Category Archives: Zach Laing

Breaking News, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Zach Laing

TSN Insider Trading: Oilers showing interest in NCAA star G Alex Lyon, Yakupov to stay after all?

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TSN’s men who know it all, Bob McKenzie and Pierre LeBrun, just had a few interesting things to say about the Edmonton Oilers and what is going on with the team. Here is the link.

To save you some time, here is the gist of what they talked about:

  • LeBrun: The Edmonton Oilers would listen to offers for the No. 1 overall pick should they win it. He mentioned the Oilers obvious need for some help on defence and “generally speaking” the team wants to make some important changes to the core as well as the team in the offseason.
  • LeBrun: Around the deadline, the Oilers were low-balled on offers for Nail Yakupov. No surprise there. Yakupov’s value is about as low as it could be right now, however LeBrun mentions the Oilers would be glad to have him back next year. The team is looking for a young player that can play in our NHL lineup.
  • McKenzie: The Oilers are glad with both Laurent Brossoit and Cam Talbot however they do want to test the UFA G market. He mentioned they were hard in on UMass-Lowell G Kevin Boyle but to keep an eye on Yale G Alex Lyon. He currently has 12 teams interested, and show narrow it down to about three and make a decision next week. A return to Yale is possible, but doubtful.

*adjusts collar*

Okay, that’s a lot to digest. First off let’s start from the top down shall we?

No. 1

This is something I have pondered myself for sometime and I think it makes sense. There are a number of teams out there that would be able to field legitimate offers for this pick given the abundance of defenseman whose names have been suggested. Ideally, if the Oilers would move the pick I would imagine the other teams first rounder would have to be included, as well as a high-level defenceman. Personally I wouldn’t want to move out of the top ten of this years draft, and I don’t think the Oilers would want to move out of there either.

I’ll revisit this after the draft lottery.

#YakCity

As LeBrun mentioned, the Oilers don’t want to give him away for scraps even though teams are trying to buy low. Let’s not forget that he was a number one overall pick, and the consensus amongst the major scouting agencies. I have long been a fan of Nail as well as his game, but at the end of the day he needs to play in a top six role to succeed. Is that something the Oilers see as a fit? He could get a long-term shot if the team decides to move on from Jordan Eberle this summer.

At the end of the day, I can see a fit in Edmonton for Nail but if the right offer comes around I don’t see the Oilers hesitating to pull the trigger. Should the Oilers have a chance to draft Patrik Laine or Jesse Puljujarvi, how would that impact the team’s decision to move Yakupov or Eberle?

Are you Lyon?!

No, I’m not lying. Alex Lyon could be the real deal – at least his NCAA career suggests it. In his three seasons of NCAA hockey, he has been the Yale Bulldogs starter each year.

Freshman year (2013-2014): 30 GP, 2.41 GAA, .918 sv%

Lyon was named the Ivy League co-rookie of the year as well as the team rookie of the year. His 796 saves were good enough for seventh in Yale’s history.

Sophomore year (2014-2015): 32 GP, 1.62 GAA, .939 sv%

In his second season as a starter, he led the nation in GAA, sv% as well as shutouts (7). All three of those are school records. That season, 12 of his games played came against teams with offenses ranked in Div. 1’s top 20, and in those games he stopped 93% of shots faced, and recorded three shutouts. Lyon was named one of five finalists for the Mike Richter award as the nation’s top Div. 1 goaltender.

Junior year (2015-2016): 31 GP, 1.64 GAA, .936 sv%.

His third season was highlighted by being named a finalist for the Mike Richter award on top of being named a top ten finalist for the Hobey Baker award as the nation’s top NCAA player. He set the school record for career wins that season by hitting the 50 win mark. The previous record sat at 43 wins, which he broke in a 3-0 shutout win against RPI. That shutout also broke the school record with his 13th shutout (now at 15).

So basically, Lyon is a stud in any facet you look at. His scouting report c/o Elite Prospects gives you a look into what type of a goaltender he is:

Very technique-oriented goalie that combines quick reflexes with sound positional play. Superior core and lower-body strength exhibited through quick cross-crease pushes and smooth lateral movement. Quick glove hand that doesn’t get beat very often. Isn’t very scrambly and accurately predicts where the puck is going to hit him and where it will be redirected to if he doesn’t hold onto it. Analyzes odd-man situations well and is always a step ahead. [EP]

All in all, it should be interesting to see where he ends up and if he signs with the Oilers. Knowing what I know about him, I would be hard pressed to imagine the Oilers not being all over him. With 12 teams supposedly showing interest, it will be interesting to watch this unfold over the next week or so.

