The Edmonton Oilers are the most dangerous team in hockey. For the opposition, and themselves.
We will find out much about this Oilers team tonight. Entering the series versus the Dallas Stars, this train was bound for glory. Through two periods, there were concerns (turnovers at the blue line is such a terrible way to give up goals) but the 3-1 lead looked legit from the cheap seats.
The Oilers looked like frauds in the third period. Folded like a cheap suit (and I’ve owned a few). Sucktastic. Confirmed fears for fans, gave hope to haters and exposed the holes in the roster.
Edmonton got spanked. Will there be pushback? Will this team stand and deliver? Will the coaching staff MacGyver a solution to the power play?
Can we please not fall in love with beautiful goals to the point that an alert team can fish for turnovers and get them? I love Leon Draisaitl as a player, and realize that elite skill players have the puck more often so it’s reasonable to expect more turnovers. However, he had four in Game 1 and the Stars have lines in the water at the blueline. Evan Bouchard and Connor Brown had three, so No. 29 wasn’t alone. It’s a thing that needs fixing.
The Oilers are going to take penalties. That’s a fact. You can’t build a meek team and win diddly in the NHL. The penalty kill is an apt name for the game state, since it actually ended the Oilers in Game 1. Perhaps the unit (and coaching staff) felt shame after Game 1, and will play a stronger game. I don’t think it can be worse.
I’ve said the all season this is a unique team. I’ve never seen a true SC contender with this high a ceiling and this low a floor. They are truly heaven and hell in the NHL. Hold on to your ass.
A busy show today, Lowdown hits at noon on Sports 1440. We’ll have feature guests Steve Lansky and Tyler Yaremchuk, to talk Oilers and Panthers (who are the modern Shero Flyers). We’ll chat CFL, MLB, NFL and of course NBA. Declan Krueger will have Declanations (top 5 list) at 12:40. Hold on to your ass! A big day in Oilers Nation.
Agreed that the more you have the puck the more turnovers. That shouldn’t be confused with making bad plays. Drai forces things that aren’t advised when he’s not feeling it or the room he wants isn’t there
DaBoer is veteran coach he’s setting the narrative that Dallas was jobbed and the Refs owe them. Our home crowd needs to get behind the boys and not allow the Refs to dictate next game.
There are not a lot of options for a coach when he knows if the other team plays well enough there is no chance your team can win, without a miracle. Like the 80’s
Create enemies to rally around and hope for the best. Thankfully the work holland started and Bowman completed in terms of physicality and size means trying to run them won’t work, and in fact may backfire
Very happy for them and we fans. They dominated 5 of 6 periods it looks like but couldn’t catch the game so perhaps less periods, but the point remains I think
Sounds like some desperation possibly setting in.
I like Stu Skinner, but he has been the proverbial box of chocolates these playoffs. Next game will he be Dom Hasek or Andre ‘Red light’ Racicot?
3 shutouts in 4 games is good right?
Aaah, but those other games . . . .
I thought game 1 was overblown. Skinner got scored on too many times, but didn’t get cleanly beat off a wrister with no screen three times like the guy on the other end. His team let him down in the pk imo. When you’ve only let in 2 5v5 goals in the last 4 games I think you’re doing alright. Any hand wringing is a fault on the hand wringer not the goalie.
Mason Marchment
“A lot of that stuff, you just keep in the back of your mind, and if the opportunity presents itself, then you take your chance,” he said. “We’ve got a long series here.”
Shaq-Hyman will see about that
Does Marchment mean like.. when you’re standing behind someone and the opportunity is there to cross check them in the back?
I wish that the reporter would have followed up by asking if they thought the slash was retaliation for trying to take out McDavid at the knees.
https://x.com/DarrenDreger/status/1926121601193402729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1926121601193402729%7Ctwgr%5Ee8fba6ec304bfee53e1dc3222d346f46d40dacd6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2F
NHL rules are apparently foolish.
The malice and danger of the infraction should, in my opinion, determine a major, not whether someone is injured. How does one define injury? Literally everyone is injured on a slash to a body part. And if it exacerbates a pre-existing injury, that’s automatically a major?
Not to mention the Stars are instructed to dive, so how does one truly know an injury.
On the broadcast last night it was mentioned that the Stars have led the league in “embellishment” penalties for the past four years. Not a stat to be proud of imo.
Because of Marchment.
Agree fully, 100%
It also encourages the shenanigans that the Panthers did in the SCF where at least 2 of their players went to the dressing room, only to miraculously return after the major was called.
The refs used the right judgement tonight. Pretty ordinary slash in reaction to a cross check.
Agree. No pre-meditation, either
I kind of think it was a pound of flesh for a minor, but too soft for a major. So minor it is.
Didn’t watch the game but just caught the SN highlight package.
Who was that absolute beauty blocking a garbage slapshot with 3 seconds left in a bid to preserve Stu’s shutout?
