Leon Draisaitl is a remarkable hockey player and even in a loss there’s something amazing about 29 worth discussing. Two goals, four shots, two blocks, he filled every offensive category the NHL lists last night and it’s all in a day’s work.
I think the Oilers have the Jets in their heads, at least a little. Edmonton’s game last night had many elements we saw in the playoffs 2021: Jets taking liberties and not paying with penalties, Connor Hellebuyck outdueling Edmonton’s goalie, strong five-on-five scoring by the Jets, and a frustrated Connor McDavid.
Sometimes these things linger, ask any Winnipeg fan who remembers 1980’s games against the Oilers. I grew up a Boston Bruins fan, didn’t see them win a playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens for the first 20+ years of my hockey fandom. Sometimes a team gets your number and won’t give it back. We may have that in this series. How long will it last? God only knows.
Edmonton has to get this fixed, and tomorrow night will be a good place to start.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: Three auditioning Oilers who are finding their groove and hope to find their place
- Lowetide: Should the Oilers move Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the 3rd line?
- DNB and Max Bultman: How Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Holland helped create ‘the Harvard of hockey management’
- Lowetide: How good is Matvey Petrov and is he on an NHL trajectory?
- Lowetide: Will Ken Holland make an early-season trade to bolster the Oilers?
- New DNB: Oilers lament Connor McDavid not drawing penalties
- New Jonathan Willis: How the Decade of Darkness did — and didn’t — set up the current success
- New Lowetide: Why can’t the Oilers put together an effective third line?
- DNB: Oilers’ Stuart Skinner on the right track after second NHL start
- DNB: What I believe and what I know about the Oilers after 10 games
- Lowetide: How close to balanced are the 2021-22 Oilers?
- DNB: Connor McDavid’s otherworldly goal
- DNB: Kevin Lowe Q&A
- Lowetide: Is this Connor McDavid’s peak season, and how good could it be?
- Lowetide: Who is the Oilers’ top prospect now that Evan Bouchard has graduated?
- DNB: Oilers’ Tyson Barrie says what needs to be said as NHL faces reckoning
- Lowetide: Did Oilers general manager Ken Holland win the offseason?
- DNB: The Duncan Keith-Cody Ceci pair have helped to overcome a notable loss
- Jonathan Willis: Seven Oilers surprises so far in 2021-22
WHAT TO EXPECT IN NOVEMBER
- At home to: SEA, NAS, NYR (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 3-0-0)
- On the road to: DET, BOS, BUF, STL, WPG (Expected 3-2-0) (Actual 2-3-0)
- At home to: WPG, CHI (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: DAL, ARI, VEG (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 8-5-0, 16 points in 13 games
- Actual November results: 5-3-0, 10 points in eight games
- Oilers in 2021-22: 11-4-0, 22 points in 15 games
I had both Winnipeg games (last night and tomorrow) as losses, since the Jets are much improved and were winning against the Oilers at the end of last season. Edmonton has fallen behind my admittedly aggressive projection for the month, and Dallas is righting the ship. There is the chance this month lands 6-7-0, that would put the team at 12-8-0 and wash away the fast start completely.
In the Pacific today, Edmonton remains in fantastic shape for the season. The team is pace for 120 points in 2021-22. The Anaheim Ducks have more points this morning (although they have played two extra games) and Calgary Flames are not impressed either. This is going to be a fun race for the Pacific Division title. Dom has Edmonton with a 93 percent chance of making the playoffs, Ken Holland has a 93 percent chance of making at least one trade at the deadline.
GOALIES
Mikko Koskinen took the loss, stopping 22 of 26, .846. His SP for the season is .910 and he owns a 2.96 GAA and a 9-3-0 record. I think fans are split on him as a goaltender, but his career SP in Edmonton is .909 so he’s delivering on expectations.
Stuart Skinner made a couple of big stops in the third period, including a breakaway. He is gaining some traction with this team, and I think we’ll see him in the next few days. Could Edmonton have a homegrown goalie?
DEFENSE
- Darnell Nurse-Tyson Barrie: 17:00, 13-10 shots, 0 goals, 4-4 HDSC
- Darnell Nurse-Evan Bouchard: 2:31, 2-1 shots, 0 goals, 0 HDSC
- Duncan Keith-Cody Ceci: 9:13, 2-7 shots, 0-1 goals, 2-2 HDSC
- Duncan Keith-Evan Bouchard: 4:10, 4-1 shots, 0-1 goals, 0 HDSC
- Slater Koekkoek-Evan Boucard: 8:01, 3-5 shots, 0-1 goals, 0-3 HDSC
I don’t think any of Edmonton’s defenseman played well enough for last night to be considered a strong performance. Nurse-Barrie had the best numbers, and Nurse picked up a power-play assist, but all six men had trouble. Passes intercepted, loose coverage, gaps not closing, on it went.
While adding a third pair lefty with hair on his ass will help, this group can play better and we’ve seen it. Kris Russell is banged up, I wonder if we see a recall from Bakersfield. Coach Tippett said postgame the group is out of juice, that makes sense and it’s dangerous to draw strong conclusions at the end of a five-game road streak. It’s also true this team has bene chaos incorporated since the Rangers game.
LINES
- Draisaitl-McDavid-Puljujarvi: 9:46, 10-7 shots, no goals, 2-1 HDSC
- Foegele-McLeod-Kassian: 8:48, 1-2 shots, 0-1 goals, 1-0 HDSC
- Nuge-Draisaitl-Yamamoto: 6:28, 1-7 shots, no goals, 0-4 HDSC
- Hyman-McDavid-Puljujarvi: 6:12, 7-3 shots, no goals, 2-1 HDSC
- Hyman-Nuge-Yamamoto: 4:42, 4-1 shots, no goals, 1-0 HDSC
- Perlini-Ryan-Turris: 4:19, 1-3 shots, 0-1 goals, 0-3 HDSC
In the middle of the game, I questioned Tippett shuffling the top two lines, but the numbers suggest he made the right call. Draisaitl’s line was not getting it done, so the top two lines were struggling (8-10 shots, 2-5 HDSC) before the flip. The new trios delivered 14-8 shots, 3-1 HDSC. So, yeah.
The McLeod line gave up a goal, Kassian made one nice sortie but was mostly out for a skate. Foegele seems engaged to me and McLeod (I wrote about him at The Athletic today) is touching the puck way more than he was at the start of the year.
Derek Ryan is in a slump. For the year, at five-on-five, he’s 3-13 goals. You can hammer Holland all day, but most of us thought the signing was an astute one. If this continues, the club will need to add a center even if McLeod continues to develop.
CONDORS
Bakersfield plays San Jose tonight at 8, I’ll have my thoughts on the prospect in tomorrow’s post. Since we haven’t looked at the entire group (specifically forwards) yet this season, here’s an overview of the group.
The prospects pushing this year are all on defense. Broberg is a feature power-play performer, and has points on the penalty kill, but that’s a tell too. He’s playing in all situations, and doing well, age 20. He is the class of this group by some margin.