Do you have a question for us! Click the pic and ask us anything! We’ll read it out on our pod and answer it too!
Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Zach Laing

Oilers vs Kings Preview – Oilers must help LB to win

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (30-40-7, 67 pts. 5-5 in their last 10) at LA Kings (44-25-5, 93 pts. 6-3-1 in their last 10)

Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

Time: 8:00 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: CBC – Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

After beating the San Jose Sharks in a huge 6-3 victory on Thursday night, the Oilers secured their first 30 win season since the 2011 – 2012 season when Tom Renney was behind the bench.

That season, the Oilers won 32 games, and finished the season with 74 points. Now with only five games to go before the season is finished, the Oilers sit with 67 points.

Tonight, the team looks to take on a Los Angeles team that has been been leading the Western Conference nearly all year. Laurent Brossoit gets the start tonight, and as it would be nice if he would be able to get some help from the offense:

In his five NHL starts, he has given up 15 goals, while the Oilers have only scored nine in front of him. This is not a knock against Brossoit by any means, but it shows the need for the team to play a tight hockey game in front of him. 

In order for the Oilers to come out of Los Angeles with two points, the team needs to play a tight hockey game. The Kings are simply the best in the west, and it has shown as they have beaten the Oilers in all four meetings this season. In the previous four games this season LA has outscored Edmonton 14 to eight.

In the past month since the last time the two teams met on Feb. 25, the Oilers have certainly become a different team after dealing Anders Nilsson, Justin Schultz and Teddy Purcell while acquiring Patrick “Big Rig” Maroon.

Maroon has come into the Oilers lineup and been a dynamic force on the ice. He plays the exact style of game that complements the likes of Connor McDavid and Jordan Eberle whom he has been playing with consistently as of late.

His three-assist performance against the Sharks Thursday night just shows his ability to play in a top-six role. He has got to be elated. 

When the Oilers came into this three game California road trip, I thought that if the team were to go .500 and play tight in the games I would consider that successful. 

Quotes from oilers.nhl.com.

Predictions for tonight:

  1. Oilers win 3-2 in OT.
  2. Connor McDavid scores the game-winning goal.
  3. The Oilers come out and play a very physical game, and there are two fights in the game.

Kings Preview:
Forward Vincent Lecavalier practiced Friday after he missed a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday with an undisclosed injury. There was no update provided on forward Kris Versteeg (foot), who has missed the past three games. The Kings have lost three straight since they clinched a Stanley Cup Playoff berth last Saturday. Los Angeles leads the Pacific Division by three points over the Anaheim Ducks, who have a game in hand. “These are games that we could have separated ourselves a little bit,” forward Jeff Carter told the Kings website. “We’ve got to get going here, we’re running out of games, you can’t get to the playoffs and then flip the switch, so we’ve got a lot of work to do here in the next couple weeks.”

— NHL.com

Line Combos and Starting Goalies:

Oilers (Laurent Brossoit):

Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Nail Yakupov
Patrick Maroon – Connor McDavid – Jordan Eberle
Lauri Korpikoski – Mark Letestu – Zack Kassian
Adam Cracknell – Matt Hendricks – Iiro Pakairnen

Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Jordan Oesterle – Griffin Reinhart
Darnell Nurse – Adam Clendening

EDM Injuries: Oscar Klefbom (leg infection), Andrew Ference (hip), Eric Gryba (knee), Benoit Pouliot (shoulder), Brandon Davidson (knee), Adam Pardy (hand), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (concussion).

LA Kings (Jonathan Quick): 

Tanner Pearson – Anze Kopitar – Dustin Brown
Milan Lucic – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King – Nic Dowd – Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford – Nick Shore – Andy Andreoff

Brayden McNabb – Drew Doughty
Jake Muzzin – Alec Martinez
Rob Scuderi – Luke Schenn

Any ideas on how to improve my game previews? Send me an email at zjlaing@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter.

Edmonton Oilers, Zach Laing

Oilers vs Avalanche Preview – Oilers look to take advantage of injured Avs

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TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (29-38-7, 65 pts. 6-4 in their last 10) vs Colorado Avalanche (37-31-4, 78 pts. 6-4 in their last 10)

Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta

Time: 7:30 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet West – Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

74 down, 8 to go.

After shutting-out the Vancouver Canucks 2-0 Friday night, the Oilers look to take advantage of a team that will be without Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon and Eric Gelinas tonight.

Like the Oilers, the Avs are currently getting hit with the injury bug which is less than ideal for a team competing in a tight race for the playoffs with the Minnesota Wild. Tonight, the Oilers have a chance to stall their efforts, and their playoff hopes.

