This is me about 60 years ago. I’m wearing my favourite sweater (it was a cowboy design) and am clearly happy. I had a wonderful childhood, great parents and a quality big brother. I was surrounded by loving people (grandparents lived next door) and hope I’ve done them all proud in the life I’ve led. You know, each of us reaches for the stars, and inevitably fall short on some goals while acing others.
Stuart Skinner is a roaring success in life, but he’s having a tough time just now. That’s tough for fans, and him, and certainly the organization. It’s important for Stan Bowman to keep a calm head and to properly value his young goaltender. It’s a big damned deal.
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 2-2-0)
- At home to: UTA, WPG, SEA, DAL (Expected 2-2-0) (Actual 2-1-1)
- 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: 7-4-1
- Oilers in 2024-25: 41-25-5, 87 points in 71 games
The Oilers remain on track to cover my bet before the March games began. I like the performance of the team overall in this month, and you can see the build arriving. It’s important to remember last night’s game against Dallas is not a fair indicator of what the Oilers would do in a semi-final against this team. Breathe.
THE NUMBERS
The happiest moment for me came when Zach Hyman scored to make it 4-3. I had no thought of Edmonton tying it (the clock runneth out) but Hyman looked injured earlier and that was on my mind. Stuart Skinner took a head hit and for me that’s a major concern for the club moving forward. I imagine Collin Delia will be recalled today, although Olivier Rodrigue would be my choice (struggles and all). Why? It’s tough to gauge a goalie playing in front of a decimated team. Same goes for Dellia of course, but up until mid-season 2024-25, Rodrigue was building a solid resume.
WHAT WOULD GLEN SATHER DO?
I do think Slats would have brought in a Gary Edwards, even if that guy didn’t play much after the deadline. That said, I think Stan Bowman is playing this right. Support your roster players, make a move in the summer.
I think it’s important for the Oilers to value Skinner as a tremendous asset. If Bowman trades Skinner for less than 100 cents on the dollar, that’s another value contract bled out on a team that has few who are playing above their paygrade. I know you’ll roll your eyes, but Skinner is on a terrific contract, and odds favour him returning to previous levels.
Rob Vollman invented a measure called ‘quality start percentage’ and the average starter delivers 53 percent. As a rookie, Skinner was at 60 percent, and increased it to 61 percent last year. This season? He’s underwater, at 46 percent.
That’s a big drop in performance. Bowman cannot play this hand in the same way Craig MacTavish played out the Devan Dubnyk scenario. MacT is probably the smartest fellow to ever coach or manage Edmonton, but he traded DD at a low ebb and cost the organization. Dubnyk took time to recover, and then marched along his merry way to a solid NHL career.
The play here is to add a stronger partner to the tandem. I don’t know what that looks like, and Calvin Pickard has played well, but Bowman will need to find a stopper who can push Skinner while also providing the Oilers with a safety net.
Skinner is injured, his spring story is going to play out differently than he hoped. Bowman has to run with Pickard and Rodrigue/Dellia because there are no other options. He would be wise to both find an upgrade on Pickard and competition for Skinner this summer.
Increasingly, this does not seem to be the year Edmonton will bring home Stanley for the sixth time. The foundation of a SC victory in 2026, however, may be taking place as we speak.
The Lowdown hits at noon today, Sports 1440. We’ll talk Oilers last night, tonight and into the future. Bagged Milk will join us from Oilers Nation and I’ll have a special announcement you’ll want to hear right at noon today. 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.
Not all teams can’t play the second of a BTB FYI. Some teams can play well regardless of who is injured. Why do I say that? I track games so I see the scores and games played each day for a lot of top teams that most people wouldn’t
Too old?
Fell asleep to that dog of a game and woke up without much angst.
Willing to give a decimated lineup working on no sleep some rope.
On to BOA!
At least LA got shut out tonight. Small consolation considering how ugly this one was. But keeps us in the mix for home ice in round one.
I watched til the end but that was painful. Keep getting healthy, McDrai. You, too, Ekholm. We’ll have a better outing on Saturday. Don’t rush back. We need you as close to %100 as possible.
Get some rest, fellas. You’re better than what we saw on the second period. Saturday isn’t a must win but let’s not put any pressure on the injured to hurry. Do that by playing better. Looking at you, D Corps…
Yep. On a night like tonight, that was pretty much expected…
FFS
How can you handle that rookie out to dry like that?
Assholes
You seem to be taking their play personally.
Sometimes teams are not at their best when they play an 8pm game (8:22 puck drop) and then have to travel across a border and play the next night and do so without 5 key middle to top of the roster players including 2 of the best 3 players in the world and their top overall d-man.