I don’t know who among the rest of the defensemen (those listed here, plus Dmitri Samorukov and Phil Kemp) will make the NHL, because they’re all currently fighting for playing time and we can’t yet declare a winner. I will say that Niemelainen and Samorukov are impressive visually.
Up front, Raphael Lavoie is currently deciding if he’s going to be the next Tyler Pitlick (299 NHL games) or the next Curtis Hamilton (one game). No amount of coaching can make a talented player more consistent, and Lavoie has regressed from last season. He simply doesn’t get to the puck often enough. That might be speed, but he can skate, I’ve seen him. Short shifts, keep your feet moving, make a beeline for the puck. It’s that or Europe, and the industry of hockey sorts that out during the entry deal. Lavoie is already halfway through. More was expected.
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
A busy morning, TSN1260, and it starts with Bruce McCurdy from the Cult of Hockey at the Edmonton Journal dissecting last night’s game and previewing tomorrow night. Were the Oilers spent? Did McCurdy jinx the penalty kill? We’ll find out at 10:20. Joe Osborne from OddsShark pops in at 11 and we’ll have a big discussion about some NFL trends (Patriots better!) and what to look for from the Raptors heading into Christmas. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. See you on the radio!
The man has nailed some picks amirite folks?
Lowetide for head of Jr scouting anyone else with me?
I think the scouting department is good, has been for a decade. I’m writing a little piece on this morning’s blog about it.
LT who is the next Andrew Mangiopani please get on the horn to the Oilers hard to select that guy
So very sad to see that guy on our worst nemesis team.
I took a brief look around the league at DEAD CAP SPACE….trying to see where Edmonton stacks up….looks like Edmonton ranks top 5 in bullshit dead cap space over the medium term….$4.2M next year, and $2M 3 and 4 years down the road….not an ideal category to lead in.
Florida is in a very tough situation next season. They go from $4.5M to $6.5M in dead space next year from buyouts, and Barkov’s extension kicks in with a $4.1M increase. Further they only have 3 players totalling $6.8M dropping off the books (not counting contracts worth less than $1M) Their best off season cap relief option is probably a Horquvist buyout, final year at $5.3 with no signing bonus.
San Jose’s Martin Jones Buyout is ugly….cap hit fluctuates between $1.67M and $3M until 2027.
New Jersey still has FOUR YEARS of Kovalchuck’s recapture penalty LOL and 3 years of a Corey Schneider buyout at $2M
NYR have $4.5 this year and $3.5M next year but nothing after that (spread out across 4 players)
Poor Nashville has Turris on the books at $2M until 2028
Detroit is rocking a $6.8M buyout this year, but it drops off fast to $2.8 next year and $1M beyond.
Edmonton’s cap situation next year is very dicey……..I have my fingers crossed that Holland and Keith have a handshake deal that Keith promised to retire after this season. I can’t wrap my head around the capinomics but supposedly if Keith retires it opens up a total of $9+M in cap space for Edmonton in 2022-23
On the Keith front, I’m sure we aren’t getting $5.5M’s worth right now but he’s playing ok to my eye. If he’s playing at say a $4M level, and opts to play next year, things could be a lot worse, no?
At this point he looks like a fringe second pairing guy (if we’re talking about on a contender). No?
Well, there’s the problem.
The Leafs third line is listed as:
EngVall – Kampf – Kase
Engvall is a 7th round draft pick and Kampff was signed for $1.5m and Kase for $1.25m
I don’t watch the Leafs, so no clue if it’s their intended 3rd line. I don’t even know if it’s serviceable. It looks better than anything we’ve tried.
Kase and Kampf combine for Foegele’s hit, and cost no assets.
Pro scouting remains the issue?
It is indeed their third line and has been very effective.
And their 4th line could make grown men weep.
Bunting $950K (he often switches with Nick Ritchie on the 1st line)
Spezza $750K
Simmonds $900K
Spezza’s really been able to redefine himself as a useful lower line player, and Bunting looks alright, but Simmonds looks done as an NHL player.
Not sure if that comp can be made. Toronto enjoys a big hometown discount. Spezza’s Market Value outside TO might make us cringe at the thought of spending that much on a 4th liner.
Ritchie has apparently been awful and the Leafs had hopes that Bunting could fit into the top 6 but hasn’t really gained any traction there either. Leafs MSM was pumping Bunting this summer to the point you would think he was a proven 30 goal scorer.
I check in on the Leafs through some of their blogs from time to time and I have not read a lot that paints their 3rd line or bottom 6 as being anything other than meh on the year. Offensively their bottom 6 hasn’t produced much more than ours, but they are definitely not giving up near as much. The Leafs are still very much Edmonton East (goaltending aside) in a lot of ways. I agree fully that pro scouting is a big part of the problem, but would also acknowledge that there are pieces we’ve employed in the bottom 6 over the past few years that in isolation should be effective (Ryan and Foegele this year for example). The whole continues to be lesser than the sum of its parts in a lot of ways. A more effective 3C is a massive piece of the puzzle on teams with a good bottom 6, but the Oilers don’t seem to realize this.
Condors with a PP with 5 minutes to go. PP2 comes out, Hamblin with a great play to feed an open Lavoie streaking in from the right point, Lavoie shoots blocked. 10 second later, another puck to Lavoie at the top of the right circles, shot, blocked.
I think Lavoie needs to read Wheeler’s old article about Lavoie and shot creation.
Condors pressing but Berglund fails to recognize a Baracuda coming of the bench that turned a 1 on 2 in to a 2 on 2 and the guy gets behind him and, boom, break and the Condors are down 4-3 with 9 to go.
Going to get ugly in Vancouver.
They will always have their riot.
Riots*
Esposito with a Kassian-like effort on the defensive boards, allows the Baracuda to win the puck, come off the half boards and feed a teammate i the slot – a backhand beats Konovalov high – not sure that that shouldn’t have been stopped.
3-3 near the end of the 2nd.
Nice work by the Baracuda on the PP – Merkley with a nice feed and a snipe from the Drai spot (snap shot, not one-timer).
A bigger Lowrey-like 3C would do a world of good with Fog and Yamo as wingers. That’s the 3rd line of a contender.
The 4th line is a mess. Who are these guys? Failed or fading top 6 skill guys (Perlini, Turris), too old and too young finesse centers (Ryan, McLeod), rugged defense first wingers (Scevior, shore) and a top line AHL young guy trying to make himself into a 4th line NHLer. They have zero identity. In the short-term I run Shore (when healed) and Scevior between Ryan/McLeod – but we need a bigger rugged 3C. Maybe give Benson a string of games with Scevior until Shore is back.
I’ve seen enough of Turris and Perlini who provide nothing if they are not providing offense (and they are not). Ryan and Shore are decent extra forwards. We need a 3c and a couple of heavy nasty 4th line wingers.
Is it just me? Whenever I see McPrecious knocked over, I think there should be blood spilled. Is that the Semenko in me talking? Is this a feasible idea? Could the rest of the league be physically threatened into giving him more room?
