Hey y’all! Welcome back for another season of Edmonton Oilers hockey! I’m BLH and I’ll be giving you the skinny on today’s game!
If you’re new here and are wondering what 3P2W means, well, it stands for Three Players to Watch and seeing I’m as lazy as I am, I figured we’d shorten it to 3P2W.
So with that out of the way, let’s talk a little bit about what’s been going on lately in the Oilogospehere and then get into the player’s I’ve put under the spotlight for today’s matchup!
“There’s anywhere between 4 or 5 teams… that have interest in Corey Perry… I know there’s been some talk about Toronto – I don’t see that as a fit…Keep your eye on a team like Edmonton. I think that they..will certainly have some interest.” – Chris Johnston
Perry’s on his way to the Oilers. It’s only a matter of time and man, do they need him in their bottom six because those boys have fizzled right the f*ck out. I would assume that’s why the games have been a lot closer as of recent.
“The Oilers are actively exploring the possibility of adding veteran forward Corey Perry to their roster, according to insider reports. Bob Stauffer, host of Oilers Now, has revealed that the team is diligently assessing the potential acquisition of Perry.”
Would be really surprised at this point if Perry isnt an Oiler and have felt this way since Stauffer's knowing grin last week https://t.co/MqeCCyg7O3
“TSN’s Frank Seravalli notes that the Oilers have been in pursuit of Perry for several weeks and are expressing genuine interest in securing his services. Perry, who is reportedly considering various options, is said to have Edmonton high on his list of preferred destinations.”
I don’t always believe what Seravalli says but I do think he’s an entertaining guest on Stauffer’s show because he sticks it to Bob every now and then and doesn’t give stock answers.
Now, what I’m afraid of is the Oilers considering Perry to be their “top-six” winger addition that Holland was speaking to recently. That won’t work. The former Duck is way to old to be getting that kind of TOI and he’s been way better down the lineup.
One thing that could materialize out of a possible Perry addition is that Warren Foegele gets moved. He’s got ten points in his last ten games and seems to be a good winger for Leon but I could foresee a scenario where Draisaitl gets pissy due to the lack of finish out of McLovin’.
Perry could replace Foegele in the bottom six easily and #37 could be used in a deal to bring in somebody like Vladdy Tarasenko out of Ottawa. We know the Sens and Oilers have been talking and the Staios connection is there…
Just as an aside, do you think there’s a chance Edmonton moves Evander Kane? I’ve not heard anything and he’s been a lot better than some projected him to be (on and off the ice) when Holland brought him in, but I just wonder if the Oilers cut bait on him before he gets into Milan Lucic territory.
The BLH Instagram account is growing like crazy! Three weeks ago when we started to get it back going we were at a shade over 1900 followers and now we’re gunning for 2000. So please, head on over and give us a follow as we’re posting exclusive content over there that won’t be published here or on our Twitter page.
Three Players to Watch for the Bad Guys
#34 Auston Matthews (33g 15a 48pts) – There is something to be said with regards to scoring goals at nearly a goal-per-game pace but if you’re one of those hockey people who are saying Matthews should be in contention for the Hart, you’re kidding yourself. He’s not even the MVP of his own team this year. The next guy on the list is…
#88 William Nylander (21g 36a 58pts) – I think he’s the best player on the Leafs but there’s an argument to be made there. He’s definitely the most entertaining and that’s not even close. He’s scored five goals and seven assists in his last ten games played.
#16 Mitch Marner (18g 28a 46pts) – Surprisingly enough, Marner is the team’s hottest player in their last five games with four goals and three assists in that time. Now, I don’t watch the team enough but at the moment, Sheldon Keefe has him lining up on his 3rd line RW for some reason alongside Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi. That line could be problematic if they’re on their game.
Three Players to Watch for the Good Guys
#18 Zach Hyman (14g 10a 24pts) – Is this stat true? According to hockey-reference, Hyman has only played against the Maple Leafs three times. He’s got one goal and one assist in those games. Anyways, he’s still trucking along in the goal-scoring department with five goals in his last five games.
#97 Connor McDavid 0g 3a 3pts) – 16 points in his last ten games and historically versus the Leafs he has 31pts in 21 games. Now Careful with him though, January seems to be one of the months where Connor slows down a bit.
