Could this be the guy we’ve all been waiting for? The top pairing right-handed shot? According to Joshua Marshall, the Oilers are in on the emerging Dougie Hamilton sweepstakes…
I'm hearing that #Flames D Dougie Hamilton could be moved as earlier as this Friday. CGY is getting lots of calls for him, #Oilers in on him
I know… I’ve got no idea who he is either but he’s chummy with some pro hockey players and was apparently responsible for the Petrovic/Yakupov rumour this summer. So maybe we should consider this rumour just that…
But then again, if we dig back a bit further… Bob Stauffer was tweeting out some stats on Hamilton the evening previous and we all know how Bobby loves his clever rumor drops…
Flames D Dougie Hamilton is a good player. But he went -3 tonight and played just 14:39 vs NYR, and is now -10 in last 4 GP
I’m not sure what the Oilers would be willing to give up at this point, maybe Brandon Davidson. Maybe Darnell Nurse. But Calgary are in the hole a bit with regards to its salary cap, so it’s entirely possible that taking the team’s performances into consideration and said cap issues, Mr.Treliving might be looking to rid himself of a big ticket item.
Then again, they’ve got some expensive guys coming off their books at the end of the year. So maybe Burkie is a bit tired of the Dougie and wants a shake-up… Who knows?!
I think for the Oilers, they’ve got 6 players on LTIR and have about $3.7 million in cap room, so they’d need to move someone with skrilla like Benoit Pouliot, Mark Fayne or Matt Hendricks.
I’m all for it. If the cavalry is on its way and we’re not happy with some players, move them along, perhaps with the Oilers 1st rounder in the upcoming draft and bring in the Dougie. Caggiula, Hendricks, and Davidson are all skating again and some room is going to have to be made. Could this possibly be a way for Chia to rid himself of Griffin Reinhart? Pilfering him down to play for his old man’s and older brother’s ex-team would be something.
What do you think? Should the Oilers pony up and pick up a Dougie Hamilton? Let me know in the comments below.
The Dallas Stars are coming into Edmonton and the latter half of a back-to-back, you’d like to think that they should be tired and ripe for the picking, right? Well, to speak to the point that they are in fact due for a loss, let’s consider these factors:
They have played 5 games in 8 days.
In that time frame, they’ve gone 2-2-1
This is the 2nd b2b in 7 days.
The previous one was versus the red-hot Blackhawks and Dallas lost both times.
They’ve been hit massively on the health front.
Five top-9 major players are out for them (Spezza, Eakin, Sharp, Hemsky, Janmark).
Antoine Roussel AND Lauri Korpikoski are playing top line minutes…
They’ve let in 19 goals in the past 5 games.
That 8-2 loss to Winnipeg didn’t help.
The Stars have been shorthanded 20 times in the last 5 games and their PK has been busted 4 times in said 5 games.
All of that is fine and dandy BUT:
In the now oft-mentioned previous 5 games,
Tyler Seguin has 7 points (2g, 5a) and 23 shots *4 of those points on the PP*
Jamie Benn has 6 points (2g, 4a)
John Klingberg has 5 points (2g 3a)
Antoine Roussel has 25 PIMs
So their big guns are firing, especially Seguin. They’ve got some ridiculously irritating players running up and down the line-up in Roussel, Gemel Smith, Korpikoski, and Curtis McKenzie plus to back those guys up in case sparks fly are Brett Ritchie, Patrick Eaves, Stephen Johns, and Jordie Benn…
Despite the Dallas Stars’ record (5-6-3), for the reasons above, they shouldn’t be a team that you as a fan should think are a guaranteed victory for the Oilers. They’re no more a win than the Buffalo Sabres, the Ottawa Senators, or the Toronto Maple Leafs were supposed to be back in October.
The Oilers are 2-2-1 in their last 5 games, 2-3-1 if you toss in the Senators game, and that’s not the kind of record that will drive you to a playoff spot.
