keep beating your little drum! Big eyeroll.
What, you mean his 119 games (out of 246) over the last 3 seasons? Sounds like a slow play to me….
I assume, as usual, you are making some comparison to Broberg’s handling… Give it a rest, HH….
Harley played this season with Heiskanen.
He has been excellent. He’s an NHLer now. Ripened to perfection…
Sam Carrick with a very tidy game – 10 min TOI
CF 54%
A couple of shifts owning the puck in the o zone wall….
Yup. Excellent spot duty effort.
I’ve been hard on him and didn’t think he was anything more than a 13th forward and had earned his press box seat but he has been positively impactful the last two games.
Coach knows how to use him it seems.
Hyman with 11 goals in 12 games.
In this century, most goals in playoff season goes to Ovi and Crosby with 15 each, followed by 8 players (Scheifele, Alfredsson, Couture, Point x 2, Malkin, Pavelski, Pisani, Gaborik) with 14.
Kane and Draisaitl had 13 each in the last 2 seasons
Crazy stat, Kurri went into the Conference Finals in 1985 with 6 goals, then scored 12 goals in the 6 game series against Chicago, before potting once more in the SCF.
Goal scoring leaders (in 18 games) that year were Kurri 19, Gretz 17, Coffey 12, Messier 12
Thanks for that history lesson – the Cup is all that matters of course, but how cool would it be if Hyman broke the record (Kurri / Leach)?
I have a feeling things are going to get stingier in the scoring department though…
Totally. Imagine scoring 12 goals in a conference final nowadays.
To win this series, Hyman/RNH are definitely going to have to pot a few on that top line
Nuge was the Oilers best forward over the course of the last two must win games.
If he can keep up this level of play, that bodes very well.
Hyman has to go down as one of the best UFA signings
Totally. Best UFA signing in Oiler history. No better ‘bang for the buck’ player in the league, near as I can figure….
Brayden Point might be the most underrated player in the league. He’s scored 51 and 46 goals the last two years and barely anybody noticed. Plus 3 Selke top-10 finishes early in his career.
2024 playoffs “Edmonton vs. the coastal elites”.
That was a team win…..
Interesting, Dallas shines in so many stats except for one, where they are abysmal: PK save percentage, last in the playoffs at.667%.
Everyone talks about how deep Dallas is. And they are, but I think not enough attention has been turned to their D usage. They’ve essentially used 5 D in the post season. They went with Alex Petrovic last game and he played 16 minutes. But before that they were using Nils Lundqvist and he was averaging 4:28 per game.
They have good D, but only 5 of em. And next man up is Lundqvist or Petrovic. That would give me concern if I were a Dallas fan. That PK stat would too.
Haakenpaa is hurt.
Thanks HH.
Deleted, not worth it. Try enjoying the series win, if you can.
Their #6D is hurt at the moment. That is a simple fact. The overall depth of the D core is a vulnerability of Dallas. Tanev filled a big hole, like Ekholm did last year, but the #6d spot on both teams (Haakenpaa, Lundqvist, Petrovic) for Dallas, Ceci for the OIlers, leaves something to be desired.
I’ll take Ceci over Haakenpaa, Lundqvist, or Petrovic any day. I think we should hammer their D. Petrovic is not an NHL D anymore. Hasn’t been for years. Our next men up are Broberg and Stetcher, two players who actually belong in the NHL. Only Haakenpaa actually belongs in the NHL and he’s the one who’s hurt. Dallas is definitely deep. But no team is perfect in the cap era, and they have a notable lack of NHL level defenseman.
Scoring chances were 11-1 Canucks in the third.
This team just cannot make things easy on themselves. Without that killer instinct they are in trouble against the big dogs.
Oilers had mostly excellent play until the last 10-15 minutes. But this team’s biggest problems continue to be between the ears. Same as it ever was.
Was hoping the new coach would change this but not so far. Not surprising since every other coach this core has had has failed in the same regard, but one can always hope. Maybe next series.
Its not reasonable to think that one of the last 5-8 teams standing is not going to mount a push with their season on the line.
The Oilers gave up a grand total of ZERO shots on net after the 2nd goal against.
That was fun. My son in the UK woke up at 430 am their time and took in the last five minutes with us via WhatsApp
40 years and one day ago my dad called me at 4:30am UK time to play the last five minutes of the Oilers first Cup win.
Nice! What a great memory.
Serendipitously trippy!
Love to hear it.
Clearly Evan Bouchard was born with a fully bearded face and then they shaved him for his baby pix.
His mother’s uterus and birth canal were treated for stubble burn. Fact.
They showed a picture of him and his mom on Mother’s Day. I honestly thought that Evan looked older than his mother.
I would love a game summary and analysis from HH. Tell me how Van won this game and the Oilers got lucky. Tell me. Please.
Van ran out of juice,
Very different series once you’re goons are spent from all the gooning goonery.
Goons
How about they did everything they could to win and almost did it?
Money Puck Cup odds
Oilers 32.3%
Rangers 27.6%
Stars 22.5%
Panthers 17.7%
Dom L model odds
Oilers 32%
Panthers 31%
Stars 27%
Rangers 11%
Different order than moneypuck (great site btw) but Oilers on top on both lists.
