This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, and The Daily Goal Horn just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

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Oilersnation

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Can the Oilers Regroup?

• The six goals Edmonton scored shouldn’t be seen as anything more than an odd distraction.
• The Flames controlled the game whenever they wanted…
• The team had another bad start. That is five of eight games in which the Oilers weren’t ready to play at the opening whistle.
• The Oilers didn’t match the physical determination of the Flames.
• …the Oilers do struggle against teams who forecheck aggressively. The Oilers will need to get back to pucks quicker, and move the puck much faster, and more accurately. They also have to tighten up their defensive zone coverage.
• I could see Woodcroft re-inserting Warren Foegele in the lineup.
• …if the Oilers have another rough outing in game two, I could see Woodcroft putting Dylan Holloway in the lineup for game three or four.

BLH’s Thoughts: Never at any point should six goals being scoring in an NHL playoff game against one of the best goalies in the world be viewed as “an odd distraction.” Man, is that ever one of the biggest lines of bullshit I’ve ever read but I guess I should consider the source. 

Even though the Oilers lost, they were down 6-2 to a Darryl Sutter team that prides itself on suffocating the other team’s offense once they are ahead by one or two goals. I can almost guarantee you that no pundit alive or dead would’ve said they could’ve seen Edmonton coming back to tie that game. Calgary should be the ones that are worried because not only did they NOT control the game whenever they wanted (giving up a three and four goal lead doesn’t exactly spell out control) but they were forced to score nine goals (one an empty-netter) in order to put the game away. 

I think one other thing that nobody is talking about is how the Oilers had to open things up so as to be able to mount their comeback to tie it up. Did everybody expect the team to batten down the hatches down two nil? They had to take risks and it bit them in the ass, then Calgary let their foot off the pedal and Yamo tied it up. From my point of view, the Oilers smelled blood at 6-6 but the Flames caught them getting greedy and closed the deal. 

What’s not helping is Nurse and Draisaitl being at 60% and if they end up being a liability, I can’t see this series going more than five games. 

So what can Jay Woodcroft do to go back to Edmonton with a split? I’m going to say that his soldiers have to go out and break some eggs and by that I mean that the Oilers need to start laying down the hammer right from the get-go. Start Connor with Kane and Archibald and let Evander and Archie smoke a couple of Flames on the first shift. Then send Nuge with Hyman and Kassian and let the wingers do the same thing. Third line up is Foegele (if he’s in) with McDavid and Kassian… Yup. You get it. McLovin’ and Kass line up some Flames and wallpaper them. 

Start the game in the right mindset but obviously try to avoid taking a penalty. 

No doubt Calgary would send out Lucic and Ritchie at some point there and the trick to dulling their impact is when they’re on the forecheck, get somebody in their lane to slow them down just for a fraction of a second. Looch never gets called for boarding but he’s always taking massive run-ups on dmen, so just get in his lane momentarily I say. 

Bob Stauffer and Jason Gregor said on their shows that they could see Warren Foegele getting re-inserted into the lineup tonight and reverting to a 12-6 roster format. Stauffer went as far as to say that if it were him, he’d bring in Dylan Holloway and sit one of Jesse Puljujarvi or Zack Kassian but be felt the Oilers need Kassian’s big body. So read between the lines there. 

See more

The Flames top6 forwards were hit ONCE all game. Tkachuk had ONE hit registered against him.

Conversely, The Oilers top6 forwards were hit TEN times.

10:1

'nuf said?

— Dash (@dashinthepark) May 19, 2022

Look, I get that Jesse might not be smashing guys on the forecheck and his shots aren’t much to brag about, but his job as a disruptor is still on par. His size gives defenders fits and I’m seeing a bit of his natural skills coming out as a playmaker recently. If Woodcroft wants to take him out for Foegele, I don’t know if I see that as an even trade off. If he wants to swap JP for Holloway, Dylan is as skilled as Jess, he shoots a ton, he hits, and he’s a carbon copy of Taylor Hall when it comes to skating… But I get it, Pulju isn’t getting out of his comfort zone enough for the old guard in Edmonton, meaning he’s not hitting and blocking shots to their liking. So if he sits, I won’t be surprised. I just hope said old guard and Edmonton’s coaching staff looks and sees that Jesse has scored more goals against Calgary than any other team in his career before they make any roster decisions. 

