This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
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• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

Cult of Hockey

Edmonton Oilers dig deep for a big 5-3 road win in Boston: Cult of Hockey Player Grades

• EVAN BOUCHARD . 8. Terrific performance by the top pairing… 4 shots. 3 Hits. Played an impressive 24:26.
• LEON DRAISAITL . 9. Tied the game at 3 by firing a terrible Bruins turnover into the top corner from right in the slot. Then, gained a strong position in front and then shovelled him a lovely Cody Ceci feed to push the Oilers ahead 4-3… 3 shots. Played 22:32.
• CODY CECI . 8. His best game as an Oiler… Named the game’s 3 ^rd Star. HDSC F/A with him on the ice? 5-1! Terrific performance.
• DEREK RYAN . 4…  A tough night in the circle (25%). -1.
• KYLE TURRIS. 4. Unlucky to have the puck deflect off the back of his skate on the 1-0. 0 shot. 1 give-away.
• BRENDAN PERLINI . 4. A liked how physical Perlini was (4 hits), which you like to see from the big man. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to accomplish much else.
• RYAN McLEOD . 6. His fore check forced a turnover, leading directly to the 5-3 insurance marker and earned his 2 ^nd career NHL assist.
• COLTON SCEVIOUR . 6. His battle won in front earned him an assist on the 5-3 goal.
• DARNELL NURSE . 7. The Oilers top pairing was good from start to finish. Darnell Nurse led the club at 26:01. 5v5 CF 17-17, 50%.
• MIKKO KOSKINEN . 6… So, while we may quibble over Koskinen’s over-all performance (and we can), the cold, hard facts are that Koskinen made a big stop to save the game. Also made 6 saves on Boston Power Plays. Credit where credit is due.

BLH’s Thoughts: Geez, not too long ago Koskinen was taking some criticism for not making those big saves and now he’s praised for making them. My my, how the tide has turned… Good for Mikko! I hope these strong performances cement his place on the Finnish national team for the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Ryan was better tonight I felt. He had some pep in his step and he was engaged consistently. Tough to get a good grade when you’re eating shit on the faceoffs though and considering that’s one of the things he was brought in to do well, he really needs to pick that aspect of his game up. Reckon he’s playing above his ability on the third line a bit?

When I watch Perlini and McLeod hit, it looks like they feel bad for making contract. Do you think they say sorry each time they body check a defenseman or a winger on the wall because that’s one thing you wouldn’t have confused with Boston’s bottom-sixers last night. Every check was a statement for the Bruins and if they weren’t first to every 50/50 puck, there were damned close. That’s what the Oilers could use a little bit more of. There’s nothing more aggravating that watching the grinders allow the other player to reach the puck first in order to avoid contact… 

Where my Ceci haters at?!!!

Sportsnet

Unlikely hero Cody Ceci shines in Oilers’ come-from-behind win over Bruins

• It was another night and another one-man show, as the Oilers came from behind three separate times to beat the Boston Bruins, thanks to a fabulous assist and the insurance goal from, wait for it… Cody Ceci?
• Ceci could not take part in the post-game lovefest after he took a puck to the ear late in the game.
• …after halting their losing streak at one game and pulling off a character win in a building that has not been kind to this franchise in recent years, it was a team win that the Oilers were most happy to talk about.

“Probably not the prettiest guy to watch, but he’s so effective and good at what he does,” said Draisaitl

• Another night, another inexplicable non-call on Connor McDavid, as Derek Forbort jammed his stick between McDavid’s feet when the Oilers captain approached the net.
• The fact McDavid ranks 33rd in the NHL in penalties drawn (according to Natural Stat Trick) speaks for itself.
• …no matter how ridiculous it may seem that 32 NHL players have received more calls than the best, fastest and most elusive player in the game.

“Nothing you can do,” agreed Hyman. “You keep going, Go out on your next shift, and eventually they’ll get called.”

• Mike Smith has left the team, as the worst fears of having a 39-year-old starter are starting to play out in Edmonton.

BLH’s Thoughts: One aspect of tonight’s game that we haven’t seen in year’s passed from the Oilers is their ability to bounce back after being scored on or going into the third period down on the scoreboard. Boston isn’t an easy team to score on and the Edmonton made it look easy. The bent but didn’t break and that, my friends, is an attribute winning teams possess. 