Frederic
Much obliged. Sign the man.
Frederic
Connor Brown is an absolute beauty!
DeBoer is cooked.
What a dumb comment by DeBoer. Has there ever been a 5 minute major for a slash? McDavid gets no special treatment. Fans would be furious if it were McDavid but it wouldn’t have been a 5 minute and intent? It was a cross check by Hintz first and a retaliation by Nurse. Tells me that Hintz may be more seriously injured than it looked.
Morrissey injured McDavid and didn’t even take a penalty. Shit happens. If Hintz is injured or rendered ineffective that destroys their first line and will turn into one of those dumb luck penalties
99% of what happens on the ice is “intent”.
Pete’s a clown with that comment.
Incredibly whiny comment by DeBoer. Intent is when you swing your stick from over shoulder height onto the hands of an attacking player. As you say, Nurse took a cross check from Hintz, then slashed low… a play that happens many times in a game. If Nurse was intending to injure, that slash is likely at least waist high where the protection is much less.
I’m fine with Dallas freaking out over this. Make the slash the center of your thoughts and get off your game for Sunday. Works for me
Direct quote from https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/dallas-stars-roope-hintz-leaves-early-after-slash-from-edmonton-oilers-darnell-nurse-1.2311226
As TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger points out, per Rule 61.3, a major penalty should have been called due to an injury occurring on the play.
This seems like a made-for-Oilers rule. Like the equally egregious “not in full control” Colorado offside bullshit from a couple years ago.
We also probably owe Calgary a 3rd round pick too.
Hints should count himself lucky he didnt get 2 for embellishment the way he carried on.
watch him suit up for game 3 like nothing happened.
To be fair, not sure why he wouldn’t come back if he was able. He might be this year’s Chris Tanev
See ‘like nothing happened’, tanev’s play was clearly impacted by an injury.
DeBoer with the sad violins. Didn’t hear you complaining, Pete, when Blackwell went at 97’s legs
Apparently DeBoer thinks that who a penalty is committed on is of primary importance when calling it.
That was a BS comment by DeBoer. It was a slash deserving a 2 min penalty nothing more. To suggest the call would have been different if 97 was one getting slashed is ludicrous. Shame on DeBoer.
Ha. Yeah, that was a pretty ridiculous take he had on the play.
Wow DeBoer whining about Nurse not getting a 5 min major. Let the games begin.
Well, Hintz did seem to be crying. When we were kids if we made someone cry, the sticks and nets were taken away…
For all the deserved shit Skinner gets, the media criticizing his shutout performance is an interesting choice. Yes he had a lot of movement but he also stopped some HDSC including a potentially momentum shifting SH breakaway, and a chance in tight that helped shift a potential 1-1 game to a 2-0 lead. Just under 3 goals saved above expected
I agree with the commenter who pointed out that he was out further to challenge shooters (something Pickard does a lot of), and when the defenders were blocking shots and clearing out the rebounds, the effort was a great success
I’m not trying to compare Skinner to Hasek overall, but how many games in general, was Hasek just doing whatever he could to stop a puck, including sliding all over the place or having some wobble in his game? Skinner did whatever he could to stop the puck and looked like he was fighting it a bit, but he made the saves or forced shooters to change the angle to their disadvantage. Skinner should get the credit for shutting the door even if it didn’t look pretty, just like Hasek.
If they’re talking about how he looked as he stopped every single puck his way then you know they’re grasping at a narrative they already wrote a story for (cough Spec).
Better ice at home should be advantage Oilers.
Will be interesting to see how he line matches
He is fighting the puck a bit but maximum effort and the team was collapsing around the net to prevent rebounds; as well lots of blocks including a good one from 97. Skinner did seem calmer in his previous 2 shutouts. But whatever, he got a shutout and outplayed Ott.
So many battles won tonight. Maybe a bit less in the 3rd but still very mature period
Money Puck says the expected goals were 4.18-2.87 and I think that seems about right for Dallas, although we could have had another 2-3 by my estimation.
Also: Second straight game where the “deserve to win o meter” was >63%, with lots of love to Hyman, Nuge and Kane for their contributions
https://moneypuck.com/g.htm?id=2024030322
So are we done running Bouchard out of town?
No that will continue to peak the second he has a bad giveaway, which by Edmonton trollfan logic is far worse than being second only to Bobby Orr in points per playoff game for a defenseman, all time.
I may be mistaken, but I haven’t seen any hate on this site since early in LA series
It was always for a contract he hadn’t signed yet so no. The beatings will continue until morale improves.
Someone with a high level hockey IQ needs to take a real deep dive into the 7 games that Skinner has started this playoffs. Is it Skinner, is it the team, or is it the Gords?
