Category Archives: Edmonton Oilers Post Game Report

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Edmonton Oilers GM2 Game Grades: Neal Before the Real King

You have to have a heart of stone not to have enjoyed that hockey game last night. Remarkably, the Edmonton Oilers came back four times in that game. I was under the impression that only happened to the teams that played them. “Here come the Oilers”, right?

Well, I’ll say this. As concerned with the team as I was versus Vancouver, they did nothing to quell that worry against LA. The Kings are a team they should be defeating handily, not struggling to overcome. It’s clear as day that the Carters and the Kovalchuks have really lost a step and the likes of Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick are no longer the players they once were. With all due respect, save for Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, there’s not a whole lot of talent on that team anymore and they managed to find a way to put five pucks past Mike Smith.

On the brighter side, the Euro signings are starting to come through. Joakim Nygard looks very comfortable on the small ice now and Gaetan Haas’ confidence is starting to rise. We need these players to pan out because of their speed, right? How about the goal that those two orchestrated? I’ll have some more of that European showtime going forward, please! Joel Persson might need a couple more games to get comfortable but there wasn’t anything in his game last night that told me the players below him on the depth chart deserved to take his spot on the upcoming road trip.

I’m thinking that the team should be getting Riley Sheahan back from concussion protocol and that means someone is coming out. My guess is that it’ll be Colby Cave because he hasn’t shown very much in the two games he’s played so far. But it’s not just those games, during the preseason he didn’t really stand out either. Then again, what’s Markus Granlund done lately?

So now we’re on to New York for a four-game roadie that’ll end in Chicago. The next ten games (with predicted results from Oct.3rd, 2019) look like this

  • Vancouver (h): I predicted a loss. (LOSS) WIN 1-0-0
  • Los Angeles (h): I like the Oilers chances here against their former coach. (WIN) WIN 2-0-0
  • NYI (a): The Islanders are a tough squad. Skill and grit in excess. (LOSS)
  • NJ (a): This game will feature FIVE former first overall picks… Should be exciting! (WIN)
  • NYR (a): The Rags are gonna be good soon, but I like the Oilers here. (WIN)
  • Chicago (a): I’ll take Edmonton’s young superstars vs. Chicago’s aging ones. (WIN)
  • Philadelphia (h): The Flyers are always a difficult team to beat and now they’ve got Hart. (LOSS)
  • Detroit (h): Ken Holland’s first game against his old team. DET’s defense is horrid though. (WIN)
  • Winnipeg (a): I’m a huge fan of WPG’s fwd core. I’ll take the Jets here. (LOSS)
  • Minnesota (a): What are the Wild anyhow? They don’t impress me. (WIN)

Let’s get on to the game grades, shall we?

Colby Cave – 2 – Meh. He had a hit and a giveaway but was 60% on the dot. Could he have been tighter to his man on the Amadio goal? Sure. But the guy batted the puck right out of the air. Tough to fault Cave for that.

Connor McDavid – 5 – If you’re going to light up the other team for four points, you get the highest score possible. McDavid was back to his old self in this one (WHAT!) and I think perhaps that had something to do with Drew Doughty being on the other team. They both seem to elevate their games when playing each other which is great if you’re a fan. More specifically though, I feel like we should call McDavid the artist because he was drawing so many penalties in this one… Now, if he can start every game like that, I’d say it’s a lot better than having the first shot against going in.

Darnell Nurse – 2 – First off, lovely goal. Nurse did so well to get his ass up into the play and in a position to take that pass from Jurco and fire it into the net. But. He was once again the worst defender on the team from a possession standpoint. His CF% was 38.46% and the next closest person was his partner…

Ethan Bear – 4 – This young man is having an outstanding start to the year. By my viewings, he’s second to only Oscar Klefbom with regards to the Oilers’ best puck-moving defenders. Last night I saw some great pinches and outlet passes that this team has sorely missed for such a long time. I was a little bit concerned that being partnered up with Nurse would hurt him a bit and my fears were confirmed after the game. When Bear was with Nurse his CF% was 43.48% and when they were apart his CF% was 66.67%.

Gaetan Haas – 4 – Much MUCH better game. I’m really glad that Tippett decided to give him more than two minutes of ice-time against the Kings. His speed, smarts, and defensive awareness were on full display. How clever was it of him to bank that puck off the side of the net so that it would go right to a cocked and loaded Joakim Nygard for an Oilers goal?

James Neal – 4 – In order to score a goal in this amazing game, you have to be in the right place at the right time and that’s just where Neal was on two occasions vs. LA. He’s got to do better with the unnecessary penalties though. That’s the thing with him though. He’ll do take a dodgy penalty from time to time that will leave your head shaking.

