We are close enough to real spring to enjoy the results of the ongoing battle between snow and rain. We had some significant moisture in my area on the weekend, but the rain held sway for long enough to keep snow at bay. There’s a skiff on the deck today, enough for Ziggy to play, make a mess, and then destory my floors.
Spring is close. Only those who live in the land of the ice and snow can ever know the mood lift that arrives with the warmth of the sun. Hurry spring! Hurry heat! Hurry Stanley! Hurry hard!
WHAT TO EXPECT IN MARCH
- On the road to: CAR (Expected 0-0-1) (Actual 1-0-0)
- At home to: ANA, MTL, DAL (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 2-1-0)
- On the road to: BUF, NJD, NYI, NYR (Expected 2-2-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: UTA, WPG, SEA, DAL (Expected 2-2-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: SEA (Expected 0-0-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: CGY (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected results: 7-5-2, 16 points in 14 games
- March result: 3-1-0
- Oilers in 2024-25: 37-22-4, 78 points in 63 games
I have Edmonton going 5-4-1 the rest of this month, that would give the team 88 points in 73 games. That’s a 100 point pace.
This is the point in the season where I begin to realize it’s going to come to an end soon. Oilers fans will get ready for the long playoff spring to come and there’s a new excitement and impatience to get going.
Until the deadline, I felt this edition of the Oilers team was less impressive than last year’s group. After the deadline, I’m encouraged by the defense and there’s enough quality and depth up front to shuffle until answers appear.
The goaltending remained intact, and that is going to be a major story through the end of the year. I’m on team Stuart Skinner, but that doesn’t mean one thing. It was pointed out this weekend that Stan Bowman not making a deal isn’t the same thing as a ringing endorsement. The GM might merely want a larger talent pool which allows for a stronger bet. We’ll see. In the meantime, the current goaltending tandem gets another chance for Stanley.
Saturday’s game was encouraging. The question today: Can the Oilers play that game on the road? We find out tonight.
We kickstart the week on the Lowdown at noon today, Sports 1440. Rachel Doerrie, CTO of Betalytics and Host of Puck Social will join us to talk about deadline moves and the teams that won the week. Jason Gregor will drop in to chat about the Oilers on Saturday, lines and pairings and Jeff Skinner’s future. 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, it’s available post-show on apple and spotify, and we tweet it out on X.
Hearing that the Bruins offered Marchand 3 x $3M extension before the 4Nations Faceoff while Marchand was asking 3 x $5M.
Marchand went to management face to face a day or 2 before the trade deadline and said that he’d be willing to bend and take less if the Bruins would also give a little more.
Boston didn’t give an inch off the low ball offer to their captain and that’s why Brad Marchand requested a trade to Florida.
Shades of Smytty’s departure. Bigger gap with Marchand/BOS though.
I just saw that 3-2 goal on the highlights now. What a joke of an effort.
I remain annoyed that Drai missed the open net to tie the game (what a pass by McDavid).
Frederic and Kane cannot get back soon enough. So sick of Janmark, Brown, Podkolzin, Henrique, Arvidsson, RNH being complete non factors most every game
McDavid with a clear lane to the net with the goalie pulled and instead passes it to Bouchard who try’s to pass it back but Buffalo gets a stick on it. McDavid SHOOT THE PUCK!!! FFS! Don’t even get me started on Bouchard either. Yes he got a goal but the guy can be so useless in his own end its not funny. How does he lose that puck battle on the GWG? Why is Podkolzin in the lineup every night. He has done nothing for months and had a bad turnover on GWG tonight. I thought Jeff Skinner was good and I would have had him out there instead of Nuge with the goalie pulled. Nuge has been invisible for a month. After watching Walman for two games i am ready to give him 50% of the powerplay.
I know we are an older team and he’s older and hasn’t played in 2 years any thoughts on bringing in toews for the playoffs, from my understanding we still have a million or so dollars i know he’s not the fastest and probably lost a step but his experience may help
Even if…unfortunately it’s after the deadline. He wouldn’t qualify to be on the playoff roster.
