Even though they’re on a 6-game winning streak, can you believe that the San Jose Sharks are in third-last place in the Western Conference? Just goes to show you how important it is to start the season on the right foot.
The Edmonton Oilers have dug themselves quite the hole with San Jose though. They are 0-5-1 in their last six games versus the Sharks and with the way that Pete Deboer has his team playing right now, it’s hard to envision McDavid and company breaking out of this stranglehold that their Pacific division rivals have on them.
Since Nov. 7th, both teams have played five games apiece and while San Jose are 5-0-0 in that time, the Oilers aren’t far behind going 3-0-1. What’s more interesting is that in nearly every statistical category, they don’t find themselves separated by any massive gap. They’re basically putting up similar numbers all around from the more traditional metrics to the gritty ones. That’s really where the comparisons end though.
The Sharks are really handing it to Edmonton from an advanced analytics perspective in that five-game span (5×5).
- CF% – San Jose 51.84% (12th)/Edmonton 47.18% (24th)
- FF% – San Jose 52.72% (9th)/Edmonton 46.15% (26th)
- GF% – San Jose 53.33% (8th)/Edmonton 51.72% (14th)
- xGF% – San Jose 53.6% (10th)/Edmonton 49.74% (15th)
- SCF% – San Jose 52.43% (12th)/Edmonton 45.69% (27th)
What I’m reading from where both teams are finding themselves ranked in the league for each stat is that Edmonton is having a helluva problem preventing shots, blocked or otherwise. God forbid the goaltending cools down…
The one metric where the Oilers have got San Jose’s number since the 7th of this month is high-danger chances for %. Edmonton is 5th (55.67%) there whilst the Sharks are 18th (48.91%). Having the likes of McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins, and Neal helps there.
I think that one thing that quells the anxiety a bit, for at least this season so far, is Edmonton’s ability to bounce back from a poor performance. Boy, could they use that superpower tonight because, as we mentioned earlier, good starts are vital and the Oilers need a good start to this 5-game road trip.
The Iron Swede is Coming Back!
The Oilers’ defense is about to become that much harder to play against now that Adam Larsson is ready to return to action. I’m very excited as Larsson is one of my favorite Oilers. I love the way he plays the game as he’s a real throwback player that makes it really tough to spend time in Edmonton’s end. I happen to think he’s a pretty smart player as well. His hockey IQ is higher than Nurse in my opinion and probably cheaper long-term, but don’t tell anybody…
The real question is where will Larsson play and my feeling is that he’s going to saddle up in his old spot alongside Oscar Klefbom now that Joel Persson has been sent to Bakersfield. It makes too much sense with the way that Ethan Bear is carrying his pair and how well Kris Russell and Matt Benning have been playing.
Some fans will say that now’s the time to trade Larsson, but those fans don’t really know how the game of hockey works and let me tell you why. You see, when the Oilers make the playoffs, they’re going to need hard defensemen like Adam Larsson because the post-season is nothing like the regular season. Everything is turned up to eleven and skillers who skate well and are good playmakers sometimes have a hard time with that. Not all, but some. What I’ve found over the years though is that the players like Larsson are of vital importance to their teams during that time of the year and a team can’t just have five or six skilled puck-moving defensemen. It needs balance, it needs blueliners who can absorb wave after wave of high-intensity forechecks and men who are willing to sacrifice every inch of their bodies and well-being in the name of success.
If the Oilers traded Adam Larsson, I feel like they’d be making a mistake. Keep him and reap the benefits of an insanely deep defense.
The Next Ten Games Part Three
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. The second ten games were equal to the first ten and it saw the team get a bit better from an analytical point-of-view. Now, the third installment might be the most important as we’ll pass American Thanksgiving (11/28) in this block. I think it was Elliotte Friedman that said 78% of teams who are in a playoff spot by this holiday tend to stay in that spot. I say the Oilers finish this segment of ten games with twelve points out of a possible twenty.
11/14 Colorado (11-5-2) (h): I like the Oilers’ chances against a third-string backup. Won’t be easy though. (WIN) WIN
11/16 Dallas (9-8-2) (h): The Stars are 8-1-1 in their last ten here and I don’t see Edmonton slowing them down. (LOSS) LOSS
11/19 San Jose (8-10-1) (a): Embarrassed from the spankings the Sharks have been giving them since last season, I think the Oilers bounce back here. (WIN)
11/21 Los Angeles (6-11-1) (a): The Kings don’t scare me. Easy points for the Oilers. (WIN)
11/23 Vegas (9-8-3) (a): The Golden Knights are a dangerous squad and this game could go either way. I’ll take Vegas here as their home advantage is massive. (LOSS)
11/24 Arizona (11-6-2) (a): Having already lost twice to the Coyotes, Edmonton will find a way to secure the two points here. (WIN)
11/27 Colorado (11-5-2) (a): I reckon by this time, the Avs will be healthier and that much more dangerous. (LOSS)
11/30 Vancouver (10-6-3) (h): The first game of a B2B with the Canucks on a Saturday night and on the eve of Jesse Puljujarvi’s signing deadline. I’ll take the distraction-free Canucks. (LOSS)
12/1 Vancouver (10-6-3) (a): Revenge is a dish best served ice cold… (WIN)
12/4 Ottawa (7-10-1) (h): Much like the Kings, the Senators don’t have a lot going for them. (WIN)
Records as of Nov.14th, 2019.
Three Players to Watch for the Sharks
- #28 Timo Meier – This kid is an absolute wrecking ball at times.
- #39 Logan Couture – Eleven points in his last five during this ridiculous winning streak.
- #48 Tomas Hertl – Can he find a way to sneak behind the Oilers defense again?
This is how the Sharks had their lines formulated vs. Detroit in their 4-3 SO win the other night. There could be changes, so don’t take this as gospel.
How the #SJSharks are starting things off. pic.twitter.com/3B5Eq5g4gw
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) November 17, 2019
Three Players to Watch for the Oilers
- #77 Oscar Klefbom – Talk about quiet contributions. Sexbom has six points in his last five. I’d like to see him drop the hammer and get a goal every now and then though.
- #29 Leon Draisaitl – It’s a little weird to say, but Leon is THE best player in the NHL right now. He’s on pace for 160 points and that’s nuts in this day and age! And to think, I was a Sam Bennett guy in that draft… Well, egg on my face!
- #39 Alex Chiasson – He’s been out with the flu lately, but if he draws in, I expect him to make a difference on the ice in some way, shape, or form. He has to.
Here are the lines from practice yesterday. Nuge had the day off for maintenance, so expect him to draw in and for a bit more shuffling to go down. I think Koskinen is in for this one.
Draisaitl-McDavid-Kassian
Neal-Khaira-Gagner
Nygard-Haas-Chiasson
Granlund-Sheahan-Archibald/P RussellNurse-Bear
Klefbom-Jones
Russell-Benning
Manning-(Larsson-IR)Koskinen
Smith— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) November 18, 2019