Brandon Carlo… Man did he have a shocker of a third period for the Bruins? Man, you gotta feel bad for the guy as he basically handed the two points to the Oilers… 

The refs really had themselves a poor night from a clear interference penalty on Kailer Yamamoto by Patrice Bergeron, to McDavid getting tripped behind the net, to Hyman getting picked on a play that lead to a Bruins goal… Suppose it didn’t matter though as Edmonton won the game in the end, but when’s it going to be too much? Does somebody need to go down with a season-ending injury? What?!

Why don’t the Oilers just shut Mike Smith down for the month? This is getting ridiculous. They keep trying to push him to game readiness and he’s picking up consistent setbacks… Try a different approach FFS! 

Tonight is Buffalo (that roster… Yikes!) and the Bison King is in town!!! Wouldn’t it be something if Pulju had himself a game to remember? He’s due for a hat-trick about now, no?

Spector’s Hockey

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli recently reported league sources claim the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators were the two teams that expressed the most interest in Vitali Kravtsov.

THE ATHLETIC: In her latest mailbag segment, Los Angeles Kings beat writer Lisa Dillman if there’s a player the club could target to acquire before placing Drew Doughty on long-term injury reserve. She believes the Kings aren’t targeting players for trades right now because Doughty is expected to return around Christmas.

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

The Hockey Writers

Oilers After 11 Games: McDavid, Draisaitl, Offseason Additions, Goaltending

• Edmonton’s power play is, simply put, deadly. It was sitting at 50% going into Tuesday’s game against Detroit and now sits at 46.9% after going 0-2 versus the Red Wings.
• Depending on how much you read into shots per game as an indicator of a team’s success, the Oilers need to cut down the shots allowed. It’s been an issue all season…
• If you looked at the leaderboard in the NHL and didn’t follow the Oilers as much as diehard fans do, it would be hard to argue against the idea that this team still revolves around McDavid and Draisaitl.
• The really positive news though is how much the rest of the roster is helping out. Nugent-Hopkins still leads the league in assists with 14 and Puljujarvi is in the top 35 in NHL goal-scoring with six goals. Hyman is in the Top 20 with seven…
• Warren Foegele looks like a great top-nine add, Derek Ryan has fit like a glove at center, while Duncan Keith and Cody Ceci haven’t been nearly the disaster some fans expected based on their advanced analytics.
• Mikko Koskinen has played extremely well considering how poor last season went for him and if Mike Smith wasn’t injured early, there might not be a conversation about the netminding right now. Even Skinner looked strong making multiple saves despite an ugly turnover on Detroit’s third goal of the game.

BLH’s Thoughts: I think after 11 games, anybody could find the cracks in any roster, but at the end of they day, the Oilers have a 9-2-0 record. The big question is, will they continue to build on that or will the cracks mentioned above keep getting bigger? 

It’s a really good time for some characters to step up and earn their keep considering Kassian will be out for some time and some vets are struggling. Ryan McLeod, Stuart Skinner, Brendan Perlini… These are some names that come to mind. 

Oilersnation

Start Me Up

• Playing from behind is more often than not a loser’s game even with the best two players in the NHL in your line-up and a power play that’s scoring goals at a historic clip.
• Outplayed and outshot early, the Oilers played catch-up again, this time falling behind 3-0 in a 4-2 loss on a night they stood around far too often in the opening 40 minutes. In the process, they wasted a really good start by Stuart Skinner…
• For a guy who sat around for seven games after being recalled from Bakersfield Oct. 20, Skinner looked very sharp early, but he didn’t get much help… The lone hiccup from Skinner, making just his second NHL start, came when he fumbled the puck behind the net on the 3-0 goal by Dylan Larkin.

“Believe it or not, I’ve made a worse play before in my career and we ended up winning the game. I just looked back to that, and there’s always a chance to come back in a game. We almost got it.” – Skinner

“We dug ourselves a hole again. I liked our response. I liked our third period. We definitely had enough chances to tie the game, but you can’t keep digging yourself that type of hole.” – McDavid

BLH’s Thoughts: The Oilers are going to play Boston tonight and that is a team that will punish you five different shades of purple if you’re not on your game. The Bruins are a four line team backstopped by a couple of young netminders, but I’d say their defense is the ultimate weakness. 

Trent Frederic will be out but Nick Foligno is coming back from injury and Linus Ullmark will be tending net for Boston according to DFO. 

Will Edmonton play to the level of their opponents, above it, or shit the bed and take another L? I’m very curious to see if this team has what it takes to rise to the level of the Bruins. 

