Game: Edmonton Oilers (4-7-0) vs Calgary Flames (2-8-1)
Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton
Time: 8:00 PM MT
Where to find it: TV: CBC Radio: 630 CHED
Edmonton Oilers Preview: Happy Halloween to all you ghouls and gals!
The Oilers are set to take on the struggling Flames who are coming off a rough 6-2 loss at the hands of the upset Montreal Canadiens. Believe it or not, the Oilers have a chance to put a dent into the Flames playoff chances early on; At least, that’s what Craig Button and Jason Gregor talked about yesterday.
To be honest though, I think the Oilers are better than the 4-7 record shows. Since losing the first four in a row, the team has gone 4-3 and they look to be taking strides in the right direction. Recent call-ups Darnell Nurse and Leon Draisaitl have stepped into the lineup and shone early, but let’s remember that we still have seventy games to go in this season. There is a lot of hockey left for these young men to play.
Brandon Davidson stood out to be as one of the bright spots on the team during our win against the Habs two nights ago. He has shown that he has got a very good shot and is able to use his size to his advantage. Like many others on this young Oilers roster, he has lots of work to do. I fully believe that the fear of losing him on waivers is why he is still in Edmonton at this point in time.
Coming out and beating the Flames would be huge for a few reasons. It is a chance for us to put another dent into the Flames season. Oilers fans know that when you are down early in a season, it becomes very difficult to come out of that hole that had been dug.
Not only that, but this game could be another big confidence booster should we come out and play the game the coaches want the team to play. Hopefully ConYak can keep extinguishing the Flames.
The Otherside:
Goalie Karri Ramo, recalled Thursday from Stockton of the American Hockey League, will get the start for Calgary, which has lost four in a row (0-3-1) after a 6-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday. The Flames have have one win in their past nine games.The Flames have allowed an NHL-high 46 goals and have scored 22 goals (25th) in 11 games. – nhl.com
Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Rob Klinkhammer
Benoit Pouliot – Connor McDavid – Nail Yakupov
Iiro Pakarinen – Anton Lander – Teddy Purcell
Mark Letestu – Anton Slepyshev
Darnell Nurse – Andrej Sekera
Brandon Davidson – Oscar Klefbom
Andrew Ference – Eric Gryba
Mark Fayne
Cam Talbot
Flames:
Joe Colborne – Sean Monahan – Jiri Hudler
Johnny Gaudreau – Sam Bennett – Michael Frolik
Mason Raymond – Mikael Backlund – David Jones
Derek Grant – Matt Stajan – Josh Jooris
Mark Giordano – TJ Brodie
Kris Russell – Dennis Wideman
Deryk Engelland – Dougie Hamilton
How did you feel the last time you saw one of the guys on your team just line up a player and smoke him? How about if that hit lead to a turnover and a goal? Or how did you feel watching Canada’s world junior teams in the late 90s go out and destroy their opponents through huge body checks and intense forechecking pressure? I know how I felt… Effin’ great!
I was watching the Habs/Oilers game the other night and it was the 2nd period and the game just wasn’t going anywhere. I commented upon Twitter that I’d wished the Oilers had some energy players to go out and mix it up a bit. Well this tweet was soon replied upon by some of my followers, some of which have unfollowed me due to my stance.
Now in my unfollower’s defence, perhaps he thought I meant that I wanted someone to go out there and fight, which was not my meaning and to @woodguy55’s fault, he never bothered to clarify. I suspect he/she was just looking for an excuse to unfollow. Which is fine. My brand of tea isn’t to everyone’s liking.
If you’d like more clarification on what @woodguy55’s definition of an energy player is, you can read it here at his blog. It’s an excellent article! But I reckon we’ve got different definitions of what an “energy” player is to say the least.
What I meant was I wanted to see a few guys go out there and muck it up a bit, throw some hits, and try to create some energy in the crowd and the team. I thought that might spur the team onto a goal. Fighting at that point in the game would’ve accomplished nothing and it does beg the question, when did an energy player’s definition go from hard working mucker/grinder to goon?
— Coach is back behind the bench! 🇨🇦 🥅 (@crazycoach21) October 30, 2015
@crazycoach21 was right. A goal did create energy which spurned an amazing three-goal comeback for the Oilers. Kudos to him as he was right.
Now I’d like to comment on the tweet preceding that of McCrazyCoach’s. This Oilers fan is of the opinion that role players or “energy” players are shitty. Wonder if he’d say that to their face? I disagree with that sentiment and I love role players. They do the jobs that skilled players won’t, don’t, or can’t do because if they did do them their careers would be over before they knew it. Of course the numbers can’t support that theory but the day that Patrick Kane, Steven Stamkos, and Tyler Seguin start leading the league in blocked shots and hits is the day they’re no longer NHL superstars. Thus the reason you cannot have a team without energy players.