While Todd McLellan and the coaching staff haven’t been talking to the players about playing spoiler, Zack Kassian realizes the opportunity ahead.

“If we’re not making the playoffs, we might as well take down teams trying to make the playoffs,” said Oilers winger Zack Kassian. “It’s one of those things where this time of the year it’s tough to find things to get motivated for, but at the top of the list is ‘be the spoiler’ and take that dream from other teams.”

Both Jordan Oesterle and Griffin Reinhart received high-praise from Todd McLellan after last Friday’s game that saw them play over 22 minutes each and blocked 11 shots combined.

Reinhart has looked consistently good in the six games since his recall from the Bakersfield Condors, which is exactly what McLellan and co. wanted from him.

Oesterle has been a pleasant surprise since his recall on Mar. 9. In his nine games with Edmonton this season, he has four assists. His play has been really solid and he has played with confidence. Who knows what the Oilers have here, but early indications show that he has some potential to play in the NHL.

Laurent Brossoit gets his fourth start of the season, and it’s a good night for him to get the green light. With the Avalanches two top scorers in Duchene and MacKinnon being out of the lineup the Avs will look to other guys to finish on the ice.

The Oilers are going to need to play a tight game in front of the Bross, and limit the shots he sees.

“We’d like to play tighter,” said McLellan. “When you’re talking about the Vancouver game, I think we addressed that after. We were sluggish, we weren’t sharp, we were sloppy, we found a way to win and Talbs had a large part in that. We’d like to play better in front of LB tonight than we did the other night and it’s as simple as that.”

McLellan hasn’t forgotten that Brossoit is still a young goaltender, saying “sometimes inexperience and understanding who the shooters are and how they score” is part of the challenge facing LB.

I think at this point in time he will certainly be battling for the backup position next season, but may benefit from more AHL experience. With Talbot securing the starting role for at least the next year or two, LB has the ability to take time and develop properly.

Let’s see what the boys can do tonight..

Quotes from oilers.nhl.com.

Predictions for tonight:

  1. Oilers win 3-2.
  2. Griffin Reinhart scores his first NHL goal.
  3. Leon Draisaitl scores the other two goals.

Last games predictions and results:

  1. Oilers beat the Canucks 3-0.
  2. Former Canuck Zack Kassian scores.
  3. CAM TALBOT SHUTOUT!!!!!

Well not bad! Cam Talbot and the Oilers shutout the Canucks 2-0, but Kassian didn’t get a goal despite some chances.

2/3 ain’t too bad.

Avalanche Preview:

There were no updates on forwards Matt Duchene (knee) and Nathan MacKinnon (knee), and defenseman Eric Gelinas (elbow) on Saturday. Colorado recalled forward Mikko Rantanen from San Antonio of the American Hockey League. Duchene missed a 4-3 shootout win against the Calgary Flames on Friday, and Gelinas and MacKinnon left that game. Coach Patrick Roy said Gelinas was out indefinitely and MacKinnon would be re-evaluated Saturday. Captain Gabriel Landeskog will return after a three-game suspension. Goalie Semyon Varlamov is expected to make his sixth straight start; he has won four of his past five games.

— NHL.com

Line Combos and Starting Goalies:

Oilers (Laurent Brossoit):

Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Iiro Pakarinen
Patrick Maroon – Connor McDavid – Jordan Eberle
Lauri Korpikoski – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Nail Yakupov
Matt Hendricks – Mark Letestu – Zack Kassian

Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Jordan Oesterle – Griffin Reinhart
Darnell Nurse – Adam Clendening

EDM Injuries: Oscar Klefbom (leg infection), Andrew Ference (hip), Eric Gryba (knee), Benoit Pouliot (shoulder), Brandon Davidson (knee), Adam Pardy (hand).

Colorado Avalanche (Calvin Pickard):

Avs Lines tentative due to injuries.

Mikkel Boedker – Nathan MacKinnon – Blake Comeau
Mikhail Grigorenko – John Mitchell – Jarome Iginla
Shawn Matthias – Carl Soderberg – Andreas Martinsen
Cody McLeod – Jack Skille – Andrew Bodnarchuk

Francois Beauchemin – Erik Johnson
Nick Holden – Tyson Barrie
Eric Gelinas – Chris Bigras

Any ideas on how to improve my game previews? Send me an email at zjlaing@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter.

Edmonton Oilers, Zach Laing

Oilers vs Canucks – Let’s go on a run, shall we?

