Remember how you felt in summer? The Oilers had just delivered a frenzied run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. That made last year’s team one of only eight in franchise history to reach that number. It was a major accomplishment and could be the highest heights reached by this generation of Edmonton Oilers.
No one wants to think about that possibility, and I get it. However, winning Stanley has never been more difficult and there are many other teams who can bring home a championship. Back when I was a kid, there were maybe five clubs you could look to for a Stanley. Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks and maybe the Buffalo Sabres. That was (iirc) the list in 1974, and a few years later the New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota North Stars jumped in to contention as some of the original six teams began to fade.
This year? I think there’s far more than five. How many? It might be 10.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN OCTOBER
- At home to: WPG, CHI, CAL, PHI (Expected 3-1-0) (Actual 0-1-0)
- On the road to: NAS, DAL (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: CAR, PIT (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: DET, CBJ, NAS (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 7-4-0, 14 points in 11 games
- Actual October results: 0-1-0
- Oilers in 2024-25: 0-1-0
There’s no reason to panic, but if the Oilers get fed again tonight and offer little pushback, we’re going to see more than a shuffle of the defensive pairings. This year’s schedule is inviting at the start, specifically the next two games but there’s some opportunities throughout October for a hungry team. Is that the Oilers? We’ll find out tonight.
POSSIBLE LINEUP FOR EDMONTON
Tony Brar tweeted out the lines and pairings yesterday and there’s a small tweak. Connor McDavid is with Ryan Nugent Hopkins and Zach Hyman, Leon Draisaitl is flanked by Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson and the third line remains Adam Henrique at pivot with Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown. Vasily Podkolzin with Derek Ryan and Corey Perry also remains intact.
On defense, Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard are the keys on the top pair. Darnell Nurse is now with Travis Dermott and Brett Kulak with Ty Emberson is the other pairing. Stuart Skinner starts.
I have a couple of things to say about the handling of the second pair. I am encouraged by the organization’s slow-playing of Darnell Nurse in an effort to make sure he was healthy before getting his season underway. I do think some of the chaos in Game 1 came from a combination of rust and having a new partner. I’m not against the check down on Emberson to the third pair, especially if it’s short term. As I mention in The Athletic piece above, the Nurse-Emberson duo had less than 15 minutes together five-on-five during the preseason.
The smart play is to fade Nurse and make his pair the third unit until he’s back to being his normal self. That might be tonight, but I think a reset is in order in terms of qual comp and a month of the soft parade may be in order. I know some of you will be mad about the idea, and mention the cap hit, but that’s a sunk cost that isn’t going anywhere and the coach owes it to his players to deploy the roster in an optimal fashion.
Finally, a word about Stuart Skinner. One poor outing and there’s blood in the streets up to my ankles, blood in the streets up to my knees, blood in the streets, here comes Chicago. In trying times like these, I like to look at five-on-five save percentage for starting goaltenders and I like to look at a large sample. So, among goaltenders who I consider regulars over the last two seasons combined, Skinner’s .920 save percentage ranks No. 12 overall.
So, you do you, but I would remind you that Skinner saved this team when Jack Campbell couldn’t get the job done and he did it two years in a row. I’m on Team Nurse and on Team Skinner. One game is the smallest possible sample. One game! If both men prove incapable of delivering this year, then Stan Bowman will need to replace them. I think 20 games is about right, don’t you? Maybe 20 healthy games with no rust for Nurse so that might stretch to 25.
Negative 9 in the goal differential after 2 games. That’s gross, and league worst..
They’ve given up 11 goals in 2 games. That’s even grosser.
The high skilled forwards have dented the twine just twice.
Coach K feeling the Woodcroft Blues.
Anyone notice that the Oilers have given up 5 shots against while short handed through 2 games, and all 5 of the have found the back of the net. Crazy.
Flames have won 2 straight and Corey Perry is the Oilers top forward. Awesome.