NHLRumors.com

• Mike Chambers of the Denver Post: The emergence of 20-year old defenseman Bowen Byram has made 23-year old defenseman Samuel Girard expendable.
• Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Justin Holl is believed to be available and could be just what the Pittsburgh Penguins need… Darren Dreger has said someone would have to overpay to get Holl, where James Mirtle has been told by a team that the price for Holl wasn’t that high.
• Adam Proteau of The Hockey News: Chicago Blackhawks interim GM Kyle Davidson should have all options on the table as they look to reshape their roster. This could include Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

The Athletic

Why can’t the Oilers put together an effective third line?

• The trio has scored more than the third unit managed in the past couple of seasons but has also been loose defensively. Through the first 10 contests, the third line had scored three goals but allowed six at five-on-five…
• This year’s model is more high-event, but the goal is outscoring. If the Ryan line is going to play those extra minutes, Tippett’s going to need tighter defensive play.
• Ryan has an on-ice goal differential of 3-8, 27 percent. That’s not close to good enough, and a change is required at the No. 3 centre spot.
• There are good signs for the No. 3 line, mainly strong offensive output from Foegele and Devin Shore…
• The Oilers need a third-line centre. Foegele looks the part of a productive left-winger. Yamamoto or Kassian should be able to handle the work on right wing.
• We could see a November or December deal.

BLH’s Thoughts: If Edmonton’s bottom-six and it’s team defense continues to slip resulting in losses piling up, I think Ken Holland will pull the trigger on some deals. 

What do you think is up with Derek Ryan? Has he picked up a knock or is it possible the Oilers signed him after his best-before date?

Oilersnation

Good Teams Lose Games

• …every team needs good goaltending to win games. It’s the most important position in the sport. So, to the people saying that the Oilers are lucky that their goaltending is holding up, I would say “would these wins mean more to you if the Oilers gave up five goals in every game?”
• They’ve won three games this year where their starting goaltender had a save percentage worse than .930. That’s right about on par with the other top teams in the league. 
• I wouldn’t say that their powerplay has bailed them out, I would say that their powerplay is a big reason why they’re such a dangerous team.
• Also, the idea that the Oilers just flat out suck at five on five just isn’t that true.
• The Oilers are actually getting a decent amount of offence at five on five, sitting 5th in the NHL in goals for/60. Producing at even strength is not the issue, defending is.
• They currently sit 27th in shots against/60, 22nd in scoring chances against/60 and 26th in goals against/60 at five on five. That’s not good enough. They need to do a better job defending.
• Last year, the best team in the NHL was the Colorado Avalanche. They still lost 17 games in a 56 game season. In 2019-20, the Boston Bruins were atop the NHL when the regular season was halted. They lost 26 games.

BLH’s Thoughts: Well here we are seeing some of the fruits of a defense group comprised mostly of puck movers. The analytics folk lead us to believe that six puck-moving defensemen were better than six shutdown cycle-breakers, no? 

I suppose that’s a tad over the top and early in the season to be making any sweeping statements like that, but at the same time, how would Edmonton’s defense look if it had one or two more blueliners who specialized in disallowing zone entries?

Then again, let’s look closer at the metrics brought up by Yaremchuk. 

• GF/60: Edmonton (5th) Pittsburgh (4th) Seattle (12th)
• GA/60: Edmonton (26th) Minnesota (27th) Arizona (29th)
• SA/60: Edmonton (27th) St.Louis (23rd) Arizona (18th)
• SCA/60: Edmonton (22nd) St. Louis (23rd) Toronto 19th)

The metrics are all over the place right now, so it’s tough to put a lot of faith in the context they may bring to a conversation. It’s still early in the year, right? I mean, the Penguins are last in their division and the Coyotes are atrocious, whereas Minnesota is leading their division and St. Louis is not far behind. Same goes for Toronto… 

What this group of Oilers needs to do is tighten up their starts. When’s the last time McDavid’s boys had themselves a real dominant first period? If they could manage to put the other team on the back foot early, they’d be forced to take risks and that might mean PP opportunities for Edmonton… Instead we get really lackadaisical opening frames and scrambles in the final periods… Entertaining to watch, poor recipe for success… 

The Daily Goal Horn

• Larry Brooks is looking for certain pending UFA rentals that could help for this season only. He calls out:
  • Reilly Smith (VGK)
  • Tomas Hertl (SJS)
  • Nazem Kadri (COL)
  • David Perron (STL)
• According to Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff, the Habs and Sens have contacted the Rangers about Vitali Kravtsov.

