Tag Archives: 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Stanley Cup Playoffs

Oilers/Ducks G5: Chins Up! Chests Out!

Everything worthwhile in life is won through surmounting the associated negative experience. – Mark Manson (The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck)

I wasn’t really interested in writing about last night’s game, to be honest. I’m still feeling… Hurt, I guess. I don’t really know how to explain my feelings about what happened in Anaheim in game 5.

I’m not angry at all. After game 4 and what happened with the reffing, I made the decision that the officiating can be as bad as the 2015 Oilers d-core sometimes and that it couldn’t really happen again, could it. But it did happen again and I could only chuckle and think that this is just going to be one of those series, isn’t it?

I’m not disappointed because for the first 57 minutes or so, the Oilers were putting forth an outstanding effort and I’d have been just as happy with a 3-2 win as a 3-0 win. The Ducks got very lucky with that 3rd goal and it’s as simple as that. We don’t know what would’ve happened had Darnell Nurse not done his job and tied Kesler up. Maybe Kesler gets up and taps that puck in anyhow.

I think I just feel very bad for the Oilers because they got screwed but here’s the kicker, the team will be better for it in the long run.

On to the game,

Nearly every forward from the 1st line to the 4th played with the required amount of intensity and sandpaper. The big boys were hitting, the skillers were zipping about, and the main men (Connor and Leon) were playing the Ducks like fiddles.

I think that getting Draisaitl on against Getzlaf was a bit of a game-changer too. I mean it took the Ducks moving Getzlaf to the blueline to get him away from Leon and they needed an extra man (and a dodgy video review) to tie the game up.

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**Just an aside, do you think that the Ducks’ captain was aiming for Leon on their first goal? I mean it certainly didn’t look like he was trying to pick a spot on the net and both times he teed up those shots, they hit Leon. The game was lost for Anaheim at that point and it’s plausible that Getzlaf thought about getting his pound of flesh with his target right in front of him knowing that scoring 3 more goals was a nearly insurmountable task.**

Lastly, Kassian fighting Ritchie eh? Wow! I love Zack Kassian as an Oiler so much.

 

 

HEROES

Adam Larsson and Darnell Nurse were the only Oilers defensemen NOT to get hurt in the 1st period (that we know about). Is that ridiculous or what? I mean the hockey gods were really working their magic last night and Ryan Kesler trying to feel up Cam Talbot is what did it… It’s really amazing when you think about how many lucky bounces had to happen for the Ducks to win that game.

  • Benning gets absolutely CRUNCHED behind the net from Nate Thompson. I thought he was done at first but then I took a second and realized that Battlin’ Matt Benning isn’t one to stay out of games. This guy is a warrior.
  • Oscar Klefbom takes a clapper right to under the arm in the ribs. That’s a scary part to get hit in, right? Not a whole lot of protection there but he perseveres and comes back to play.
  • Kris Russell. Are you f*cking kidding me? The game of his life! He gets railroaded by a guy nearly 50 pounds heavier than him in the most vulnerable of positions, takes a breather, then shakes off the cobwebs (and the trainer) and skates back to the bench! But he’s not done there. He goes on to play the 2nd most minutes of the night and sets an Oilers record for blocked shots in a game.

Sad night for ‘Rej (Sekera) as he was unable to come back. That must’ve been some injury if he couldn’t return to the game though. He barely made it to the bench.

I wonder if we’ll see Eric Gryba make his debut in this series on Sunday? He’s a tough fella and he’ll definitely keep the front of the net clear but can he deal with the Ducks speedy wingers and will he be able to keep his cool if he draws in?

You’d think you’d want to put a player in similar to Sekera, right? Jordan Oesterle is around, right? I can’t remember. Is he one of the black aces? If there’s anybody that’s as close to Sekera in terms of playing style, Oesterle would be that guy.

I guess they could throw Benny Pouliot back there again 🙂

It’s too bad the sacrifices that those players made are being lost in a shit storm thanks to the officiating and Ryan Kesler’s wondering mitt.

COMING BACK

The Oilers lost 3+ games in a row on six occasions in the 2016/17 season.

  • 10/30, 11/1, 3 – Won the following two games
  • 11/8, 11, 13, 15, 17 – Won the following three games
  • 11/25, 27, 29 – Won the following two games
  • 12/4, 6, 8, 9 – Won the following game
  • 1/31, 2/2, 3 – Won the following game
  • 3/7, 10, 12 – Won the following four games (outscoring their opponents 18-5 no less).