Should of kept Maroon who knew his job and didn’t need cue cards from the Coach when to get mean. He also has some soft hands for a big guy.
He wasn’t considered to be good enough by the Lowe+MacT brain mistrust.
They didn’t want to pay him 4 x $3.5M for the McDavid bump.
”While adding a third pair lefty with hair on his ass will help”
As a guy with hair on his ass, I appreciate this inclusive shout-out.
We’re all brothers, AA
Terrible turnover by the Baracuda d-man, right to Marody in the slot. He’s standing still so does good work to get going and make a move and get a shot on net, then banged home his own rebound.
That will be unassisted.
Offensive zone faceoff won right back to Lavoie who smartly skates a few steps in to the high slot and….. fans on it, sigh.
Broberg becoming more aggressive holding the offensive blueline – stood up the defender trying to exit which led to a zone keep and a scoring chance for Griffith.
And the Condors take the lead less than a minute later.
Cracknell wiins the o-zone draw, Griffith gets it back to Broberg and his shot is deflected in by McPhee.
Broberg second in assist in the AHL for d-men, not for rookie d-men, for all d-men.
Condors tie it up fairly quickly with a 5 on 5 goal.
Malone cashes a rebound off a Deharnais shot.
Hamlin with some solid work lugging the puck in the o-zone (and feeding Deharnais).
Baracuda strike first.
Broken play is kept in at the blue line. Samorukov moves up high to try and swat out a loose puck and loses the 50/50 stick battle and the puck is moved down low for a quick strike 2 on 1 and Konovalov with no chance.
Colorado Avs have a great team the best easily in the west aside from the local heroes.
The first game of the season with all of their defensemen in the lineup other than Bo Byram whose career may be over after he took a terrible check to the head.
I’m literally reading the article at The Athletic about his concussion issues last season.
This is not good.
Pretty sad when a young talent like Byram loses a career so early.
Why’s he losing his career?
https://theathletic.com/2949474/2021/11/17/dizzy-foggy-and-feeling-like-i-was-a-corpse-inside-bowen-byrams-harrowing-first-year-with-the-avalanche/
It sucks but doesn’t sound like he’s losing his career. Might be best served shutting down for the season though and take some time to heal
The real issue:
Not Koskinnen who is a perfectly legit backup goalie and has proved it to date.
Mike Smith needs to be replaced by a legit number 1 goalie under the age of 32 years old unless a proven all star.
Injury prone please a season is on the line here.
Konovalov with the start tonight. He got the win last time stopping 24 of 25 (although the goal against was a weak one late that tied the game).
Oilers third line centres:
Ryan
McLeod
Turris
Cant say there wasnt an opportunity.
1 loss and we are taking peoples shoe laces and belts away.
You new around here?
True
It’s not the loss that bothers some of us
Its the pattern. It’s the same. Many players struggling and overplaying the best 3 to failure
Holland has brought better players each season
I think he has the mix wrong
Still, Tipp and Co get the same exact results from the roster regardless
Kudos to PK consistency. PP is about the players not the coaching. Monkeys could run it
Hang on they’re still leading the division and near the conference lead at least.
Somehow the monkeys running the PP before Tippett and co. had mediocre results though (16th in the league in GF/60 at 6.51). This is with McDavid, Draisaitl, Nuge and Klefbom being the primary members.
Since Holland/Tippett arrived the Oilers have scored over 2 goals/60 more than 2nd in the league (Oilers 11.05GF/60, Hurricanes 8.87GF/60 are #2).
They deserve a lot more credit here than you’re giving them.
like Beiska mentioned on HNIC you can’t defend the Oilers PP with a set strategy. They keep changing it up where either Leon, Nuge or Barrie get a great look at a high danger shot with Hyman or JP screening and cleaning up the garbage in front.
Goalies allowing weak opening period goals is deflating the team…
We’re already there dude…
How do you construct a successful 3rd line? Asking for a friend.
Most teams that have them seem to have a couple drafted players on them or at least a 3rd line centre they drafted.
Are there any examples of teams that have reasonably successful 3rd lines that a) are cheap on the cap b) were entirely constructed from UFA’s?
Tampa had Gourde, Coleman, Goodrow.
Two came from trades.
But yeah some drafting would be nice. Oilers have a terrible record pulling anyone out of the draft beyond the first round.
That needs to change if they want to win the Cup.
They drafted well. Enable them to trade away 1st round draft picks to get 3rd line players they could afford because of cap circumvention.
The Avs when healthy have 8-9 players they drafted.
The key is leaving some cap room and finding helpful players and not getting fleeced doing it
You add to your top six, bumping down NHL talent.
Easy Peazy
seriously, I think you identify your team strengths and weaknesses. You pursue and build your third line to fill in weaknesses and provide the coach another tool to use. Use that line for balance. Also, give them definite identity and purpose. Play simple. A crash and bang goal counts the same as a pretty set up.
This is normally the best way to fill out the bottom 6 but the Oilers cap situation will make it very difficult.
With so much allocated to the top two and soon Nurse, adding additional top 6 forwards beyond Hyman is tough.
Ideally you would want to see Jesse and Yamamoto on the third line but thanks to playing them higher in the lineup, they’re going to get paid likely more than they would otherwise making the task even harder.
As mentioned earlier, TBL have not been shy about trading current or former 1st round picks since they have entered their championship window BUT they also have a long track record of superb drafting in the later rounds which the Oilers do not.
The Bear/Foegele trade is a likely a prelude to what Holland has to do to shore up the bottom 6 but he has to absolutely get it right or the team will be out of balance indefinitely.
That’s a fair point, HH. Why not take advantage of trading our 1st round picks now? Certainly, the window is the present. Neither Vegas nor TBL have had any qualms about doing it. Of course, our later round drafting would need to improve, TBL does have us beat in GP in 2016. While it has looked better in recent years with Carter Savoie, Tyler Tullio, and Matvey Petrov, it’s still too early to tell and that kind of drafting would have been helpful a few years ago. We need more of 2015 quality.
Thing is…you need a pro scouting department that recognizes quality players who can help if you’re going to go down this road.
This is absolutely a fair point. The Oilers pro scouting has been putrid since I can remember (of course I’ve been known to enjoy a drink or two).
90% of the time, goaltender performance is actually a barometer of overall team performance. If Koskinen is sagging under his current workload, then it is noteworthy that the team as a whole has been sagging a little lately.
Building a team takes time and patience, and is not an exercise in instant gratification.
Where/How did you get that number?
On the radio today, Gregor said Koskinnen has the second worst save percentage in the league for low danger scoring chances. I would suggest the goalie is impacting the performance of the other players
From Gregor’s piece at ON:
Courtesy of Clear Sight Analytics Koskinen is 19th in goals saved at +3.47 on the season, but the past five starts that has dropped. Where he suffers most is on low% goals. He has allowed seven this season, which is tied for 2nd most in the NHL. Allowing seven weak goals in 10 starts is simply too many.
https://oilersnation.com/2021/11/17/id-start-stuart-skinner-tomorrow/
The weak goals early are killers – they change the game completely, in my opinion.