Joakim Nygard – 4 – Every game he plays I’m becoming a big fan. I love his tenacious play. He could give to sh*ts who has the puck behind the net, if they’ve got the puck, he’s hitting them. Good on him for scoring his first NHL goal too. European Showtime baby!

Joel Persson – 2 – Persson did exactly what I hoped he’d do and that’s tread water. Nothing fancy on either side of the puck. It’s too bad the team doesn’t have two Oscar Klefboms to shelter both Persson and Bear. What a massive help that’d be right now.

Jujhar Khaira – 2 – Tick tock Jujhar. It might be time to drop the gloves or something to get his game going. He’s got to get his game together because every time I watch the Condors play, I see a player who could possibly replace Khaira.

Kris Russell – 2 – He had an ok game. Nothing substantial to note. Three blocked shots.

Leon Draisaitl – 4 – Usually one would praise Leon for his offensive contributions but last night it was his defensive ones that impressed me. Late in the game, he stifled not one, but TWO passes while defending a 5v3 penalty kill. Essentially killing LA’s momentum single-handedly. We should note that pass on Kassian’s goal, right? I didn’t think it was going to make it… Boy, was I wrong… I’m still feeling pretty good about my preseason prediction that Leon would lead the team in scoring by the end of the year, however, if that’s going to come to fruition, Connor’s going to have to stop with the 4pt games.

Markus Granlund – 2 – When is this guy going to come alive?

Matthew Benning – 2 – Much quieter against the Kings. Took a penalty but was +1 on the night.

Mike Smith – 4 – If his game had ended after the first, I would’ve given him a one. I knew we’d get to witness him mess up a clearing or bumble the puck behind the net at some point, I just wasn’t expecting it to be twice and during the second game of the year. That being said, even after letting in five goals, he was pretty solid for the rest of the game. Clutch, in the same way Grant Fuhr used to do it all those years ago.

Oscar Klefbom – 4 – Lord save me if Klefbom gets hurt. He’s playing really well right now and in the past, that’s been the cue for some freak injury to occur. The one year the hockey gods were in his favor, he put up career numbers and the team was a game away from the Western Conference final.

Patrick Russell – 2 – A quiet game but was effective in the corners and along the boards.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – 2 – A rare silent evening for Nuge. He had that big hit on Iafallo that shocked me a bit and moved the puck around well on the PP. Ended the evening -1.

Tomas Jurco – 2 – I wasn’t expecting a lot from Jurco given it was his first game, so he didn’t disappoint there, but that move to set up Nurse’s goal was glorious.

Zack Kassian – 4 – As every game is played, Kassian is showing that Ken Hitchcock’s decision to move him into the Oilers top-6 was the right one. A lovely tap-in goal to go with two shots and four hits. Typical Kass.

The next game is on Tuesday as the Oilers head to the legendary Nassau Coliseum to take on the Islanders!

Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and NHL.com.

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Edmonton Oilers GM1 Game Grades: What a Difference a Goaltender Makes

Prior to last night’s Oilers/Canucks game, I’d predicted that Vancouver would come away with the two points in overtime or a shootout. Well, we were a few inches away from at least heading to an extra frame as Alex Edler dinged one off of the iron in the closing seconds of the game.

It’s good to be wrong sometimes.

Speaking of folks being wrong…

Yeah, I have no idea why the Oilers would have Zack Kassian in the top-6 either… What kind of NHL coach would put him up there when they had a chance to claim Daniel Sprong or Josh Ho-Sang off of waivers for free?…

I heard that the in-game experience was a bit better. Is it true that they were parachuting pizzas down from the roof? I was pretty impressed with the pre-game introductions. If you were at the game, let us know how you felt about the whole thing!

Early on in this game, it wasn’t McDavid’s line that was terrorizing the Vancouver defense, it was the line of Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zack Kassian. They were absolute in their dominance until the adrenaline wore off… Even then they were still pretty good.

 What I was really looking forward to was observing how the Oilers new shut-down pairing of Adam Larsson and Darnell Nurse would fare… They did not fare well… At all. The shot attempts were 7 for and 26 against 5×5… Tough tough first outing for the pair. Can we just do the right thing and get Adam and Oscar back together, please? I’d also like to see these boys utilize the middle of the ice a bit more instead of the boards and glass.

Not to sound ungrateful or to throw water on an Oilers victory, but I didn’t think they played a good game. A couple of players had outstanding games whereas the majority of them did not. My feeling is that thanks to some heroic goaltending from 37-year-old Mike Smith and an MVP performance from Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers got away with one. If your eyes don’t’ agree with mine, maybe the analytics will help out.