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

The Athletic

Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner shows he’s on the right track in his 2nd NHL start

• Skinner’s WHL career before coming to Bakersfield was filled with inconsistencies. Skinner backstopped some lousy Lethbridge Hurricanes teams from the time he was 15, a rare feat in major junior. He’d look like an all-star some nights. Others, not so much.
• Skinner was then the backbone of the 2017-18 Swift Current Broncos, who won the league title.
• With Shane Starrett and Dylan Wells ahead of him on the depth chart early in his rookie AHL campaign, Skinner became the No. 3 goalie. He and Wells would rotate monthly stints in ECHL Wichita…
• The Condors turned to Skinner in the 2019 AHL playoffs when Starrett sustained an injury. Skinner turned made 46 saves in a 2-1 double-overtime win in his first professional postseason start.
• Skinner and the Condors struggled the following season amid injuries and underperformance. Skinner posted a .892 save percentage in 41 appearances before the pandemic halted the campaign.
• Skinner rebounded nicely last season, posting a save percentage of .914 in 31 outings and backstopping the Condors to a Pacific Division crown.
• This fall, Skinner appeared in four preseason games in Edmonton and then started Bakersfield’s first two games before getting the call to the big club on Oct. 20, the day after Mike Smith sustained a lower-body injury against Anaheim.
• Skinner is giving himself a chance to take the next step in his career, too. That’s a potentially important development considering Skinner needs a new contract after this season and is waivers eligible next fall.

BLH’s Thoughts: It wouldn’t be a normal year in the Edmonton Oilers blogosphere if the media and fanbase weren’t fawning over a highly touted prospect who only has two NHL games under his belt. 

With that said, Skinner HAS looked better this year but I don’t know if I’m ready to anoint him Edmonton’s next savior in net though. 

However, I am intrigued by this prospect. He’s been on my radar since I heard he was starting games in junior as a 15yr old and I’m a sucker for good hockey stories.

As a homegrown netminder, where will Skinner land when it’s all said and done, as the next Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, Devan Dubnyk v2.0 or maybe somewhere closer to Andy Moog or Grant Fuhr?

Lowetide.ca

• Stuart Skinner could solve many problems for the Edmonton Oilers if it turns out he’s an actual NHL goalie. He stopped 35 of 38 (.921) in a loss against the Detroit Red Wings last night, looked strong save for one rookie mistake that cost him in a big way.
• If it comes to pass that Mike Smith is in his final season, Skinner would be a solid backup goalie to a strong No. 1 option next year. Skinner’s cap number is a dream for Edmonton in 2022-23.
• If Kassian is injured for any length of time, that brings Colton Sceviour to the third line with Benson likely drawing in to the lineup (Perlini to right wing).
• We could also see a trade, for a center.

BLH’s Thoughts: From what the pundits are saying right now, it sounds like Holland IS working the phone lines right now with a goaltender his no.1 priority. Brian Lawton was saying on Oilers Now yesterday that he reckons the Oilers could make some moves ahead of the trade deadline and I think that echoes what Chris Johnston said on his own podcast recently. 

Marc-Andre Fleury is the big name being connected to Edmonton at the moment. Bob Stauffer was talking about Detroit’s Joe Veleno and Marc Staal a few days ago. Also, I’ve heard Hampus Lindholm is on their radar too. 

It’s funny, I’ve been of the opinion that Holland probably wouldn’t make an early season move because that’s not his M.O. really, but what I completely forgot to realize is that since he’s joined the Oilers, all of his big moves, major signings, and first round draft picks have been leaked early. That changes things. 

So, I don’t know if I’m ready to walk back my thoughts on an early-season trade yet, but I do feel confident in saying that changes are coming and they might come earlier than usual considering the floundering bottom-six, poor 5v5 defending, and dodgy health of Edmonton’s netminding. It’d be a shame to let a 9-2-0 start go to waste. 

Spector’s Hockey

• YARDBARKER: TSN’s Chris Johnston and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman have speculated over whether Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury could become a trade candidate at some point during the season.
  • Fleury was at the top of Friedman’s list of potential Blackhawks trade assets. He hinted Edmonton could be a trade destination during an appearance on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer.
  • Johnston, meanwhile, expressed his view that it’s reasonable to link the 36-year-old goaltender to the Oilers during a recent podcast.
• ESPN.COM: Greg Wyshynski suggested the Blackhawks should approach Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to determine if they wish to finish their careers in Chicago if the club goes into a full rebuild.
• THE ATHLETIC: Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers report the Blackhawks aren’t in any rush to find a full-time replacement for recently fire head coach Jeremy Colliton.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve received a few messages this month from sources league-wide that the Oilers are still on the hunt for an upgrade in net. Personally, I still find it hard to believe considering how well the netminding has been so far and how average the club’s bottom-six is trending. 

