The Edmonton Oilers usually zig instead of zag a couple of times during the holidays. In recent years, the team straightens up and flies right after the turkey fog lifts. There is an enormous opportunity for this organization to win the first divisional championship since 1987. It might seem like no big deal, but each of these accomplishments (led by two trips to the Final) indicate progress, success, and finding higher ground. These are the good old days.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN JANUARY
- At home to: Flyers, Preds (Expected 1-0-1) 0-1-0
- On the road to: Jets (Expected 1-0-0)
- At home to: Kings (Expected 1-0-0)
- On the road to: Blackhawks, Preds (Expected 1-1-0)
- At home to: NYI (Expected 0-0-1)
- On the road to: Canucks (Expected 1-0-0)
- At home to: Blues, Devils, Penguins, Caps (Expected 2-1-1)
- At home to: Ducks, Sharks, Wild (Expected 1-1-1)
- Expected Record: 8-3-4, 20 points in 15 games
- Actual Record: 0-1-0
- Season Record: 20-16-6, 46 points in 42 games
It’s sunrise in Edmonton. You can feel the heat coming off the blacktop already. It’s going to be s scorcher. You had the carburetor, baby, cleaned and checked, with her line blown out, she’s hummin’ like a turbojet. You are headed for the open road, the Voyageur restaurants look like dots on a map as you fly past. It’s time to make this happen, and you’re burning daylight but making real good time. Let’s. Go!
QUINN HUTSON
The Oilers are activating Kasperi Kapanen for tonight’s game, and Quinn Hutson has an advance token on the Reading Railroad bound for Abbotsford, British Columbia. It’s the correct call.
A good way to view prospects is by tracking progress and checking off boxes that represent possible elite outcomes. Matt Savoie may not be elite as an NHL player, but he does have some things to suggest he’ll land on a skill line for many seasons. He is a former top-10 overall pick, his final WHL season including more than two points-per-game, and he pulled an actual NHL player with plenty of controllable track in a trade. Those are fine arrows.
Ike Howard won the Hobey Baker, scored seven goals in seven games at the 2024 World Junior championships and is setting the woods on fire with the Bakersfield Condors. A coach who doesn’t trust rookies much has him on the third line tonight. He pulled a quality prospect in trade, and Stan Bowman traded for him so he must. not. fail.
Quinn Hutson doesn’t have quite the same resume. His name is confusing, like Quinn Hughes and Lane Hutson created a middle brother out of Lego blocks. He is an older player (turned 24 one week ago) and his time is now, or soon. The verbal on him coming out of college surrounded good speed and two-way acumen. His offensive burst in the AHL (he’s on fire, and has been for long enough to matter) is something to behold, and I’m cheering like hell for him.
Here’s the thing: Hutson isn’t applying for the same job as Savoie and Howard and that’s extremely unlikely to change soon, if ever. The proper place for Savoie/Howard is in a top-six forward role. They may not get there, or maybe they stick but only for a time. However, that’s the place they occupy as young players. That kind of promise is rare.
Hutson’s outer marker, right now, is middle-six forward. He is tracking like Fernando Pisani, a little ahead of schedule, actually. Now Pisani played an important role and we can argue about how long he played on one of the top two lines but he was fouth among forwards in icetime during the 2006 playoffs and that’s top-six by any measure.
It’s possible Hutson has a strong career, even possible he rivals Savoie and Howard when all is said and done. It is not likely, and Hutson will have to earn every morsel of good will from an NHL coach. He has no inside champion, there is no push from management. That’s why I cheer for him. I always cheer for the underdogs.
On the Lowdown today, it’s another edition of the round table. If you have never heard it, imagine a scene where three young wisecrackers with good brains hammer an old man senseless over two hours of sports talk radio. Declan Krueger, Donovan Paulson and Josh Fenwick will be steady talking and questioning everything, noon to 2pm on Sports 1440 and You Tube.
Nice win.
Recall Hutson.
Griffith scores, an entering pass that went off the d-man an in but they give that right back (I missed it), however…… Brown on the rush to Keppen to Griffith for his second of the game.
4-2 Condors.
KK says Henrique will be out “for a little while”…
If Henrique is out, I hope they bring Hutson back up as a replacement centre. The next hope would be for the coach to give him reasonable minutes to establish himself but one win at a time…
Hutson is not a center.
Josh Samanski is a center.
Bring them both.
Howard Samanski Hutson is a ready made line.
They don’t have the roster spots, even if Rico goes on IR.
Great game.
If the Oilers do manage to put this all together with Walman and Jarry back, Mangiapane’s contract off the books, and competent 3C/4C solutions, having D depth is a big deal and we would all much rather have Stecher than Regula as that 7th option. He played 24 mins and led all Leafs defenders. He’s also 31 with less miles than most defenders of that age
Howard/Henrique/Roslovic were getting absolute crushed, every shift.
Howard/Savoie/Roslovic was fantastic.
So we now have $10 mil of cap tied up in 3 veteran players that aren’t doing shite!
Yes, but many contending teams would still want him because experience and he is a center, so he actually carries positive trade value, I feel. There could be a fit with the right team
At Least Henrique will be gone next year, and Mangiapane will likely be traded (if not they can waive him/send him down).
But that Frederic contract…🤮
He needs to get a new personal trainer and/or skills coach to get back into his previous Boston shape. If if doesn’t regain his form by the end of the year, it’ll require a hefty price to trade away (if he’ll even waive his NMC). Would they possibly consider buying him out? Would cost 821k AAV for 14 years (basically eternity).