The shot attempts were 71 for Vancouver (Tanner Pearson had 13 of them!) and 44 for the Oilers… Isn’t it a great thing that the game of hockey is so chaotic and that luck is an actual thing?

Good news and bad news on the special teams front! The good news is that the PK was 100% on the night, the bad news is that the PP went 0/2. I found that the Oilers had a tough time gaining entry into Vancouver’s zone and when they did, getting set up was an issue.

It’s only one game though and I like to break seasons down into 10-game game increments. The first one is going to go like this for the Oilers,

  • Vancouver (h): I predicted a loss. WIN
  • Los Angeles (h): I like the Oilers chances here against their former coach. (WIN)
  • NYI (a): The Islanders are a tough squad. Skill and grit in excess. (LOSS)
  • NJ (a): This game will feature FIVE former first overall picks… Should be exciting! (WIN)
  • NYR (a): The Rags are gonna be good soon, but I like the Oilers here. (WIN)
  • Chicago (a): I’ll take Edmonton’s young superstars vs. Chicago’s aging ones. (WIN)
  • Philadelphia (h): The Flyers are always a difficult team to beat and now they’ve got Hart. (LOSS)
  • Detroit (h): Ken Holland’s first game against his old team. DET’s defense is horrid though. (WIN)
  • Winnipeg (a): I’m a huge fan of WPG’s fwd core. I’ll take the Jets here. (LOSS)
  • Minnesota (a): What are the Wild anyhow? They don’t impress me. (WIN)

So if the Oilers can come out of the first ten matchups with seven wins. I’ll be mightily impressed. More realistically, since I’m pretty shat at game predictions, coming out of that stretch batting .500 sounds about right.

The way I’m going to try to do my game grades this year is that I will give each player a score between one and five but no threes so as to eliminate any fence-sitting. The scores would mean something along these lines,

  • 1 – Horrid effort, made an impact on the game negatively
  • 2 – Could’ve been better, didn’t make much of an impact
  • 4 – Above average, decent effort and impacted the game positively
  • 5 – Outstanding game, was a major difference-maker

These are your game grades,

Adam Larsson – 2 – Granted he only played 2 minutes with Klefbom, the pair’s CF% was 100%. That same stat with Darnell Nurse was 17.95%. Not good. A failed zone entry saw the puck go the other way for a JT Miller breakaway but good thing Mike Smith was there to stop it. Adam probably got the hairdryer during the intermission after that… That shot he blocked was something… Boy, did that look like it hurt. Gotta respect the balls on this guy, he stayed on the ice after that and continued to defend his net.

Alex Chiasson – 2 – Was this guy snakebitten tonight or what? THREE golden chances I counted where he was set up only to whiff on the puck or have the shot saved. Chiasson shows up out of nowhere at times, doesn’t he? He tried to run over Brandon Sutter but got the worst of it.

Colby Cave – 2 – Solid on the dot (50%) but a pretty invisible night for the Saskatchewan boy. Took an unnecessary penalty in the 2nd I feel.

Connor McDavid – 4 – That goal was pure magic, wasn’t it? Apart from that though, it was a slow game for the best player in the league. Did well to draw a penalty in the first, but never really got going until the end there. Was 64% on faceoffs.

Darnell Nurse – 2 – The best it got for Nurse on the evening was 52 seconds with Matt Benning when the Oilers had two shot attempts to Vancouver’s one. Next best CF% was 25% during his three and a half minutes with Ethan Bear (a rookie)… Darnell had better shape up, it’s a contract year baby! I suppose it wasn’t ALL bad for him, he did have a secondary assist and he wallpapered Micheal Ferland as well.

Ethan Bear – 4 – How calm and cool is this guy? He is so good at getting the puck moving the right way. On numerous occasions, he received a pass and within the blink of an eye, the puck was already going up the ice to a forward. Nothing phases him and I love it!

Gaetan Haas – I can’t give this guy a grade. He only played two measly minutes. And with his family all the way from Europe in the stands no less… However, during his shift in the first period, I thought he was where he needed to be and executed a lovely zone exit. You’d have like to have had him win the faceoff in his own zone on that shift though. If Tippett isn’t going to play him, send him to Bakersfield or put him in the press box and give Patty “The Danish Love Muscle” Russell some TOI.

James Neal – 2 – LOVED the big hit on Edler early on and I think he had a really solid game. Only two shots but had four hits and was excellent on the forecheck. He didn’t cost his team just by being on the ice which can’t be said for the guy he was traded for.

Joakim Nygard – 2 – Threw a massive hit in the 3rd on Edler to separate the puck from Vancouver’s greybeard. He also had a lovely scoring chance early in the 2nd when James Neal sent him on a partial breakaway. I loved his forechecking! His speed really causes problems for defensemen. Got to know the timekeeper well during his two (I think) stints in the box serving the too many men on the ice penalties that Edmonton took.