So if we dissect that superficially a bit, the instances when the Oilers only managed to win one game following a three-game losing streak, they had back-to-backs to deal with.

I know some folks might be worried about the Oilers luck on Sundays. They’re .500 in the playoffs on said day of the week and if that gets you down, just consider that Anaheim has been in this position in the last 4 years. Up 3-2 in the series, going away to close it out but lose and then they’ve lost each and every time in the 7th game at home as well.

I’m sure there are more numbers I could dig up to make us both feel better about the Oilers going him down 3-2 in the series and on a 3-game skid but it’s not happening.

That said…

We’ve seen these Oilers come back so many times this year. I don’t expect that to change.

Go Oilers Go!!!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Stanley Cup Playoffs

Oilers/Ducks G4: That Was Hard to Swallow

I’m not sure I’ve ever felt such a rush of emotions each way in such a short time as I did last night. I yelled so loud when Drake Caggiula scored the game-tying goal that my cats jumped 4 feet in the air, only to fall into a cone of silence when Silfverberg won it for the Ducks in OT.

Before we get into the match I want to point out that the Oilers really need to stop shitting the bed in the 2nd period like this. The boys were up 2-0 and everything was looking grand. All they had to do was settle in and enjoy the rest of the game. I think it’s great entertainment for them to keep coming back in the 3rd like they have been but whatever McLellan is saying in the 1st intermission, he’s got to stop.

Also, can we get a faceoff win from McDavid/Nuge/Draisaitl? As per the Cult of Hockey podcast, those three won 7 and lost 28… TWENTY-EIGHT!!!

Do you hear that? I think that is the frantic dialing of any upcoming free-agent that can take a bloody draw… Brian Boyle, are you there?

I think that teams with poor character rip refs/linesman when they lose but I would’ve given them a pass last night if somebody would’ve commented on,

  • Getzlaf’s first goal where Cam Talbot was interfered with by Corey Perry (Below). I mean it’s so painfully obvious that it’s interference.
  • The icing being called off in OT. Honestly, WTF?
  • The offside goal.

So these are the goaltender interference rules that apply to this above clips I believe (taken from here),

69.3 Contact Inside the Goal Crease – If an attacking player initiates contact with a goalkeeper, incidental or otherwise, while the goalkeeper is in his goal crease, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.
69.4 Contact Outside the Goal Crease – If an attacking player initiates any contact with a goalkeeper, other than incidental contact, while the goalkeeper is outside his goal crease, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.

Kelly Hrudey said it best when he was talking about 97% of Talbot’s body being in the crease and 3% being outside. I reckon the part speaking to the “incidental contact” is where the refs decided that there was no interference on the play but come on. It’s pretty cut and dry, no? Perry has made a career of these kinds of plays and his reputation more than precedes him. He prevented Talbot from making that save.

https://twitter.com/teamleafs94/status/860009048967700480

I get it, the longer the games go, the more money it is for everyone (except for the players of course) but I truly hope that isn’t one of the mandates that has been passed on to the officials this post-season. I just have no idea why the linesmen would waive off that icing that late as it f*cked every Oiler on the ice.

Are they really trying to manage the games that closely?

There have been a couple of pink elephants in the room during this playoff series,

  1. Ryan Getzlaf
  2. Jordan Eberle

There’ve been more but I’m happy to see that Todd McLellan went ahead and addressed one of them, the other went ahead and picked up 4 pts last night.

Jordan Eberle was sent down to the 4th line after two HUGE giveaways that lead to a goal and in his stead, Anton Slepyshev brought energy, speed, creativity, and desire.

I enjoyed seeing Slepy in the top 6 but here’s the thing, I enjoyed the job Eberle did on the 4th line with two defensively capable veteran forwards in Pouliot and Desharnais as well. The shackles were removed and Ebs started to look like his old self which is something I don’t get.

Was it because he was told not to worry anymore, just go out there and do what you do best? Because he did just that. He was juking and jiving and twisting and turning Ducks defenders this way and that. He was also on the ice when Caggiula scored the game-tying tally.

Personally, if I were the coach, I’d give him one more chance… On the 4th line.

I know! There’ll be some that will cry that you can’t put a $6M player on the 4th line and that is true… In the regular season. But now that we’re in the post-season where there are no paychecks and everyone is on even footing, the best place to put Ebs is where he can be of the most service to the team and be the least risky.