So put your hand up if you thought the Oilers would be 0-2 and the Flames 2-0 for tomorrow’s game? I thought so.
I mean no, of course not.
But am I overly surprised?
No, of course not
Do not like G or PK after 2 games but that’s a small sample and offence has let those things off the hook by also being poor, but I thought the forced intensity of a comeback attempt helped them find their hands a bit and it was starting to come toward the end. Arvidsson’s game I really liked. That line will be good. Bring on Calgary.
I wouldn’t call 5 years a small sample size 🙂
It seems like a nothing play now, but that 1 on 3 against with the goalie played was poorly played all around. Bouch needs to recognize he has help and close that gap right away. Even so Dria didn’t need to get the stick in the hands. And whoever was the other Oiler wasn’t the help he was supposed to be. Poor recognition and poor effort
Jerseys look terrible with ads and no shoulder dimples. More dimples!
well, another rough start to the season for this team. I thought they created chances tonight but missed the net a lot. Or just telegraphing /holding a little too long, and getting blocked. It takes time to develop the precision they are working with on skill plays.
Best games from Skinner, Arvi for the oil. I’m not worried yet. It’s a garbage start but it’s also a long season.
Time to awaken from slumber with the Flames.
There’s other issues like lack of finish but 0 for 2 in the H2H Goalie battle
Mrazak soundly outplayed Picard.
I’ve enjoyed watching Mrazek since seeing him at the WJC way back when. Amazing how many people here have dumped all over him over the years. He’s still solid.
Oilers have lost the mostly goalie battles both games so far, very tough to overcome.
lol
Ah, well.
Sure liked the effort this last half of the period.
Sure, score effects make a difference and the hawks aren’t great at defending but it’s building something, atleast..,hopefully…
5 pk ga to start the year against wpg and chi. hmmm
I miss Ceci and Desharnais.
Is the PK 1 for 6….?
fugly
Yikes. Another game that’s really really not a good look…
PK is a damn mess.
29 trying too many passes through multiple sticks.
1 on 3 there and Dria feels the need for the hook on the back check
Exhibit A – Hopkins missing that. Skinner likely doesn’t.
Was a pretty ridiculous save
Skinner should be the extra.
They need another shooter.
I said this last year, and I hope to Gord I’m wrong, but I’m fearful that the Darnell Nurse contract handcuffs this team so egregiously so as to potentially cause then not to win a cup in the duration of it.
I love Darnell, but he’s a 2.5m dollar D, taking up 7m that could be spent shoring up our RD and goalie.
This doesn’t accomplish anything. Nurse is an Oiler and you’re not the GM. All you’re doing is keeping alive the image of Edmonton as the place that drives all its defensemen out of town because they’re not Kevin Lowe.
So, you think he’s living up to his contract?
I’m not trying to run anyone out of town, I love Nurse, however, in the cap era, every penny matters, and through no fault of his own, for what he brings to this team handcuffs us from being better overall.
So, one last time, for clarity, you think he’s full value, and will be going forward?
My word. This is beyond old.
Explain please? Are you saying he’s full value?
No. I’m saying complaining about his contract is old old old. It’s not going away. It’s been complained about at nauseum.
I wasn’t complaining about his contract so much as lamenting on being frustrated by something that is… well…frustrating. I’m sorry that me feeling frustrated offended you, and that you took it upon yourself to tell me that I’m apparently not wrong, but you’d rather just pretend it’s not there. 🤗
Strongly agree,
Let’s stick to complaining about his shit play
So…., So what do we need? A Time Machine? Honestly, you’ve basically identified that the sky is blue. Ok. Now what?
Provide something more than the obv plz… He has a NMC. Blaming and demonizing the guy isn’t going to make him leave…. If that somehow (foolishly) were the strategy here..
Nurse just looks checked out. Going at half speed with no physical play, nothing on offence, terrible defensive positioning.