Josh Archibald – 2 – To be frank, I didn’t notice him too much. The odd time he showcased his speed but really was ineffective to the eye in my opinion.

Jujhar Khaira – 2 – One little rush and dangle in the initial frame of the game but didn’t have the game I was hoping he would. JJ put his team in a spot of bother on more than one occasion with poor puck decisions. There’s so much potential there with this guy, but time is running out on him. He’s got to get things sorted. Hopefully, this was just a case of early-season jitters.

Kris Russell – 2 – Might’ve been at fault on the Canucks’ first goal. I think it’s possible it glanced off of him as he tried to block the shot. Rusty had one play where his patented starfish paid off later on in the game as he stifled a pass from the corner. The guy works his ass off, what can you say?

Leon Draisaitl – 5 – 27 minutes… Are you kidding me? I’d say about ten of those were Haas’, but when “Das Maultier” is in a groove, you give him all the time he needs. Great job to be in the right place at the right time, not only for his goal but the shot that hit the post too. He’s just swatting guys off of him like they’re mosquitos now too eh? I mean how strong is this guy?

Markus Granlund – 2 – What are we gonna do with this guy? Is he hurt or something? All of the preseason and now the first game of the regular season and he’s yet to show up.

Matthew Benning – 4 – How is it that this guy can sh*t the bed during training camp, have everyone on his case, and then in the first regular season game put up two assists and be on the ice for all three goals? Is he good, lucky, or both?

Mike Smith – 5 – THAT is how you want to start your season with a new club. His ability to handle the puck was a difference-maker on the evening. The Canucks’ big gunners had no answer for him (or his posts). I’d roll with him again on Saturday. Saved Nurse’s and Larsson’s butts on more than one instance, most notably JT Miller’s breakaway.

Oscar Klefbom – 4 – A VERY solid game for Klef. He was one of the only players who consistently played well throughout the whole game. In the first period, there was a specific shift where a Canucks’ shot rebounded into the corner and Klef gathered it, seen he was under pressure and bulldozed through a forecheck with a pivot and a push, then with the silkiest of mitts sauced it backhand over the back of the net (between Bear and Ferland) to Zack Kassian to exited the zone under control.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – 4 – A rare dominating night on the dot (75%). Twice he set up Alex Chiasson beautifully and Chasser couldn’t bury either of them.

Zack Kassian – 4 – What great vision he had to tap that puck over to Leon for his goal and to find him for another grade A chance that hit the post. He hit Klefbom with a lovely cross-ice pass later on in the period as well that Oscar failed to capitalize on. Then the velocity on the shot for his own goal. WOWZAS! Kass can really rip a wrister. He was his usual tenacious self throughout the game for the most part. One notable hit was when he ran over Troy Stetcher behind the Oilers net around the middle of the 1st period.

The next game up is on Saturday when Todd McLellan returns to town with the LA Kings. Can the Oilers make it two in a row? We’ll see!

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Edmonton Oilers Preseason GM3 Game Grades: That. Was. Fugly

Can an entire 20-man roster be sent to the AHL? Has it ever happened before? Because I’m thinking that the Oilers coaching staff might’ve considered using that option after the game last night vs. Vancouver. What a horrid performance that was. I felt like they forgot everything they’d been utilizing successfully the previous two games, don’t you? Where was the slick passing through the middle? What happened to the staunch PK and the dangerous PP?

For a lot of players, they gave up on a massive opportunity to separate themselves from the pack. There are three roster spots available I reckon, center, left-wing, and right-defense; and none of the candidates who played in that 6-1 shellacking did anything noteworthy enough to give themselves the leg up.

That’s not to say it was all bad, I did see flashes of play from time to time that brought me to the edge of my sofa. But for the most part, the Oilers, from top to bottom, really ate it. That said, Vancouver basically iced their opening night roster sans a key forward and a few defensemen. So I suppose it wasn’t all on Edmonton, they were playing a much more experienced side and I’d even go as far as to say that the win wasn’t the most important thing for Coach Tippett’s team. The most important thing was to see how some of the bubble guys would perform in this sort of scenario.

The way I’m going to try to do my game grades this year is that I will give each player a score between one and five but no threes so as to eliminate any fence-sitting. The scores would mean something along these lines,

  • 1 – Horrid effort, made an impact on the game negatively
  • 2 – Could’ve been better, didn’t make much of an impact
  • 4 – Above average, decent effort and impacted the game positively
  • 5 – Outstanding game, was a major difference-maker

These are your game grades,

Tomas Jurco – 2 – It’s unfortunate that the wheels fell off for the whole team like it did because Jurco had a lovely start to this one. He had a bit of chemistry with Marody and they were causing the Canucks some real issues. I really like the way he handles the puck and his shot is a lot better than he gives himself credit for. I’d like to see him on the PP with a few better linemates in order to take advantage of those strengths.

