The Edmonton Oilers play tonight in Anaheim against the Ducks. Both teams have a win and Game 3 is considered pivotal right up until Game 4. As in baseball, a 1-1 count in hockey means we’re too early in the at-bat to really know how this is going to go. Now, after tonight, one of these clubs will have two wins. If you have ever watched baseball, you know the difference between a 2-1 count and one ball, two strikes is massive. Big game tonight for Edmonton’s future. Please read this.
I think Kris Knoblauch will move Matt Savoie off the top line tonight. I also believe Jason Dickinson will play this evening. He’s the closest to being ready (Henrique didn’t make the trip according to reports) and the club will want a veteran pivot for EV and PK work. Dickinson wasn’t a strong option during the regular season at five-on-five (5-10 goals) but scored twice in Game 1 versus Anaheim and teams like to tweak after a loss.
Meanwhile, Josh Samanski was 11-9 goals during the regular season five-on-five and is 1-0 so far this spring in the playoffs. He has also scored a goal in this series. For me, the best spot for Samanski would be in the middle with Colton Dach and Trent Frederic. Two rookies, and Kris Knoblauch may choose another route, but I think it happens if the team moves Nuge up to replace Savoie on the McDavid line.
Special teams have to improve and I think we can expect the power play to deliver tonight. Connor McDavid hasn’t scored a point in this series, and it’s normally around this point in time when the captain says to hell with this noise, sets his jaw and posts some quality crooked numbers. My guess is we see it tonight.
I think we should be prepared for McDavid-Draisaitl at five-on-five for extended periods if Dickinson plays. That moves Nuge to 2C, then Dickinson followed by Samanski. I think it’s a mistake, but every Oilers coach goes to it sooner than later. There’s a good chance Knoblauch grabs the hammer and breaks the glass to put out the fire.
OILERS FIVE-ON-FIVE GOAL SHARE (CENTERS)
- Leon Draisaitl 29 minutes, 4-2 goals
- Connor McDavid 28 minutes, 1-1 goals
- 97 and 29: 5 minutes, 0-0 goals
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 14 minutes, 1-1 goals
- Jason DIckinson 10 minutes, 2-1 goals
- Josh Samanski 9 minutes, 1-0 goals
- Adam Henrique 3 minutes, 0-0 goals
- The rest: 6 minutes, 0-0 goals
The four lines are in zero trouble five-on-five so far in the series. The coach should leave them alone. Two games, one of which resulted in a win, is far too small a sample. Wheat kings and pretty things, let’s see what tomorrow brings.
OILERS FIVE-ON-FIVE GOAL SHARE (DEFENSE)
- Nurse-Murphy 32 minutes, 3-1 goals
- Ekholm-Bouchard 29 minutes, 1-1 goals
- Walman-Emberson 18 minutes, 2-0 goals
- Connor Ingram 38 of 42, .905SP
I wouldn’t change a thing. A coach who is forced to rely on Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard to break out of a two-game dry spell is the most blessed coach alive. I hope he knows it.
On the Lowdown today, Steve Lansky from Inside the Truck podcast joins us to talk about the series, with special emphasis on goaltending and special teams. We’ll discuss NFL draft, the Blues Jays and NBA playoffs, too. Noon to 2pm, Sports 1440 and You Tube.
So tired of Jack and Louie. Do they work for the ducks? Frick they scored on 2 PP’s they did NOT own that period. They’re insufferable and it’s so embarrassing
I see lots of pressure and good sticks from the Ducks. We can’t string together passes that make the Ducks pay for the aggressive forcheck and make them spread out/back off. If we could play solid defense and wait for their mistakes that could work too but we can’t, as evidenced by the poor PK. So we are stuck hoping we make less mistakes and they make more and coach Q has got them playing more consistently.
I think I’m ok with this. A 3rd trip to the Final without a win would have killed me.
Although tbey scored a flukey goal.on PP it’s insane that nothing has been adjusted and they are still running the hell out of that top unit.
The defense strategy requires no changes as they keep.trying the exact same thing.
It looks essentially like 4v4 as the left side of the ozone is basically not being touched.
Like they almost aren’t boyhering to cover nuge when drai and mcdavid are on that side and just like florida higjh winger is just salivating waiting for puck to go back to bouchard skating full tilt at him when puck goes that direction.
I’d put walman on the left point and start attacking other side a bit more aggressively. It’s crazy badically nothing has bern adjusted.
When mcdavid has no real.
Whip in his shot he’s been telegraphing his passes too obvious.
2 thimgs i’ve been saying since eaely season:
1.i widh they’d invest some real minutes in a real PP2 in case the top 1 gets jammed up and they need another option to keep pk units from just carbon copy defending onky unit they are well coachec to anticipate tendencies
2. Knoblauches achilles heel has really bern showing since early season in how long it took to adapt game plans. Lkke it has to be beyomd obvious not working before it gets adjusted which surely could cost you in a 7 game playoff series.
That may be the worst game McDavid has ever played. Multiple turnovers.
Feels like this has been said for 3 consecutive games. Crazy
Knoblauch has fallen into the same trap as every coach before him – overplaying the superstars instead of rolling the lines and/or promoting the guys who are actually bringing it on a given night.
It seems that he’s just another in a long line of uninspiring mediocre coaches that have all failed to fix the flaws in McDavid’s game – they needed to hire a Torts/Cassidy type years ago … someone that would have the gumption to hold Connor accountable for the lapses in his defensive zone play. 5 goals against in a playoff game should get you stapled to the bench … doesn’t matter who you are, or how great your offensive skill is … you’re just a complete liability to winning hockey games.
I don’t think KK is calling the shots. Why do you think JJ was brought in?
The next big game is not game 4. It is the adjustments that are made ahead of it. I’m sure they’ll get it.
It’s maybe the year for youthful exuberance. The young teams are handing it to the veteran teams. Here’s looking at you Montreal, Anaheim & Yutah.
Don’t forget Philly.
Buffalo too.
Need a good mix of youthful energy and veteran leadership.
03/04 was the best Oiler version of this
I think the youthful energy is extremely important especially with such a serious core leadership group.
Savoie, pods are a factor.
I feel that Sami Fred and dach with more ice time together could provide some momentum gaining cycle shifts if given the opportunity.
Lots to figure out but that’s a place to start.
This Oilers team is all kinds of wrong, so many gaps in quality, they’re just not there.
Not taking away anything from the Ducks, they’ve built a fantastic team with youth, speed and the right mix of veterans.
I don’t see the Oilers getting past them, if they do, they won’t last long the next round.
I don’t know much about goalies.
I feel like you might need a fire breather like Jarry in there. He’s got that I’m a dick and I know it energy. À la Smith and Roloson.
Ingram has played a lot lately and the last few games have been high event.
you’re suggesting Ingram is costing the Oilers? Thats not what I’m watching.
I don’t think he is costing them. He was quite good towards the end of the regular season.
I suppose this also depends on whatever nagging injury Jarry has or had.
He’s a rebound factory.
39nfin shots. Many HDs. This team has burned through 4 goalies this season.
How about some commitment to D from this leadership group? Did you see 97 on goal 3?
Oh yah he won the Art Ross – while setting a record for GA
The 4th and 5th goals were absolute daggers. Full possession on great shifts and then utter stupidity at the blueline. Get pucks on net. And the defending after the two mistakes, Ekholm gave Beckett a lane from the god damn opposite blueline. If the message has to be make simple plays and win battles. Thats it.
Reminds me of Florida last year. How many times did Marchand steal the puck on the blue line in FLA’s zone only to jailbreak and score?
Look, you can lay an egg. This team has laid much worse ones and responded.
It’s a bit surprising how discombobulated they look. But this team has also played some very, very good hockey.
McDrai are both varying degrees of hurt. No one wants to win more than them. 97 will adjust.
When has this team played some very, very good hockey? And for an extended period of time?
Certainly Not this season. Needs to just end
10 games to end the year?
There certainly was some very good hockey during those 10 games, but that not the same as very good hockey for those 10 games. The Oilers went 6-4 so they weren’t exactly dominating over that period and 2 of their wins were against the hapless Canucks and Hawks.
It is a little bit funny that we seemingly solved our 2nd line and 2nd d pairing only to have our top line and d pairing be absolutely atrocious.
. . . this feeling inside🎹
This Ducks team just brings out the absolute worst out of this team.
What a disgusting hockey game. Turnovers, laziness, sloppiness. Although he was not to blame, Ingram surely cannot start game 4, for Mercy’s sake.
Just when I thought this season couldn’t get any more frustrating, they play this game.
We watch Colorado professionally kick the ever-loving crap out of team, as they were expected to do. That’s a playoff team. I don’t know what I just watch, but it is no playoff team.
Oilers in 6.