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

The Hockey Writers

Oilers’ Tyson Barrie Rebounding From Slow Start

• He was held to zero points in Edmonton’s first three games, but he has since racked up two goals and six assists in the last seven. The 30-year-old did not have a positive rating in any of the Oilers’ first seven outings but has been plus-one in each of the last three games.
• Barrie’s increased production has coincided with his move from the Oilers’ top blue-line pairing to their nominal third pairing.
• Overall, he’s averaging 19:07, which is the least among the five Oilers defencemen who have played all 10 games.
• Three of Barrie’s eight points have come on the power play, compared to 23 of 48 last season when he led all NHL defensemen in points.
• Barrie is averaging 0.50 even-strength and 0.30 power-play points per game, compared to last season when he averaged 0.45 and 0.41, respectively.
• He’s on pace for 16 goals and 49 assists, both would be career-highs for the 11-year NHL veteran who’s played for both the Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs.

BLH’s Thoughts: Barrie started last year out slow too but really picked up the pace as the year progressed. I wasn’t worried with his pedestrian start this year because I was very confident he’d find his stride before the tenth game of the year.

Now, he and Bouchard were pretty shite last night, but that happens from time to time. Detroit played a hungry game, they’ve got some quick forwards, and to be honest, the brain fart from Skinner flipped the script. The Oilers might’ve won that game had they not been required to score 3 goals to take it. 

I like that Tippett can swap Bouchard and Barrie depending on their form and the game situation, it’s a testament to the depth on Edmonton’s blue line. So I do find it interesting that the club might be looking to add yet another defenseman to that group and a name that’s popped up in my DMs is Hampus Lindholm…

Not sure how that works considering Holland doesn’t want to be spending major assets on rentals and if Lindholm comes with an extension, what does that say for Broberg, Keith, Samorukov, Niemelainen, Koekkoek, and Russell seeing how Lindholm would automatically slot in on the 2nd pairing. 

The Athletic

The 10 best lines in hockey

• 10. Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson
• 9. Carter Verhaeghe — Aleksander Barkov — Anthony Duclair
• 8. Johnny Gaudreau — Elias Lindholm — Matthew Tkachuk
• T-6. Michael Bunting — Auston Matthews — William Nylander
• T-6. Jake Guentzel — Sidney Crosby — Bryan Rust
• 5. Max Pacioretty — Jack Eichel — Mark Stone
• 4. Ondrej Palat — Brayden Point — Nikita Kucherov
• 3. Zach Hyman — Connor McDavid — Jesse Puljujarvi
• T-1. Gabriel Landeskog — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
• T-1. Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak

BLH’s Thoughts: How does Vegas even get on this list considering all three of those players are on the IR and have never played a single game together? They might not ever play a single game together knowing how Vegas likes to do business and with the rumors of Mark Stone’s back being a lot worse than is being reported. 

I’d say the same with Pittsburgh but at least those guys have spent a few minutes on the ice at the same time… 

If Draisaitl is on that line instead of Hyman, is there a three-way tie for first?

How about that Panthers line? That is some elite bargain shopping done by Florida there. 

The Hockey Writers Rumors

• Chris Johnston is the next NHL insider to connect the Edmonton Oilers to Fleury. It is believed the Oilers may need two things heading into the trade deadline: a left-shot defenseman and a goaltender will be at the top of the Oilers’ priority list.
• Tuukka Rask was back on the ice on Monday, skating with the Boston Bruins. While he’s still recovering from offseason hip surgery, it is believed he’ll return to the Bruins at some point this season. That he’s back on the ice raises questions about how soon he might be able to return.
• Following claims that she was sexually assaulted by former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach John “Clark” Donatelli in 2018, Erin and Jarrod Skalde have reached a resolution with the Penguins organization.
• In other Penguins news, there’s chatter the organization is looking to add a defenseman and that Toronto Maple Leafs’ blueliner Justin Holl could be an ideal fit. Holl is believed to be available and the 29-year old right-handed defenseman has a year left at $2 million.