I am of the opinion this team suffers from superstar syndrome. All the icetime, attention and expectations go to the few while the dregs bring up the rear.
Have you ever played for a team with a superstar? Or joined an All Star team where you were the best but now just average or less as your teammates are now better? ? It caused a decrease in expectations. Coach expects the top players to produce. Ice time is cut. A player may feel less valued….etc. Its real. If you sit on the bench all game you are just not involved and give a shit factor is very low.
If bottom 6 are not NHL players then move them. If they are NHL players then play them.
Going up against Winnipeg and their cheap shot, hack, slash and interference game all in the name of “taking time and space away” you need a better game plan. Sure, make them pay using your powerplay. It works until it doesn’t. What is the back up plan? Tippet keeps sending Nuge, Jessie, Yamo, Leon, Hyman, Connor out against that hack squad? Can you find any gentler players?
My lord, get some value out of your bottom six. Coach them and play them. They are getting paid awful dam good to sit on the bench and watch Connor get run into the boards. They have very little expectations. Superstars will win the game or they wont, what do you want me to do about it in my 6 shifts per game?
Coach has to keep these players in the game. Give them purpose and give them value. Coach going to cross his fingers and keep throwing Leon and Connor out – that really not much coaching going on. Show me what you can do with the others. Bring the team together, let them win or lose together but get them involved for crying out loud.
Do not throw away bottom six players and replace them with other bottom six players when the exact same thing will happen again.
Said about Tippett yesterday, he’s playing to win. He’s not willing to sacrifice wins in the name of bottom six development. And being fair to Tippett, his job is to win.
Given the current roster construction, Tippett is doing well imo.
Holland sees the weak links in the roster and is addressing them as circumstances allow (had a very good summer all things considered)
Salvation lies within. Time and Pressure.
A better roster will bring better results, but will those players ever be as good as Connor/Leon? Doubtful. So unless they break the top 6 are they ever gong to get icetime? Will their job be to score? Break even? Or perhaps they are plan B.
Despite all the pining’s for a fast, skilled game, Its not happening tomorrow, so if you accept that, than hats the plan?
Will you keep sending out top six to get whacked to death? Or do you have another line to counter?
I criticized the earlier top six, I did not this year. I think they have NHLers now, and I watched the early games excitement when they won as a team. This needs to be fostered by the coach, careful not to create two teams.
The team will still improve and the roster improve. My point is half your team can easily go for a nap if they are not dragged into the game. Change the players, same result. Gotta lay them.
Well maybe you dont have to “lay them” ahem But better play them.
Was the last line a Freudian slip!
Oilers have a brace of sensational 1 shot prospects. Or something.
lol at the – comment.
Maybe Lowetides -+ poll is really just a battery of pigeons lined up BF Skinner style
The 1980s Oilers would beg to differ on the impact of superstars.
The Oilers practices should be the most difficult time for them because everyone is up against the best in the world. It should get the best out of everyone. Tippett is likely failing at this.
Sather creating that environment truly showed how brilliant he was as a coach.
Even Bylsma won a cup with Crosby!
Calm down
I was present for the 80’s teams. Gretz was not my favorite at that time, nor with my hockey friends. We did not know how to value him, instead we valued toughness and “blow em up” hits. I say this because Semenko and others were just as popular and just as valued as Gretz.
Further to your point, I do not believe Edmonton has that make HOF players if it was not for Gretz on the team. Absolutely true each player was better from watchin him and practicing with him.
Have they even practiced this road trip? 5 games in 7 days with travel between each game doesn’t leave much for practice.
This is a good point and I’m pretty sure they haven’t had any practice, just skates.
I’m not sure when they’ll be able to get a practice in. Presumably they flew in last night, got in late and I don’t believe they skated today.
They then play tomorrow and Sat. I guess they could have a real practice on Friday but maybe a full day off, hang with their families, etc. would be the best? I know they are doing that today but its probably not quite the same when they get home in the middle of the night.
Lou said players win game, teams win championships
Look at what Herdman’s coaching has done with Canada. Yes, they have more talent than ever. But it is more than that. It’s belief and doing what the team needs at all times.
Which they did better than any other game yet, for the most part, completely shutting down a much more established side.
It’s the Coaching why doesn’t he try to roll 4 lines in tough sledding games like last night. The 3rd and 4th lines need purpose and need to be part of the result of the outcome of the game. Tippett has one move pound the 2 lines and Nurse this strategy doesn’t work on certain teams. After Tippett sat Bouchard most of last year instead of properly developing him makes me think his time is coming to a end. Tippett needs his team to get to the conference finals anything less he gets his walking papers.
I know you value players that can look after themselves and teammates. It was discouraging watching Leon get run, then Connor is run by two Pegs and tries to it back resulting in some Pionk theatrics.
The reason they have four lines is to get out there into the heat of the battle. Im not talking fights, Im talking the same liberties as Jets. THAT style of play needs to be at least available to be deployed.
The message is “get off the backs of these star players, you have someone else to worry about now.” Just get them in the game. You want to take space away from Connor, Im here to give him some space.
Even losing as a team, if all are involved its still team building, and will pay off down the road.
Tippett should be building a solid team with structure and purpose – then add in the top talent. Instead he is building completely around the top talent, over focused and has little use for he fringe talent.
(My opinions of course and again, Im happy with the season, but using Lowetide to be vocal about suggestions for improvement)
Well said we know this, Tippett played for a young talented Whaler team. Everyone needs ice time this isn’t game 7 in the playoffs. You need the Lumley’s and Pat Hughes types of players. I still remember Hughes scoring 5 goals. How can you say Perlini or Benson suck when they play 5 minutes that’s not fair to the player or team. Leon and Mcdavid have the weight of the team on them continuously spread it out. Why do think this team never scores when we pull the Goalie well it’s probably because Leon’s played the 6 minutes along with McDavid and Nurse.
Good post. Interesting food for thought. In a 4-0 game, maybe he should be challenging the bottom six to be better and giving them some minutes.
I don’t know it for a fact, I just know it’s true.
Parity. Why is it important from Gary Bettman’s point of view?
Because it is necessary in order to maintain the financial health of 32 geographically disparate franchises.
Officiating (along with the draft, 3 point games, and equalization payments) is one lever that the League uses to facilitate parity.
Bettman and the Owners are the ones paying the piper; The tune is called “The Name of the Game is I Like It Like That”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln7_1TsVyvs
Its true. A dynasty is unlikely going forward. Even back to back championships, Tampa manipulated the system.
I had stated this spring that there was no way Koskinen would be allowed back in an Oilers Jersey. I had absolute belief that would not happen.
Then I was proven wrong and last years tandem returned. It has been okay, yet this decision gets exposed regularly.
Better defensemen and Koskinen looks better but it still wont be enough.
And how about those defensemen? A trip to the Oilers blue paint is like a trip to the bakery. And as good as young Bouchard has been he really is a bit of a cream puff isn’t he? Of course its not all on him, but the biggest difference I have seen over the last 14 games is that every team they have faced protects the front of the net much more aggressively than the Oil. This is and has already pointed out as an area of improvement.