#74 Stu Skinner (9g 30a 39pts) – He’s 4-0-0 with a 1.24 GAA and a SV% of 0.957 in his last five starts. They’ll need him on his game tonight because Toronto has enough firepower to blow it wide open if Skinner shits the bed in the tiniest of fashions. That said, so much for his sophomore slump I was pitching earlier in the season. He’s now made it so that the co-GMs Holland and Jackson don’t need to stump up for a starting goalie. All they need now is a 1B.
The King of the North is here! Click the pic and grab a shirt!
I woke up this morning to see Oilers Twitter blazing as hard as it does when something controversial has happened and to my non-surprise it was regarding Taylor Hall again. This time former heavyweight champion of the NHL and Oilers alumni Georges Laraque was teeing off on Hall in a radio interview with CHOI Radio X 98.1 host Alex Lablond.
“Hall had problems off the ice, and went to rehab during the summer of his trade (2016),”
“When he got to rehab, word got out across the NHL that the Oilers were looking to move him because of it. It reminds us of the Zack Kassian case. When everyone in the league knows the player’s dirt, it’s normal that the player’s value is going to drop.”
“He absolutely had to leave Edmonton, no question.” (source)
This should hit the anti-Chiarelli crowd like a ton of bricks but I’m betting it doesn’t. I reckon they’ll all say they knew it and since it didn’t affect his GF% or his pts/60 that it wasn’t that big a deal and that by trading the star LWer at his lowest value, Chiarelli has done even worse in their eyes.
They’ll say that Laraque isn’t a credible source or that Hall didn’t need a fresh start or Laraque is being an asshole for bringing this up… And yeah, he might be playing the part of the heel in this story but he’s playing a different game now. The media game and if radio stations weren’t on board with what he said in the past or were offended by it or even felt there was the slightest risk bringing him on their stations to speak, he wouldn’t be there doing it.
If he wrote a book on the things that he’s seen or heard that isn’t supposed to be in the public eye, everyone would buy it. Everyone.
Funny you say that…. I am in Kelowna and the fellas at the sports memeorobilia show where very specific with this same issue of Hall. Went as far as to say that was the reason he was shipped out. I don't generally belive this stuff, but different sources same story.
Hall had to go because it was the best thing for the player. The environment was toxic for him. His peers had stopped supporting him on and off of the ice. He was going down a dark path and maybe we should give Peter Chiarelli some credit for giving him a new lease on life.
Every season that passes by we learn a bit more about the trade. We learn that more than likely it had very little to do with the on-ice portion of his game. Klefbom, Ference, Laraque, and Belanger have all had their crack at Taylor Hall since he was moved on from and, to me at least, this is something I haven’t seen before. When’s the last time a player has garnered so much media attention from former teammates talking about him. Hall must’ve done something to deserve it because that’s not how the hockey fraternity works.
Now, I’m not going to shit on a player because he likes to “have a good time” when he’s out. Hell, I’ve only heard the stories of the dynasty Oilers and those pale in comparison to what any of Oiler has tried to do since then. Everybody is free to do what they like as long as they don’t affect their daily lives or the daily lives of others negatively.
And I have to applaud the players that take the necessary steps to get help because that’s not an easy thing to do for anyone be it a professional athlete or the plumber next door.
I think there some couple of things that stand out for me though. Just casual observations.
One year living with Hall was enough for McDavid and the Oilers I’m thinking. Not that Connor was some sort of spy or anything but he wants to win at all costs and if he sees a weak link, he’s not afraid to voice his concern. Don’t believe me? Read Bob McKenzie’s latest book where he tells the story of when Connor’s dad was coaching Connor and there were a couple of kids on the bench not quite into the game as they should be. You wanna talk about intense?
Eberle and Hall have been traded but not Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Off-ice habits have anything to do with this?
Why aren’t NHL teams doing better to protect their players? Performance enhancing drugs are banned but performance de-enhancing drugs are not? If a drug is illegal in real life, shouldn’t it be tested for by sports teams?
