Category Archives: Edmonton Oilers Post Game Report

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Oilers Post Game Report, NHL

BLH Post Gamer G28 Oilers VS Sabres: Am I Dreaming?

Things are starting to look up for the Edmonton Oilers. A HUGE 4-2 win and all the lines are rolling, the goaltending is outstanding, and the defence is starting to come together. Last week whilst recording The Oilers Rig’s podcast with Alex Thomas, Mr.Thomas predicted the Oilers would go 0-3-0. I think I predicted 2-1-0. Boston, Dallas and Buffalo were not the teams I expected the Oilers to beat. Were they the teams anybody expected the 30th place team to beat?

Eberle starting to heat up? Photo courtesy of Andy Devlin.

Did anyone hear the guy who wanted Luke Gazdic put on the 2nd line with Nuge and Eberle back in Toronto on Overtime Openline? LOL. That’s one I haven’t heard yet. The caller then went on to compare Gazdic to Semenko and RNH/Eberle to 99 and 17… Crikey!

But speaking of great lines, how about Hall, Draisaitl, and Purcell? They were cutting through the Sabres defence like a hot knife through butter. Right off the bat on the first shift they set the tone for the rest of the game. Hall and Purcell came away from this game with 2 pts and Leon with 1pt. It’d be a good time to put Purcell on your fantasy team, he scores in bunches.

And the RNH, Eberle, Khaira line was firing on all cylinders as well. If Nuge was the red wine and Eberle was the mocha pots de creme, then Khaira is the 72oz steak. This rookie is providing, what I believe, the perfect complimentary attributes to 93 and 14. I’ve been hoping the Oilers would go out and find somebody who could crash and bang, protect the puck, and provide some toughness to the top 6. Every passing game that Jujhar Khaira plays is another feather in his cap. Other teams are noticing him too. Did you see Adam McQuaid turn down a fight with him the other night when Boston was in town…

If we’re going to talk about tough hockey players how about Luke Gazdic scoring (he’s got more goals than Anton Lander now…) and Darnell Nurse leading both teams with 6 hits, one of those being an absolute face mashing of Rasmus Ristolainen behind the Oilers net. It was also great to see Taylor Hall and Nurse letting Evander Kane know half way through the third that his antics weren’t being appreciated after the Sabre dumped Reggie Sekera in the Oilers’ zone.

The goal that Nuge’s line produced was pure genius. The way that Khaira received the puck on the boards and then worked it down to the corner along the boards so he could feed it to RNH behind the net only to have it intercepted by the Sabres dman but then Ninja Nuge swiped it from under the defenders nose and so deftly put it on a tee for the waiting Eberle. Good Lord! Check it out!

I think tonight was the first time I’ve actively noticed each member of the Edmonton defense getting nearly identical TOI numbers. Check it out:

Sekera – 18:29
Schultz – 17:26
Nurse – 22:01
Gryba – 19:45
Klefbom – 22:14
Davidson – 20:11

It’s relieving to see Jultz getting the least amount of ice-time after all these years. He’s gone by next season. I don’t see how he’s any better an option than someone $3 million dollars cheaper. He just lacks the defensive awareness required to be a $5 million dollar defenseman. If he was laying guys out or even had a hint of what Jeff Petry brought to the rink, I think I’d give him more consideration. But at this point I’m walking away from him if he’s asking for more than $3.5M per year.

If you’re a stats guy, check out the fancies from tonight’s game from Walter Foddis and G.Money.

Looks pretty good in Edmonton’s favor doesn’t it. Just wait until you see the charts from Oilers Nerd Alert. You can see his full game review here.

That’s some domination on the Oilers part! I don’t reckon the boys have been this overpowering since that 5-1 drubbing of New Jersey last month. Now let’s look at the forwards and defence.

So we can see here that the Oilers top line was as we seen them. Uncontainable. Nuge’s line had a good night and the 4th line did fairly well too. But the 3rd line of Hendricks, Letestu and Korpikoski ate shit. From all of the reports I’m reading online, it’s Korpi-K that’s bringing down his linemates. I can’t honestly see what he’s doing right or wrong on the ice. He just is. He exists but doesn’t do a whole lot. And to think the Oilers dealt a VERY good face-off man for him…

So there’s our defense. Who’d would’ve guessed that Davidson and Gryba would be the best pairing out of the three? Not I. Apart from getting burnt by Eichel, I think that Gryba wasn’t too shabby out there. I’m not sure if Klefbom and Jultz were happy with their evenings, they seemed pretty blugh out there for me.