I think that a lot of people will be judging Edmonton’s playoff chances on a game like this one against Dallas and that’s a fair point to make. Personally, I get pretty torn on games like this one this year because the Oilers have beaten some pretty good teams already but they’ve lost to some pretty shitty ones as well. But, we’re nearly half-way into November, a month that is supposed to tell us where we should be drawing our lines in the sand regarding this team. October was the cherry start, Edmonton has to start winning again or the likes of the uber-hot Los Angeles Kings and the re-emerging Anaheim Ducks will catch up to them and pass them. Leaving them for the San Jose Sharks to feast upon once they find their game (5-5-0 in their last ten…)
Let me ask you, I know the Stars’ record doesn’t reflect it but are they closer to the Rangers/Penguins this year or are they closer to the Canucks/Flames?
I’d like to say they’re close to Vancouver/Calgary but they are so stricken with injury that I think once they get their boys back, it’ll be game on for them and they could very well make a HUGE push in the 2nd half…
The Oilers will win this one tonight because Dallas’ goaltending cannot get its game together and I’m not convinced that their defense can handle the Oilers top line of Maroon/McDavid/Eberle.
*Eberle has 5 points in his last 5 games btw*
I also believe that Edmonton has the forward depth to withstand whatever the Stars send over the boards and this Oilers team can play the game any way you want to now that it’s a more balanced and sizeable squad.
Now, with that said, Klefbom and Larsson should, in theory, be able to take on Benn’s line. We’d prefer it if Seguin was on that line too but it looks like he’ll be centering the 2nd line with Roussel and Eaves. I reckon that Nugent-Hopkins, Pouliot, and Puljujarvi shouldn’t be lined up against them but Lucic, Draisaitl, and Pitlick should but can Sekera and Benning handle Seguin’s line is the question? Maybe it won’t matter though, maybe that will be the assignment given to Gryba and Nurse…
Then again, what if McLellan decides to match KlefLarr with Seguin and leave Benn to Sekera/Benning or Gryba/Nurse?
Either way, the Dallas forward/Edmonton defense match-ups will be a chess match to keep one’s eye on.
What do you think about tonight’s game? Let me know in the comments below!
Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee!If you’re a fan of Lowetide, you need this shirt! Click the pic and get yours today!Dig skateboarding? Click the pic and grab this new “Thrasher Magazine” inspired tee!
As Connor McDavid picked up his 3rd assist and the Oilers went up 3-1, I started to think that this Edmonton had turned the corner. They were up by two goals on the reigning Stanley Cup champions and things were looking rosy. McDavid vs. Crosby was living up to its billing and my prediction of this being one of the most entertaining games of the year was coming true!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4wsBSmKKqQ
Then it all started to go all Oiler-y and the Penguins started to leeeeeaaaannnn on the Oilers…
Goal No.2
Leon Draisaitl coughed the puck up in the neutral zone and the puck found its way to one half of the headliners, Crosby. Then he decided to penetrate the Oilers zone with ease BUT was held to the outside by the Swedish Terminator, Adam Larsson. Crosby chipped it into the slot to a driving Trevor Daley, he gets a shot, which is stopped but its rebound went straight to an unmarked Carl “Mr.Flow 2016” Hagelin and he deposited that directly behind an outstretched Cam Talbot… All with Leon within feet of the Swede…
Goal No.3
Tyler Pitlick fails to capitalize on an absolute gift of a pass from Milan Lucic (Which sort of makes up for that beauty of a tape-to-tape he gave to the Penguins in the 1st period that they used to score their first goal), Penguins streak back the other way 3-on-2 and with Kessel quarterbacking this one, he chucks a floater at the net which was behind Malkin, yet he finds a way to get his stick on the puck anyhow and it goes in the net… FLUKE CITY… Regardless though. Malkin made a pretty sweet move to get his stick back to tap that puck into the net and the Oilers should’ve scored on their chance.