We don’t know every detail that goes into a trade in the NHL. In fact, I’d go as far as to say we know about 10% of what really goes on. The Larsson/Hall trade is no different.
Hall could’ve been a legend for the Edmonton Oilers but his ego got in the way and that’s too bad for him. I’m glad he’s finding his path in New Jersey but I still hope they miss the playoffs because of those folks out there that say they are fans of the Oilers but hate the team for moving him.
Should Laraque have shared the story? I leave that up to you.
We’ve got a new shirt design available at the Beer League Heroes Teepublic Shop and I understand that Oilersnation did something like this before so I was hesitant to do it in the first place but I was told they only made it available for one day and to me that’s a shame because of the moment captured being so iconic. Between McDavid and Matthews openly mocking the refs within days of each other, they basically are responsible for the league changing how video reviews are done.
I hope you like the design and for the next 3 days it is on sale for 30% off!
CHECK UPSTAIRS! Click the pic to check out the shirt!
I don’t want to say that the season is over quite yet. Especially with so many games left (20-ish) versus the Pacific Division where they have the 3rd best record behind Anaheim and San Jose since Chiarelli, McLellan and McDavid came on board.
The Oilers have two games left before their bye week and they’re back-to-back Friday and Saturday. Luckily neither are afternoon games, amirite?
Listen, everybody is going to think that the Oilers will walk all over the Coyotes and that the Golden Knights are going to walk all over the Oilers but we know better, it’s going to be the opposite isn’t it?
Actually, I have tons of faith in the boys that they’ll come out with 3 or more points this weekend and those games could very well be the catalyst that sparks a serious 10 (or more) game streak of positive results.
Of course, I’m less a realist and more an optimist, so naturally, I’ll take that route of thinking. I just find that reading any sponsored Oilers blog (Oilersnation, Oil on Whyte, The Oilers Rig, Copper and Blue, etc) or their Twitter personalities to be a real pain in the ass. WAY too negative. I mean good god people. Let’s take a step back and realize that we’re getting upset at something that’s way out of our control. But I suppose it’s a bit easier for me not being in Edmonton or Alberta or Canada for that matter as I can go out in public with my Oilers swag on and nobody gives a flying fart.
Anyways, I’m not writing today to bitch and moan about other sites. I want to get into my thoughts on the team looking back and going forward into this summer. Talk about some roster speculation and what not.
IS THE TEAM A WRITE-OFF FOR 2017/18?
I don’t believe it is because anything can happen but it’s harder and harder to tow that line every week as the divide between the Oilers and the rest of the Pacific grows. That said, if Edmonton can outright win most of their remaining games vs. their division rivals, that’d go a long way to getting into a playoff position. Securing it is another story. Gotta have a good rest of January though.
WHAT HAVE YOU TAKEN AWAY FROM THIS SEASON?
The parity is real. Take what the media says with a grain of salt at the beginning of the season. Never get too high on your team but never get too low on them either.
The failures of this team are on the players and the coaching staff. I refuse to blame Chiarelli for this even though he made a poor trade dealing Eberle for Strome (Even though Strome has more goals than Eberle in the last month… hehe). Even with that deal and the apparent lack of depth on the wing, the Oilers have shown the ability to keep up with the major NHL clubs.
You could say that the Oilers failed to replace Sekera but when people say this they never offer a solution. Sekera is a $5M player, right? So were the Oilers supposed to find another $5M dman? I thought Auvitu was supposed to be the critic’s choice anyhow?
Did Chiarelli fail to shore up the goaltending behind Talbot? Go take a look at Brossoit’s numbers last year and tell me you would’ve replaced him this year because you still felt nervous…
What Chiarelli did wrong, in my opinion, was that he put his faith in the Caggiulas, Bennings, Slepyshevs, and Yamamotos. I really feel that in today’s NHL you MUST have great veterans on your team when you have the likes of McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins, and Nurse on your team. I love what Toronto did in signing Marleau and I loved what Calgary did in signing Jagr even though that’s not working out. But back to Toronto for a second, they’ve got a great group of older players insulating Matthews, Nylander, and Marner and I simply think that’s how you do it. If you go the route that Edmonton has, you risk having the highest of highs and the lowest of lows more often.