Overall it’s hard not to be absolutely stoked that the Oilers are sitting three points out of the playoffs but we should be measured in our stokedness. As we are experiencing at the moment, things can change in the flash of an eye. Last week everyone and their dog were ready to mortgage off Nuge and Eberle because the Oilers were sitting in the NHL’s basement… Again. Now they wouldn’t trade them for anything because the Oilers are THAT close to the playoffs.

Thank Nilsson!

Next up the Sharks are coming to town. Hmmm. Is it easier to say that the Oilers will lose because of the perceived notion that San Jose is a better team or the Oilers will win because the team is on fire? The truth? It’s not easy but I’ll say the Oilers win again and we’ll call it McLellan’s Revenge!

Take it easy folks!

BLH

Click the pic and take advantage of some amazing sales over at the BLH Merch Shop! Everything is 20%-30% OFF!
Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Oilers Post Game Report, NHL

BLH Post Gamer G27 Oilers VS Stars: Anders the Defiant!

2 Comments
F-me! What a game by Anders Nilsson! Photo Courtesy of Andy Devlin.

Can you believe what we’re seeing? A goalie that is keeping the Edmonton Oilers in hockey games! Not only that but he’s stealing them for the Oilers too! Are we witnessing the rise of the next great netminder or is this just a guy who’s on a hot streak or was it a matter of playing a team that was on their third game in four nights? Who cares to be honest? The Oilers got the two points, are out of the basement and are .500 in their last ten games. WOOHOO!

After the game Oilers Head Coach Todd McLellan said something to the effect that if Anders Nilsson doesn’t play as good as he did that the Oilers would’ve been left in the dust. Isn’t that the truth?

That first period was a dog’s breakfast. The Oilers were outshot 14-8 and who knows where this game would’ve gone had Jujhar Khaira not knocked that clearing attempt down and dinked it over to Taylor Hall so he could make Patrick Nemeth and a sprawling Uncle Niemi look foolish. Check it out below:

What a beauty. You don’t necessarily appreciate that goal for what it is until you watch it a couple of times. Woof! Unfortunately that was the only thing worth pointing out in the 1st period for the Oilers. The E-Town entertainers did have a couple of chances on the power play but couldn’t manage to find much more than a post. Let’s move on to the second.

The Oilers closed the gap a tad in the middle frame but Dallas was still pouring it on. One thing that was pretty noticeable off the bat was Jujhar Khaira sticking on that top line with Hall and Draisaitl. Khaira did stay there, he had shifts moving up and down the lineup for the rest of the game.

We’ve seen McLellan successfully put a more physical type of player with 4 and 29 a bit earlier in the year when Matt Hendricks was put up there and then Rob Klinkhammer. They opened up some more room in the offensive zone and allowed Hall and Drai the maneuverability they needed to create more chances. Of course, Hendy and Col. Klink were injured not long after, so let’s hope Thorny can stay consistent and healthy. If he can do that then we’ve most likely seen the last of Luke Gazdic. Khaira is simply a better option in the team’s bottom six.

Click the pic and take advantage of some amazing sales over at the BLH Merch Shop!

Dallas managed to find a way to score just before the end of the second as Mattias Janmark (this guy looks pretty crafty btw) easily made Mark Fayne look like a pylon on his way to tapping in a fat juicy rebound. The Oilers need to stop letting these goals in so late in periods. It’s a real buzz killer. I think Fayne only had two more shifts after this one… Coach McLellan was not happy with Fayne’s performance and he wasn’t wrong. He got walked 2 minutes into the game and was just having a terrible day at the office.

Speaking of bad days, how about Eberle fluffing that 2v1 at the end of the second period? Woof! If Eberle doesn’t score in OT, is he still on the tongues of the rumor mongers? The way I see it, he’s gone anyhow because I don’t see how a couple SO goals and an OT winner would put you back in the good graces of the new GM and coach. He’s got a history of production and one 5 game stretch won’t ruin that. His problem is that he doesn’t fit into McLellan’s system. I believe the Oilers coach likes his wingers tenacious and willing to sacrifice their bodies in the name of success.

A minute into the third and you already know how the rest of the period is going to go. The Oilers were forced to clinch their sphincters and hold on for dear life. The Stars peppered Anders Nilsson 15 times in that period but failed to turn on the red light. Contrast that with the Oilers, who only served up a paltry 4 shots and you can clearly see how important Anders Nilsson was to the boys in orange and blue.

Some might say the Oilers stuck with the Stars but if you watched the game it was painfully obvious that Dallas was the superior team. They were tired and couldn’t capitalize on their chances. But as I said earlier, I don’t give hoot how the Oilers get their points, just as long as they get them.