I do find it interesting that the Oilers have faced a couple of old Smythe division rivals from back in the 80s these last two playoffs, however it’s a different feeling for me. I reckon there’s a bit of karma coming back to bite Edmonton in the ace. Winnipeg swept them last year and the Flames are in a much better position to send the Oilers packing this year (especially if they win game two tonight)… 

Now, that being said, there’s one player who has the power to take on the hockey gods and that’s Connor McDavid. Can he muster up enough magic to send them back to the shadows?

Daily Faceoff

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Oilers may not be able to overcome injuries to Nurse, Draisaitl

• It’s entirely possible Nurse is the more banged up of the two, as he battles what sources indicate is a core-muscle injury that might require offseason surgery to repair.
• Nurse failed to register a hit in Game 1 and appeared to be more tentative than usual, especially in and around his own net, where his physical presence is usually felt most. How could you expect him to be anything but if that is indeed the injury? Everything a player does – from skating, to leverage, to shooting, is generated and stabilized through the core.
• Draisaitl, moved out of the middle and to Connor McDavid’s wing, has labored while skating, particularly when turning, though it is less pronounced now than it was in Game 7 against Los Angeles. Draisaitl limped into and out of the Game 1 postgame press conference in Calgary.
• Both players have been removed from one of their special teams units. Nurse didn’t skate a single second on the power play, where he averaged 1:09 per game this season. Just the same, Draisaitl didn’t play one second shorthanded, a unit where he averaged 57 seconds this season.
• …overcoming these injuries, to these impactful players in particular, will be difficult to overcome.

BLH’s Thoughts: And just as the Maple Leafs lost to the reigning champs, the Oilers might just lose to their biggest rivals because two of their most important players are playing with significant injuries, neither team should be blown up this summer and neither team should hang their heads. 

That said, Bob Stauffer said on his radio show that he expects some structural changes to occur to Edmonton’s roster this summer and to me that means adding some more bite. I fear that spells the end of Jesse Puljujarvi’s days as an Oiler as Ken Holland attempts to find a way to bring Evander Kane back and/or bring in a RWer who plays hockey more to the liking of the pundits around town. I’m smelling a Pulju for Lawson Crouse trade…

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Trade Rumors

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Spector’s Hockey

• THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Matthew DeFranks reported John Klingberg and Stars general manager Jim Nill have left the door open for his return with the club.
• TRIBLIVE.COM: Chris Adamski wondered if the Pittsburgh Penguins will bring back Kaspari Kapanen after he struggled throughout this season.
• PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski looked at several Penguins who could get shopped this summer if there’s a need to shed salary for other moves or signings. Jason Zucker, Marcus Pettersson and Mike Matheson were among the most notable given their salaries.
• THE ATHLETIC: Fluto Shinzawa believes finding a center and holding firm on Jake DeBrusk could be among the priorities of Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney…
• SPORTSNET: Wayne Scanlan recently suggested Fiala would check a lot of boxes as a fit with the Senators, though he also pointed out his next contract will be expensive. He also suggested Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny as another option…

NHLRumors.com

• According to Michael Russo, the Wild are likely to trade Matt Dumba to successfully re-sign pending RFA Kevin Fiala
• According to Jesse Granger, the Vegas Golden Knights could trade Alec Martinez this offseason to free up cap space. 
• Curtis Lazar is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but his time with the Boston Bruins may not be coming to a close. While speaking with reporters, the 27-year-old noted that there is mutual interest between both parties to get a deal done. 
• As per the report, it appears Fenway Sports Group (FSG) who owns the Penguins aren’t thrilled having Hextall as their man in charge… Adding fuel to the fire was Rob Rossi’s report about those low ball offers and how it pissed off Sidney Crosby.