When you build a team you build from the spine out. That means centre depth, D depth, and goaltending depth. Then after that, you sort out the wings. This is the first time in probably a decade where the Oilers have had this kind of depth down the spine but that’s not good enough for the “diehards”.
Special teams, bad starts, injuries, and basically all the things that went right for the Oilers last season have gone wrong for them this year but I do believe that things happen for a reason and this year will be a great learning experience for the players, coaches, management, and ownership.
With those supposed failures are some successes as well.
Jesse Puljujarvi is going to be one of the best 21-and-under players in the NHL very soon. Darnell Nurse has turned a corner in his development. Kailer Yamamoto will most likely be in the NHL next season (possibly on McDavid’s line), Tyler Benson has found a way to stay healthy (knock on wood), Kirill Maksimov is ripping up the OHL, and in the minors, Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear are coming along very nicely!
One more thing on Puljujarvi, he’s looking like he’ll score most of his goals from in tight until he learns to be more creative with his shot and that’ll come with experience and more confidence. He’s already one of the team’s best defensive players due to that long stick/reach and quick forechecking. He’s an untouchable for me on this team.
The Oilers have a top-5 PK on the road… With the same players… The same coaches… The Same GM… Same puck, sticks, ice, and skates. Top 5 people. Let that sink in before calling for someone’s head. Or at least offer a tangible solution
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CHIARELLI’S LATEST AVAILS?
I feel like he told us a lot without telling us anything. He’s a trained lawyer so he knows what he’s doing there. He pissed off a lot of people telling them he was going to stick with the grander plan and pissed off, even more, explaining the Eberle trade.
So, here’s the thing with him saying what he did about that trade. If what he said angered you that’s probably because you feel as if you deserve some sort of transparency on his part but you don’t. You’re a fan, why should Peter Chiarelli or any other GM give two shits about your feelings regarding a trade, how it got done, how long it took, or how many permutations of the deal there was before the final one was decided on.
Oh you’re a fan and you pay your money, well if it means that much to you, stop! Stop paying for things Oilers related. Stop buying products from companies that sponsor the Oilers (good luck with that) because your money doesn’t pay for access to the GM’s conversations and justifications for what he feels is the right move for the club.
Now, every year the Oilers hold an event where you have access to the brass and you can voice your concerns right to their faces and even use a buzz word like, “fireable offence” in their presence but only if you’re season ticket holder 🙂
Peter Chiarelli said he had a 5-yr plan when he got hired, we’re halfway into that plan. He said he was going to build a team that would compete in the Pacific and as I mentioned above, the Oilers are the 3rd best team vs. the Pacific since he took over. He said he wanted to get bigger, improve the defence, and upgrade the goaltending too. All three accomplished.
What he didn’t say was that he was going to keep the smaller skilled players around that weren’t helping them make the playoffs anyhow.
DEADLINE PRIORITIES
This really depends on where they are but let’s say nothing has changed and the Oilers are well out of the playoff picture. In that case, it’s time to get out the auction bell. Typically Chiarelli likes to get his business done early as most teams are doing now (because deadline day is about as anti-climatic as something can get nowadays) but I wonder if we’ll see him wait it out this year and try for the best deal possible.
Pat Maroon is as good as gone, I’d say the same for Letestu and Mike Cammalleri. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some of their RFAs get moved and other RFAs come in though.
My question is, do the Oilers move out Slepyshev, Caggiula or Benning or give them another year? Another thing on my mind is the future of Oscar Klefbom. His inconsistent health/performance must be giving the brass fits and the Oilers are in dire need of a RH’d PP dman.
We do have an idea that the salary cap will go up, but how far and will it go high enough to keep Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the team or is HE the guy that will bring back that RH’d PP dman?
Back to the priorities at the deadline.
Acquiring draft picks in 2018
Moving out pricey/unneeded contracts
Take advantage of Cup contenders
Skill for the farm
I’m a huge proponent of adding picks in rounds 1-3 every year. It’s where the majority if NHLers are selected after all. If Pat Maroon can get you a 2nd and a 3rd in 2018, RAD! If you have to add a pick to upgrade that to a 1st, AWESOME! If Letestu can net the Oilers a 3rd rounder in 2018, that would be outstanding!
