It’s a weird feeling for the Oilers to be on top of the league, isn’t it? Only two games in albeit but one should never turn down the opportunity to celebrate something, no matter the size of the victory. I’ll celebrate this no questions asked. I might pre-emptively celebrate a three-game winning streak because Buffalo is down their two main battleships.
Can anybody explain to me why the Oilers are winning despite getting their asses handed to them in the possession stats? I mean if you were to strictly read the game by the numbers you’d think the Oilers were lucky and I watched both those games, they were definitely NOT lucky. That being said, McDavid is more or less saving the Oilers’ butts whenever they get down.
NAIL-ING THE OILERS
Are you missing Taylor Hall right now? The chatter is all about Nail Yakupov and how he was so hard done by in Edmonton… I think that’s a load of bullshit too. I like Yakupov but boy-oh-boy is he playing the sympathy card right now…
I asked Yakupov if he just felt comfortable tonight. This comment really got me thinking this kid was a lost soul in Edmonton. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/RN7n4tqWHv
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) October 14, 2016
I asked my source about this and I was told the Oilers did everything they could for Nail but he chose to be a “loner”. I don’t like that term but it captures the spirit pretty well.
A team or organization can only do so much to help their players/employees. Nail Yakupov wanted to come to the Canadian Hockey League and play. He played in Sarnia for two years and lived with the Galchenyuk’s if I’m not mistaken. Then he was drafted by the Oilers and did his family not come to Edmonton with him? So, what am I missing here? What is Yakupov going on about when he complains about a new country, new city, and new friends? Why is he using being away for a long time as an excuse when he went back to Russia almost every off-season? To my understanding, he’s always intimated that he wants to be in North America and would never flee to the KHL. And he’s been in St.Louis all of maybe 2 weeks and everyone in that organization is good people?
I get it if he wants to vent but he seems to be painting the Oilers organization as a whole in a bad manner whilst making people feel sorry for him and it’s a tad aggravating. Or maybe Nail has some mental issues and we should be sensitive to his situation… I’m not sure but I’m not reading that quote above in the way a lot of others are.
We live and die by the choices we make and don’t make in life…
THIS COULD BE IT!!
I need you to really think about what is happening right now in the Pacific Division and how the things I’m about to illuminate upon you could very well affect the Edmonton Oilers and their push for the playoffs in 2016/17.
- Jonathan Quick, the LA Kings star goalie, is set to miss up to 4 months with a groin injury. Will LA be able to sustain a level of competition that would allow them to be in a position to make the playoffs without Quick? Paging the 2015/16 Montreal Canadiens!
- Anaheim is having trouble signing their top defenseman, Hampus Lindholm, AND their goaltending is questionable as well. John Gibson is highly touted but unproven and we’ve seen enough of Jonathan Bernier to know what he brings to the table.The Ducks are going to have to make a trade in order to make room for Lindholm and his probably $5M plus contract. This means Cam Fowler, Jakub Silvferberg, and/or Andrew Cogliano could be on the outs in SoCal!Oh… And how could I forget about Randy Carlyle?
- Calgary’s goaltending is still shaky. Did they really think they were getting an upgrade in Elliott?
- Vancouver is shaping up to be a lottery team. I’m not sure if Ryan Miller has it in him anymore and it seems like every year we’re waiting with baited breath to see if Jakob Markstrom is going to pan out.
- Arizona is WAY too young and again, questionable goaltending. Mike Smith goes through phases where he’s an all-star and when he’s an all-star… in the AHL. Arizona is going to have a great team someday but this year they will not be. Knowing the Oilers luck, they’ll probably give them a run for their money though.
- San Jose… The Sharks will probably compete for the Western Conference title but Edmonton, in theory, will be able to keep up with them this year.
Those top two (LA and Anaheim) are the ones I will be keeping my eye on. Both LA and Anaheim are potentially in very compromising positions. With the easy schedule the Oilers have to start the year, they’d bloody well better take advantage of it because these points will be of the utmost importance come time when the schedule starts to get a bit tougher and the road trips get a bit longer…
All I’m saying is, don’t be surprised if we see the Oilers locked into a playoff position when the time comes due.
As for Yakupov’s comments of course he will say how great it is in St Louis everyone in his position would. I think the biggest problem is that being a young man in Canada when you don’t drink alcohol it is very tough to hang out with people that do I have 1st hand experience working on the drilling rigs my whole life started at 17 yrs old starting in the mid 80’s I quit drinking when i was 25 and everything in this country revolves around drinking and its no fun hanging out with drunk people.
i agree with the assessment of the oilers playoff hopes they should have a good chance to make the playoffs. the so called hockey experts picking the flames to be 3rd in the pacific division wonder what they are thinking now !!
I’m fairly certain that not every player on the Oilers is a raging drunk. lol. But there are guys with families and there are probably a few guys who don’t enjoy the drink either. I believe that every player has their own routines post/pre-game and practise and I also am of the belief that if you’re not assertive enough, you’ll allow a lot of opportunities to pass you by. St.Louis is going to be no different with regards to what players do off-ice…
But yak will have another countryman to help him
I’ll assume it’s the link that got my comment censored…
So let me put it this way: Search – The Future of Nail Yakupov and the Idiocy of the Russian Factor
Read it, and then tell me if it was all Yak’s fault.
Good article. I think he’s playing the racist card a bit much though. “Let us not judge players, in this sport or any sport, on their ethnicities or heritages or religions, but rather on their performance in their sports and their characters as individuals.” So if we do as this quote says and we judge Yak on his performance and character, the results remain the same. Every player is expected to do what’s in the best interest of the club. If your coach asks you to perform a simple task, you do it because it’s in the best interest of the team. If four or five coaches are telling you the same thing and you refuse to alter your approach, that’s on you. If you then ask away from your team, that’s an indictment on your character.
I think what the article was ultimately saying, is that Yak never got the same shake as a “Good Canadian Kid” would have.
And I remember being baffled as to why the he77 they were using him the way they were.
It never made sense to me.
Now I’m not sold on the racist stuff either, but it’s pretty clear he was treated differently than other young rookies.
That, is on management.