OK…who saw this coming?
JFresh
@JFreshHockey
·
34m
Which player leads the NHL in 5v5 on-ice expected goals against per 60 among defencemen with 150+ minutes played?
You guessed it, JACK JOHNSON, BABY
https://twitter.com/JFreshHockey/status/1461057272335982597?s=20
You know what they say! You can’t truly judge a defenseman before they play
200300500800900+ games!
We have four defenceman capable of playing the powerplay. While that level of depth is wonderful, it’s superfluous, especially with another depth option in the Bake.
One of them needs to go. We need a defence-first Dman with decent boots and hands. Something like Barrie for Scott Mayfield.
And how are they supposed to bring up Broberg later in the season if his babysitter is Barrie? How’s that going to work?
Exactly
You know, the sky is not falling. Really. LT guessed 3-2 on the road trip, it was 2-3. That’s pretty close and we beat two good teams. If we would have gotten some breaks against the sisters of the poor it would have been 3-2. Lot of hand wringing…. Like Tipp said, get some rest and home meals. Then on to Thursday.
Being tired means getting beat in footraces, not having chaotic team defence (which was not unique to that game) and coverage, as I see it.
The sky isn’t falling, but the same clouds are there that always rain crap on our hopes of greater successes. No matter who is on the roster it seems.
The only real progress the team is making is the maturation of Nurse and Leo, and JP playing to his draft position.
Connor started out a superstar, but is spinning his wheels still in the heart of the game. But scoring a lot of course.
So who wears it that the team as a group is not improving in it’s weakest parts, that keep it so vulnerable?
Tippet and Co. can’t get the group organized. Pushing two and a quarter seasons.
Holland has improved the quality and addressed as many holes as the cap allows. Still the mix seems off. It seemed to me that some lesser but important pieces weren’t right.
Especially given that teams play the Oilers tough, while he increased the team size over last season, there aren’t many gritty players. Russell had a year left, Barrie, Kooks, Turris, Ryan, Perlini are pretty vanilla, even if a few I think are decent players still.
JP Hyman and Foegele have a physical game but aren’t gritty. Connor and Leo aren’t gritty. Yamo A for effort, but you know. Kassian is orbiting somewhere in a neighbouring galaxy, Nurse can’t be wasted on hacking people.
The Oiler playbook has been written before. Sather showed the way. High skill surrounded by mean players.
The league has changed, but not in that regard. Players don’t jump each other anymore, but they sure still try to intimidate, cross check and board, refs still suck at protecting talent.
The Wings had some thugs that could play. What’s up Kenny?
Kassian is supposed to be that guy. Don’t need hime fighting but would not mind him taking a cheap shot occasionally. When the opposition get their top lines out against our 3 and 4, have them chop and hack just like gets done to us. Our PK is good enough I do not mind taking those penalties to send a message.
Connor and Leon need to get their sticks up like Messier, the Rat and the Anderson line used to. Connor got his stick up on Marchand and I bet he doesn’t try that sneak attack again. Stick up as well as elbows take a 5 minute major Messier took a few of those but it was well worth the open ice plus he was drawing more penalties.
The team needs to yell that
The role players need to be that
Not fights, but mean enough for cheap shots, and the Org pushing that if it’s good for the goose, it’s good for the gander
You hack first, we hack back. And if it’s done right, with deterrence. You will hurt.
In the playoffs, everyone is up for that. Training that is critical in season to prepare the team to take what comes to win when it matters.
It will come. They haven’t been ready 2 times.
https://twitter.com/RomulusNotNuma/status/1460802046970445824
That’s amazing/awful.
Koskinen played 3 out 5 games on the road trip. Going in to last night’s game, he had played 2 games and Skinner had played 2 games.
If that workload overloads him, well, that is on the player.
I think he has the 1st or 2nd most games played of any goaltender in the league.
NST has him at #16 in TOI and tied for #15th in gp
https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?stdoi=g
NST has him at #6 in TOI since Koskinen played his first game on October 19th. If he would have played the whole game last night, he would have been #4.
Compare apples to apples.
https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20212022&thruseason=20212022&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&stdoi=g&rate=n&team=ALL&pos=G&loc=B&toi=0&gpfilt=gpdate&fd=2021-10-19&td=2021-11-17&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL
Sure, that’s pretty heavy usage for Koskinen.
Sort of deja-vu for the start of last season, but at least Skinner got a few starts this time.
I guess that’s what happens when your other goalie is 39.
I think you may have been thinking of wins. At least before last night!
Nope, still tied for 1st as of right now, with none of the guys he’s tied with in action. The bum.
All the guys he’s tied with (and the guys tied or 2nd in wins) have played more minutes than Koski.
Koskinen wins 2 of 3 against the 3 toughest opponents.
Skinner loses 2 against weak opponents.
When you say “that is on the player” you talking about Skinner??
No, I was talking about the excuse for Koskinen that performance lat night is related to playing too much. He played 3 on 5 on the road trip – if that’s too much ice for Mikko, well, that’s a big Mikko problem, not a coaching deployment problem.
Third line needs a straw at Centre stir the drink, but there aren’t a lot of Philippe Danaults, or JG Pageau’s out there.
A few possible options may include:
Chris Tierney – $3.5M cap hit – UFA 2022 – If Ottawa eats half his salary and takes back Turris. Probably costs a 2023 2nd + Lavoie.
Dylan Strome – $3M cap hit – RFA 2022 – A buy-low candidate with both flaws and upside. Again, Lavoie and a 2nd.
JT Miller – $5.5M cap hit – UFA 2023 – Crazy, right? Imagine flipping Vancouver Zack Kassian and getting back Miller with money retained. Cost would be very high … Bourgault plus a first. This assumes Benning has been turfed and new GM has come in to re-build.
I was thinking the same thing. Tierney is a mid-6 rental (UFA this summer) so I’m not sure he’d cost that much. I’d maybe add Colin Blackwell to that list. Marcus Johansson (but it would be his 7th team in 7 seasons so that’s a pretty big red flag).
Evgeni Malkin? What are his plans after this season? If PIT is out of the playoffs at the deadline could you convince him to join the Oilers for a playoff run? Or Jeff Carter?
Hotlby or Jarry or quick could be possible goalie pickups if their teams don’t make it.
Malkin, Quick (but he has another year left to free agency), added to Keith would make 3 Conn Smythe winners. That can’t be bad for a playoff run. Players who know what it takes. Hotlby too, he didn’t win a Smythe but he did win a Cup as #1. Fleury would check the Conn Smythe box, too (plus Chicago is likely to miss the playoffs), but he isn’t playing very well this season.
I wonder how much Malkin and Holtby would cost at the deadline as rentals if #1) they’re interested in moving on, and #2) their teams are out of the playoffs at the deadline.
Malkin hasn’t played yet this year. He had offseason knee surgery.