The Oilers have quite a few contracts in the minors and part of the black aces that could use new homes. Eric Gryba and Ryan Stanton, Mark Fayne and Ty Rattie come to mind. If the Oilers aren’t going to do anything with Joey Laleggia, let him have an opportunity somewhere else. I think I’d add Laurent Brossoit to that list too now that Al Montoya is an Oiler and signed for another year.
The Stanley Cup contenders like Nashville, Tampa, Columbus, Los Angeles, Winnipeg, or Vegas might be willing to give up on some tasty draft picks and/or prospects to solidify their playoff rosters and I’d like to see that opportunity used to stock up the farm.
Speaking of the farm, I do have a list of AHL/NHL fringe players that tickle my fancy a bit too.
Ivan Barbashev/Dmitri Jaskin (STL)
Hudson Fasching (BUF)
Ville Saarijarvi (DET)
Jared McCann (FLA)
Daniel Carr (MTL)
Josh Ho-Sang (NYI)
Josh Leivo/Nikita Soshnikov (TOR)
Jonny Brodzinski/Paul Ladue (LA)
Frederick Gaudreau (NSH)
Jeremy Roy (SJ)
I reckon that the big names in the trade market will get scooped up because the Oilers don’t have those kinds of assets. If I were to predict what we’ll really see at the deadline, I imagine it’ll be a few lateral moves and trades to set something up for this summer.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR?
I want to see this team compete night in and night out like they’re playing in game 7 of the Stanley Cup final with 2 minutes to go and a goal down. Balls to the wall compete. I want to see the coaches stop f*cking around (if they keep their jobs) and start making some changes. I want more ice time to the younger players who’ve been taking it in the chin since game 1. What better time to give them the experience they need?
I simply want to see a team that cares and plays with intensity. Score some goals along with that and I’ll be a happy fan 🙂
Fack! This is a long one mate! I’ll sign off here but before that, take a gander at the new December 2018 Top Ten NHL Draft Rankings from ourYoutube channel!
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THE best game of the year for the Edmonton Oilers was last night’s versus the Toronto Maple Leafs and I’ll tell you why that was.
The news couldn’t get any worse for the Oilers as Cam Talbot was put on IR earlier that day and during the warm-up Adam Larsson went down. So the feeling in the Oilogosphere was understandably grey.
The point in the 2nd period where you could see the Oilers were going to play a simple game by bringing the puck over the red line and playing a bit of old school dump and chase. At that point, they took over and It. Was. Awesome!
Brossoit struggled early but redeemed himself mightily throughout the rest of the game. I don’t care what you say, he was a f*cking beauty last night and if not for him, the Leafs would’ve easily beat the Oilers by at least 6 goals.
Three different comebacks vs. the Eastern Conference’s #2 team brought back feelings of last year’s playoff run. That’s pretty good considering how poorly the Oilers have played versus the Eastern Conference over the past couple of years.
Connor McDavid started to get his mojo back and made a fool out of Roman Polak at least twice AND drew penalties out of him on both occasions.
The bottom-6 were outstanding! JJ Khaira was an animal last night. He looked so confident with the puck and he was rewarded for it with increased ice-time 5×5 AND on the PP. I think that’ll spell the end of Iiro Pakarinen possibly.
And Zack Kassian baby! When the goals come, they come in bunches! I hope he’s finally getting back into the swing of things.
Ryan Strome is going to get 20 goals if he keeps up the good work! He’s looked real tight alongside Leon.
Jesse Puljujarvi had SEVEN shots last night! Beauty! Please Todd, keep him with Connor! And get him on the half-wall for the PP for Christ’s sake!
Oscar Klefbom looked a shat ton better! Oscar was skating like mad, he was actually getting some bombs off from the point, and his puck transitions were solid!
Thoughts on Yohann Auvitu as a winger please! I liked it if we’re being honest. It was only one shift but he got a shot on goal in that one shift… If Iiro does go and the Oilers can bring back say, Ian Cole or Alex Petrovic, I think Auvitu to the wing is as natural a decision as one makes.