Thanks for that info I was unaware I thought free agents could still be signed my bad
Forgive my crassness. They lack balls. Knoblauch lacks balls. Emasculated. It’s why they play better with Kane. Nice guy is what the AHL requires, leader is what the NHL requires
I don’t know why the teams have an identity that sustains, but it does as I see it. The oilers need to be a balls out fast team that when able scores because talented enough. This version is certainly able. So what’s the problem? They play like rookies with no pride and no balls. Good NHL players don’t miss clear scoring chances repeatedly and don’t do dumb things repeatedly
Perry is the best at below circles play which is pretty sad
Ryan Mcleod speaking with Gene postgame… damn. I think he misses the team as much as they/we miss him.
That 1st goal was a back-breaker… Stu had it stopped, couldn’t freeze it (happens far far too often), and Sabre finished an easy pot. That goal cant happen, yet…
And Bouchard with one super high point and multiple blunders with the puck on his stick… at this rate, I’m not sure what his next contract looks like, it sure ain’t gonna be in the 8-10m galaxy.
Just a very disappointing performance, especially after the superb show against Dallas. Coach got some work to do, maybe a player meeting or three.
How does a team with Connor and Leon have the 5th worst sh% in the league? Is it all just luck? System? It’s crazy.
Another sub 900 game for Skins. Can blame the defense, the coach other players all you want but this is the 21st sub 900 game for Skins. No team can win with that. He is slow in lateral movement and his rebound control is terrible, same goes with Picks. Maybe Swartz is the problem as well. Either way I suggested adding Blackwood 25 games ago, but some here thought that was stupid; would have been a good gamble; the garbage we have now is not going anywhere. Only hope is Skins goes on a hot run but very unlikely he will get that hot for the whole playoffs. If we had Vegas Management we would most likely have 2 cups already.
Yeah, but you know he took them to game 7 of the Stanley Cup. Of course, one finals appearance with 2 generational players in their late twenties is abysmal, but.
Extremely disappointing game from many perspectives but the early bad goals against are such killers.
I meant the bad first goals against.
You should win the vast majority of games outshooting your opponent 34-23. Goaltender missing one crucial save and lack of finish. Same as has been the case for much of their losses
If Skinner corrals the puck as he should have done, he’d have 2 GA and a supra .900 ave on the night, and we’d be playing for an extra point. If the team’s offense also wasn’t so one and done, we would be celebrating a win.
Skinner is what he is as soon as him and Pickard are at replaceable level they have a big game to get near that illustrious average joe level. I myself would of went in a different direction after the Vegas series. Skinner&Pickard have one more chance to prove me wrong.
Not good. This group is way too inconsistent for a deep playoff run. Also perhaps the worst group of wingers we’ve had a in a long time.
The absolute very WORST. Small, slow, not physical and little offence. Did I miss anything????
Many players in the league can score on the pass McDavid made to Janmark late. Not these guys.
Woof. A little too late in the season for jekyll and hyde. Someone mentioned it on edmonton sports talk, if they lose this game, they also lose any momentum they gained from the Dallas game.
In my opinion some tough decisions need to be made this off season. I’ve always appreciated what Bouchard brings, but I’m hesitant of him being resigned at a $10+ mil contract. Even at the end of the game, don’t dust it off at the the point giving the defenseman time to get into the lane. Let alone the game is in the dying seconds, get it to the net! Numerous infuriating plays per game.
It’s not playlight savings time Oilers it’s Daylight savings time!!!!!
Bouch is extremely talented and much of the game comes very easy. His in game GAS (give a sh!t) gauge looks awful on many nights. it’s going to cost him a boatload of money.
Oilers got UPLed.
Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. Posts be damned, we shot ourselves in the foot all game.
Pathetic play tonight. Too many visitors on the bench just watching the game and not participating…..
Quite a few players need to be better but it starts with Skinner, Bouchard, and even Nuge needs to wake the hell up.