People, like myself, respect what bottom 6ers sacrifice for their teams. Every hockey player worth their salt will say that these players are the glue that holds the team together and I’d say the likes of Dave Hunter, Lee Fogolin and Dave Lumley were plenty important to the Oilers Stanley Cup winning teams of the early 80s; as important as say the Bruins 4th line of Campbell, Paille, and Thornton to their Stanley Cup or Dave Bolland and Andrew Shaw to the Blackhawks’ Cup in 2012/13.
The point is energy players bring an element to the rink that skilled players cannot unless their name is Doug Gilmour, Peter Forsberg, Eric Lindros, Wendel Clark, or Alexander Ovechkin. There are plenty more but you get the gist. Some players are paid to score, some are paid to hit or block or do whatever else it takes. Rob Klinkhammer racked up nearly 30 hits in that time before his injury but I don’t see anybody complaining about that. Why? Because he was doing an effective job in a lineup spot he’s got no right to be in. Matt Hendricks had 10 hits and 10 blocks and was an ace on the faceoff dot. But to hell with them because their shitty hockey players. Well Maybe it’s to hell with you if that’s your opinion.
Hockey is a physical game, if you don’t like it go watch figure skating.
I think the team is really missing the element that Rob Klinkhammer and Matt Hendricks bring to the table. When I seen that Tyler Pitlick was getting recalled I thought that he was coming up to fill-in for the injured veterans… Not the case but the real replacement did okay.
Today will be the second installment of the Battle of Alberta! I’m only hoping it goes as well as the first one did. Historically role players have played an important… role… in these games. So I’m looking forward to watching but I think we all know who will be running the show… Connor McDavid!
Anyways, that’s all I wanted to say. I just had to get that off my chest. What’s your definition of the energy player? Do you think they’re required or are surplus and will soon go the way of the goon? Let me know in the comments below!
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HOLY JUMPING!!!!!! WHAT A COMEBACK!!!! WHAT…..A…….COMEBACK……!!!!! I’M STILL AT A LOSS OF WORDS!!
Okay back to reality. This team showed such resiliency and effort. They never gave up and the players that we needed to step, stepped up! Leon was up for his first game of the season, Darnell Nurse with his second, they both helped lead the charge with their never give up attitude and made strong cases to stay with the big club.
First Period: This should be game film for the rest of the year to emphasize what NOT to do in a game. The Oilers came out flat footed, disorganized and looked like a bunch of baboons on skates. They were outshot 11-5, out scored 3-0 and this game was looking like it was going to be a blow out. 2 of the 3 goals in the period were just flat out defensive brain farts, a Klefbom turnover (unlike him). He should have been much more aggressive on Torrey Mitchell and forced him to make a play instead of being a screen for Talbot. Klefbom could have tried to force him wide or at least force him to throw a muffin on net, something other than giving him the opportunity to fire a rocket top cheddar on Talbot. Then mere seconds later, Lander decided to guard the invisible man in front and Galchenyuk was left all alone for an easy tap in.
They looked like they had no clue what was going on out there, they couldn’t handle passes, break outs, heaven forbid a pass was made on the tape. Even though he let in 3 goals on 11 shots, Cam Talbot once again was standing tall and keeping the game from going out of control. Kudos to you good sir, Kudos to you!
Second Period: This was a test, a true test to see how this young group could respond after playing their worst hockey of the year. I most likely can’t repeat what Coach McLellan said in the room during the intermission but I imagine a lot of F bombs were dropped and shame was thrown around like no tomorrow. Whatever was said, worked and it worked like magic.
The Oilers came out with some energy, some actual structure and organization. The boys showed some passion and fight. They showed effort outshooting the Habs 11-5 this period as they hemmed the Canadiens in their zone with a lot more sustained pressure. Quality chances were coming through and you could get a sense they were gonna put one behind the best goalie in the league, Carey Price.
The Breakouts were much cleaner, passes much simpler and crisper, and the intensity and speed picked up rigorously as the Oilers started to determine and set the pace of the game. Then they finally caught a break as Montreal took a penalty late in the game. The Oilers had good puck movement and work off the half wall which lead ultimately to Leon Draisaitl who was behind the net. With a clever little bank shot off of Carey Prices behind ze German got the boys on the board! A bounce that finally went their way.