Funny thing happened right as Ebs got demoted, I got a message from my source and he said,

“That’s it! Ebs is done. Chia is considering leaving him exposed for the expansion draft or dealing him for a RHD.”

Made me chuckle. I’ve scoffed at the idea when it was brought up before but I wonder what kind of deal Chia could swing using Ebs as the base of a deal and if NJ is interested in doing business again 🙂

Another thing I’d do if I were the coach is toss Leon Draisaitl up against Ryan Getzlaf. Big body on big body. The Oilers only have one centre that can physically go up against Getzlaf and that is Draisaitl. I’d probably wait until game 6 to employ this strategy but it’s one I’d have in my hip pocket for sure.

I don’t feel robbed like I probably should be because as I’ve said in the past, I’m just so happy there’s even a team in Edmonton because there was a time when the possibility of them moving was a reality. So, just to see them play is a blessing in itself for me. Adding McDavid, Draisaitl, Lucic, Talbot, and co. is just a huge cherry on top.

I hope more fans can share this feeling. Winning is fun, don’t get me wrong but having a team in Edmonton is even better.

Now, all of that being said, the Oilers did an excellent job of coming back (again) and are making this series a helluva lot more interesting than the others. It’s back to Anaheim where the Oilers are undefeated this offseason for a best of 3 and I’m putting my money on the Oilers.

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Stanley Cup Playoffs

If He’s That Bad, Sit Him

2 Comments

Boy did Ryan Rishaug rip the underperforming Oilers a new one yesterday on the Jason Gregor Show. Here are a few quotes:

  • “Connor McDavid’s defensive work was as shoddy as I’ve ever seen it”
  • “A bit portion of their roster got on their horse and put together a really nice stretch and Talbot didn’t… I’m not going to sit here and rip on him for too long but let’s say it for what it is, he had a bad game.”
  • “Generating, having his (Lucic) feet moving, playing physical, there wasn’t enough of that”
  • “We’ve talked about this with Eberle for years. When he’s not scoring, what’s he doing? And the answer is nothing. And that’s a problem.”

This post is going to be about Eberle but I just want to comment quickly on Rishaug’s comments. He wasn’t just ragging on all of the Oilers in his segment on Gregor’s show. I’m paraphrasing here but he did say something to the effect that we heap a lot of praise on player X and it’s only fair that when the perform poorly, we criticize them as well.

I don’t disagree with this and the thing with McDavid, Lucic, and Talbot is that they’ve rarely gone two games in a row where they play so bad that the media singles them out. Eberle on the other hand…

Watch the goals in that clip above. Most of them come in the slot or around the blue paint. Where has the Jordan Eberle gone that we see in the video above?

The 2016/17 season has not been kind to Ebs and I’m not about to write off this post-season because he’s yet to get going. I think there’s still an opportunity for him to make his mark, positively that is, but I have to wonder if things are getting magnified 10-fold because the Oilers have played two of their main Pacific division rivals now for 9 games. Two teams that he had a combined 4 pts against, all assists.

What happens if the Oilers make it to the Western Conference Finals or the Cup Finals? The Oilers would be out of the Pacific and the style of hockey, in theory, would change and possibly to Eberle’s advantage… Just a thought.

In season’s past, we could forgive Eberle and look passed his defensive and physical shortcomings because he was getting scoring chances and he was putting the biscuit in the basket on a regular basis but since Todd McLellan has taken over, he’s the 2nd $6M man that has seen his performance on the ice peter out. Taylor Hall is a New Jersey Devil now, who knows where Jordan Eberle might be playing come opening night in 2017/18.

But back to the now.

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This is a Todd McLellan quote I ripped from David Staples latest post, oddly enough an Eberle one as well, that I thought to be revealing indeed.

““Not enough,” McLellan said, then added “This is a new experience for him for him and he’s learning as he goes as well. It’s great to be making strong plays on the boards and checking well, but you also have to find a way to contribute on the power play and  he’s not the only one, but he’s the one that stands out right now.”

If Jordan Eberle is playing that poorly, and we’re already at game 9 mind you, why hasn’t he been demoted to the press box? If the message isn’t getting through, maybe a night watching would serve him well. Or do you demote him to a line with Mark Letestu? OR do you get him on a line with McDavid and/or Draisaitl?

I mean at this point in time, is there something that Drake Caggiula can’t do that Eberle can? What about Anton Slepyshev? Benoit Pouliot?