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, and The Daily Goal Horn just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

Sportsnet

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Unprepared from the opening minute, the Oilers embarrass themselves in Game 1

• Not ready to start the game. Not prepared to compete. Not even close to a playoff performance in an embarrassing, Game 1 no-show by the Edmonton Oilers. 
• …the shots (48-28 for Calgary), the high danger chances (19-7) all tell the true story of a stem-to-stern, 9-6 butt-whipping administered by Calgary in Game 1 of this Western Conference Round 2 series. 
• …if you are the Oilers, this game means one of two things: Either you arrived in the second round and thought it would somehow get easier than the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1, or the Flames are this much better than you are, and this series won’t live to next weekend. 
• It was indeed wasteful to get six even-strength goals on the road and surrender nine in total, giving Markstrom a pass on one of the worst nights of his playoff career. 
• It was a team effort, and the leaders all led the Oilers to this embarrassing result in Game 1 against a Flames team that is bigger, stronger, and far better than the Kings…
• The final humiliation came when the game sheet showed that McDavid led his team not only in points with four, but in hits as well, with five. 

BLH’s Thoughts: How in the world can the Oilers go into a game as important as this one completely unprepared? How does a coaching staff even allow that to happen? Conversely, how does a team as defensively sound with one of the best goalies in the world let a 6-2 lead slip in the latter half of a playoff game?

I don’t know if there’s much point in picking this one apart because it was such an outlier on so many levels. That said, here are my observations:

• Puljujarvi looked better. Calgary even gave him some room to move about and his confidence with the puck looked increased. I’d like to see him finish a hit or two, mind you. He doesn’t have to run around like Archibald does, but he’s got to be 220lbs, why not lean into a couple of Calgary’s skaters from time to time. 
• Draisaitl was a shadow of his first round self and that’s understandable considering he’s playing on one leg. However, the advantages of having him on the ice were outweighed by the mistakes he made because of said injury. Either he’s got to sit and heal up or the Oilers have to pump him up with enough painkillers that his ankle doesn’t bother him. 
• I have a feeling that Jay Woocroft’s message to the team was to stay away from the muck and out of the penalty box because there was very little physicality from the Oilers in this one and it didn’t do them any favors. When Connor McDavid leads your team in hits, you’ve got a major problem that needs solving for game two. 
• How good was Zach Hyman? He had Gudbranson and Zadorov in his back pocket and I wonder if he’s got Markstrom’s number now. 
• Did I miss something or did Milan Lucic get mad because Ryan McLeod took the puck away from him at the end of the game? Seems kinda petty to give a guy a couple whacks to the back of the knee for. 
• Tell ya what, Mike Smith shit the bed on that one but he does this from time to time. I’d rather he do it in game one than in an elimination game. Koskinen had a couple of bad bounces get behind him but he wasn’t amazing either. I feel like Markstrom might’ve had a worse night though considering how many goals he let in and the timing of them. 
• I remember Bob Stauffer hoping on Oilers Now yesterday morning that the reffing would be tight because of Edmonton’s more potent PP… Talk about your all time backfires. 
• What are the odds that Warren Foegele gets re-inserted for game two? The 11-7 didn’t quite work out as planned. I mean, Connor got his cookies, but McLovin’ could come back in and offer some size and speed on the walls as well as somebody that’ll drive the net plus he plays a similar style to Hyman and we saw how impactful he was. 
• Lastly, I just found Edmonton to have played a very reactive game when they need to be playing a proactive one. 