Milan Lucic is coming alive. Keep an eye on him vs. Calgary on Saturday fer sure. Matty Tkachuk had better take the night off because the eye of the tiger is returning to Milan!
What were your favorite highlights of the game?
Now while there were tons of really great things that the Oilers did last night, there were some concerning things as well…
How many 2v0 did the Oilers give up last night… Good Lord! WAKE UP DEFENSE!
Drake Caggiula has been spotted doing the ol’ Eberle button hook a bit too much. He plays best when he’s going north/south and banging about.
Leon Draisaitl needed to get a goal last night. He was pretty ineffective I found.
Eric Gryba has been having some very tough outings of late and if not for his RH’d shot, I think that Dillon Simpson would be recalled. Gryba seems like a Bob Boughner type doesn’t he?
Special teams is going to be the theme of the year I think. Why aren’t they switching things up? This is Woodcroft and Johnson’s domain and they are failing. They have to go to see that either their plans are shite and all the other teams are catching on or that they’re doing a piss-poor job of teaching the team…
In the past, we Oilers fans have bitched and complained about the special teams enough to send Steve Smith to Carolina and Kelly Buchberger from behind the bench to the stands, and then finally to Brooklyn. I’m sure there are more asst. coaches we’ve run out of town but I can’t recall at the moment. So, I have decided to be patient with this group this year, coaches included. It’s a hard part of the team to throw my support behind but the boys have got to figure this out!
I wonder what effect a fresh set of eyes like long time NHL assistant coach Perry Pearn could bring to the #oilers Penalty Kill?
Click the image to purchase this tribute to Milan Lucic!
*RUMOR TIME*
Yesterday on TSN, Bob McKenzie said the Flyers are looking to move some middle-6 forwards. Ian Cole is apparently being connected to the Oilers, Alex Petrovic is in the mill again and the Oilers are taking calls on Pakarinen, Caggiula, Slepyshev, and apparently Khaira according to Dreger and Friedman…
Peter Chiarelli is a busy man.
Linked to trade talks include Caggiula, Khaira, Slepyshev, Pakarinen, Strome and other teams calling on RNH, Benning, Maroon.
Wouldn't be shocked if someone calls on Klefbom too.
I think a trade would be a mistake right now. The team is just starting to get its magic back and a trade might just mess that up. And why would the Oilers want to move the speed they have in Caggiula/Slepyshev and JJ Khaira is starting to make some real noise alongside Letestu and Kassian… Pakarinen can go though. I think his skills are redundant on this team.
Although, if a trade must be made, Eric Gryba is not having a great season so far. Personally, I’d have time for Petrovic. I think he has the same sort of tools that Gryba has but would be an upgrade on them. If I’m looking at Philly’s middle-6, all I see is Wayne Simmonds and Travis Konecny… Not cheap. Ian Cole could be nice add for a playoff run though…
Lastly here, that Henrique trade for Vatanen was basically Ryan Strome for Justin Schultz… A good hockey trade for both teams but don’t make it out to be anything more than that. Vatanen WILL BE exposed in NJ, that is a guarantee. And Adam Henrique will be a complimentary (maybe) depth player once Kesler and Getzlaf return.
KRIS RUSSELL
“He’s a guy you would go to war for. He does everything for us. He throws himself in shooting lanes where most guys would be diving to get out of the way. He puts himself in harm’s way. He battles so hard each and every night.” – Connor McDavid on Kris Russell
Bad luck at the end but he played a pivotal role in driving the comeback(s). Some hockey fans will say he was irresponsible and I’ll agree with the players’ stance on it. The ice was crap, the puck bounced over his blade twice and he was going for Kadri’s stick because he thought Kadri had the puck. I say he was doing his job until the bad luck took over.
Yesterday I wanted some clarification on Jonathan Willis’ stance re: Kris Russell because he’d sent a tweet out that was a tad confusing…
I thought this was where Russell was supposed to be playing? Was that not the outrage last season that he was playing above his talent level? #PickALanehttps://t.co/siqj8cjQa9
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) December 1, 2017
Last season he was getting shit on all over the place by the stats community because he was supposedly playing above his level on the 2nd pairing and I was confused as to why the outrage had continued now that he was apparently being deployed as a 3rd pairing dman.