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (28-38-7, 63 pts. 6-4 in their last 10) vs Vancouver Canucks (27-30-12, 66 points. 4-6 in their last 10)

Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta

Time: 7:00 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet West – Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

73 down, 9 to go.

What does the end of the season look like for the Oilers? Well, three of the last nine games include matchups against the Vancouver Canucks. The toughest remaining games will include draws against the Sharks, Kings, Ducks and Coyotes.

The Oilers have an opportunity to put a few games together at the end of the year. Is it out of the realm of possibility for the Oilers to go .500 the rest of the way? I don’t. It could have implications on the ability to have the highest chance to win the lottery draft, but there are some real quality players in the four to eight range that could really benefit the Oilers.

The Oilers and Canucks have split the two games played already this year, with each team winning 2-1 in OT. Oddly enough, both teams that won the game lost in the possession game.

“They’re in a similar boat to us where they’re trying to continue to lay their foundation down with a number of young players and those young players have produced lately, the second half of the year the Horvats and those type of players have been very good,” said McLellan. “But I still believe it runs through [the Sedin’s] and their ability to cycle and play on their backhands and create time and space for their teammates. That’s a huge challenge for our team. We’ve worked real hard all year to play better in our zone and they’re going to test it tonight for sure.”

Like any game against the Canucks, the challenge is to contain the Sedin’s. Combined, they have scored 161 points in 165 career games against Edmonton.

The recent decisions by the Oilers coaching staff to combine size with skill throughout the line-up has already begun to pay dividends. Maroon has been a nice fit the last few games with McDavid and Eberle, while Iiro Pakarinen has played alongside Hall and Draisaitl.

Pakarinen has two points (1G-1A) in his last two games. 

The Canucks have seemingly had the Oilers number for some time now winning seven of the last 10 games. However, the Oilers have kept the last three games close, bringing them all to OT. 

Cam Talbot, who has a .935 sv% in his last 10 starts, gets the start tonight. 

Quotes from oilers.nhl.com.

Predictions for tonight:

  1. Oilers beat the Canucks 3-0.
  2. Former Canuck Zack Kassian scores.
  3. CAM TALBOT SHUTOUT!!!!!

Last games predictions and results:

  1. Oilers win 3-1.
  2. Patrick Maroon fights David Backes for all the crap he has done to the Oilers in the last few years. Nobody gets hurt, but Maroon gets the W.
  3. Darnell Nurse returns, plays over 20 minutes and is a positive CF player in his first game back.

The Oilers won 6-4! Maroon and Backes didn’t fight, but they did do some jawing.

 

Canucks Preview:

Goalie Jacob Markstrom will start after Ryan Miller made 31 saves in a 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. Hansen (ribs) did not practice Thursday and will miss the next two games. Defenseman Alex Biega will play after missing one game with an upper-body injury. Vancouver is 28th in the NHL with 163 goals and tied for 26th with 36 power-play goals. “We have to get our D involved more, I don’t think our D is involved as much as they were in the past,” coach Willie Desjardins told the Canucks website Thursday. “I think our power play has to be a little bit better. We got to get a few more off the power play. Plus, we have to get more power plays. We just don’t get enough power plays.”

— NHL.com

Line Combos and Starting Goalies:

Oilers (Cam Talbot):

Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Iiro Pakarinen
Patrick Maroon – Connor McDavid – Jordan Eberle
Lauri Korpikoski – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Nail Yakupov
Matt Hendricks – Mark Letestu – Zack Kassian

Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Griffin Reinhart – Jordan Oesterle
Darnell Nurse – Adam Clendening

EDM Injuries: Oscar Klefbom (leg infection), Andrew Ference (hip), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (hand), Eric Gryba (knee), Benoit Pouliot (shoulder), Brandon Davidson (knee), Adam Pardy (hand).

Vancouver Canucks (Jacob Markstrom):

Daniel Sedin – Henrik Sedin – Alexandre Grenier
Brendan Gaunce – Bo Horvat – Jake Virtanen
Sven Baertschi – Linden Vey – Emerson Etem
Alexandre Burrows – Jared McCann – Radim Vrbata

Ben Hutton – Christopher Tanev
Dan Hamhuis – Matt Bartkowski
Andrey Pedan – Nikita Tryamakin

Any ideas on how to improve my game previews? Send me an email at zjlaing@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter.

Edmonton Oilers, Zach Laing

Oilers vs Blues – Battered Oilers fight to get back in the lineup

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (27-38-7, 61 pts. 5-4-1 in their last 10) vs St. Louis Blues (41-21-9, 91 pts. 6-4 in their last 10)

Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta

Time: 7:30 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet Oilers – Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

72 down, 10 to go.