It’s almost impossible to try and project Eberle on another line, right?

  • 1st line: He’s not replacing Draisaitl.
  • 3rd line: Are you moving Kassian or Caggiula up? Does #14 fit on this line?
  • 4th line: This line is playing quite well at the moment. Does Slepy go up?

“Rather than playing Eberle on the 4th line where he’s not tailor made to do any of that. They would be better off scratching him and not playing him at all. If they wanted to send a message to Jordan Eberle, don’t muck up your 4th line by putting a player that can’t play that way on it. Scratch him.

Now, I don’t think they should do that but that might make as much sense as dropping him down in the lineup.” – Ryan Rishaug

If you’ve read my posts this season you probably know that I’ve gone to many lengths to defend Jordan Eberle because I reckon he’s still one of the better options for a top-6 right-wing spot but I’ll be honest, my faith is dwindling. I love that Jordan is getting his nose dirty and playing that role up a bit but my word, he has to do better with the puck on his stick or he has to channel his inner Kassian and start plowing players on the other team.

What do you think? What would you do with Eberle at this point? Let us know in the comments below!

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Edmonton Oilers, Marcus Boutilier, NHL

Enjoy the Second Season by Marcus Boutilier

For those about to rock……..The NHL’s playoffs begin April 12th and the Oilers are going to be playing some hot weather puck, finally. It’s going to be fun down at Rogers Place and 104Ave so enjoy the show.

As I intently watch the NHL standings by the day trying to figure out who the Caps will play, the matchup for the Oilers is also very intriguing.

While I expected the Caps to be where they are, I think it’s safe to say not many were picking the Edmonton Oilers to win the division. Now not many are nor should they be surprised with the season McDavid has had. The kid is ridiculously good. With some predicting Hart and Art Ross trophies for 97 at the pre-set of the 2016-17 season, McDavid has proven that he is arguably the best player in the league. Not sure how much of an argument you need to make but for me it’s him. At this point, he should win both those awards and I suspect he’ll be voted by the players as their MVP as well.

With the team where it is now and factoring in the season it’s had, could the teams’ expectations be higher than the pre-season thoughts many in the city had of just battling for a playoff spot in March and then see what happens? And should those expectations be higher?

I would caution that given where the organization was just 1 year ago, the season should not be considered a failure should the team lose in the 1st rd. I’d go as far to say even if they were swept (not likely) I would still consider this season a success. Players will have played plenty of meaningful hockey and received a taste of playoff puck. This would only bold well for the future and with the young core players gaining valuable experience, you can bet it’ll pay off. That’s the kind of experience that money can’t buy.

Having said all that for me, and again as a non-biased but heavily watching Oiler observer, I think this team is not just ready to win just one round but make a deeper run into the second season.

Now I don’t need to use a bunch of stats and analytics here to make a case, the Oilers are peaking right now.  The ‘ole eye test will do just fine thanks. A winning streak at home with their best players rolling on all cylinders has the Oilers on an arc that could win the division, if not at least gain home-ice advantage for the first round.  Imagine that and think about where the team was with Dallas Eakins for instance. I’m still laughing…..

Given the wild Pacific division and they way the standings have changed in last 3 weeks would anyone argue that the Oilers couldn’t beat anyone in their division in a 7 game series? They absolutely could.

Starting in goal, you could make the argument the Oilers have the best goalie in the West conference playoffs this year in Cam Talbot. He’s played that good and that alone will get you some brownie points in winning a playoff series. You add in the additional bonuses of having the best player in the game and of course you can win a series…. or a few.

While I honestly do not care who the Capitals play because in my mind they should beat anyone in the East. Won’t be easy, but they are the best team and have handled the heavyweights, Pittsburgh and Columbus, well all season. But I will say this much, I would not want to mess with the Oilers as a Caps fan. The biggest reason for that is if it were to occur it’d be in the Stanley Cup Final and that would mean that the Oilers would have already won three rounds. That would be a different and very confident Oiler team than the one found in the first round. Of all teams that would benefit most from building momentum from winning one series to the next, it’d be the inexperienced Oilers. Now I’m still taking my Caps because of the depth and experience but I know all too well it’s no guarantee!!

With a little over a week away before the big dance, I get the feeling this city is like getting ready for the prom after years of high school. It’s going to be a party and it’s going to be awesome. Just remember to enjoy it. It’s been a long time.

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