I’m not sure where he’d fit on the roster since he’s a top-six playmaker and PP guy.
I’m sure with a name like his, the price would be a 1st.
I’d be very leary of Holtby and Quick.
I like the thought.
Not sure Tierney moves the needle enough….and Dylan Strome is Kyle Turris re-incarnated.
Would love JT Miller….plays hard and would be great in playoffs.
Unsure if Vancouver would do that within division thing.
They might if the return was good enough.
Including Kassian in the deal would be a non starter though.
Thanks to this site and its author, there are very few surprises these days. There’s not a lot of mystery about this team. Which, I believe is the prime directive of this blog. So well done Mr. Tide.
Any surprises there are, come in the short term, and are soon set back on course.
I think this ^ fact is a sign of good health at the top of the organization.
There is of course still room for opinion and prognostication about the future. (which is why we’re all here)
While the team may play high event hockey, the management seem to be operating “Pale Rider” style, calculated and methodical.
I like it.
Powerplay has been masking some *brutal* play by the bottom 6.
Some of us have been saying this for a while.
Like on twitter finance – when referring to mindless price appreciation Hertz or AMC people online just retort -‘Stock Price Bro’.
Same with the Oilers this year. Um, we are not good at 5 on 5 and Turris and Ryan
have been key performers for our opposition for weeks.
‘Oilers Record Bro’ goes the retort back.
Countdown to our traditional Oiler list of excuses coming…..3…2…1….
1.Team is tired
2.Bad reffing
3.Inuries
4.Bad schedule
The Edmonton Oilers Bottom 6:
Derek Ryan – 3GF / 13 GA
Warren Foegle – 7GF / 13GA
Zack Kassian – 5GF / 9GA
Kyle Turris – 2GF / 6GA
B. Perlini – 0GF / 3GA
D. Shore 2GF / 4GA
T. Benson 1G / 3GA
Oddly, McLeod took a lot of heat lately but McLeod is 2GF / 2GA
Does Tippet own some of this for only playing some of these guys 5 min per night?
Or do these players actually harm the team and Tippet is trying to limit their destruction by not playing them?
I honestly don’t know. I lean towards the players being terrible-like last year.
You can see ( I think ) the difference McLeod makes by inserting someone with talent.
( at least by eye so far)
I think we need to see McLeod between Kassian and Foegle for a stretch to make and assessment.
I am inclined to think Tip is a big factor in the 5v5 play. The only player to have any sustained 5v5 success this season is Drai. A roster with this much talent/depth struggling at 5v5 screams coaching issues.
Maybe he’s playing it too safe, choosing the obvious like his predecessors
They have good record, so far, but having Connor and leo is driving most of that
The team’s sloppy play isn’t the players imo. It’s coaching. Lose the battle bottom 6 maybe still, but at least play a tidier tighter game.
Poor play over time can’t all be everybody good last year now sucks. Perlini was a long shot, Turris was done, others are still good
If Berube can turn a train wreck into a champion, and others have done the turn around part, coaching makes a big diff
Berube changed up his pairs etc etc. It seems these dudes won’t do anything different for long.
If this is a non Cup year, why keep playing guys who do nothing or worse? Is Turris better than Benson? Griffith? Marody? I don’t care if he’s a vet, he’s not getting things done.
Going with failing experience over suffering a few rookie gaffs fans still end up better, especially once the at bats get up there
Definition of insanity
For what I have disliked about Holland’s moves, (Keith valuation, not adding more beef to the bottom 6, etc), I don’t blame Holland for the Ryan signing or the Perlini experiment. But these ships have sailed. Ryan is fine as a 13/14F and should not be counted on for more. Perlini is not going to magically pot 15 goals. Cut bait, get someone else in to replace Perlini and sit Ryan for a few games. The problem is that he needs the HC on board to put a bottom 6 player on the ice longer than 4 minutes a game.
Turris as a GF% of 25 and an xGF% of 35. Kassian is at 35 and 40, respectively. I know they are capable of making nice plays once in awhile, but how long do you have to go before you say, you know what, maybe these guys aren’t good any more? Both guys very rarely win puck battles.
Ryan’s GF is below 20, but his xGF 46.5. Foegle is at 35 and 43. I’m going to give them some benefit of the doubt because they are new to the team. In particular with Foegele, he looks good out there, skates his ass off, and definitely wins pucks. He tends to be the best player on his line, and I suspect he is being sunk by his linemates.
That said. At this moment in time, the guy they traded Bear for is performing at the same level EV goal share wise as Kassian. Woof.
None of these players have played with a quality Centre.
I’m not sure Turris should be getting much playing time anyway, but if you get a 3C who can can skillfully cover the centre of the ice I think it’ll compliment Foegele and Kassian’s North-South games.
McLeod should be able to handle 4C with, say, Benson and Shore or Ryan on his flanks.
It’s Third Line centre that’s dragging performance down to a 4th line level.
McLeod does seem to be showing a bit of improvement though. I’d be willing to wait out acquiring a centre until the deadline and then maybe shuffle McLeod to the wing. But I do have time for McLeod to even stay with Kass and Foegle for a fair bit longer. Ryan should be the 4C though, and can move up in a pinch.
It was a tough road trip, but let’s get home and get some practice time and fix things up. Special teams is masking the 5X5 issue though. And until they can get better in that area, the playoff story will be like a broken record.
LT, your points about the group being tired and the Jets taking liberties are well taken. However, in the playoffs, as we saw last season, none of it will matter when you lose.
If an opponent can saw off the top two lines at EV and crush the bottom six, they can survive 1-2 PP GA and still win. If the PP doesn’t connect, it’s a blow out. That’s what happened yesterday.
The only thing that could have saved this game was Koskinen being excellent, but how many goalies in the NHL can reliably be counted on to outduel Hellebuyck? The Oilers give up so many chances against at 5v5 that it’s an impossible task. Someone said below that there are all sorts of Koskinen apologists. It’s not being an apologist; it’s being realistic. You don’t get to go 0-3 on the EV ledger and win games.
I saw a few instances yesterday of what I consider to be a problem endemic to the D. As an example, Barrie either had a giveaway or was not able to successfully retrieve a puck on two shifts within the first 10 minutes of the game. The result of that was extended zone time for the Jets. I remember one play in particular where he was owned by Kyle Connor on the forecheck. I mean this is just a silly matchup to sign up for, but that’s what you’re doing with Barrie on the top pair.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the two best players in the world. They aren’t going to score from 180 feet away. Barrie has not worked as a top pairing RHD in the playoffs for the Avs, Leafs, and Oilers. If you are Tippett, why do you need to run this experiment in the regular season when a far more effective D in Bouchard is there to play those minutes?
Tippett trusted Bear more than Barrie in defensive situations last season, and I think Bouchard is a better player than Bear (though I do love Bear). So really, there is no debate, and there ought not to be any debate from Tippett/Playfair’s POV.
Agree with this, except Bouchard has not looked as good lately either.