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Cult of Hockey

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Player grades: Calgary Flames zap Edmonton Oilers in messy Battle of Alberta non-classic

• Connor McDavid, 7. An up and down game, with six major contributions to Grade A shots, meaning the team had little offence without him on the ice… He was caught puck-watching and not covering his man on a 5-alarm Tkachuk shot in the first… he was puck-watching again in the second, allowing Gaudreau a dangerous slot shot… McD got drawn out of the defensive slot, making him a culprit on Calgary’s seventh goal.
• Tyson Barrie, 7. The Oil’s best d-man. He kept a clean sheet at even strength, with not one major mistake on a Grade A shot against.
• Zach Hyman, 7. He took a cross-check and knee from Blake Coleman and limped off the ice in the second but quickly came back to whip in an outside shot for Edmonton’s third goal. A moment later his hustle paid off as he scored his second coming around the net hard and whipping an outer slot shot home.
• Evan Bouchard, 6. He started off shaky but got much better as game went along.
• Brett Kulak. 6. A quiet 16:35, which is good news in a crazy ugly game like this one. He was not on the ice for even one goal against.
• Leon Draisaitl, 3.  He’s not able to stop and turn rapidly, which led to him getting caught flat-footed in the slot as Blake Coleman buzzed by him for Calgary’s fifth goal. His turnover in the second ignited a dangerous Calgary rush where Tkachuk almost scored… He was drifting and not covering Rasmus Anderson on the seventh goal, then made a nasty turnover on Calgary’s eighth goal. He struggled to make plays on the power play.
• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 3. He turned over the puck moment after Calgary’s first goal, leading to a Grade crease shot and kicking off the extended Sequence of Pain leading to Calgary’s second goal in the first minute of the game, with RNH losing one more battle along the way. He got little done on the attack.
• Zack Kassian, 3. He made little impact on the game. Zero hits.
• Darnell Nurse, 2. Just a bad game. He made seven major mistakes on Flames chances, four of them at even strength, three shorthanded… He had zero hits.
• Mike Smith, 4. Not his night, though he wasn’t much at fault on any of the goal against him.
• Mikko Koskinen, 3. Failed to come up with a big save when one was needed, just like Smith.

BLH’s Thoughts: On a huge night, the Oilers spit the bit… Again.

This team cannot afford to have Nurse, Nuge, and Draisaitl all having shit games on a consistent basis. Not with the TOI they get on a nightly basis and the amount of responsibility they have. Ideally, you’d like to see others pick up the slack at this time of year but it’s a tad unfair to ask the likes of Ryan McLeod, Brett Kulak, and pick any bottom six forward to somehow transform into players they are not. 

I mean, if #25 is so banged up he can’t even muster a single hit, Kulak is playing that much better, maybe it makes sense to up his TOI and bring down Nurse’s. Lean on the guys who aren’t struggling. 

Anyway, Oilers gotta get that split in game two or else my prediction from yesterday might just come true. 

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Trade Rumors

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Spector’s Hockey

• SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman believes there have been talks with defenseman Mark Giordano about bringing back the 39-year-old defenseman at a lower salary.
• THE ATHLETIC: Making a decision on Filip Forsberg’s future topped Adam Vingan’s recent list of offseason issues the Nashville Predators must address… Vingan cited Evolving Hockey’s contract project model indicating Forsberg could get $8.5 million annually on an eight-year extension with the Predators or $9.5 million on a seven-year deal on the open market.
• …UFA Bryan Rust said he felt he’s taken his play to a higher level than the salary he’s been earning the past few years. He indicated he’s seeking a fair and reasonable new deal.

The Daily Goal Horn

• “There will changes to the Maple Leafs roster based on salary cap and free agency, but, I don’t foresee drastic changes or sense that the coach or GM are in trouble,” Dreger wrote. “Toronto made strides this season and faced a great opponent in a entertaining 7 game series.”
• According to Jesse Granger of The Athlethic, he identified five players that could be moved thanks to cap issues. They are as follows: Robin Lehner (G), Alec Martinez (D), Max Pacioretty (F), Nolan Patrick (F), William Karlsson (F).
• …the Wild are wide open to an offer sheet for Fiala that they simply can’t match… it may behoove GM Bill Guerin to call up Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald and work a deal instead of losing him for draft picks.