Ryan McLeod – 2 – Another really solid two-way game for McLeod. I really wonder if he starts the year with the Oilers because one of the things that Coach Tippett has said is that the team needs to cut down on the goals against. I feel like McLeod’s 200ft game would really benefit that cause. My feeling is that he’s earned a bit of an extra look-see but the Oilers coaching staff sees otherwise. *EDIT – This isn’t the year… He was part of the 2nd round of cuts*

Gaetan Haas – 2 – Oh! He came THAT close to scoring at the end of the 2nd period. Apart from that, I noticed him a bit on the defensive side of the puck but not really on the offensive one. He’s needed to show that he can contribute on the scoresheet and he’s yet to do that and now he’s up against Colby Cave for that remaining center spot. He’s in tough as Cave has been above average at camp.

Cooper Marody – 2 – Not as good as the previous match-up against the Canucks but still much better than the intra-squad and rookie games. It was good that he scored, but I’d be willing to bet that if they’d gone to video review, that goal might’ve been called off. He had a really poor third frame as I saw the play die on his stick on three consecutive shifts and then he took a really lazy penalty. As a result, he’s on a plane to Bakersfield.

Alex Chiasson – 2 – A bit better, but really cost his team when he took that interference penalty costing Tomas Jurco a real grade-A scoring chance. I will say this though, he’s a real handful along the boards and in the corners. The way the roster is shaping up and how Tippett has been constructing his lines, I would have to guess that Chiasson is probably got the right-wing spot on the 4th line locked up.

Anthony Peluso – 2 – He played?

Markus Granlund – 2 – He played too?

Tyler Benson – 2 – This is a young man that is going to make the NHL someday and stay there, it’s just not right now. He’s shown bits here and there that he’s got what it takes, however, he hasn’t kept his foot on the pedal and I would have to say he needs a bit more time in Bakersfield yet and as of this morning, the coaches agree with me.

Patrick Russell – 2 – Russell played his signature game but to a lesser effect. He was definitely less noticeable this time around and that could be fatigue setting in. The Dane does look to have sped up over the summer though and that will undoubtedly help him in his bid to stick with the team past training camp this year.

Brad Malone – 2 – One mistake too many in this one. We might’ve seen the last of Bugsy in Edmonton.

Joakim Nygard – 2 – We finally got to see his speed as he barely missed out on a scoring chance after he’d turned on the afterburners. Jacob Markstrom’s outstretched leg got the better of Nygard’s attempt. I still feel like there’s more there with this guy though that he’s not showing. So… We wait.

James Neal – 2 – I nearly blew the roof off my apartment shouting when he hit the crossbar on that wide-open net. After that though, he was pretty meh.

Mikko Koskinen – 1 – Well, what can you say? Another tough outing for Koskinen and his glove hand. The first goal I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt as he had a pile of bodies in front of him, but he should’ve had Beagle’s goal. Last year’s preseason wasn’t amazing for him and I’m hoping it’s just a training camp thing or else the Oilers will be in big trouble this year.

Shane Starrett – 2 – He took over in the final 20 minutes and let in a couple of goals in that time. It just wasn’t the goalies’ night I reckon. He’s been good so far, so I can’t complain really.

Joel Persson – 2 – I’ve been really impressed with the way he passes the puck and he had a couple of great passes last night, but the Canucks’ forecheckers gave him some trouble as I thought they would. That’s an excellent test for him though and he has to learn from that. He’ll be facing that night-in and night-out should he make the team and be Klefbom’s partner for the year.

Oscar Klefbom – 2 – To be honest, I didn’t notice Oscar a whole lot and in this case, that’s a good thing given the overall effort of the team. Klef earned himself an assist on Marody’s goal.

Keegan Lowe – 1 – Oh man… Lowe was not good at all. His flubbed pass(es) caused so much trouble for the Oilers. He was getting beat all night and him getting cut is to nobody’s surprise.

Matt Benning – 2 – Benning wasn’t much better than Lowe in my opinion but I’ve become numb to his early season performances. He’s done this every year he’s been an Oiler. He’ll be bad early on and then pick it up as the season progresses, but can the Oilers afford that? If Bear and Bouchard are good to go, would Edmonton move a guy like Benning to open up that spot?

Caleb Jones – 2 – Something is off about Jones this year. I’m not seeing the same confidence in his game as there was last season. Does Jasek get that goal of his if Jones steps up on him instead of holding the fort? He’s been sent to Bakersfield as of this morning and rightfully so. It’s better he gets the big TOI down there than sit in the pressbox in Edmonton.