Of course he’s not going anywhere – he has the worst contract in the league. I’d bench him and play Stetcher with Dermott for the next game.
He can collect his paycheque in the pressbox. He needs to be made accountable for his lackluster play.
Demonizing? 🤣🤣🤣
I literally said I love Darnell, I know he bleeds orange and blue and brings many good things to the table, I also expressly said that I hope I’m wrong. So ok. I’m not sure if it’s a comprehension thing, or a choose not to read everything thing, but…. I’ll ask you as well, do you think DN brings full value?
Also, not sure where the time machine comment came from, but at no point in time did I say anything about time travel, my point was, and is, and my heart breaks over the thought of it, but he doesn’t deliver nearly what it takes to come close to his cap. Let me say this again, I hope I’m wrong, I love Darnell Nurse, I hope he recovers and resets and takes us to the promised land, I hope he wins a Norris and a Conn Smythe on the way, nothing would make me happier. That’s what 9.5 million dollar defenseman should be doing.
Also, for the record, any downvotes you EVER see will never be me, I never try to encourage negativity, but I will always try and be as fair and unbiased as possible. I will upvote because I believe in positivity above all else. I’m not trying to be negative, just real.
I also typically upvote negative comments on my posts because I genuinely appreciate the push back and feedback from differing opinions, it’s how we learn.
This type of pressure we’ve seen since the goal is what I expect all year.
Keep pressing! Don’t worry about the score, just worry about making plays!
Dria from the bottom of the circle on the PP just isn’t what it used to be. Opposition D and G are well prepared for it.
It’s fine. He’s just a QB stretching the D. let them know you aren’t scare to make that play. Keep them honest.
You can see that Arvi/Drai/Skinner will one day be cooking.
Eye test is saying the Oilers have upgraded bigly for Draisaitl’s line.
Fantastic edge work by Skinner. My word!
BOOM!!! Drai from a different spot!
Let’s get one more to make them nervous!
1st point for Connor and Leon. Of the schneid
Remember when the Oilers got completely screwed over a high stick tipped puck against LA that was judged to have somehow defied the laws of physics?
Only this team.
Finally some good vibes.
Thank you for the goal, refs. Cheque is in the mail, we promise
Michaels seems confused. He just said “McDavid is out there with Draisaitl and Hyman, as if it were a power play”.
Michaels just completely missed that they were on the powerplay.
WTF…
When he said that I thought he meant they pulled the goalie.
He’s already forgotten the score and forgotten a powerplay. Special.
To be fair, if I had Michaels job I’d call every non-Oilers team Las Vegas.
Louise was speechless. He just giggled rather than telling Jack he was out to lunch momentarily
Of all the off-season adds, i feel like Arvidsson is by far the best, can’t wait to see a full season of him and Drai once the dial their shit in.
Goal called off due to the d being weakass. If I was a defender I would flop every time someone pushed me, in front of the net.
Smart play by Skinner there to get that call
Wow, Oilers might have a chance if this is 5 vs 3.
I would start pp2
Coach Q is on the way sooner than expected folks…..
Skinner/Arvi good.
Ha I like the drive to the net, but that will not count
BOOM!!! Net front Arvi!!!
Arvidsson is inside the blue paint. That’s going to get called back.
That one is likely coming back
Even the great Kreskin can’t predict these outcomes
I doubt that’s a goal.
Jack Michaels so disconnected he doesn’t even know the score.
Beauty tip.
Not going to look good on the challenge
So weird. A lot like last year where we would flub good chances and the opposition gets every bounce.
Gotta fight through this, again.
Stay focused and cut down on the sloppiness.
Can’t wait for the inevitable
“Oilers fans shouldn’t panic” verbal from the media tomorrow.
Don’t confuse panic with anger.
Good 4th line shift
Same issues as last years start. Can’t kill a penalty to save our souls. Defense and hitting optional. Can we just fast forward the season until the team is counted out by the experts. That is when they seem to show up.