I’m going to leave you here but If you need a clearer view of how bad the Oilers were outplayed, take a look at this chart from OilersNerdAlert and the quote following the chart from Walter Foddis.

Take Care!

BLH

Hey Connor! Check this out! Whoa… Click the pic to head over to G.Money’s site and read his take on the game.

Nilsson made these wins possible against Boston and Dallas. These have been two of their worst defensive games of the season. The special teams in both games–as measured by shot attempts (the best predictors of goal-differential on special teams)–have been very weak. Winning like this is unsustainable.

Fayne was held off the ice tonight. McLellan didn’t like what he was seeing. Fayne’s Dangerous Fenwick Against (DFA) gave numbers to that performance with the lowest DFA to date: 170 (>40 is bad). Gryba and Schultz were crushed in DFA last game.

Not sure what’s happening with Fayne, but for the team in general, I don’t think these weak performances are an effort issue; it’s our roster. The injury bug is hurting us big time. Remember when we had a decent 2L of McDavid, Yak, Pouliot? All out with injury. Our best 4L possession forward (Klinkhammer), & our best 5/6 D-man (Davidson) are also out. Whose in? Our 2 worst forwards–Korpikoski & Gazdic–are stinking up the joint on the bottom-6.

Don’t be fooled by the wins. If not for Nilsson, the scores would reflect how badly the team is performing. Not being negative; just keeping it real.

On the positive side, I love Eberle’s reaction to scoring in OT. Getting goals will help his confidence. You know the team is going to need more of them! – Walter Foddis

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Oilers Post Game Report, NHL

BLH Post Gamer G26 Oilers VS Bruins: Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Letestes and Hendricks combine for some Veteran love vs. the Bruins. Photo Courtesy of Andy Devlin.

As a fan of the Edmonton Oilers one has to ponder how bad this season would be if Anders Nilsson wasn’t here. Instead of being 9-15-2, would the team be sitting at 5-20-2? Or worse? I’m not sure if it was the Oilers that were playing good or the Bruins that were playing poorly? I suppose it doesn’t matter at this point does it? The boys in orange and blue got the 2 points and are now in a tie for last place in the NHL. It’s nice to share, isn’t it?

According to the game summary over at Oilers Nerd Alert, which you can find here, the Oilers were second best in the fancies. I can believe that. The Oilers never really dominated the Bruins for any stretch of time. I want to say they got pretty lucky but I also believe that you create your luck and Matty Hendricks and Mark Letestu did just that on their short-handed goal half-way through the second frame.

When the Oilers top guns aren’t firing on all cylinders it really is nice to see the veterans pick up the slack. Hendricks and Letestu are far from skilled and Mark Letestu has been a less than stellar signing so far but tonight they stood out in a good way. Hendricks was the game’s 1st star as he racked up a goal and an assist along with 4 hits. Letestu might’ve been the 4th star if that were allowed. The native of Elk Point, AB equaled his linemates stat line sans the hits but was 62% on the faceoff dot.

Boston did find a way to tie the game at one with ninety seconds left but the two veterans combined again in the third to put the Oilers up by one. A nifty little pass off the wing, nutmegging the Bruins defender found its way to Sir Hendricks’ stick and whilst being tied up by Colin Miller, tappity tip and it was in with a zip!

But as the third period wore on I got the feeling that the Bruins were going to get one to tie it up. They had the Oilers hemmed in their own zone for a good 3 or 4 minutes in the latter parts of the period and low and behold they managed to find a way. Somehow Teddy Purcell and Iiro Pakarinen lost Zdeno Chara. Don’t ask me how you lose someone as big as the sasquatch from Harry and the Hendersons but they did it and Big Z found himself wide open in the slot and with a deft little pass the puck was behind Anders Nilsson.

Everything is 20% off at the Merch Shop! Just click the pic, get over there NOW and pick up some sweet Christmas gifts!

The game would stay tied and 3v3 OT was played to no avail. A shootout was required and luckily for us we have some of the game’s best shootout players and also a netminder who is performing very well.

The game in total wasn’t anything amazing. Anders Nilsson had an outstanding game and every time he puts up these kind of performances you have to wonder how long until Cam Talbot realizes he could be a free agent next season. Although when you think about it, if the Oilers could get him signed on the cheap it would be worth it. You might not think he’s any different from that of Scrivens, Fasth, or the final days of Dubnyk but he’s mentally much better. Not quite as fragile as those others.

The Oilers did extremely well on faceoffs and Patrice Bergeron didn’t. It was an off night for one of the NHL’s best draw takers. All that much better for the Oilers I say.