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, and The Daily Goal Horn just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

The Athletic

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Breaking down Flames vs. Oilers: Key matchups, injury updates and storylines

The Flames win this series if…

• They stay out of the penalty box. Calgary took way too many penalties against Dallas — 15:51 penalty minutes per game…
• They also need to get it together on the power play, which was not working against Dallas (only two goals on 24 chances), if they want any chance at winning the special teams battle.

The Oilers win this series if…

• McDavid can go off like he did against the Kings. The perennial Hart Trophy candidate had 14 points in seven games. 
• They’ll also need Smith to keep up with Markstrom, and to keep Calgary’s top line in check.
• They’ll need to stay disciplined.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve got a feeling that this series isn’t going to be a long one. I reckon either Connor McDavid will continue to make a mockery of his opponents and Calgary’s scoring troubles will continue or Jacob Markstrom will close the door, Tkachuk, Toffoli, and a few of the other Calgary forwards who were snakebit vs. Dallas will wake up and the Flames will shut McDavid down resulting in the Oilers offense dissolving before our eyes. 

I’m also very wary of the quality of officiating. I’m scared that the regular season-like reffing that was going on early in the first round is gone now and that will work to Calgary’s advantage seeing as it would limit Edmonton’s PP chances. 

I hope the Oilers can win this, but if I’m being completely honest, my feeling is that Calgary takes it.

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Oilersnation

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Edmonton Oilers recall seven black aces

• Bakersfield Condors defencemen Philip Broberg, Markus Niemelainen and Dmitri Samorukov, forwards Seth Griffith, Dylan Holloway and Brad Malone, as well as netminder Stuart Skinner are all making their way to town to serve as the black aces.

BLH’s Thoughts: Pretty crazy that Broberg had more points than Holloway whilst playing fewer games. 

Ken Holland was on Oilers now and he said 10 or 11 guys were coming up and that some were flying and others were diving but he expected them in Edmonton in the next couple of days. The Oilers GM singled out Dmitri Samorukov and James Hamblin if I remember right. He said the Russian defender is about ready to start practicing again, so that’s a plus if Edmonton falls into an injury crisis on the back end. 

I don’t know if we’ll see any of these players in this series unless the Oilers start dropping like flies. My preference would be to see Holloway over Brassard or Turris, but I’d bet Jay Woodcroft doesn’t see things that way. I mean, Brad Malone and Seth Griffith are probably ahead of Holly on the depth chart as it stands anyhow.

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Trade Rumors

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Sportsnet

• There are teams who believe the Wild will find a way to keep Kevin Fiala.
• One under-the-radar goalie to watch: Eric Comrie.
• A decision from Russian free agent Andrei Kuzmenko isn’t expected in the near future, but after initial interviews concluded with the likes of Edmonton, Nashville, Vancouver and Vegas, some other teams reached out to make sure they would get their shot. One was believed to be Anaheim.
• There were two teams San Jose talked to about Erik Karlsson, but I don’t believe anything was close.
• Some Islander fans were in a panic that Mathew Barzal indicated something like he wouldn’t sign an extension if Trotz stayed as coach. I don’t believe that is true. 
• Several sources are drawing a line from Trotz to Vegas, but I’ve heard the Flyers, who have seen him firsthand in Washington and New York, have a deep, deep respect for him and his work.
• The Athletic’s Rob Rossi exploded heads in Pittsburgh on Monday by reporting the Penguins’ best offers to Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin were three years and $15M… As for Letang, the last I heard was a four-year offer, at a bit less than his current average salary of $7.25M. 
• Don’t believe there’s been much negotiation with UFA-to-be Jack Campbell. But I do think there’s been discussion with Mark Giordano to return at a lower salary.
•  I made a point to ask about any particular Europeans who might get traction. Rikard Gronborg’s name has been around for a few years. One other name I heard was Dan Tangnes, a Norwegian who just coached Zug in the Swiss league to its second consecutive championship.