Who here would bite that bullet?
There is no chance they buy him out this summer.
A little wobble early but that was a pretty sturdy win tonight
Some feel good points for several players and another nice outing for Ingram
Ingram was rock solid.
Thought Stasny looked great tonight. He can really skate and handle the puck!
Not letting the 3rd goal was huge to me, even if it wouldn’t have decided the game. This was the difference between a supra .900 game and a sub-.900 game, and while it’s very unscientific and early days, achieving the good kind of S% in 4 of his 5 games so far is rarified air for this club.
Skinner achieved that feat 4 times in the 5 games before being traded, but only 6 of the preceding 18 games, so overall 10 of 23 games this season as an Oiler (2/4 as a Penguin).
Pickard has achieved a supra .900 game only 4 of 15 times this season (27%), by comparison. His lunch has been officially eaten.
Jarry’s 1/3 is too early to judge, especially since his team pooped the bed defensively in the last 5 mins of the 2 blowouts where his S% dipped…
92.3 SV% for Imperial Oil.
Also, McD with 10 SOG tonight. Only one off his PB.
Hutson to Carfagna who blast home his 3rd from distance.
3-1 Condors (goal against was Milman getting walked off the rush).
Really not sure what else they want Hutson to do down there. It’s bizarre
Nuge FOREVER
McHattrick and 500 for Nuge
I was one (of many) not happy with Kapanen placed not the 2nd line.
While I will defend all the reasons behind my opinion (and there was many), coach K wins this one tonight – great game by Kap – primary in 2 even strength goal.
Oh, and as I type this, it seems Nuge DOES help create on the top line, just not a defensive conscious…..
McHatty!
Nuge’s 500th career helper too.
Drai really doesn’t do “game management” on the defensive side, does he?
Gonna be some Kappy Pie to eat tomorrow.
That line had been ice cold for about 4 weeks.
It won’t last but you gotta give props for a helluva effort tonight.
Five-saitl! 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
Kapanen woooooo
The Mayor of Nashville strikes again
Atta boy Kap (and Drai) – get puck retrieval and pass.
Nurse-Regula. What else can ya say?
Beautymark been working tonight
oh dear
Regula is not good at hockey
He may be one day but he’s been struggling for a month now.
Regula is not good
Ingram stealing my heart
Ingram with some highway robbery
Just your monthly reminder that HH/DSF told us that players would prefer to play with Leo Carlsson over McDrai. He also touted that the Ducks would be the class of the Pacific.
Leo has 1 point in his last 9 games and is a -8. That has never happened to McDavid at any stretch in his career.
The curse lives on
Ducks quacked again.
Sixth straight game giving up four or more.
Young Teams and their streaks will break your heart.
Connor Brown a sparkling -4 in a 9-0 shutout tonight. The perfect 3rd liner per the troll today.
That Hutson guy w/2 goals tonight in Abbotsford.
and they are in the first intermission.
Each described below in this thread if anyone is interested and missed them during the flow of the Oilers game.
Just wondering. Does a penalty shot goal count as a PP?
No.
My guess would be no??
I know correlation does not equal causation but Henrique leaves the game and the Oilers are up 3.
#AdditionBySubtraction
Kapanen with the middle finger to the 2nd line haters!
Its not necessarily Rico out of the game but that 3rd line not being a line any more – They were 0% corsi and getting killed shift after shift.
I know the 5 on 5 game wasn’t great to start but they found their legs and, without Mang, Fred and Rico, they are a bit faster on the ice I think.
Kapanen woooooooooooo
Kap fanned on that I think.
Good for him.
That’ll keep him in the top 6 until the Olympic break.
Cheeks sneaks it in! 🚨
KasBury
Kappanen is making it happen-en
Weakest shot on net in the game. Goal!
Just Kap an en, a little Kapperoo…
I am shocked that an Oiler line goes hard to the net and it works! Tired of seeing other teams do it to us all the time.
Sportsnet needs to update their commercial with Hughes no longer in Vancouver.
Great for Lazar
Good hustle by the whole line on the Lazar goal.
Floodgates – Savoie will get an apple on the net front touch (and battle that was key to the goal).
Good to see the hustle and determination rewarded.
Lazar know how to get the job done
He’s showing up the coach. Last time he helped the team score a goal, coach benched him.
Lazar has been pretty solid in a 4 th line role and likely hasn’t deserved to be in the PB as much as he has. A victim of coach trying to get the boat anchors Freddy and Mangy going.
He won’t the job over Philp.
Yes he did.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised with Lazar. When he first broke in here in Ottawa there was a lot of hype based on his CHL play. He’s bounced around but one of those players that’s adapted to a bottom six player when he realized he’s not going to be a top line scorer. Great depth play this season.
Silent Saros in Empty Boats
McHandles x2
Soooooooo dirty
Filthy McFilthovich.. Beauty.
I though he lost that puck but then he roofed it….
Abbotsford fails to clear again Samanski with a great backhand pass from the half-board to Hutson in the very high slot and he one-times home ANOTHER.
2-0 Condors.
Not positive McDavid shouldn’t have taken that clear lane to the net given…..
Oilers starting to dominate – stacking shifts on shifts – need to capitalize at some point though….
It started with the Draisaitl line. They must have had a two minute shift in the O Zone.
Hope the crappy PP doesn’t kill their momentum….
Their 5 v 5 play has been stellar, coming in waves. At least in the second period minimum.
It seems to me the lesson the Oilers learn the past few playoffs is that it’s not enough to be a 2-line team. But right now they look like a 1-line team.