Third Period: This is the period where the young, quick, talented, hard working Oilers showed up, and boy did they show up! What we witnessed was complete domination by the Oilers in the third period versus the NHL’s best team. Once again led by Connor McDavid, who just seems to take games over when needed. Along with Taylor Hall, these two have driven their respective lines and have turned games around for the Oilers this year. It really feels like the pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together.
The third period began with a fruitless power play but they carried the momentum with them onward after it ended. They had their wheels going, out muscling defenders and beating them to the pucks. The Oilers had the leagues best team on their heels and they had no signs of slowing down.
Connor McDavid made a smart play to fight for the puck, keep it alive and get it to the point man Darnell Nurse but instead of firing it on net, he showed patience and passed it off to Brandon Davidson who walked in and unleashed a bomb that found the back of the net with a little screen from Nail Yakupov. At this point you knew that it was on like Donkey Kong! The Oilers kept this momentum going, the defence was doing an excellent job at making sure the Habs weren’t getting rebounds and that the shots were coming from the outside, making Talbot’s job much easier for the rest of the night.
Entry into the Oilers’ zone got increasingly more difficult from the beginning of the third period as the boys in blue and orange limited the Habs’ third period shots to a measly 5. It was only few shifts later that the line of Yakupov-McDavid-Pouliot struck again with a fantastic play that started in their own zone. A chip up the boards by Yak, then McDavid, with the presence of mind to see Pouliot breaking down the middle ice unmolested, made a nice little one touch pass whilst fending off one of the best defencemen in the NHL, PK Subban; to send Pouliot on a mini breakaway where he fired it home to tie it up!! The building went bananas!
The Oilers didn’t stop there, they continued to put pressure on Montreal’s broken defence, using their speed and support systems to force them into making mistakes. Then… Finally it happened in the last minute of play. Taylor Hall dumps it in, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins uses his speed and out muscles former Oiler Jeff Petry off the puck, circles the net and makes a beautiful pass to a trailing Leon Draisaitl who has a wide open cage to net the go ahead goal! One of the best comebacks I’ve seen in a long time and against the best in the league! OUTSTANDING!!!
Interesting tidbit about the game, a small quote from Coach Mclellan regarding something Taylor Hall did for Leon Draisaitl, if you ever questioned Hall’s leadership, i’d suggest you stop;
" He started slow. Hallsy pulled him aside and said, 'Let's go. Relax. You are a good player.' Then he was more involved" McLellan on Drai.
1.Leon Draisaitl – Been high on the kid since before he was drafted. He clearly took what little time he had down in the AHL and used it to his advantage. He looked stronger, smarter; more mature and far less hesitant with the puck. He was going to all the right areas on the ice, and even looked good defensively, oh and he netted the game winner to go along with another. Two goals on the evening!!
2. Connor McDavid – You know I’m getting real sick and tired of putting this kid up here…. Ahhh who am I kidding? I’ll never get tired of it. After an abysmal first he took over this game. His speed couldn’t be handled, his tenacity to get the puck wasn’t matched by any Montreal player, and he made two magnificent plays to set up the tying goal and the second goal. Seven game point streak for the kid including two assists.
3.Ryan Nugent Hopkins – He played the most minutes of anyone in the game, forward and defence. just over 25 minutes. A great performance was had at both ends of the ice, apart from having an off night in the faceoff circle, he had numerous takeaways. He also really had his legs underneath him, and made an incredible hard working play to set up Dr.Drai for the game winner. This guy is something else. One assist on the night.
You know what the Golden Plunger can sit beside the Toilet today… that was too epic of a comeback, but an honourable mention will just go to the horrible first period.
Here are some post game metrics AKA Fancy stats from our very own Walter Foddis!
Helluva of a ride! Especially with that first period where everyone was ready to step off the ledge, to the dominating second and third periods. Those were the catalysts to one of the best comebacks this team has ever seen, especially against the best team in the NHL at this point in time.What the Oilers did in the second and third periods are what they will have to replicate every game. The urgency, the commitment, the extra 10% every shift and not giving up no matter the score. Sticking to the game plan, trusting one another and feeding off each and every player on that bench. This isn’t the team of individual efforts anymore, it’s about creating momentum and possession.
Next game is against the Calgary Flames Saturday night for another installment of the BOA. Last time out it was a bit of a cake walk, but the Oilers can’t expect it to be the same. Calgary hasn’t been playing so hot and is going to be hungry and looking for some vengeance for their last loss against the Oilers. Edmonton will just have to do what they did last game, continue to find the scoring areas, use their speed down the wings and crash the net as either Flames goalie doesn’t have the highest of confidence. Lots of shots, quick movement and sticking to the game plan and the Oilers should walk away with a win, especially after having the momentum they have after this win, and playing Calgary at home. Should be a high energy packed game with the Oilers coming out on top.