**Extra points to Pitlick for backchecking as hard has he did and smashing his face into the crossbar in an attempt to stop Malkin.**
Goal No.4
You have got to be pretty heartless if you’re going to blame this loss on Benoit Pouliot because earlier Jordan Eberle had an opportunity to put the Oilers back ahead AND nab a hat-trick goal but failed. Batting the puck into the other team’s net is hard enough, batting it into your own net… Near to impossible. Especially when you’re trying to swat Bryan Rust’s stick out of the way and on the back swing your stick catches the biscuit and directs in twine-ward.
Batting the puck into the other team’s net is hard enough, batting it into your own net… Near to impossible. Especially when you’re trying to swat Conor Sheary’s stick out of the way and on the back swing your stick catches the biscuit and directs in twine-ward. Maybe Cam could’ve helped out a bit more. Maybe Oscar could’ve been in better position…
In the end, it was the other Conor that won the game for his team. The Oilers’ Connor McDavid could do no more to lift his team and he made a lot of people forget about the USA voting their new overlord into office (PS: good luck with that America!). The Oilers have to score on those blatantly obvious chances that they’ve been wiffing on or else we’re going to keep seeing losses like this one. The boys had it in the bag but couldn’t hold on… It’s maddening to see Edmonton go up on these NHL titans, only to lose it on questionable and avoidable goals later on.
I did predict the Oilers would lose this match in my previous blog and to be honest, I thought the Pens were going to roll over them. I also said to expect the unexpected with this team and they showed me because I didn’t even take my own advice. I never expected them to go up 3-1 on the champs. Then again, I didn’t expect them to let in 3 unanswered goals after that either…
Moral of the story: The Edmonton Oilers are for real. Belee Dat!
Next game is against the banged up Dallas Stars… Didn’t they just give up 8 goals to the Winnipeg Jets? Man, if Calgary finds a way to beat them… All hell could break lose versus Edmonton. I hope they leave McDavid as open as they did Patrik Laine last night. I’d love to see Connor rack up 5 points on the Stars…
What did you think about the game? Let me know in the comments below!
If you’re a fan of Lowetide, you need this shirt! Click the pic and get yours today!Click the pic! Get this kick-ass shirt!Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee!
That’s right! Who really cares that it’s Connor v. Crosby? The story of the night will be Leon Draisaitl matching up against Evgeni Malkin! And what a matchup it will be! Size, speed, skill, graceful skating, and amazing playmaking! We’re in for a treat!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHe9pBtk1Pw
Those videos are so childish, I know. But I can’t stop busting a gut making them. If I laugh as much making them, someone out there surely has to be laughing half as much watching them and the world is a better place when people are laughing, wouldn’t you agree? Back to the game tonight though.
Let’s not kid ourselves. The entire hockey world will be watching this one and not for Draisaitl/Malkin. This is the future of the NHL lining up against the present, right? I’d like to say past but Crosby isn’t even 30 years old is he? He could very well play another 10 years.
When I was a kid, all I ever wanted to watch was Gretzky’s Oilers/Kings player Mario Lemieux’s Penguins. Well, we may very well get another decade of Crosby’s Penguins versus McDavid’s Oilers. It’s a good time to be a hockey fan.
I’d have to ask some of the more vintage fans out there but could there be parallels drawn to the first time Wayne Gretzky met Brian Trottier tonight? Some have likened the meeting to Gretzky and Lemieux but for whatever reason, I don’t see it that way. How do you see it?
The game tonight could very well be one of the most entertaining games of the year so far. Both teams should be lined up in order to have three scoring lines firing at any one moment. The Penguins’ powerplay (6th OV) is clipping along at a 24% rate (Edmonton has the 9th OV PP in the league) and the Oilers’ PK sits very comfortably in the four spot overall (89.5%). Pittsburgh’s PK is ranked in the middle of the pack at 16th OV.
I believe that the Penguins have too much for Edmonton but if the Oilers defense can continue to play as well as it has and Cam Talbot doesn’t decide that tonight is the game that’ll be off. I think that the Oilers could take it by capitalizing on the powerplay.
I haven’t heard if the Pens are starting MA Fleury or Matt Murray but that will play a factor in it as well. I’d much rather the Oilers be lining up across from Fleury to be honest. I like the fact that he’s completely unpredictable and could come unhinged at any moment. Perfect for a team full of hungry beasts like the Oilers.