People must forget when Seattle beat Colorado a couple of years back
Sure, but they did go 16-4 the playoffs prior….
Podz and Savoie are making some big time plays, man. 97 is coming on.
Onto the next!
Trying to find a few positives.
Obviously Pods!!
Also emberson! He seems to always make the right simple play.
Oilers got this. Made some adjustments after the first. Knob flipping Savoie/Roslovic up was good.
The Drai line is too good to break up. They need more ice.
Need to find a way to counteract that forecheck, and then attack with more speed.
McDavid keeps hanging is head over the boards like something hurts. On the ice for 5 GA, not all his fault, but somehow still gets ran out there for almost 24min. It’s too much. 18-19min at 80% would be a net improvement compared to 24min at 60%.
No kidding
This coach has one answer when his team is struggling. Play the stars more. That’s the strategy. Ducks look like they’re working harder and playing faster because they are rolling 4 lines of fresh skaters.
We’ve all heard this story before.
Many of us questioned the wisdom of running McDavid’s minutes so high right from the start of a season after playing so much hockey over the last couple years. In a year with a condensed schedule, and in a year where the coach knew he would be getting big minutes in the Olympics as well. Instead, he played the highest TOI of his career and here we are.
100%
16 GA in 3 games. Woodcroft is ligting another cigar tonight
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. That was us, tonight. Got out hustled at every turn. Duck have less talent but buried us with effort and determination.
The good news is we can work harder. That question is “will we”?
I’ve seen us do and it’s magnificent. Can we do it with a hobbled McDavid? I’d actually like to see him take a game off to heal. He’s clearly hurting but trying to find a way to make a difference.
Take a game. Let the troops win a battle and come back a little better, atleast.
The Ducks do not really have less talent.
Considering age and experience, they likely have more with even more coming soon.
Go f*ck yourself you petty little troll. No wonder your family hates you.
Sure they do.
He had a visible limp heading to the dressing room at the end. Rishaug stated he had no limp after Game 2. Playing is risking some pretty serious damage. I agree, sit him out, let the team rally.
McDavid coming off his worst two playoff games of his career where he was lit up for a combined 27 Corsi events (proxy for possession). Well, he was WAY worse tonight with 29 events against in this game alone.
Hes skating ok. Maybe not top form, but hes getting around the ice better than most
He’s shooting the puck ok
His decision making has been 4th round rookie level
His demenour tells the other team they have him solved
His straight speed is OK but when was the last time we saw him use his edges? That’s what separates his skating from the mortals.
Yes I see that to. Doesn’t excuse the multiple turnovers per game, poor passing, and Non existent D zone coverage.
Simplify the game when not at 100%.
Can still be a useful player with his base skillset. The conclusion this year is he is a 1 dimensional player
He can tell the press and fans that he’s fine all he wants, but it more than obvious that he’s trying to play through an injury. And the Ducks are taking advantage of it.
if This series continues to show how far off the coaching strategy is, then my hope is that it gives enough evidence to give KK his walking papers. There is ZERO innovation in his plan. Shuffle the lines constantly. Overplay the stars despite the evidence of the game. Long bomb passes that continue to get intercepted. Need any more evidence?
McDrai from the start next game, book it.
And the 4th liners get 4mins.
I dont think he has much say in the way they play. What coach would plan to have such little care for the D side of the puck and have no consequences for undisciplined play?
Exactly how long do the Oilers need to learn how the opposition plays so they (EDM) can pick apart the other team?
And will that time arrive before they get eliminated?
Hey. Podkolzin and Kapanen get the garbage time.
Same as it’s been all season, they just kept telling us they could turn it on come playoffs.
And maybe don’t run McD out for 24mins if he’s gonna be on the ice for 5 goals against.
McDavid 2 points and still a -4
When I say something like “they don’t seem to care” what I mean to say is that they don’t seem to care like the Flyers do or the Habs do.
Or frankly like THEY did during the 2024 run with the famous McDavid dig in speech.
You can see it when the big guys score. McDavids goal was huge and he barely even acknowledged Nuge.
I think they WANT to care as much as the Ducks do but they just can’t seem to get there.
Quenville always talking to his players, patting them on the back. Full emotion on display. . Knoblauch just stands there with an emotionless look on his face. never saying a word to the players, never walking the bench to rally the troops. So vanilla and that’s how we’re playing.
This is 100% factually incorrect with respect to Knob never saying a word to his players. Go watch the Playoff Pass for games 1 and 2 on Oilers+ – you’ll see him doing exactly what you describe Q doing.