So he wasn’t good enough as a 2nd pairing dman making a shade of $3M per year and should’ve been spending time on the 3rd pairing and now that he is a 3rd pairing defender (apparently according to Willis) it’s bad because he makes $4M? You’ve got to be kidding me.
See, what you won’t read this year is any articles about Kris Russell’s fancy stats because they’re quite a bit better than they’ve been in the past. And that’s a bunch of bullshit, especially after all the crap that’s been written about him since he joined the Oilers. Someone over in Willis’ corner of the world would have to admit that Russell might not be that bad and that’d be like eating the ass out of a rotting rhino carcass. #Gross
Well, he made his bed, didn’t he? See, instead of being remembered for his analytical articles, Henderson will now and forever be remembered as the Anti-Russell apology blogger. That’s too bad too.
Needless to say, after a couple of the other Oilersnation boys tried to piggyback on Willis’ tweet to utter failure and that was that. Nothing more was said to which I’m quite happy because I don’t have qualms with too many people online but I don’t have an issue taking someone to task because they’re not clear with what they’re trying to say either be they from Oilersnation, Sportsnet, The Athletic, or any other blog.
That said, sometimes I get things wrong or I misread a tweet too. Moving on…
You cannot use a player’s salary as an indicator of where he deserves to be slotted in the lineup. If you could, then what would you say to Nuge’s $6M as a 3C or even Draisaitl in the same spot? If Kris Russell is best served being in the top pair, then that is where goes, if it’s on the 3rd pair so be it.
This is a team game and which line is no.1 or which pairing is no.3 changes on any given night (something that Todd McLellan has brought up repeatedly) as you’d have seen in last night’s game where Kris Russell played 24 minutes, had two points, 4 shots, 4 blocks, a 57% CF (best amongst D on both teams), and double the amount of takeaways as giveaways.
Those are 1st pair numbers my friends and even the best 1st pair dmen in the past have had night’s like our warrior dman did last night.
Right now it feels like it’s pouring on the Oilers but I truly believe that this will bind the team together even more and it’ll be a pivotal moment for them. They’ve had three REAL good games in a row now and Toronto didn’t beat the Oilers best roster they could ice either. Toss in a healthy Adam Larsson, Cam Talbot, and Andrej Sekera and tell me the game wouldn’t have ended the way it did with a straight face.
If I’m correct (which happens from time to time), I believe the Oilers have 13 games this month and three of them they’ll probably be hard up to win (St.Louis, Columbus, and Nashville). The other games I believe they have a 50% chance or higher to take and they play Winnipeg (2x), Calgary, Philly, San Jose, Chicago, Toronto, Minnesota, and Montreal.
Can the Oilers take 20 out of 26 points in December? Probably a high target. What about 16 then? Now, we wait!
I now understand why my dad would yell at the TV when the Oilers were playing when I was a kid because I was doing it last night. Not once, not twice, but ~three times a lady~… I mean, three times did I yell at my TV and with each shout came the name…
“McDAVID!!!!!”
The final time even brought forth a jump and punch into the air ala Little Mac from the classic 8-bit Nintendo game, Mike Tyson’s Punchout.
The Oilers/Flames game followed up on a 7-2 Toronto Maple Leafs win over the Winnipeg Jets where Connor McDavid’s cross-country rival Auston Matthews put up 3 pts. I didn’t get to watch all of that game but it was a shitshow nevertheless. The reason I bring up that game is because whenever the Maple Leafs and Oilers play on the same night and Matthews has a good game, I wonder to myself how Connor will return Matthews’ serve and last night McDavid returned it with some heat.
Game, set, match to McDavid.
Getting back to the actual game that Connor McDavid dominated. I envy those that were lucky enough to witness it live. That game would’ve been outstanding to see in person.
Before we get into the five things we learned, let’s re-live that magical from Connor McDavid.
FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED
Connor McDavid’s newest endeavor… The Rocket Richard Trophy!
I’ve only ever witnessed another player dominate professional sports like Connor McDavid is doing now and that is Lionel Messi. Every time Messi gets the ball magic happens and that is the same as Connor. Whenever he gets the puck you need to prepare an extra set of underwear in case he pulls off some move that makes you evacuate your bowels in amazement.
