I think we’re coming up to that point in the season where we can start believing these Edmonton Oilers are the real thing. I’m not sure that they’ll finish atop the Western Conference or even the Pacific Division, but they are looking more and more like a playoff team. I’m saying a top-three team in their division playoff team, not a wildcard one.
Holland did something no other GM has done for quite a while, he told the kids to get a place in Bakersfield, to get comfortable, and to do what they can to help the Condors become a championship-caliber AHL team because he was going to go with the vets in Edmonton this year.
It’s taken some time for said vets to make their mark, but it’s been coming along slowly. Take the last game vs. Anaheim for example. I thought that the line of Granlund/Haas/Russell were very good. They had a role and executed it remarkably. I would say that that performance is the ceiling and we already know what the floor is, so all they have to do is find a way to stay in the middle.
Another thing I’d like to add here is that Holland brought players in who excelled on the penalty kill and took pride in excelling in that role. Such a wise decision that was as that’s precisely what the Oilers needed.
When February rolls around, then Holland can start discussing whether he’d like to add some quality to his roster for the playoffs or show faith in this roster and reward them for their dedication and hard work.
Although there’s a little part of me that wonders what he’ll do with all of the pending free agents he has and is this an outlier year? If it is, you don’t want to be handing out long-term contracts like candy on Halloween. I mean, even if it isn’t an outlier, you still don’t want to be doing that to the sort of players that will be unrestricted free agents, right?
The Next Ten Games
The first ten games of the 2019/20 season went quite well for the Oilers, more so at the start than the end, mind you. I predicted they’d go 6-4-0 and they ended up going 7-2-1. It’s not going to be as easy in these ten games, but it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility if they did better than anticipated.
10/24 Washington: 7-2-2 (h) – I like Washington here. Too much depth and firepower (LOSS) WIN
10/27 Florida: 4-2-3 (h) – If Barkov is still out, I’ll take the Oilers. (WIN) LOSS
10/28 Detroit: 3-7-0 (a) – It was a tough go in their first meeting, but I reckon Edmonton turns it up in Detroit for their GM. The first game in a B2B for the Oilers. (WIN) LOSS
10/29 Columbus: 4-3-2 (a) – Edmonton has had trouble with tough-checking teams so far but Columbus’ goaltending doesn’t impress me. The second game of the B2B for Edmonton. (WIN) WIN
11/2 Pittsburgh: 6-5-0 (a) – Crosby and co. are an intimidating bunch. I’ll go with a shootout loss here. (S/O LOSS) WIN
11/4 Arizona: 5-2-1 (h) – Coyotes are a lot deeper than years previous. (LOSS) OT LOSS
11/6 St. Louis: 4-2-3 (h) – The champs will give the Oilers are really hard time. However, the Blues will be on the latter half of a B2B. (LOSS) LOSS
11/8 New Jersey: 2-4-2 (h) – New Jersey’s defense and goaltending just isn’t coming together. The Devils will be playing the 2nd game of a B2B as well. (WIN) WIN
11/10 Anaheim: 6-4-0 (a) – John Gibson has been amazing and this team is rallying behind Dallas Eakins. These games are usually very intense and this one shouldn’t be any different. (WIN) WIN
11/12 San Jose: 3-5-1 (a) – Martin Jones has completely lost the plot and Vlasic is coming up in trade rumors now? (WIN)
*Records as of October 24th, 2019.
My prediction for their last block of ten games was for the Oilers to go 6-3-1 and they’re on the verge of going.. 6-3-1. I should’ve been putting money on this stuff eh?
Puljujarvi Says He’s Staying Home
Good on him. He’s taking control of his own destiny and he’s dedicating his season to his teammates in Oulu for Karpat. He wants to help them win an SM-Liiga championship and he’s not even thinking about the NHL right now. His attitude is trending in the right direction and I like that.
He’s not out of the woods yet though. There were some mixed reviews regarding his play at the recent Karjala Cup in Finland from the media there and also from himself. That said, his team finished 2nd and he had an assist on the GWG vs. Russia.
Jesse Puljujarvi's assist on the GWG vs. Russia at the 2019 Karjala Cup. #Oilers @OulunKarpatFi pic.twitter.com/e4KzxBSJB1
— 𝑩𝑳𝑯⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (@BeerLeagueHeroe) November 8, 2019
He’ll have the rest of the season to work on the things that will bring him success in the NHL like being more aggressive on the puck, shooting from higher percentage scoring areas, playing a more stop/start game, and making quicker plays with the puck.
I wish him all the best! David Staples has a good post on this.
Three Players to Watch for the Sharks
- #9 Evander Kane – It’ll be impossible not to notice him. He’ll get on the stat sheet one way or another be that with a goal or something penalty-related. Six goals in the Sharks’ previous ten games.
- #48 Tomas Hertl – Four goals and three assists in SJ’s last five. He’s on fire right now and the Oilers had best keep a close eye on him. I think he’s very underrated in this league as a goal scorer.
- #31 Martin Jones – This tendy is 3-1-0 in San Jose’s last five games. His GAA is 2.72 and his SV% sits at a lovely .879. So that tells me that the three wins he has there has more to do with his teammates than him and the Oilers have struggled taking advantage of goalies in a funk this year save for Cory Schneider.
This is how San Jose lined up in their most recent game to which they won 2-1 over Nashville in a shootout.
How the squad is starting things off tonight. #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/e2Kdbi1Jlp
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) November 10, 2019
Three Players to Watch for the Oilers
- #29 Leon Draisaitl – Eighteen points in his last ten games. He’s absolutely bossing it this year and I don’t expect that to stop. Has there ever been two players from the same team in the final three for the Hart Trophy?
- #44 Zack Kassian – Kass has four points in his last five games and has seemingly recaptured the form that found him placed in the top-six with Connor and Leon to begin with. One of my favorite memories of Kassian against the Sharks comes from the 2016/17 playoffs. I think it was game two, not sure, but he had two massive hits on Brendan Dillon and Logan Couture in that game and did he not have a goal as well?
- #93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Nuge is starting to come around. Twenty shots in his last five games and only two goals to speak for. I expect from pucks to be crossing the goal line in the games to come on a more consistent basis.
I don’t see any reason to move on from what worked for the Oilers in that rout of the Ducks. Joakim Nygard should be back soon but I haven’t heard anything on that front lately. Here is what they iced the other night.
Expecting to roll with the same lineup as Friday. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/la6rLrk0jN
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 11, 2019
There is a part of me that wants to comment on the Don Cherry debacle but I still haven’t gathered enough info or my own thoughts on the matter to feel comfortable writing at length about it. I’m torn on it because even though Cherry said some stupid shit over the years, it never bothered me. I simply ignored it and most everyone that I knew just shook their heads and moved on because by the Monday or Tuesday, nobody was thinking about it anymore. Clearly, this time was different though and I think I’d best be served taking more time to wrap my head around everything.
The one thing I will say though is he was basically contained to one appearance a week, right? Now the door has been left wide open and if he wants to, he can become bigger and bolder than he ever was. If he decides to exercise his right to choose. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s already been contacted by a plethora of outlets to continue his career as a hockey analyst.
Like I said, be careful what you wish for…