Thanks for reading everyone, let me know what you think @madi39 or in the comments section below!
For as long as Shea Weber has been in the league there has been a constant chant by Edmonton Oilers fans that the Oiler’s GM waive some magical wand and bring over Shea Weber, or Brent Seabrook, or Duncan Keith . . .
Sadly none of these players are available now, nor will they ever be. The Oiler’s future top pairing are named Nurse and Klefbom, but unfortunately they haven’t matured to a top pairing D just yet and need real support. Defense by committee is an option (maybe the only one) but the Oiler’s D need real top 4 defenders, not pretenders: see Nikitin, Ference, and Fayne.
So what can we do? There are only a couple of teams flush with defencemen and in need of what we can offer. The Winnipeg Jets have plenty of D on the roster but aren’t likely to give up any quality. A likely D man we could pry out? Likely Toby Enstrom who is on the wrong side of 30, not that physical, not overly offensive, and with a hefty salary. So where else could we look?
Next best target: Nashville. Weber again? Nope, most have given up on that fantasy. Seth Jones . . . wrong again. Not enough whiskey in Nashville to impair the judgement of Nashville’s GM into that mistake. Dare to dream, but it won’t happen. The realistic target should be fourth year pro, Ryan Ellis.
Although Ellis is relatively deep on Nashville’s defense chart, there is plenty to be excited about when it comes to this 24 year-old rearguard. Ironically, the Oilers could have had Ellis for free back in the 2009 draft, but instead chose to draft the now long departed Magnus Paajarvi. Ellis was a prolific scorer in junior, but many prospects are. It’s his work as a pro that makes him a coveted blue-liner. Ellis split 2011 -12/2011 – 13 between the farm team and the big club and continued to produce along the way. In his first full season with the Nashville Predators he scored a respectable 27 points (6g, 21a, +9) in 80 games. Last year he scored the same number of points in only 58 games and has continued to produce this year with four points in 7 games and plus 2. And what about his underlying stats? His Corsi for was an acceptable 50.3 in 2013 – 14 and very good 54.5 last season.
The catch with Ellis is his size. He’s 5’10 and 180lbs, which is definitely undersized as NHL players go, not to mention NHL defenseman. But there are success stories. You only have to look to Minnesota Wild’s Jared Spurgeon (5’9, 176lbs.) to see an example of a d-man who can survive (even thrive) in the western conference.
Looking at Ellis’ game, he’s not only blessed with good hockey sense, but is surprising physical. In one memorable moment last season he stood up former junior teammate Taylor Hall when he was in the middle of one of his unnecessary toe drags.
Clearly he plays bigger than his size. And as noted, all that Ellis has accomplished at this stage has come playing 4/5 (15 minutes a game) on a star-studded blue line. Which begs the question: what could he do on a talent starved blueline in Edmonton? As most have observed, Edmonton’s forwards are suffering from a blueline deficient of a D-man who can make the outlet pass at pace, or who has a bruising slaphot. Ellis can provide both. He has character, and the Oilers could use more of it.
So Who Do We Trade to Get Him?
Ok now, before everyone dusts off their pitchforks, hear me out on this one. The realistic ask for Ellis would be Nail Yakupov. We could pitch a high pick, some prospects, but that likely won’t be sufficient. Unfortunately now that Nail has gained some value, it’s time to trade him, and here’s why.
We all love Nail for his work ethic, charisma, and energy. But what is his real upside? It’s not a ppg player which he currently is. What would his point total be this season if his centre was Anton Lander, instead of Connor Mcdavid? Even in a top 6 role with a very capable centre (not named Mcdavid) his best production would be 20ísh goals and 50 points. And that’s good, but it is a position that can be filled. As for the ongoing disaster that is our current d-corps . . . Not so much.
Would Nashville Be on Board?
Ellis is not being shopped right now. The Predators have drafted him, developed him, and are reaping this rewards of his productive play at $2.5M per season. But they are always challenged offensively. As a result there is a real possibility Nashville could be open to a trade for Nail on the premise he could bring more scoring to their team. And it’s likely he would, it’s just not likely he would bring as much as they would like.
Are the Ask and Return Unequal?