The end is in sight for the Oilers on another disappointing season. However, that isn’t holding some players back from giving it their all.

Adam Pardy, who suffered a broken finger and has missed the last two games, is one who is trying to get back into play as soon as he can.

Adam wants to play, badly. He’s got a hand injury from blocking a shot, and he’s able to skate so he wants to keep his legs going and his conditioning up as much as he can. The minute he’s good to play we’re going to put him in, because we’d like to find out a little bit more about him. He can’t run the risk of greater injury to himself and hurting the team, and I think he understands both of those situations. He’s very noble, he wants to maintain that conditioning level and we’d welcome him back quickly. – Todd McLellan on Adam Pardy.

Transcribed by J. Willis, OilersNation. 

I recommend reading through Willis’ article linked above, as he talks about how Pardy could be a valuable defensive asset in a 6/7 role next year for the Oilers.

After serving a three game suspension, Darnell Nurse returns to action after his altercation with Roman Polak of the Sharks on Mar. 8. Nurse has shown maturity through the situation, saying he “could have definitely been smarter out there.”

That’s fair. I wrote about the incident in a post-gamer I did for Copper and Blue. To summarize my thoughts on it, I was okay with what Darnell did.

Todd McLellan feels the team should be well prepared. He noted the similar roster structure between Nashville and St. Louis. The difficulty for the Oilers all season has been injuries.

Rather than it being an excuse, it is a legitimate reason as to why the team has not been successful. Suffering the most-impactful injuries in the league and the third most injuries period as per mangameslost.com.

None the less, the Oilers had a legitimate chance this season to do well. My beginning of the year prediction had them finishing 10th in the West. As of today, they are only six points out of 10th and fourteen out of a playoff spot.

For years, the Oilers have been pushed around physically by the Blues. With the size additions the team has, it should be interesting to see how the team responds. Let’s see what the Oilers are made of tonight.

Quotes from oilers.nhl.com.

Predictions for tonight:

  1. Oilers win 3-1.
  2. Patrick Maroon fights David Backes for all the crap he has done to the Oilers in the last few years. Nobody gets hurt, but Maroon gets the W.
  3. Darnell Nurse returns, plays over 20 minutes and is a positive CF player in his first game back.

Last games predictions and results:

  1. The Oilers win the game for LB.
  2. The line of Patrick Maroon, Connor McDavid and Jordan Eberle are all on the ice for two Oilers goals.
  3. Adam Clendening has another good showing, and scores his first with the Oilers.

Well, I was close. The Oilers lost but the line of Maroon-McDavid-Eberle accounted for one goal.

St. Louis Blues Preview: 

Defenseman Carl Gunnarsson is questionable after missing practice Tuesday. Coach Ken Hitchcock said Gunnarsson, who blocked two shots in the Blues’ 7-4 loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday that ended a six-game winning streak, is day-to-day. If Gunnarsson can’t play, Robert Bortuzzo would; he’s been a healthy scratch in seven straight games. St. Louis is seeking a ninth straight win against Edmonton; the Blues are 13-1-0 in the past 14 against the Oilers. The Blues last lost to the Oilers on March 26, 2013. “If we’re not prepared (against Edmonton), it’s going to be even worse,” said goalie Jake Allen, who will start after being pulled Monday after allowing four goals on 17 shots. Stastny has seven points (three goals, four assists) during a four-game point streak after scoring two goals Monday.

 

— NHL.com

Line Combos and Starting Goalies:

Oilers (Cam Talbot):

Patrick Maroon – Connor McDavid – Jordan Eberle
Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Iiro Pakarinen
Matt Hendricks – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Nail Yakupov
Lauri Korpikoski – Mark Letestu – Adam Cracknell

Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Nikita Nikitin – Adam Clendening
Jordan Oesterle – Griffin Reinhart

EDM Injuries: Oscar Klefbom (leg infection), Andrew Ference (hip), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (hand), Eric Gryba (knee), Benoit Pouliot (shoulder), Brandon Davidson (knee).

St. Louis Blues (Jake Allen):

Jaden Schwartz – Jori Lehtera – Vladimir Tarasenko
Robby Fabbri – Paul Stastny – Troy Brouwer
Patrik Berglund – David Backes – Dmitrjj Jaskin
Scottie Upshall – Kyle Brodziak – Magnus Paajarvi

Jay Bouwmeester – Alex Pietrangelo
Robert Bortuzzo – Kevin Shattenkirk
Joel Edmundson – Colton Parayko

Any ideas on how to improve my game previews? Send me an email at zjlaing@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter.