The Edmonton Oilers of this era are driven by captain Connor McDavid. He brings elite skills and can push the river all the way to the sea. He is also the emotional leader of the team, and I get the feeling this Oilers team is playing with an extra edge.
McDavid’s comments about the team’s health featured some pointed responses and his postgame interview the other day was out of step with most of those exchanges. I think McDavid feels the Oilers are being disrespected, counted out, and that may be part of the fuel that is the fire on ice currently being endured by the Los Angeles Kings.
There may be more fuel for the fire. Leon Draisaitl was inexplicably excluded from the Ted Lindsay finalists list published yesterday. Draisaitl already has a Lindsay, and the award is often given out to players who have yet to win. This goes back to Bobby Orr only getting one (it was called the Lester Pearson at the time). Then again, Connor McDavid has four. Any road, suspect this will be used as ammo by a team that uses ‘us v them’ effectively.
Tonight is a huge game. The Oilers have finally wrestled home-ice advantage from the Californians, and tonight is the chance to use that to the team’s advantage. Expect a hard fought game, expect the Kings to be better than ever, at least early, and remember nothing is guaranteed on NHL ice.
The change in weather from Games 1-2 through the rest of this series has been truly incredible. The Oilers have adjusted in specific and important areas (John Klingberg in, Josh Brown out, tweaks in outlet progression) and the Kings have not countered with a brand new plan.
Tonight, the Oilers will need another quality start from Calvin Pickard, who has been an absolute star in his three starts. The structure of the team defensively looks stronger too, and the secondary and tertiary scoring has been central to the plot.
The McDavid-Draisaitl-Bouchard magic will once again be central to the plot, but credit to this Oilers team for putting the pieces together. It arrived just in time, the club seemed late for the sky all down the line. At that last possible moment, the tumblers click, the engine roared, and these Oilers are tearing up the blacktop with miles and miles of open road. What a sweet ride Games 3-5. Game 6 tonight!
Morning skate lines per Tony B:
Drai/McDavid/Perry
Kane/Nuge/Hyman
Frederic/Henrique/Brown
Podz/Janmark/Arvidsson
Nurse/Bouch
Walman/Klingberg
Kulak/Emberson
Pickard
—————–
I think it would shocking if they started any different than they were rolled out last game given, well, the dominant performance for 60.
If anything, we could be surprised that Knob seems to be skating in the lines/pairings we are likely to see.
Great Oiler win in Game 5. Now let’s finish off the Kings and get a bit of rest. Looking for the Oilers to start the game on time, and playing their game right from opening puck drop. Forecheck and backcheck hard!
Can’t wait!
Forecheck, backcheck, Paycheck, as they say.
A musical tribute to the LA Kings and their ‘band’ to be played tonight after La Bamba!
Chopin Funeral march harmonica
Score the first goal, keep the place rocking, score 9 more.
Woot.
As well as we played last game it still only counts as one win. We need to keep our foot on the gas pedal L.A will be loose knowing it’s do or die. I do hope the coach keeps rolling the 4 lines and gets everyone involved early. I do think our physicality is wearing down Kempe-Kuznenko-Doughty-Mikey-Fiala.
Hillar: We’ll go back with the intention of playing the same game and get a different result.
Excellent.
Definition of insanity!
LT: “Connor McDavid. He brings elite skills and can push the river all the way to the sea.”
As a fellow thalassophile I support this beautiful line, thank you good sir!
Looking for a big game from Klingberg (it is written now, this is the way), and I don’t think Kane is going to slow down now that he’s scored a couple and feeling it. That line has been great, big boy hockey, and his wrist sure looks healthy from some time ago.
Repeat any resemblance to the last game and this one is over with a ‘whooping’ on home ice and into the next round of this furious dance. Stay disciplined (this is the way).
Not only can Connor push the river to the sea, he can push it back up into the mountains from whence it came
Florida looks like an absolute wagon. Can easily see them repeating this year. Sigh.
They’re using pure thuggery right now and getting away with it for the most part. Should there be a SCF rematch it is near imperative to arrive as healthy as possible. The team will need to have their heads on a swivel to look out for the oncoming cheap play.
Let’s go through Vegas, Colorado and Florida for the cup. Revenge tour 2025.
Very fitting.
Nothing is guaranteed on NHL ice. That’s a fact.
Can the Oilers bring the same game as they did in game 5?
I think they can.
I would think the LA Kings will be a better team and provide more push back but, this Oilers team, with the injured players back and with full urgency two-ways, is a legit contender.
— If the team feels disrespected and using that as fuel that’s a great motivation tool to be sure.
LFGOILERS!!
#respect
LT, Love the cat pic. Our young one goes to bed early with my wife. Our old lady cat stays up late with Dad watching the games. LFG !!!!!
In Pickard we trust let’s end it tonight then kickback and watch Vegas duke it out in hopefully a 7th game back in Vegas.
What a game the other night. I kept waiting for the inevitable Kings push back and it just never came because the Oilers wouldn’t allow it. Put up another game like that tonight and it’s on to the second round.
Wouldn’t surprise me at all for Draisaitl to answer a question pregame that he doesn’t care about the Lindsey, the only trophy he cares about is the one the team wins in June. Then he’ll go out and score a couple goals including the winner in a big win for the Oilers.
Now I see he was officially nominated for the Hart. He’ll likely say the same thing about that trophy
Draisaitl was on with Freidman the other day and said the individual trophy he wants to win is the Selke. He alluded that he, and Connor, feel disrespected by all the people saying that they cannot play a 200′ game. Watch both of back check like demons tonight.
Question…
Did draisailt break the playoff point streak vs one team?
Broadcast wa ttalking about it in.. I think game 3??
I thought they said he was either behind gretz, or tied with gretz?
I miss Bruce… I believe they said Gretzky had 22 games and Draisaitl was at 17, but also believe that was before the win, so he could/should be at 18 games now.
He was a true Gem of a man.
Leon has recorded a point in 19 consecutive playoff games vs the Kings. This ties him with Gretzky (against the Flames) and Messier (against the Kings) for the longest such streak. A point tonight and the record is his. He won’t care about the record unless his point(s) helps the team eliminate the Kings.
There has been a total of five (5) Rd1 upsets the last three (3) seasons in the NHL playoffs. Interestingly enough, 4 of the 5 were accomplished in the losing team’s barn.
STL (D3) over MIN (D2) won in their rink – a 4-2 series win by closing out with 3-straight wins.
Oilers can 1-up that by winning tonight by going 4 straight! Now, going 4 straight wins does not happen often and I have not found an example of spotting the other team 2 wins then rolling off 4-in-a-row.
Oilers close in out tonight with an emphatic 5-2 win (ENG to seal it).
Well, let’s do four straight tonight. Practice for the next time we spot a team a 3-0 lead.
I am worried about this game (every game really). I don’t want to put my nerves through a game 7 this early in the playoffs. Let’s finish em tonight!
It wasn’t in the last three seasons, but the Oilers beat San Jose 4 straight after losing the first two in on the road in 2006.
I truly think that the inconsistency of Oilers’ goaltending has skewed our perception of the position. Calvin Pickard is playing very well — he’s providing the quality of goaltending any NHL team requires to be successful.
But even in game five, a game that the CBC panel called a “whooping”, Pickard still had to make some quality saves. The expectation among some Oiler fans is than unless the scoresheet has zero HDSC then the leaned heavily on its goaltending to win.
PIckard has gone above and beyond expectations when he first signed here, a key component of the Oilers’ recent success and extreme value for what he’s getting paid. He was right to be annoyed by Spec’s questions after the game.
But he has not had to shine like a diamond for the OIlers to be successful.
Cautiously pessimistic again tonight, but hoping for a victory. I think the Oilers have re-learned (again) how to play defensively and how this unlocks their stars to counter-punch. I like the structure they used last game, especially how well the forwards came back to overwhelm the LA forecheck and turn it up ice again. Play that way tonight, and they will leave the Kings wondering what went wrong.
GOilers!
Just don’t turn off that switch.
Let’s beat these bums and have a nice cup of tea ☕
Yeah, put them out of their misery.
They just need to matcha the effort level from last game
Seems simple enough! Of course LA will have something to say about that… and then fail miserably.
Prospectsynchronicity!
Akey & Wakely, Attorneys at Law have a mother of a case ahead of them–pulling off a reverse sweep to save their season.
Oshawa seems to have Wakely wrapped around their finger as he has only an assist so far this series. Akey hasn’t exactly committed murder by numbers either as he remains stuck on five points (all apples) for the playoffs.
Do or die for Barrie tonight: win and continue the battle. Lose, and they may as well have tea in the Sahara.
Puck drops @ 5 p.m. Bindloss time.