I don’t know if it’s the defensive systems/coaching or poor decisions by the players, but they do make interesting decisions in terms of coverage. Since it seems to happen every year with different d-men, I am starting to wonder if it’s the system.
If it’s the system, you would see all the defensemen make the exact same mistake all the time. It’s probably not the system lol… which typically don’t buuld mistakes into their schemes.
Bouchard is just fine. He’s going to make mistakes just like the rest of them. He was -3 yesterday playing with Koekkoek, who played 10 minutes. Both him and Russell are not for long in this league, IMO.
Bouchard is at a 50% goal share even after yesterday. Him and Nurse are a legit top pairing, and so I don’t see why you need to accommodate Barrie at all.
I don’t think it’s systems. Barrie is not going to win many pucks against Kyle Connor. Keith is going to struggle against Wheeler/Connor/Schiefele/Ehlers. This is the D that some people wanted and yesterday is the result that you get.
Bouchard has been playing with different partners on a regular basis as the team tries to find out where to hide Barrie if he’s not playing with Nurse. The most consistent pairing is Keith and Ceci. This seems to be affecting Nurses play as well. In my opinion the team needs to bring up one of the left shot D from the farm as Koekkoek or Russel paired with Barrie are less than ideal. Shuffling the D doesn’t seem to be working. Even giving Bergland a chance as third pairing right D seems a better solution than Barrie. The third pairing should be able to PK. Our lack of a quality third pairing D that can PK is a more glaring hole than lack of a third line centre.
Tippett is developing a consistent track record of not learning from his mistakes let alone the mistakes made by others RE: Barrie. And I like Tyson Barrie, not as a 1st pairing 25 minute a night D, but rather a 3rd pairing <12 minute 5v5 ice plus PP1 time.
Barrie was the best defender out of the whole lot last night . Did you watch any other defensemen on the roster or do you just key on Barrie ?
I agree, Barrie was not the problem last night.
But he’s still not a 1st pairing dman. Because he can’t defend. And neither is Bouchard, yet. Because, like Barrie, he struggles to defend.
And this is what makes the Bear trade so puzzling to me. At the very worst, he could have provided some cover in the top 4, when Bouchard was struggling.
Who’s to blame for not playing Bouchard 3rd pairing with room to grow last year. Does Holland sign Barrie knowing that Bouchard can hold his own. We’re missing 1 nasty D that can punk the Pionk’s and Tkachuk’s of the world as Nurse is to valuable to lose to fighting and misconduct’s We’re also missing a dickhead in the top 9 as Kassian looks like he’s converted to Buddhism.
Oh they were all pretty bad. I did say as an example. In any case, Barrie can’t play that high up in the order.
I called this loss the other night after seeing all the tired mental mistakes and shortcuts in the game against the Blues. Ideal situation for Winnipeg, playing their 7th home game in a row and Maurice wanting them to set the tone for their coming road trip. Oilers playing their 5th in 7 nights.
How often does any team win in that situation?
That said, the Jets played their most complete game of the season (according to their Home broadcast crew) and it exposed the deficiencies in the Oiler game.
First and foremost is own-zone play. Our puck management and breakouts are awful and have been most of the year. The number of times we gave up the puck under forecheck, while having clear possession and time to make a play, was ridiculous. A huge part of that is on the forwards. And when you’re a tired player, you are even more likely to fly the zone early.
Koskinen needs to eliminate one bad goal per game. I don’t care which bad goal, just get rid of one of them. The save he made on Connor in traffic when he came out and challenged him was maybe the best save I’ve ever seen him make. Certainly the save of the year for me. Demonstrated how good he can be when he’s tracking the puck well, moving his feet, reading plays and challenging the shooter. A minute later the puck was in the net on a far less dangerous chance.
They look tired, and tired just makes chaos worse. They still haven’t played that tight, smart defensive game they learned last season. That would save on both legs and emotion, and be a life preserver to rely on when life gets tougher. A long road trip is no excuse. Playoffs are an even longer grind and these players will need to find the fortitude and smarts to survive those grinds if they plan on making noise during the second season.
And probably extra nights in New Yahk City are a bad idea. “New Yahk City?”
“Get a rope.”
But you should always end on a good note they say, so I will leave you with this…
Draisaitl is clearly the incarnation of immortal Thor, Lord of Thunder, and his magical stick is Mjolnir, Hammer of the Gods. What other explanation is both possible and believable?
I don’t want to see a visibly angry team full of passion and vinegar tomorrow. I want to see cold-blooded assassins executing. I want to see ice in their veins, hard glints in their eyes, steel in their sinews. Revenge is a dish best served…
Well said. In particular, your comments on giving up the puck on the forecheck. This stood out most to me last night (and really this season).
We’re quick to blame the defense for their shortcomings (and they are earned). But we’re not doing a good job breaking out w/forwards flying the zone early/cheating for offense. The defense has no place to go with the puck (or they send it back and forth to each other waiting for help).
It’s not happening all the time, but enough to make a difference and anyone who’s watched Winnipeg the last few years knows they are a team that pinches down hard in the offensive zone. You have to be better supporting the puck against them and we seem to ignore this.
…after enjoying a lovely meal of bacon, eggs, sausages and waffles with a freshly prepared fruit compote and whipped cream. Revenge should be joyful, so start by savoring a delicious meal so you’re in the right frame of mind to savor the revenge itself.
So many posts about we need this, we need that, we have no shooters in Bak. All this, plus stocking the pantry can be accomplished by trading one of our superstars, myself I would keep the one that plays a more team game and seems easier to play with. Just think of the haul we would receive, ala Lindros. It would be for the greater good.
Interesting point. You never win a trade like that though. The most obvious recent example is Eichel but that was as much a salary dump as it was player acquisition.
Lindros’ situation was different because there was no salary cap back then.
And what haul would you be expecting? How would the team be able to afford the multiple players coming back? And if it’s for futures, you’re basically telling the team to give up any aspirations of winning the cup in the near future.
How has Tampa won without trading their superstars? That’s the model this management group needs to follow.
I hate to ever see the Oilers lose a game, but to put things in perspective, in a few years when we look back on Nov. 16, 2021 in Edmonton sports history, we won’t be talking about this loss to the Jets. #snowbank celly
Yeah was checking my phone last night “4-0 Jets? Jesus. Ah well. CANADA!” clap clap clap
Of course Koskinen is starting to falter, it’s almost like the head coach doesn’t learn from past failures even if they occurred within the previous 12 months. Playing the big Finn in net this frequently and riding him into the ground doesn’t work. It didn’t work last season, and it isn’t working this season. Fool me once….
Speaking of overplaying players, is it really any wonder why the bottom 6 doesn’t get any traction regardless of who is in the lineup? I’m not suggesting that Ryan, Turris, or Sceviour, or Archibald, Sheahan, or anyone else dressed in the bottom 6 over the past 3 years are world beaters, but for fucks sake, with 4 minutes of ice time Tippett is better off dressing 9 D and 9 F. Or alternatively, waive Turris and Perlini, sit Ryan in the pressbox, and recall Griffith and Marody up front, place Russell on LTIR and call up Samorukov or Niemelainen. For the 4 minutes of ice time it can’t get any worse, and will certainly increase the intensity and give a shit meter on that 4th line. Perlini does nothing well except shoot, and he gets a shooting lane once every 10 games with the combination of linemates and ice time.
