Panthers at Oilers, G31 2024-25

The Oilers own a nova heart in December, inspired play bringing responsible hockey to the final frontier. A fanbase raised on arias and symphonies and devoted to pure offense is seeing shot and high-danger suppression all over this land. The question for Kris Knoblauch is the same one we have asked about all coaches since the last successful defensive coach (Craig MacTavish) to walk the cold, cold streets of downtown Edmonton. The forwards continue to score, those old emotions remain. What’s new? The defense is well positioned, and both sets of skaters close gaps like demons. Music!

The Athletic article today is about balance. How close are the Oilers right now? Article is here.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN DECEMBER

• On the road to: VEG (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-1-0)
• At home to: CBJ, STL, TBAY (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 3-0-0)
• On the road to: MIN (Expected 0-1-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
• At home to: VEG, FLA, BOS, SJS, OTT (Expected 4-1-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
• On the road to: LAK, ANA (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
• At home to: UTA (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
• Overall expected result: 9-4-0, 18 points in 13 games
• December results: 5-1-0
• Oilers in 2024-25: 18-10-2, 38 points in 30 games

This is going to be a fun week, with the Stanley Cup Final matchup from the spring on the schedule tonight, followed by my childhood team (the Bruins) and then two cuts from The Soft Parade to round out the pre-Christmas schedule. It’ll be a good test, we know the Oilers will be ready for the Panthers, but they also need to make sure they are ready to demolish the Sharks and Senators. I have the team going 3-1-0 this week.

MOST DEPLOYED LINES, 2024-25 (five-on-five)

Nuge-McDavid-Hyman: 11-7 goals (61 percent) in 162 minutes. The expected goals (62 percent) are right in line with performance and only injury and struggles from the wingers in cashing passes have held this trio back. Hyman is scoring at just 1.26 points-60 on the McDavid line at five-on-five, Nuge (1.59) is better but both wingers should be able to increase scoring totals in the days to come. The line allowed 2.57 GA-60 last season, that number is 2.6 GA-60 this year. Quality trio, wingers need to increase offense.

Janmark-Henrique-Brown: 4-4 goals (50 percent) in 100 minutes. The line has an expected goal share of 59 percent, and this is the No. 3 line so a 50 percent goal share is fine (Oilers can win Stanley if the bottom six play at par). Puck IQ has Henrique playing elites 3:37 a night, 40 percent Dangerous Fenwick but a stellar 7-0 goals. That’s a gap, but the line has been effective and has played 100 minutes together already this season.

Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Arvidsson: 3-3 goals in 92 minutes. This line was interrupted by the Arvidsson injury, suspect we’ll see it again soon. Expected goals 57 percent and the GA-60 (1.95) is encouraging as Draisaitl is showing exceptional progress in goal suppression for the second season in a row.

Skinner-Henrique-Janmark: 2-1 goals in 85 minutes. Huzzah! Skinner on an outscoring line! Let’s not go crazy, we aren’t close to 200 minutes, and the expected goals (41 percent) and scoring chance share (40 percent) are eternal damnation. The HDSC (17-16) totals are encouraging and I do think Kris Knoblauch needs Skinner’s goal power as a regular part of the team.

Draisaitl-McDavid-Hyman: 8-2 goals in 82 minutes. People get the vapors when this trio marches through the saloon doors, but good lord their scoring rate is intoxicating. Expected goals 68 percent, this trio is money, money, money. I don’t think the Oilers will ever have the depth to run the line full time, what a wonderful world it would be.

Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Kapanen: 3-1 goals (75 percent) in 51 minutes. Small sample size alert, but this trio is absolute fire currently. An expected goal share (all of these numbers are five-on-five) of 75 percent matches the performance. A quick note here on Leon, who has improved his GA-60 year over year from 2.34-60 to 1.71-60 this season. Music! What a player.

It’ll be a busy day on the Lowdown, noon to 2 on Sports 1440. Rachel Doerrie from ESPN and Betalytics will join us, we’ll discus the current run by the team and the value of keeping powder dry until the deadline. I’ll also ask about how much of an upgrade Edmonton’s roster received via last week’s waiver activity. Jason Gregor will join us in hour two, he has been trumpeted the fine work of Leon Draisaitl and I’ll ask about a Hart/Selke summer for the big man. Declanations with Declan Krueger is Momma MMA. I’m at Lowetide on twitter, in the comments section here and on the Sports 1440 text line at 1.833.401.1440 directly. We can be heard at sports1440.ca; iHeartRadio; Radioplayer Canada, we tweet out the show after it’s done and you can catch us on Apple and Spotify.