Maybe, but all things are relative. And at this time the urgency is doing something about the D. Most would suggest the target on Nashville should be Seth Jones, not Ryan Ellis. And of course that would be nice, but the reality is, Seth Jones is a future defensive star and the Predators (and the NHL) know it. Unfortunately the closest the Oilers will likely get to having a Jones on the blue line would likely be Seth’s younger brother, Caleb. But Ellis is a positive option, as seasoned blogger Rob Soria pointed out last spring. Whether Nashville would go for it is another question. But with talent piling up on Nashville’s blueline and their offense receiving little in the way of reinforcements, it might be a trade that works for both parties.
If the NHL season ended today the Edmonton Oilers would be selecting 6th overall. A sobering image when presented isn’t it. This was supposed to be a year of progression and yet the team is showing no signs of improvement in the standings.
I guess we shouldn’t be so hard on the team as there was some serious overhaul this past off season but with that said I’d like to take a look at prospect that the Oilers might have interest in coming the draft. His name is Max Jones and he plays for the OHL’s London Knights.
He is ranked #3 by ISS, #7 by Future Considerations, #5 by Hockey Prospect, #47 by Craig Button, and #10 by Bob McKenzie.
Check out this clip of him from one of my favorite NHL prospect channels on Youtube, Bigwhite06.
The Scouting Report
Name: Max Jones
Position: LW (Shoots left)
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 201lbs
Born: Feb 17 1998 Rochester, MI, USA
“A “throwback” player in every sense of the word, Max Jones is a highly competitive, sharp shooting winger with the physical gifts to dominate as a trigger man. His pro-level shot features blazing quickness, combining rare timing on his release and pin-point accuracy, that snaps twine before goaltenders can even begin to react. He utilizes a wide powerful skating stride to burst out wide before cutting inside to unleash one of his lethal shots. Jones displays solid skill in possession with precise passing abilities and an ability to dangle when needed but he definitely projects as a shoot-first type of player. He’s extremely hungry for loose pucks and uses his size and strength advantages to gather up possession quickly.” – Brendan Ross (McKeen’s Hockey)
“An aggressive winger with a blast of a shot, Jones is the best prototypical two-way forward heading into the draft, with the ability to knock you out before scoring an incredible goal. Jones’ calmness with the puck makes him a tough player to play against, making plays seconds before you would expect him too.” – Steven Ellis (Penalty Box Radio)
“Combining speed and power along with a very good skill level, he becomes a very challenging player to play against. He uses all of the elements to his advantage and has a determination in his game that forces opponents out of their comfort zone.” – Craig Button of TSN
HockeyProspect.com has an audio clip online here speaking to Max Jones’ early season performances for the London Knights.
So from all accounts he seems to be a physical, in your face, power forward. In that interview above one of the things mentioned was his lack of a high-end hockey IQ. This was in a conversation where he was compared to Matthew Tkachuk but Jones was also said to be very good away from the puck as well. So take it for what you will.
I for one am dying to see the Oilers develop a “throwback” player to play alongside Hall, Nuge, Eberle, McDavid, and Yakupov. The other teams in the Pacific Division aren’t holding back. Take a look at some of the players recently drafted by the Oilers’ rivals:
Anaheim – Nick Ritchie: This kid is a locomotive who LOVES destroying anyone who opposes him.
Vancouver – Jake Virtanen: You seen what he did to McDavid in the preseason. That’s his M.O.
Calgary – Michael Ferland: Hits hits hits and hits some more. Very Physical player.
Arizona – Nick Merkley: Not a big guy but very edgy!
San Jose – Timo Meier: A very heavy player who’s not afraid to play a physical game if need be.
Los Angeles – Adrian Kempe: Had 42 PIMs in the Swedish league… They bodycheck there right?
The one thing not being talked about here is the abundance of high end forwards in the Oilers pipeline already. I mean most of them are playing on the Oilers right now apart from Leon Draisaitl and what happens to the squad once he’s ready to go? Who’s the odd man out? Pouliot? One has to think that LD would fit right in alongside McDavid and Yakupov but is that the best place for him?
He’s a natural center and as fun as it would be to see him line up with ConYak, I think the Oilers will have to make a choice at some point. Is it Draisaitl or Nugent-Hopkins? Or will his top-end be that of a no.3 center for the Oilers akin to the Crosby-Malkin-Staal trio that won the Cup with Pittsburgh?
But that’s a debate for another day.
If any of the readers are located in London or a city with an OHL team and has seen Max Jones play this year, please let us know in the comments section what your opinion is of him. Do you think he’d be a good fit for the Edmonton Oilers pipeline? Would this be a young man we could see take over for Benoit Pouliot in 3-4 years? Or is he another Tyler Pitlick destined for a career maligned by injury and uncertainty?
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