Another deciding factor could be the defenses on both teams.
For the Oilers, they are going to be seeing wave after wave of grit and ultimate skill coming at them. The pairing that Andrej Sekera has been on has been struggling lately. Whether he’s been paired with the dinged up, Kris Russell, or the rookie, Matt Benning; things have not played out well for them. That’s a pairing I’d keep a close eye on because we know that Larsson/Klefbom are going to be solid and bodies be hitting the floor when the Gryba/Nurse pairing is on the ice.
As for the Pens, Dumoulin and Letang have been firing on all cylinders. What a pair that is eh? Letang is godly on the back end and he’s got to be due for a Norris soon. Brian Dumoulin (a throw-in in the Jordan Staal trade) had marinated for nearly 200 games in the AHL before finding his spot permanently on the Pens blue line. So if you’re still sore about Griffin Reinhart taking his sweet time getting to the NHL, relax.
Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley are very good at moving the puck but I reckon this pairing, as well as, the Pens’ third pairing of Justin Schultz and Ian Cole, could be ripe for the picking if the Oilers’ forecheck is gold. If it isn’t and the boys appear tired, the Penguins will eat them alive.
What do you think? Edmonton has surprised the Blues and Capitals already this year. Teams that were supposed to handle the Oilers with ease but were thwarted by an Edmonton hockey club that has improved exponentially. Can the Oilers surprise again and swat the Penguins to the side, gaining more ground on the Habs and Rangers?
I’m going to say that it’ll be an entertaining game with all the offense out there but that Pittsburgh takes this one. I hope the Oilers win it but I reckon the gritty Penguins from Pennsylvania will have it.
McDavid isn’t really McDaviding very much. … Prior to this game, McDavid had the fourth highest ice time in the league for a forward. All the players ahead of him are veterans. Maybe the idea of playing the crap out of him is not a successful long term strategy, especially for a 19-year-old player who was a featured high ice-time player in the World Cup before the season started.
Da Fax
Let’s look at some facts in that regard:
McDavid is averaging 21.4 minutes of all situations ice time (ATOI) per game this season. He’s still fourth in the league after last night’s game. (All data sourced from corsica.hockey)
The next nearest Oiler forward is Jordan Eberle at 18.5 minutes, nearly three minutes per game less than McDavid. That’s a very reasonable 55th in the league for forward ice time.
There are three forwards ahead of McDavid in ATOI. They are: Ryan O’Reilly (25 yo, 22.4 mins), Patrick Kane (27 yo, 22.2 mins), and Anze Kopitar (29 yo, 21.8 mins). The #1 ATOI forward in the league is 6 years older and plays just one minute more per game.
Of the top 10 forwards for icetime, not including McDavid, the average age is 28 years. The youngest are 23 years old (Scheifele and Trocheck).
A quick scan of the top 50 ATOI forwards shows only a handful of young players (Gaudreau, MacKinnon, Forsberg, Barkov). McDavid is the only teenager on the list. (note: can’t guarantee that as this is eyeballed)
The Immortals
Now, we all know that McDavid is an extraordinary player, and I don’t doubt he can tolerate more icetime for his age than ordinary mortals. And the team is generally not very good without McDavid on the ice, so the temptation to play him every minute you can must be overwhelming.
But let’s not forget, he’s just 19 years old – still a growing boy. (And given he’s three years from his likely peak, his age is something that should absolutely terrify the rest of the league)
So this kind of icetime load has me worried, especially since it looks to my eyes like McDavid hasn’t been able to easily shed the hooking and holding the way he did early in the season.
Overtraining or Ubertraining?
In my day they called long-term fatigue from too much training volume ‘overtraining’ – do they still use that term? While this could just be an ebb in the regular pattern of ebb and flow, it might not be. The end result of overtraining is often injury, and that’s something the Oilers must protect McDavid from at all costs!
Not sure if this is anything real, but I believe it is something that should be given attention. I hope TMc and the Oilers training staff are watching closely.
