Tag Archives: Braden Holtby

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

Oilers/Capitals: Five Things We Learned After Game 17

I’ll start off by saying this, I think this effort was 10x the one from yesterday. The Washington Capitals are an offensive juggernaut in my opinion and the Oilers held them to only 1 goal. The defense was on point but the offense is still struggling and I don’t really know what one can do about that.

I was very happy that Ovechkin and Kuznetsov didn’t take the game over though. A fine showing by the Oilers not to let that happen!

Five Things We Learned

  1. Pat Maroon wasn’t taking any shit tonight!

    I loved the passion from Big Rig tonight. He was battling everywhere and he’s showing us that he’s really making an effort to snap out of this slump by trying everything. That scrap with Tom Wilson was nearly a minute long and Wilson is no slouch when it comes to chucking knuckles. Add to that another 7 shots on net tonight.

  2. Khaira, Brossoit, and Auvitu came to play!

    I loved Brossoit’s game tonight. He was the rock Edmonton needed back there and each performance like this that he has increases the amount of confidence Todd McLellan has in him and the more likely he is to get the call in the future.

    JJ Khaira was having the kind of game that would’ve had him one of the 3 stars at the end of the night until he failed to stay on Orlov but thus is life for a young NHLer. The rest of the game he was solid and looked very confident.

    Auvitu… You want to get pissed at the guy for jumping into the play so much but luckily nothing too terrible happened as a result. Now, I don’t mind a dman that is so offensively minded as long as he’s putting up points but the Frenchman isn’t. At least he didn’t cost the Oilers a goal

  3. Todd McLellan HAS to do better. 

    I was flabbergasted when I didn’t see Jesse Puljujarvi in the OT but I did see Ryan Strome (who didn’t show badly) and Pat Maroon (who at one point was the only defender back). All of that open ice is tailor-made for Jesse Puljujarvi with the way he skates and all of his power… Personally, I think it’s bullshit that McLellan didn’t put him out there.

  4. NHL reffing is still garbage.

    This isn’t something we learned tonight but it’s something that continues to plague the NHL. I know that the job is a very difficult one to do and you can’t call everything on Connor McDavid but you can call something. Like one thing. At least!

  5. Oscar Klefbom bounced back.

    I loved his game tonight. The difference between tonight’s game and yesterday’s game was like night and day. He kept it very simple and really took to heart what the coaching staff laid out for him after the Rangers game. I hope that he can continue this trend up and we get to see a goal from him soon.

Next game up is versus Vegas and this is important for a few reasons.

  • Vegas is a Pacific division rival. The time to start climbing up the standings is now.
  • The Golden Knights are fast and tenacious, two things that kill the Oilers unless they’re playing New Jersey, so Edmonton is going to have to be well prepared for that. I hope they go with the same lineup but with Talbot in net.
  • I’m not 100% for sure but I’m assuming that Vegas will have Maxime Legace in net and what better opportunity for the Oilers to score more than 2 goals than against an AHL netminder.

Now, it’s going to be all unicorns and lollipops vs Vegas. At the moment, they are playing very well but it’s time for the Oilers to get their special teams on the right track and summon the spirits of 2016/17 to help them put some goals in the bloody net!

Welcome the Vegas Golden Knights to the NHL in style! Click the image above to pick up this sweet t-shirt!
Dig skateboarding? Click the pic and grab this new “Thrasher Magazine” inspired tee!
If you’re a fan of Lowetide, you need this shirt! Click the pic and get yours today!
Grab a Grinning Finn tee by clicking on the pic!!
Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Is Cam Talbot Tired? By Marcus Boutilier

Photo Credit to Andy Devlin

Cam Talbot is not tired. At least not physically anyway.

All this talk about Cam Talbot and whether fatigue is becoming an issue reminds me of similar talk which surrounded Washington’s Braden Holtby with much the same argument after the 2014-15 season when he started 73 games. Some suggested he needed rest, but his playoff performance that year was sick. 13GP and a 1.71 GAA with a .944 SV%! I dare say he was not fatigued. Last year the Caps used him in 66 starts. He tied legendary Martin Brodeur’s 48 wins in a season record and was named the Vezina Trophy winner and still was a rock in the playoffs.