Dmitri Samorukov – 2 – Another young buck who’s on his way to Bakersfield. I think the writing was on the wall when he butt-ended himself in the face behind the Oilers net. The passing wasn’t there last night and he was having trouble containing Vancouver’s forwards.

Next game is tonight vs those lovely Flames from Calgary. I’m not 100% certain but I do think we’ll see a more veteran Oilers lineup. Hopefully, they bring some heart to the game and give those fans something to cheer about.

What did you think about the game? Let us know in the comments below!

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Edmonton Oilers Preseason GM1 Game Grades: Defense Shines in 2-0 Win Over Jets

You’re always going to hear from media members in any sport that you shouldn’t put too much stock into preseason games and that’s always sort of bugged me a bit. The reason for that is because I feel like if the games didn’t mean anything, why have them at all? Why not just have an extended training camp and then hop into the regular season? Well, you can’t do that because these games DO mean something to the players trying to make these hockey teams and it’s not just about the players, the coaches have something to prove as well.

I believe that we’re going to see a shift in how Edmonton plays. Meaning that the free-wheeling offense is a thing of the past. We’ll be seeing an onus on a defense-first style of play that’ll probably lead to lower scoring games. Games where leads will be locked down early and often.

So it is to no surprise that in game 1 of the preseason, the Jets got very little offense against the Oilers after the first period. The second and third periods saw Edmonton take it to Winnipeg and come out with a two-nil victory.

The game was pretty mucky at the start. Not a whole lot was getting generated, but the Jets did manage to find themselves trapping the new Oilers in their own zone on a couple of occasions. William Lagesson, Evan Bouchard, Gaetan Haas, Joakim Nygard, and Alex Chiasson first and then the same forwards but with Matt Benning and Caleb Jones on defense the second time.

Rust is getting knocked off, players are getting to know each other on the ice, new systems are being introduced, etc. The fact that the team made the adjustments in the 2nd intermission successfully gives me hope.

The way I’m going to try to do my game grades this year is that I will give each player a score between one and five but no threes so as to eliminate any fence-sitting. The scores would mean something along these lines,

  • 1 – Horrid effort, made an impact on the game negatively
  • 2 – Could’ve been better, didn’t make much of an impact
  • 4 – Above average, decent effort and impacted the game positively
  • 5 – Outstanding game, was a major difference-maker

Here are your game grades for Edmonton’s first 2019-20 NHL preseason game vs. Winnipeg,

Dylan Wells – 4 – Wells was quite good in his half of the game after coming in to replace Skinner. Made one lovely point-blank glove-hand stop later in the match. Apart from that, he didn’t have a real heavy workload.

Stuart Skinner – 4 – Excellent work in the first half of this game to keep the Oilers in it as they tried to get in the game. He was cool and collected and most importantly, didn’t let any goals in. Nice work!

Matt Benning – 2 – Like his partner, I didn’t really notice Benning apart from the one time he tried to step up on one of the Jets bigger players but just bounced off the guy like he was nothing.

William Lagesson – 4 – Solid is how I’d describe his game. He was all business. As I said in the pre-game post, he passes well, he skates well, and he plays a gritty game. During a board battle behind the Oilers net, he got his feet taken out from under him from behind in the 3rd period and I wondered how that would affect him but he was okay.

Evan Bouchard – 4 – Bouchard carried his intra-squad scrimmage performance into this one. He looked solid. His inside passing lead to a number of zone exits and he also displayed some very solid technique on defense versus a Jets squad that will most likely be similar to what he’d be facing in the AHL. Had one hiccup in the first when he tried to carry the puck out and skated into Joakim Nygard. This lead to a chance against that was stifled by Stuart Skinner. One highlight that I particularly liked was near the end of the game when he found RNH in the Jets’ slot but Nuge couldn’t handle the pass. The vision on this kid!!!

Caleb Jones – 2 – I hardly noticed Jones to be honest. Not sure if that’s a good sign for him.

Joel Persson – 4 – Had some chaos early. The Jets forechecking had him spinning a couple of times but he settled down in the 2nd and 3rd and showed his poise and confidence on the puck. He attempted a three-zone saucer pass to Nygard from behind his own goal line that I found impressive. It didn’t connect mind you, but the fact that he nearly succeeded is a positive in my books. A great debut! He assisted on both Oilers goals.

Oscar Klefbom – 4 – Two assists on the evening while playing a safe and solid game. He was a calming presence for his rookie partner. They looked good.