Draisaitl looked completely exhausted in the post game presser. No kidding. Unicorns will come once 97 and 29 play less than 20 minutes a game. Head coach is going to drain any hope of playoff success because once game 90 comes and goes, the players eating 50% of the salary cap won’t have the legs.
Also, Holland needs to make a move for a psycho on that 4th line. Nurse can’t engage overly physically and take penalties because he is far too valuable on the ice. Kassian is playing now like he is afraid to get injured so his usefulness is virtually nil. Garnet Hathaway, Ryan Lomberg, Lawson Crouse… these are the types of players that need to fill the 4th line.
/rant
Yeah, looking at the game sheet, you have to wonder about Tippett’s decision making.
Why do you play your #1 d in 27:52 in a game that was out of reach pretty early?
The same question for playing 29 and 97 25 minutes…
Can someone put a copy of “The Art of War” on Tippett’s desk?
I’m pretty sure that book will have a layer of dust come April. Tippett is extremely short sighted, looking only at the next shift rather than a season’s success. I estimate it will be his undoing when his contract is not renewed at the end of this season, and when a coach with a longer term approach comes in, only then will this team realize more success outside of the line(s) housing 97 & 29.
It’s frustrating how short sighted coaches can be. The 97, 29, and 25 buttons prove irresistible for most Oilers coaches regardless of the score.
Agreed about needing some size on this roster.
This team sort of reminds of a less balanced version of last year’s Avalanche.
They had a much better bottom six and far better d corps, but also a lot of smaller players without much push back.
No team wants to play for a coach that gives up after the first period. They were only down two with most of the 3rd to play. How many times do you think you can look 29 and 97 in the eye in that situation and tell them they’re sitting before you lose the room?
That’s a sure fire way to lose the war.
Difference in opinions.
I think it’s a fail to play your #1d 28 minutes and top two players 25.5 and 24 minutes in 5-2 loss.
I have been told for the last half decade that 44 is the solution for the “psycho” on the roster.
I wasn’t a fan of the Tippett hire at the time and nothing he’s done has convinced me otherwise.
If this team wins more than 1 playoff series this year with him as the coach, I won’t post here for 6 months. Mark my words.
Man what an experience, Costa Rica was fun on Friday and it was pretty mild, but with the Mexican fans the atmosphere was just so much better. Almost got in a fight with a bunch who were chanting “na na na hey hey goodbye” in the 80th minute and we were like “too soon”. Best sporting event I’ve been to in years, probably since the Oilers 2006 playoff run.
3 goals, a couple of goal-line clearances, many, many cramps. Great match.
Not sure why they have Davies take the kicks though – I’d have him in the box. Anyway, great fun, will never forget it. 44,000 people in -15C is pretty amazing.
Kudos to the Canadian MNT and the Edmonton fans. Go back to the grass pitch though!
The game tomorrow against the Jets should be interesting. Will the Oilers come out angry and determined or the weak play we often see from the first game back after a long road trip? You know the Jets will play the same rugged, cross the line game as much as they can. Officiating could play a big part. A couple of early calls against the Jets that result in PP goals and they might have to back off. Of course I don’t expect this to happen. We know what the current standard of officiating is. After an announced crackdown on crosschecking at the start of the season, the Jets were leaving numerous stick welts on a number of Oilers. Stanley’s hit on Drai could have easily been 5. I have concern that we are likely to see some injuries coming. Really hope to see some physical push back tomorrow!
Im sure that if the Oilers come out banging and crashing like the Jets played last night, that would be the game that the NHL “cracks down” on cross checking and calls all the penalties. That would be the NHL’s MO.
Going forward, I think Tippett has to play Skinner more often if Smith is injured. Overworking Koskinen is the road to nowhere.
The weak links need to be addressed. We all know what they are.
KooKoo
Russell
Perlini
Ryan
Turris
Benson
For the forwards, you have to at some point, be at least a marginal threat to score, no?
I don’t think Marody has much to offer, but at this point wouldn’t mind a look.
Anyone out there on the flagging teams that might be available for a 4/5 round pick?
Benson really hasn’t been given a proper chance. Perlini is a soft and passive. Benson may accomplish nothing, but is at least feisty. It is incomprehensible to play Perlini over Benson against the Jets.
Hard to score goals on the 4th line when you get a shift a period. Not even enough time to stretch your legs. Give them at least a slim chance to get in a groove.
EDM Goal Share after 15 gp (11-4-0)
Even strength(5v5,4v4,3v3)
97 w/o 29(5-6) 45%
29 w/o 97(10-3) 77%
97&29 On(10-6) 63%
93 w/o either(3-2) 60%
Ryan (3-13) 19%
Other(4-6) 40%
Net EV -1
Special Teams:21-6
Net ST +15
Empty Net:4-5
Net EN -1
SO/PS 1-0
Net SO/PS +1
Goal Diff +14
Something seems familiar about this …
The quick start by Ryan had me hopeful …
I know its early i the year but I think Holland should see if he can trade for a better 3C
There sure are a lot of Koskinen apologists here … he is what he is … a thoroughly mediocre goalie. His size is both a blessing and a curse … if he’s wasn’t as big as he is, he wouldn’t be playing the the NHL. But he’s so big that it affects his reaction speed and coordination, which is why he gets beat from distance every night, and still handles the puck like a hand grenade.
The Oiler’s are not going to win a playoff round until they get better goaltending – neither one of Smith or Koskinen are capable of stealing a playoff series, and “playoff rules” negates our skill players.
Well thankfully it’s Mikko’s last year here I think some other team will pick him up as a back-up for cheap but it won’t be the Oilers. If Smith is out till after Christmas Holland might be wise to get on the phone and see what’s available. First shot goals are killers especially when there weak. I wonder what the win percentage is for teams that let in the first shot goal I’m guessing under .400pct.
Run Skinner.50-50 with Koskinen. They keep on overplaying Koskinen. Like doing the same thing over and over again is going to get different results. He is a not a 60 game goaltender. He is a 40 game goaltender.
Skinner is ready.
Mikko started 3 games on the trip and Skinner started 2.
Going in to last night’s game, they had each started 2 games on the trip.
We don’t agree on many things but this is spot on. Keep Smith out until he is 110% healed up and use that time to get Skinner the experience he needs for next season. His low cap hit is critical next year. This team needs to start developing young goalies properly but that has not happened since Dubnyk. Even with Smith back I’d keep Skinner up so the starter would not need to practice on game day (unless Skinner gets the start then practicing game day is probably helpful).
Not saying its not a reasonable idea but keeping 3G on the roster means that only 13F are on the roster.
Of course, there are a few bottom of the roster players that could be assigned/waived and assigned on merit (Perlin, Turris, Beonson, Shore, Sceviour – all tweeners at this point).