Yep, best to end this false run early, recover, and come back motivated in Sep
Not good enough. Can’t check and keep it out of our net, same as it ever was.
This team could easily have been down 3-0 in the series right now. They ain’t going anywhere.
In past years, they’ve had stretches of looking awful. But then they’d come roaring back. They were maddeningly inconsistent, but the good could mostly outweigh the bad.
Through three games, where have we seen any periods of dominance by this team?
This team could easily have been up 2-0 going into this game. They are not, in part, for the same reason team Canada didn’t take home the gold.
In a moment of pique LT quipped Oil need to play like grownups. Me I’d level that outburst at McD head on. at Drai, here and there. Even if he’s been crushing it.
I cannot today say that all those super lazy sports writers over the years are
wrong: McDrai still haven’t had their ‘Yzerman moment.’
And winning against Anaheim would change that?
Lidstrom and co. lost to the 8th seed Oilers in 6 in the first round…
it’s not math. it’s what and when and how. I get annoyed because I believe Oil are better than they’ve shown.
and I’m on record saying the refs helped the Oilers as much in 2006 as they did the Ducks / Avs / Vegas in 2017 / 2022 / 2023 (or whenever those all happened)
Where the hell was this emotion all game?
They’re staring 10 seasons of wasted Cup opportunities straight in the face.
Started in 16-17…
Gotta love our Russian. He’s a gamer
Yeah Posz only guy with a pulse
Yup, Earth to Frederic, Earth to Nurse. I’d take 8 guys like Podkolzin on the team. 2 on each line.
Ducks are doing it easily.
Hard to believe this unprepared, lack of composure team went to the last 2 SCF.
Its a different team from last season and much different than 03/04. Leadership aspect has been diminished. As mentioned many times on this blog this is a transition year.
Transition to what exactly?
Older, slower and less skilled while the Ducks, Mammoth, and Sharks are still gathering momentum?
Yep its a worry that they haven’t kept up to the talent acquisition rate of the previous also rans. Thats why timeliness refer to competitive windows.
As it appears now 03/04 was the peak of the window. Going to take some shrewd talent acquisition and adjustment to team tactics to extend that window. I’m not betting on this management/ coaching group to pull the right levers. Too much focus on designing operating systems around 1 guy
There’s just too much momentum already built by the rebuilders.
They have solid lineups with only a few holes to plug, prime prospect pools and oceans of cap space.
It would take genius level management prowess to fend them off and time is an enemy.
The core group has been the problem, minus Drai. Ducks are a sloppy hockey team but play with more determination than the veteran Oilers.
This result could have been worse. The Oilers were dominated for most of this game.
I realize it isn’t what cost them the win but the blatant holds on McDavid and then Draisatl without a call are an insult to the game.
Meh, minor factor. How about a commitment to defending from the leadership group
Young team with nothing to lose and a good coach. Props to the Ducks they deserve it!
Plan for next game.
Our best players are our worst players at the moment. Cooked. Gassed. Whatever you want to call it but they look spent.
It is sort of amazing that Podkolzin and Kapanen do not see the ice when the game is on the line.
Send out the “coolers”.
Knoblauch only knows one move. He should have been canned after Vegas let Cassidy go. Just no innovation or emotion. It’s reflected in the Oilers play.
I tend to think that the Olympic break was the moment to move. That said Knob has pulled off a couple miracles so I can see giving him one last stretch of road.
I agree with that. Overall point, he should have been replaced before the end of the season. Unless there’s a Cup parade in June, he shouldn’t be back. We need a coach who doesn’t treat the first quarter of the season like an extended training camp. One who can make logical adjustments. Knoblauch is not that guy
It was after the second straight loss in the finals.
Then it was the crummy fall.
Then the Oly break.
And then.
And then.
He’s not right for this job. Never has been.
FFS, that’s a tackle on Draisaitll
They better start surrounding Podkolzin with some talent or he might demand a trade…
Who starts in goal next game?
Pickard
Pickard.
Oh boy we’re going to see Jarry next game
Pa-thetic effort across the roster
I literally said to myself, “here comes another goal”. 10 seconds later….
But then again, it was the immortal Jeffrey Viel with the puck on his stick.
You can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.
A day late and a dollar short all series long
This team is so done. Bad decisions and lackluster defence will not win. Poor coaching is so obvious now…
Coach already has bags packed