I truly hope that one of McDavid’s goals this year is to win the Rocket Richard Trophy. Throw that in the face of the Matthews’ supporters and the Crosby lovers. Truth be known, I like Matthews and Crosby and what better entertainment would it be to have the three of them going head-to-head for the Rocket Richard and the Art Ross?
Zack Kassian can play in the top 6 and be effective.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t exactly expect to see Kassassination in the top 6 last night and as soon as I did see him up with Lucic and Nuge my first thought was that the coach had seen enough of Kailer Yamamoto. But actually, Zack Kassian had a pretty decent game for the Oilers last night. He ended the evening with 5 PIMs, 3 shots, and 1 hit.
I wonder if we see Kassian up with Nuge and Looch a bit more vs. the Canucks this weekend…
Drake Caggiula is an absolute buzzsaw. 8 hits last night!!!
THIS was the Caggiula I wanted to see all pre-season. He was hitting everything in sight and it got me fired up for him! This was part of the reason Jordan Eberle was shipped out to Brooklyn. When he wasn’t scoring, there was nothing else to his game. The Drake gave zero f*cks as to who he hit, he found a Flame, put him in his sights and lowered the boom. I loved it!
Caggiula’s line was solid too. I was really impressed with Jokinen and his positioning and hockey IQ. Ryan Strome didn’t do a whole lot but was effective and didn’t stand out for the wrong reasons.
Kailer Yamamoto was completely out of his element last night which was highlighted by his TOI at the end of the evening. A paltry 6:33.
That’s two anonymous games in a row for Yamamoto and you can’t even blame it on the Oilers taking too many penalties or spending a lot of time on the power play. It is clear to me that the NHL is moving far too fast for him right now, it’s too heavy, and he’s having trouble adapting quickly but we should be fair to him because even though the Flames had a poor game, they are a good team and a physical team at that. Perhaps Yamamoto will have better luck vs. the Canucks in a couple of days.
I’ll tell you what though, that little tete-a-tete he had going with Kris Versteeg off the faceoff (In the 2nd period I think) made me happy. He didn’t back down from the NHL vet at all. Not that Kris Versteeg is anybody to be afraid of or anything. But just that he not only took what Versteeg had to give but he gave it back is a good sign.
Oscar Klefbom might be a Norris Trophy candidate by season’s end if he keeps up efforts like the one he showed us last night and stays healthy. He had 9 shots on goal!!!
More like carpet bom… He was on fire last night! I mean, how about that shot that nearly took Smith’s head off? Wowzas!!! He had 12 tallies last season, can he improve on that this year? If he’s going to be sending 7+ shots on net every game, I expect him to be keeping pace with Brent Burns.
On a side note, how good was the defense last night? Wow! Completely shut down the Flames offense apart from a little push in the 3rd from Monahan’s line. Klefbom’s partner Adam Larsson was particularly impressive.
A few other things that I really enjoyed about last night’s game against the Lames:
Pat Maroon getting right into Mike Smith’s grill.
The #MEGATHREAD that was started by our good friend @theoilknight. Give him a follow. He provides good info on OHL prospects as well as a fresh take on the Oilers.
Cam Talbot absolutely robbing Sean Monahan late in the game.
When Lucic wallpapered that Flame which in turn lead to McDavid’s hat-trick goal. Looch looks a bit faster, no?
Do you think that the Edmonton Oilers served notice to the entire NHL last night that it’s going to be a long game for whoever is playing the Oilers on any given evening? 45 shots was it? Against one of the best defenses (apparently) in the NHL now?
What I’m really looking forward to is the first time the Oilers play the Maple Leafs because the Leafs are shaping up to be an offensive juggernaut whereas the Oilers have learned to play a tight defensive game but have the world’s best offensive hockey player on their team…
What did you think about the game? Who stood out for you and what was your favorite highlight of the game? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter/Facebook!
Click the image to purchase this tribute to Milan Lucic!This design also comes in… Maroon. Click the pic above and check it out!Pick up this sweet tee and let the whole world know how much you love hockey’s favorite cheat!