Outgoalied by UPL, Powerplay couldn’t convert against a weak BUF team in the later stages when it needed to, and still some dumb decisions.
Team looked old and slow tonight. I really think they are missing some youthful piss and vinegar. Perry has pulled his weight but Henry, Janmark, Brown, Arvy and J Skinner certainly have not.
Never lead. Skinner is not the guy.
Sure, but let’s also talk about the inability to score.
If it wasn’t for his work in the o-zone, Bouchard could easily be callled “Also In Photo”.
Chuck saving his timeout for the playoffs i guess.
Jeff Skinner stole a puck, again, and created a scoring chance, again…
Donny?
Donny Meehan, how you doing?
Sabres should be an easy two points. Starting to look like Kings could pass us in the standings.
Who was Bouch passing that 3 foot pass to in front of the net?
Looking more and more like a 6 Schmill d man
Brutal..
Bouchard, soft on the puck. One hand on the stick and little fight. oh well
And they elevate Janni…wtf…
I’ve watched most of the game, but not all of it. Looks like the Oilers have dialed-down their expectations a bit from the previous game. Poor defensive coverage, some awful passing, letting the opponent beat you to most of the pucks. This looks like last month, but maybe a bit less poor. Credit to Buffalo, they’re fast and they’re not dumb.
It’s hard not to be infuriated with Bouchard.
Bouch is obviously a gifted offensive talent but defence is optional. Don’t see you could pay him $8-10 mil a season??????
Hes a 6M player at best this year.
Jeff Skinner has stolen the puck twice this game by skilled stick work and created a chance. Give the man a shot, will ya?
Come on, Connor. Eat the puck instead of trying risky plays at the top of the zone. Better to loose the puck battle in the o zone than give up a fast break…
The Oilers finishing is so poor this season I am starting to think it’s a feature of Knobber’s coaching/system.
Yes completely rational that hitting the posts multiple times is a coaching system issue lol
Now way we should be losing this game. Hope we see some resilience and they can tie this up and win it in ot. Gotta manage that damn puck better, Leon and Connor!
truth is, that if nobody but Mcdavid and Leon show up and play to win, this team going nowhere. Even those two have not been great tonight. Way too many hope passes and trying to get the puck through to each other when the play is just not there.
PB is a tool to make players work harder and commit to the system. Over the last month the Oilers forwards have not been doing either. Time to shake up the doghouse and try to get a little more out of the bottom six. Love Nuge but maybe let him watch a game.
How does one choose Nuge over any of Brown, Henrique, Janmark, Arvidsson and likely a few others that are not impacting the game with any consistency?
8 posts/cross bars in last two games
Too many passengers. Nuge, Janmark, Henrique, Arvidsson, Brown, Jones, Perry. ALL invisible. Many times this season its the same damn thing…This team is Not as good as last year and they are definitely not exciting to watch. They better wake up soon or they will get bounced early and have a nice long summer to think about it.
Oilers have had some lousy puck luck in this game.
Holy Hell – Leon, how do YOU not bury that one?
Definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Turnovers at the blue line and rush goals are killing the Oilers. Coaches have identified this but the only player held accountable is Skinner. Coaches message to team after this game will be “Podz that was a horrible play, Skinner you are back in the PB”
That was one of the most unconventional 2-on-1’s I’ve ever seen. Basically all three skaters abreast.
Buffalo Sabres show why they’re first place overall. Wait….
Absolutely brutal turnover by Podz, who stopped skating on the backcheck and waved his stick uselessly at Thompson.
Podkolzin stopped moving his feet.
Could Bouch have put in any less effort on that play?????????????
Damn. Another bad look for Bouch…turnovers…smh…
That’s not on Bouch. Podz gave him a live grenade.
Agreed that Bouch was put in a bad spot with zero help but it’s always Bouch, lately…optics look bad, again, was my point.
Self-inflicted gah
Ownership should tell them:
Win in regulation – Head to Manhattan (and don’t play until Thursday).
Anything else – Stay in Buffalo
lol