Tyler Benson – 2 – Not a whole lot going on for Mr. Benson in this one. He was on the 4th line with AHL vets Patrick Russell and Colby Cave. He did have a lovely chance in the last frame of the game where the puck squirted out to him around the Jets’ faceoff dot and he leaned into it with a big clapper that was ultimately swallowed up by Eric Comrie with relative ease.

Patrick Russell – 2 – Russell played the way he always plays and had three shots on the night. Hard-nosed and tough. He’s not someone you’d like to go to battle against on the boards because he works his ass off trying to gain possession of that puck. There’s no quit in this guy. Personally, I think he’s ready for the NHL. The Dane does a lot of things right according to Coach Tippett and I happen to agree. He was a late cut in prior training camps and it wouldn’t shock me if that was the case again this season.

Colby Cave – 2 – Good on the dot (8/13) but there wasn’t much more than that to speak of.

Joakim Nygard – 2 – Very tentative early on. Looked apprehensive to try and make plays and it took him some time to get comfortable on the ice. By the 3rd period, he was starting to assert himself a bit more. He’ll need a good portion of this preseason to get himself acclimated.

Gaetan Haas – 2 – Not sure if this is the right-handed centre the team is looking for. To me, he looks like he might be more suited to the wing with his speed and quickness. Looked alright defensively and positionally but I’d like to see some more offense out of him. Like Nygard, I reckon he’ll need a few more games to get sorted to this style of hockey.

Alex Chiasson – 2 – He had one outstanding chance in the slot set up by Khaira’s forecheck but he shot it right into Comrie’s chest. The rest of the game he looked out of sorts if I’m being frank. Maybe it had something to do with the unfamiliarity of his linemates.

Josh Archibald – 2 – Archie had a really nice first shift where he went out and was banging bodies hard but after that he sort of disappeared. If he can play that style on every shift and in every game, he’ll be a fan favorite in Edmonton easily.

Riley Sheahan – 2 – To my eye, he had a pretty tight game. Was 50% on the draw and used his body well to shield the puck as well as on the forecheck. I’m not expecting a lot of offense out of Sheahan this season, but I am expecting him to be quite good on the defensive side of the puck. He was pretty good there vs Winnipeg.

Jujhar Khaira – 4 – Ohhhh. JJ might be back kids! We’ll see how he does against better opponents, but he was looking very confident with the puck on his stick. He used his reach and strength to outmuscle the Jets forecheckers and defenders easily. Set up Chiasson with his excellent work ethic for a great one-timer early on.

Sam Gagner – 2 – I’m disappointed in Sam’s game. I thought he would’ve been more involved offensively but he had little impact on the match in this regard. He wasn’t horrible mind you and he didn’t cost his team defensively, he just wasn’t on the same level as Nuge and Neal. Once the line was set up in the offensive zone, he was where he needed to be though.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – 4 – He scored a lovely net-front backhand goal late in the 2nd period that caught me by surprise. It was something you’d try in ball hockey and it worked! But seriously, Nuge had a massive impact on the game for the Oilers offensively and that should be expected when his opposition was icing very few NHL defenders. That said, he still struggles to win faceoffs… He was under 50% again…

James Neal – 5 – Neal starts his Oilers campaign beautifully! He got a bit lucky on his goal as the puck hit him and then fell to his stick making it a mere formality as to where the biscuit was going to end up. Point is, he was right where he was supposed to be at exactly the time he was supposed to be there. He played with passion and purpose once he found his legs. He was the Oilers best player I felt and I’m looking for more of the same in future games.

In conclusion, I thought that the game looked like it should being the first match of the preseason. Players are trying to shake some of the offseason habits while at the same time attempting to make the most of an opportunity to show the coaching staff that they have what it takes to make this hockey team.

Next preseason game goes tomorrow night vs. the Canucks! See you then!

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Bakersfield Condors, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Oilers Post Game Report, Lindsay Ryall, Madison Moroz, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects, Trades

Chiarelli Isn’t the Only Oilers GM We Could Accuse of Poor Asset Management by Lindsay Ryall

Pic courtesy of Conway’s Russian Hockey Blog.

When the news of Anton Slepyshev’s availability in trade was distributed indiscreetly to Oilers fans on Tuesday, few could have been surprised.  But more than a few (including myself) were likely disappointed.  For a team in search of speed, size, and value, Slepyshev seemed to have the potential to check off all the boxes.

Drafted in the third round of the 2013 entry draft, Slepy showed potential from the start.  Playing with the big boys in the KHL as a teenager, Slepyshev was one of Russia’s leaders on their 2013 and 2014 U20 WJC team.  At the 2014 WJC he scored at a point per game rate and paced Russia to a bronze medal that year vs the top U20 talent in the world.