How about that little skirmish between Hall and Chara? Hallsy sure knew when to get out of there eh? It made me chuckle a bit.

I think Eric Gryba will be sitting down for a few games after he popped Jimmy Hayes’ head like an over ripe zit. You can check the hit out below. When I seen the hit I was like, “Oh shit… Goodnight Jimmy and enjoy your vacation Eric.”

So Dallas is coming to town eh… Yikes! That’s a scary proposition. They’re the sexiest team in the league right now and it’s only a matter of time until the media start praising the Dallas Stars model of rebuilding… Trade trade trade! lol.

Anyways, I can’t see the Oilers pulling this one out but we seen what happened in the Oilers second game versus the Washington Capitals right? The first one, a blowout. The second one, tighter than a nun’s cootchie. I’d love to see a win here to take the team out of the NHL’s basement. It’d be a huge step for the team for sure!

Let me know your thoughts on the game versus the Bruins or the game coming up against the Stars in the comment section below!

Until then, take care!

BLH

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Oilers Post Game Report, NHL

BLH Post Gamer G25 Oilers VS Leafs: Hello Darkness My Old Friend

1 Comment
Hallsy couldn’t do it all himself tonight despite trying. Photo courtesy of Graig Abel.

Three points from a possible 10 on this road trip has the Edmonton Oilers firmly entrenched in the Auston Matthews sweepstakes. I mean here we are again, a month later albeit, about to crack open the latest scouting reports on this year’s draft class to see who might be blessing the team with their presence next summer. Surely Lowetide will have his draft class previews being posted in due time but you’d have to think that we’re past this, right?

The game versus the Maple Leafs might just be the straw that broke Chiarelli’s back. Did you see how irate Todd McLellan was on the bench? He was using every morsel of strength he had just to hold back from blowing his top and I don’t blame him one bit. The team did nothing apart from hand a rookie goalie a shutout in his first NHL start and help put his name in the record books as the first Toronto Maple Leaf to get a shutout in his debut.

There’s a trend I’m noticing as of late. When the Oilers are up against teams that are supposed to be better than them, they find a way to stay in the game. Against supposed inferior or equal teams, they shit the bed or better yet, they stay home. Also if the Oilers are playing a tenacious and physical team they are more likely to have poor games. Is it time to shake up the foundation of this team? Small and skilled is fine but a team still needs those players that are willing to do the dirty jobs. Is there one player in the top six that you respect for his playing style or his character?

Grab this sweet tee along with many more over at the Merch Shop! Click the pic and get yours today!

What I mean by that is, take Ryan Smyth for example. Everybody loved him because he went to the dirty places and got the jobs done that others wouldn’t do. He earned a ton of respect from fans, players, and management types for that. The closest players on the team are Taylor Hall and Matt Hendricks. I’d lean more to Hendricks though. But the team is lacking those kind of players. You might not like what Brandon Dubinsky did to Sidney Crosby last week but he’s exactly the kind of player the team needs. In fact, there are a few guys on that Blue Jackets team I’d love to have on the Oilers. Scott Hartnell and Boone Jenner are two more. Get me more of those guys. You might say that there are too many of those players on that team and not enough skill… Could some sort of agreement be made between Columbus and Edmonton?

*I received a little message in my inbox after the game that the Oilers are preparing to make a deal with an Eastern Conference team for help on defense but not for Travis Hamonic. Possibly Ebs, Jultz, and an unnamed prospect are all in play. Your guess is as good as mine as to who the target might be.*

What really is the problem with this franchise? Is it the constant changes being made every year in an attempt to cash in on those magic beans as if there’s one move that is going to fix it all? Or is it the lack of meaningful changes? I remember when there were cries from the fanbase to get rid of the old core and that was back when Horcoff was running the show. Now there are new cries to get rid of the Hall/Ebs/Nuge core… What the hell folks?

With that said, imagine what the team would look like with Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones on their defence… Woof!

The Actual Game

  • It looks like Nuge is going to break out soon. He’s beginning to rush with the puck more and has been growing over the last couple games here.
  • Nurse stepping up on Phaneuf and having a chat with him was pleasing to see. It also led John Shannon to note during the intermission that the next Oilers captain might just be Darnell Nurse.
  • Every year that passes I earn a bit more respect for Nazim Kadri. I like his playing style and he puts up with a lot of crap in Toronto. He’s very a physical player and yet he can put up a point or two when needed. I wouldn’t mind him on the Oilers if we’re being honest.
  • Why weren’t the Oilers in on Leo Komarov?… He’s playing lights out this year but even if he wasn’t, he’d fit in so well with McLellan’s system.
  • Was anybody complaining about Dion Phaneuf’s contract while he was laying out every Oiler in sight? Didn’t think so.