Obv all 3. How much of each? Well, that’s the question. The breakaway he faced today, the fwd felt a bit of pressure on the forehand side and was pressured onto his backhand side. It’s a lot easier for the G to make that stop if he has less than two thirds of the net to worry about. Against Seguin in game 1, it was a clean breakaway from the red line in. And that was a Leon-Kling gaff at the opposing blue line to allow it to happen.
Baby Nuge with back to back games of one goal and one assist, sitting a pretty +3 after two.
I consider that as impressive a defensive performance than games 4 or 5 versus Vegas. Dallas pressed hard in the 3rd period and they defended in-zone alot but they got in all lanes, fronted so many pucks – it was wonderful.
I honestly wonder how much better the Stars can play. The Oil truly sucked all the flow out of their game and the Dallas fans didn’t get antsy. I had the impression this performance wasn’t abnormal to them. Or maybe they’re just hockey-illiterate.
I had the same thought about Dallas. I think they played better than the first game over the whole game, but it seems like they are playing at their ceiling. Meanwhile, the Oilers still have another level they can get to. I hope I’m not wrong in feeling this.
Stu is truly a gem of a human. Along the lines of Principe. Always first to credit teammates when he gets the win and shutout. They deserved the credit in this one!
Big win. Solid, mature game. Can’t wait for Game 3!
We got our split I didn’t mind the slash on Hintz after numb nuts tried to take out McDavid . I know that play happens all the time he must of connected in the sweet spot of the ankle.,
Dear John Klingberg:
How does 3 years x $1.1M grab ya?
I know he wouldn’t sign that but holy hell can that man move a puck
$0.1M more than they gave JBrown!
I thought it was an absolutely horrible signing. Boy was I wrong. I wish we could keep him in the offseason
Not a chance he signs that I wouldn’t think.
Stu Hasek is one hell of a trip.
Below .840 or a shutout – goalie fits the team.
That is one shaky shutout but as they say it’s results that matter. Skinner got the split now let’s take care of business in front of the best fans in the N.H.L.
Wonder about Hintz. Did Nurse get him in the Achilles? Really didn’t look like much but he didn’t come back.
I think they mentioned something about an older injury on the broadcast?
It looked like the front of the foot
Reading Stars fans comments, Hintz has a history of foot problems and seems like Nurse hit him in the top of the foot?
Can you believe someone out there thought Rantanen was not worth the money.
Most notable (in a good way) player on Dallas.
Oilers outhit Stars 49-28!
Huge game by the guys.
But we need to figure out what to do on a 3-2. We’ve had at least 4 tonight and most ended up in a turnover and a rush the other way.
Stop forcing passes.
No kidding so many opportunities need to start converting. Dallas was pressing hard on home ice they’ll play more rope-a-dope next game in Edmonton. We need to be patient as the turnovers will come with our D getting it quickly up the ice.
Wow +3 on the PP
#NeverInDoubt
Skinner for Conn Smythe.
#PlayLaBambaBaby!!
How do you add a gif?
If you can find a link that ends in “.gif” you can just paste the link into your post
Thanks man.
Apparently not only are they flying in Daly but Bettmsn as well as a investigation is under way on why Dallas took more penalties then Edmonton.
Haha refs missed the memo?
That was a nerve wracking shutout. Nice team win, they really limited the Grade As.
All shutouts against good teams are nail biters
3 wins. 3 shutouts. Ever been done before?
So happy to not hear the USA chant.
Complete effort. 5 very very good road periods.
home ice advantage!!
Tonight we got good acid trip Stuart Skinner
“don’t take the brown acid”
“The warning that I received, you may take with however many grains of salt you wish, that the brown acid that is circulating around us, is specifically not too good. It’s suggested that you do stay away from that; of course, it’s your own trip, so, be my guest.”
That made me laugh out loud
2 hits of Purple Mic.
Oilers the better team in 5/6 periods thus far.
Yup. Be nice to be up 2 – 0 but I’ll take the split
OK- there’s the split we needed
It’s either 5 GA or shutouts for the Skinman
That has to be a record. Stu with 3 shutouts for his 3 wins. Well played boys!!
Dallas would be a pretty great team if they had a goalie as good as Skinner.
Wow shut out for Stu! Wasn’t always pretty but he battled hard. Well done!!
3rd shutout in 4 games. Pretty. Pretty. Good.
And it’s not even Game 4+ yet!
Unorthodox tending but effective.
That isn’t pretty good, that’s incredibly good!! It’d be interesting to know when the last time that happened in the playoffs.
What
A
Clinic
This shows how far Stecher has come.. appreciated by coaching staff, getting the responsibility on the pp at this stage
Tony Stretcher was a BEAST
Dallas fans, please regale us with your U-S-A chant again.
That should be awarded a goal, Fer sure
Does it have to prevent the shot or do you have to be in alone?
Suck it, Mikko.
The Mikko shall not inherit the earth.
Empty net put Kane out!
ENG, let’s go
Let Skinner shoot it and score