Unlike some young prospects, Anton didn’t seem to be in a rush to the big league.  He spent two more years in the KHL before coming over to take a crack at the NHL.  When he arrived, Mclellan seemed impressed, commenting on the professional edge he held over some of the other rookies.  However,  not long after making the team, Slepyshev was sent down to Bakersfield, a move that didn’t take long . . . it doesn’t appear patience is a virtue with Mclellan.

After spending the balance of the year with Bakersfield (scoring 13 ginos in 49 games) he re-joined the Oilers for the balance of the 2017 season, providing some timely scoring in the playoffs on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Milan Lucic.  Big things were expected of Slepy in the 2017-18 season, the P.O.H himself even said so . . . so what went wrong.

Two things: The player got injured and his progress lost momentum, and, he was not put in a position to succeed.  Anton Slepyshev is not a fourth line player, nor should he be.  For velocity and accuracy, his wrist shot is the best on the team, and he was never shy about using it.  Slepy also had no issues going to the front of the net, with speed and purpose.  But he was never going to accomplish anything on the fourth line, and he didn’t.  On the brief moments he spent next to the Nuge he looked good.  But he was never again put on a line with Draisaitl and Lucic . . . save 19 seconds according to Bruce McCurdy.

So within a matter of months the Oilers have devalued a prospect from one with clearly demonstrated potential, to whatever the NHL’s equivalent of a bag of pucks would be (see Nail Yakupov trade).  The situation is both puzzling and frustrating to watch.  But it’s not a story we haven’t seen before.  Even before the decade of darkness, the Oilers had a habit of shipping prospects off prematurely and letting other teams reap the benefits.  Interestingly Slepyshev would have a few close compatibles from Oilers’ past.

Oilers Have a Long History of Downtrading

Martin Gelinas: Although Gelinas was not drafted by the Oilers (selected 7th overall in the 1988 entry draft by LA), they were his first NHL organization as he came over in the now infamous Wayne Gretzky trade.  Gelinas established himself as a member of the kid line in the Oilers’ last successful cup run in 1990 showing speed and some offense.  Gelinas followed up with 20 goals in his first full season with the Oil in 1990 – 91.  Nonetheless, he often drew the ire of then head coach John Muckler and was eventually traded by Glen Sather for rugged forward Scott Pearson in a trade with the Quebec Nordiques.  Gelinas would go on to have a successful NHL career, scoring 660 points over 18 NHL seasons.  And Scott Pearson?  If that name doesn’t ring a bell, it shouldn’t: Pearson scored 98 NHL points and spent most of his pro career as a minor-leaguer.

Miroslav Satan: Drafted 111th overall in 1993 out of Slovakia, Satan showed an early scoring touch for the Oilers, notching 18 goals in 64 games in his 1994 rookie season. 1994, part of the first dark era in Edmonton Oiler history.  Satan showed good potential, however was traded by then Oiler GM Glen Sather in his second season to the Buffalo Sabres for Craig Millar and Brian Moore . . ..   Satan would go on to score 30 plus goals in four seasons including a 40 goal campaign in 1998 – 99, mostly with Buffalo.  Craig Millar and Barrie Moore combined would not play in 40 NHL games . . .

Kyle Brodziak: Something of a local boy hailing from St. Paul, Ab., Brodziak was drafted 214th overall in 2003. Brodziak cracked the big club in 2008, scoring 14 and 11 goals in his first two seasons respectively, playing mostly on the bottom six.  Apparently, that wasn’t good enough for then GM Steve Tambellini as he traded Brodziak (under the advice of then coach MacT) plus a 6th round pick, to Minnesota for a fourth and fifth in the 2009 entry draft.  Brodziak remains a productive player, providing equal parts grit and scoring, currently with St. Louis Blues.  For the picks Edmonton received in the trade, the Oilers landed . . . Linus Omark, who is no longer in the NHL, and never made an impact.

So how will Slepyshev develop as a player?  My guess is somewhere between Gelinas and Brodziak, closer to Gelinas.  He has a better shot than Gelinas but isn’t as fast.  I would rate his hockey sense as average at best, but he has the skills, and over time he will learn how to use them.  My guess is, he will develop into at 15 goal 40 point guy if he sees consistent ice time on the top nine.

Now, I don’t have a direct line to Chiarelli’s office so, maybe this move was prompted by Slepyshev demanding a trade.  Possibly.  But based on what we know, Slepshev’s imminent departure is spurred by player mismanagement by the coach.  And what will the Oilers receive in return?  With the way Chia desperately advertised the player, I don’t see any team rushing to offer a prospect or a pick in the top three rounds.  The Oilers will likely receive a career AHL player, or a pick no earlier than the fifth round.  And why would we expect anything different?  With respect to Oiler asset management, it seems to be a long tradition.

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