I enjoy MP but that’s crazy.
Unless the other semi-finalists have been playing shinny, I can’t see the Oilers being anything but the long shots in that group. C’mon they barely beat Vcr who were without their best scorer and goalie!
nobody would put those odds of there was real money on the line
Tocchet is a good coach. He has my endorsement for team Canada coach next best against best
Kris Knoblauch is pretty good too.
Just sayin’.
Just because someone did a good job doesn’t mean someone else didn’t do a better job
The Oilers are the best team in the NHL since KK took over.
On the coaching battle, both were good. Game 5 is a head scratcher for me. Tocchet made some moves – called out his team – knowing he needed to squeeze the last drops out of that lineup. I would have liked KK to have stayed ahead of them on the adjustments side instead we stood pat and played our worst game of the playoffs.
For the first half of this series, I thought Tocchet schooled KK. But Knobby kept his kool, tweaked some tactics and the lineup and eventually sawed off the coaching battle. Talent prevailed as it should as we saw tonight – without Silovs heroics, that game is a laugher before half-time.
The time-out was genius, and something Woody didn’t / woodn’t do last year vs VGK.
“there is a gleam…”
I had the same thought….I liked his deployment of the bottom 2 lines.
Will need 4 lines against Dallas
The only question now is how many banners will the Dynasties raise game one of next season to honour their success this season…
(For the noobs here, “Dynasties” is what we Lowetidians call the hockey franchise in Riot City. Or the “Dys” for short.)
I have always wondered. Why? What dynasties?
Exactement.
It is because their fans act like fans of a team that has won 10+ championships.
They’re just as awful as out of town Red Sox fans…but without even that franchise’s limited success. Extreme arrogance despite zero banners and barely ever being close.
They are called the Dynasties by the commentariat here for making a big deal in the past about banner-raising ceremonies for winning the Division (etc) but never an actual championship. Hence my post above.
Those teams that have actually won Cups don’t have banner raising ceremonies for winning the div. Only one matters.
And now you know the lore.
“Dynasties” was coined by Dennis King on OilFans, IIRC.
You are correct, but for that short period when MJ had Dennis writing those articles for him, most of us were there, including LT and MC79, yourself, me (Spoiler) and many others. Although I can’t remember if Dennis first coined it in one of his actual articles or if it was a post. Either way, the name came with us and they’ve been the Dys in Lowetidia since Day One.
And IIRC, King awarded the epithet specifically for raising a banner to honour a divisional win.
Good on you for remembering and crediting the source
With the hockey IQ of Bouchard and his ability to be not only an elite offensive player but also an A-plus defensive player by using his brain(excellent gap, stick work, positioning) personally I think his closest upper end comparable would be something like Datsyuk. Call me crazy but I have always seen that kind of potential in him. Just an excellent hockey player. I really think he will get there.
I can finally say this without fear of a fluke – Pettersson is by far, BY FAR the worst “superstar” in the league. So overrated because of where he plays. Not even top 3 on his own team. Very glad they blew all that money on him for the next 8 years.
He had a tough playoffs, for sure. That being said, a pro hockey career is a process – many a player had to ‘pay their dues’ to learn the intensity of the second season. The man has skill and can play tough (witness the pile-drive of Ekholm tonight or the stick to mouth from McLeod) – he just has to put it together. Not sure he’ll justify the $ spent, but he’s hardly a write-off yet.
Austin Matthews is paid 2M more per year than Pettersson. There’s probably a lot more competition for “worst superstar of the league”.
Matthews is an incredible player on both ends of the puck. I don’t think he is ever part of the problem there
I really don’t see this defensive prowess some people claim.
So happy to see Nuge succeeding in the second season. Every goal assist takeaway makes me happy.
He has been a big part of our success. Especially these past 2 games.
And to think I (and many others) almost gave up on him. Oops.
Congrats to the Canucks and Kings so far. Very worthy opponents
I hated every minute of that series.
I am ecstatic right now.
Yah not a good display of the skill due to how the series was officiated earlier in the seties
Even the minutes they were dominating the lesser team?
When RNH was interviewed you could hear random coughing in the dressing room… Hopefully they all can shake it off in the next few days
I have a feeling that the illness peaked in game 5. Some of knobs comments would support this.
That was Spector choking on all the questions he prepared expecting an Oiler loss.
^^^ Hall of Fame post right here ^^^
While Foegele had that amazing shift with three to play where he wasted 30 seconds off the clock almost single-handedly, I also thought Nuge’s board work in our own zone just after that was also especially fierce and effective.
Agreed, that was a superman level effort. Big reason why we ended up winning the game. He has been quiet, nice to see him stepping up when it mattered most.
I gave a ‘hell yeah’ to the TV on both counts as they happened. Gritty AF right there…
Man, Miller over 27min, Hughes over 28 min.
Hat tip to that
Carrick / Janmark / Brown / D Ryan warriors last two games
Yep they were huge!