BOOM. Good stuff, Hyman. Glad to break the shut out. Means nothing but makes me happy.
Don’t ask. Don’t tell.
26 and counting.
GWG
Wow. Great save, rookie! No call on the trip? Now they put away the whistles? Dumb as hell..,
I was really hoping Rodrigue would come in the game because WE were up by 5 or 6, but I’m genuinely thrilled for him despite the circumstances. Huge moment regardless. I hope the boys remember to play defense and clear pucks and net front kraken.
What a gutless effort tonight.
Nice works boys, f’ing pathetic
The sooner that they ditch good in the room the better
How about kicks ass when playing
Crazy how the refs have no worries about affecting the game by handing out powerplays like Halloween candy when McDavid and Draisaitl aren’t in the game. Just a hunch, but I’m guessing we (and our opponents) revert to ~2 per game when those two guys are back.
I was going to mention it last game. The NHL is bush league. Maybe it’s not fixed but it is definitely massaged and manipulated.
Oilers should have a cup already. Between horrendous management and officiating that is probably not in the cards.
Oilers ran up the score against Utah and Seattle last week (although Seattle had a late push to make things interesting). These last two games have seen the hockey Gods reversing the results and evening things out. Screw those guys!!
I sure hope this doesn’t make Leon or Connor force the coaches to pay them back in. As bad as it looks right now we need those two guys healthy as possible. But, man, this is as bad as it gets….
Wow is an understatement. I wonder if Drai is sitting up there thinking: i signed for 8 more years…This team has no goaltending, was made old and slow and soft as warm butter! At least in the Lucic/Maroon slow years we were tough with good goaltending.
Does anyone know what they’re doing out there right now? I hear Yakety Sax right now.
Wow, can’t see us winning another game until at least 29 is back. Last week we were all pretty happy with our D. Not looking so good tonight.
One Wright made a wrong.
I honestly think the goal two goals prior should have been challenged for high sticking, but I’ll take this one if it’s called back as well.
Luckily the snow has stuck to my satellite dish and our signal is nearly toast.
Suddenly can’t remember how to defend…we gonna see Rodz? Might as well. How much worse could it get?
Total defensive meltdown blah!!!!!
May as well give Rodrigue some NHL experience
I really hope this rest for McDavid and Draisaitl is worth it. Because they are going to have to win every series on the road.
Oilers D has phoned it in.
Map and Nurse raising my blood pressure…just get that damn puck out, ffs…
Man Klingberg is f’n terrible
I fell like these two teams in the ice currently are basically the same.
Sprinkle in a healthy Draisaitl, Mcdavid, Kane and Frederic as needed. I like it.
Walman. wtf…that’s two on you, buddy. Taking the Eks spot doesn’t mean playing like him…
It’s hard to win when you’re fighting uphill this much. Everything is going against Edmonton tonight.
That was some kind of bad play by Walman – wow!
What was that Podkolzin?!?
Walman?
Walman’s pass went right through Podkolzin.
And he also lifted his stick up.
Nurse over commits to a shot block instead of filling the passing lane
I think the high stick was maybe earlier on the play and the Sportsnet crew thought it was the one in front of the net in error.
An Oiler appeared to have knocked the puck down inside the blue line and was trying not to touch it, but it hit his skate. Not sure who it was but it was a little before the point shot.
Loving the effort, again. That’s three games without McDrai where the team if fully engaged and using teammates effectively. They’re trusting each other instead of trying to be a pylon, stay out of the way and see what the glimmer twins are gonna do. As much as I’m loving Skinners game, I hope they give him his own line and play McDrai together with Hyman. He’s much better the more he touches the puck.
Why does Brown even try and play the puck with his stick 2 feet over his head?
Yup.
Stupid move by Brown to do that for no reason at all.
I expect an LA kings playoff overtime rule where it counts anyway because we said so even if there’s obvious evidence to the contrary.
Edit: The Oilers are not LA. Well done NHL.
This league is absolute trash.
If this changes, the call against the Kings a couple years back must be reversed and we should have to replay the game.
Skinner has to go right back to the first line when #97 is back.
Pure goal scorer.
No goal
BOOM!!! Holy heck, what a great backhander!!!
Jeff Skinner scores and then wants to scrap…..
Skinner stays hot!!!!
Jonesy noticeable, tonight. In a good way. Not a lotta touch but great efforts.
Easy, Nurse. Let’s not see another goalie hurt, eh?
Janmark doing a nice job transporting the puck. Not sure that he could score in a house of ill repute anymore, but he can move things out of his zone pretty effectively.
Well that PP pretty ineffective.
Ya, that was terrible. Not all that unexpected given that most of them never see the PP
Wow, one of the weakest penalty calls ever