Whilst the words that Mr.Soria speak are ever true, I have to wonder, when can we stop making excuses for the team’s performances?

I don’t have anything to say about the game to be honest. The Oilers had nothing going tonight and the Leafs strong two-way game and PP took advantage of a tired and weak Oilers hockey team. Hopefully they get some rest before their next game against the Boston Bruins because that game is not going to be any easier. If they made Garrett Sparks look this good, just imagine how Tukka Rask is going to look…

Take Care!

BLH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUvHs5BH0Nc

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Oilers Post Game Report, NHL

BLH Post Gamer G23 Oilers VS Red Wings: Crumblin’ Down

The Oilers picked up a loser’s point tonight and it was well deserved. Their play from the last game versus the Hurricanes overflowed into the first period of this one in Detroit and even though they made a helluva push to comeback on the road, they lost another one goal game.

I think we’re going to do this post gamer in point form as I missed parts of it due to work.

Iiro the Hero got a couple tonight but it wasn’t enough. Photo courtesy of Dave Reginek.
  • The Oilers grip on the 1st overall selection in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft is Hulk-like but there’s a part of me that believes this is the bed Peter Chiarelli made and now he’s got to sleep in it. Yet, the other part reminds me that Kevin Lowe, Steve Tambellini, and Craig MacTavish bought the bed from Ikea, assembled it and selected the bedding for it; so maybe it’s time to head on over to Old Man Comrie’s place and get a new bed.
  • The best players in the game weren’t the ones in the top six. The best players were the players in the
    Huge Thanksgiving weekend SALE going on at the merch shop! Click the pic and grab some 16-bit Superstars swag for up to 30% Off!

    bottom six. Lander, Pakarinen, Hendricks, Letestu, and Korpikoski were tenacious as hell. I was really jacked to see Iiro the Hero get not only one goal but two due to his wicked work ethic. Now Nuge and Hall and Draisaitl all had their moments but it was the Scandinavians that tested the Red Wings defense with their blazing forecheck.

  • Are the refs blind? Did Taylor Hall magically make his mouth bleed? Did Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ stick break in half on its own accord? I mean there were countless calls that were missed AGAIN! But that’s how she goes, right boys?
  • So much for Mark Fayne not making himself visible in the highlights… Remenda had a field day with him on that Larkin goal.
  • Is it fair to assume that just because something worked last season, with a different coach mind you, that it might not work this year? ie: 67-93-14 or Anton Lander…
  • A bit of talk going on right now that maybe the Oilers should move out some of their “soft-skilled” guys like Nuge and Eberle and bring in some players that will make a difference when things aren’t going their way on the scoresheet. To add to that, Bob Stauffer played a clip of Todd McLellan talking about his days in Detroit and he said the best of the four years was the year the team was its grittiest NOT the year where they had the best players. That is pretty telling.But even if the Oilers wanted to move out a Nuge or an Eberle, is right now the time to do it? I mean more specifically in the case of Nuge. Do you really want to move out the team’s best center for help on D? There’s literally no depth beyond him. Draisaitl is more or less a rookie, McDavid won’t be back until the new year, Lander can’t score and Letestu can’t score either.
  • Ference played not even 5 minutes… What’s the point? honestly. They scratched Gazdic so Ference could get just over 4 minutes of ice-time? Has someone sat down with Andrew and had “The Talk” yet?

The main stream media has their knives out now! Check out these tweets coming from some of the most respected journalists connected to the Oilers. Apart from Dennis King of course, who’s the man when it comes to Oilogosphere icons. Or should I say… The King…

https://twitter.com/nhlbymatty/status/670472640281370624

Next up are the Pittsburgh Penguins and I predicted that would be a loss for the Oilers but I’m iffy on that decision now. Justin Schultz is scheduled to return so I reckon that means bye bye Griffin Reinhart. F-me is Andrew Ference’s stubbornness really throwing a wrench into the cogs of the defence. But if I were in his shows I’d probably milk the team for all it’s worth too.

The Pens are starting their backup, so this will be the 2nd time the Oilers face Jeff Zatkoff. Last time he and his posts got the best of Edmonton but Evgeni Malkin is on a tear right now. Not sure if we’ll see Crosby or not after he was nearly decaptitated by Brandon Dubinksy… Now is that a guy you’d love to have on the Oilers? Dubinksy I mean. Is he the kind of player that McLellan is talking about? Gritty, knows what it takes when things aren’t going the team’s way… Can provide something apart from silky mitts. I wonder…

Until then! Take Care of yourself and drive safely!

BLH