Agreed. The Oilers are not just a two man team. Getting good minutes from depth forwards is essential in the playoffs and this group stood out in a positive way the last 2 games of the series. More please.
Agreed. They left nothing in the ice.
Was impressed to see Janmark start a shift with Mcdavid and Nuge defending the lead late. They got scored on, sure, and made me panic for the next 5 minutes, but still, props to Janmark for gaining the coach’s trust to that degree
Will Henrique be back for game 1? Do they run him between 71/37? They’re going to need to have the series of their life coming up.
I thought I heard he had a bad ankle???? If so those are notorious for taking a long time to heal.
I’m really hoping he’s back. The Oilers top 6 is much better with him in it.
I think McLeod sits if Henrique is ready to go against the Stars … he could use a reset for 1 game, then reinsert him into the lineup the next game.
I do not see Henrique playing in the top 6 with the way they’re all playing, both lines are enjoying great chemistry with the insertion of Holloway.
Definitely see him taking over 3C with the way Mcleod has wilted, imo it will be Brown that sits most likely, Carrick has been real good, Ryan is playing great.
More just desperate hopes with crossed fingers and toes with the way Mcleod has been the last couple of post seasons of play. Damn ankles.
Great series win and great performances in last two games. Nuge has been huge and Holloway terrific. Connor obviously sick and hopefully recovered for Thursday. Suspect some other Oilers not feeling 100% either. Ceci stepped up but thought Nurse struggled a lot. Bouch has arrived and now a legit big dog. Kulak steady. In my opinion Vinny had some struggles and showed he really is only a 3rd pairing D. You have to pay him less than $2m don’t you???? I thought 4 th line was huge last 2 games and Carrick played a big part. Bring on the Stars!
I agree re Vinny. Excellent on the PK. Average to below average elsewhere. Would have loved me some Broberg this season!
Hopefully Bro a regular next year.
Struggled with puck handling on retrievals – resulted in extended D zone shifts
I was heartened to hear how Connor sounded.
In aggregage, Nuge was the best forward over the last two games.
Bouch is a top 10 2-way d-man in the NHL, trending to be top 5 – maybe be there if he can not have his normal October bobbles.
Love Vinny D. but, 100%, he should be in the $1.75MM range – they can’t overpay the 3rd pairing/bottom six any longer.
Good game, Harper’s Hair!
Doesn’t he just cheer for any team playing against the Oilers? Or is this win against what appears to be his favourite team sufficient?
Busy shopping on line right now for Stars gear!
Ha…just poured one!
If you’re going to drink Vancouver Island Scotch…Glen Saannich is the only worthy option.
A victory glass,
Enjoy!
There is still snow where you are! Great use of it. Enjoy that drink.
What an incredible two game set. Complete domination. I hope KK moves away from the defensive posturing of the third period(s) lately. We need to forecheck to be effective.
Fun!!
Great game Nuge game winner in home town, everyone’s favourite player
Really hope the illness clears out by Thursday.
Victoria Day is Victory Day!
Jays, Riders (preseason) and Oilers all with W’s.
Bombers only dressed a handful of starters. Riders played 22/24 starters.
If you’re a Rider fan a win is a win. 😉
Love that KK took a time out after the 2nd goal to calm everybody down.
Yes, this is a coach who sees the game well and learns.
I know I hammered him for not doing this earlier in the series, so nice to see him learn
Agreed! Huge! Learning from mistakes!
Slow learner but finally, yes.
By reaching the conference final, the Oilers’ first-rounder that was dealt to ANA will be #29 at best.
That is satisfying. I really hope we can get Henrique back in there, he would give us so many options and another PK demon
Ceci with a great time for a bounce back game. Nurse #5 in D ice time. Good on KK for recognizing who’s going tonight.
He doesn’t run the D, pretty sure.
Credit goes to Coffey.
I don’t think Coffey is the one calling numbers and tapping shoulders either
Because Ceci gets trapped out on the ice more than the other D. Some of that is not his fault since he is the playing on the far side from the bench.
I think we have confirmation now that he’s been sick (given his on-ice post-game interview) which, to be honest, is somewhat heartening given his average (for him) play in the last few games.
Yes. They sure do know how to make it stressful.
Congrats to Skinner who was under a tremendous amount of pressure tonight. In fact he may have been traded in the offseason if he choked in this game.
Nuge leads the forwards with 21:09. Best forward on the ice tonight
He staved off infection by taking his Flinstones multivitamins 🙂
Shot blocks, smart positioning, great PP goal. The legend of RNH grows
So Oilers win and the panel leads with Canuck talk! I hate to flog a dead horse but I am thoroughly fed up with the biased coverage. Oilers only Canadian team left so they will be forced to key on Oilers, right, right??
Lots of praise from Bieksa there
Bieksa likes the Oilers.
Only one team under the maple leaf now.
It’ll be ok
I dunno, we could talk about Craig Berube the new leafs coach?
Wonder what cut Jordan Bennington gets of Berube’s salary?
I expect the Rogers crew will critique the Oilers and praise Dallas, so that more people in the GTA keep watching. It’s the same approach that they’ve had on HNIC all year.