One only need to refer to Holtby’s career post season numbers (wow) and you’ll appreciate my perception that the Holtbeast, as he’s called in DC, is not fatigued at playoff time. There has never been and nor should anyone place blame on Holtby’s goaltending as a reason for the Caps unsuccessful playoff runs. I would be willing to bet this will be the case here in Edmonton as well in a couple of weeks. Talbot and his “fatigue” will or should be the least of the Oilers worries though.

I see the Oilers’ Cam Talbot in much the same light at this stage of his career as Holtby. His physical game is not in question no matter how many starts he is in for.  He’s still young and keeps himself in great shape.  Much like Holtby, he tends to play better when seeing a lot of action. However, similar to Holtby, I’ve noticed he also is very hard on himself and takes bad games quite personally. While a noble trait, it’s for this reason that he and Holtby do require more of a mental break at times.

The more a goalie plays, the more of a chance you’ll see a bad game every now and then. It’s simple math. Each guy is different. This narrative that is running in Edmonton right now, with Talbot and his rest, is way overblown and is actually counter productive. Honestly, if you, as a coach, were concerned about Talbot’s fatigue; you would have been worrying about it before this week. And that should tell you where McLellan ranks it on his list of concerns. Would I have sat Talbot in favor of Brossoit in Colorado last game? Sure I would have, but McLellan is the one talking with Talbot. Case closed.

Love you some Talbot? Click the pic and buy that 16-bit likeness!
Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

BLH’s 2016/17 NHL Predictions

The 2016/17 NHL season is right on our doorstep and what better time to make predictions that hours before the puck drops! I just want to keep this short and sweet because I need to get over this jet lag thing and you’ve probably already read a million prediction blogs so far… Bon appetite!

PS: I hate jet lag…

AWARDS

Hart: Connor McDavid (EDM)
*Homer pick* – This is THE homer pick isn’t it?

Art Ross: Pat Kane (CHI)
*Homer pick* – McDavid… Of course!

Maurice Richard: Steven Stamkos (TB)
*Homer pick* – Eberle… Cause you know he’s the only other guy scoring for Edmonton, right?

Vezina: Braden Holtby (WAS)
*Homer pick* – Can you do a homer pick here? Talbot I guess…

Norris: PK Subban (NSH)
*Homer pick* – Adam Larsson because we all know shut down dmen with Norris’ these days 🙂

Calder: Auston Matthews (TOR)
*Homer pick* – Drake Caggiula because he’s looked a sh*t ton better than Puljujarvi so far.

STANDINGS

Atlantic Metropolitan Central Pacific
Tampa Bay Washington Nashville San Jose
Florida Pittsburgh Dallas Anaheim
Boston Philadelphia St.Louis Los Angeles
Detroit* Carolina* Chicago* Edmonton*
Montreal N.Y. Rangers Minnesota Calgary
Ottawa Columbus Colorado Arizona
Buffalo N.Y. Islanders Winnipeg Vancouver
Toronto New Jersey 🙂

STANLEY CUP FINALISTS

Eastern Conference Finals: Tampa Bay vs. Washington

Western Conference Finals: Dallas vs. San Jose

Stanley Cup Finals: Tampa Bay vs. San Jose

Winner: Tampa Bay

Conn Smythe: Victor Hedman (TB)

There you have it. Nothing fancy.Just the raw predictions from BLH’s crystal keg. And in typical Oilers fashion, a coach they could’ve hired takes his team to the Cup finals and wins it all. Thanks a lot Craig and Kevin!

Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee for the summer!
Edmonton Oilers, Kosmic Burrito, NHL

Kosmic’s Introduction to BLH/2016 World Cup of Hockey Team Canada Roster Prediction

February 28th, 2016 Somewhere in the Universe (OK, just outside of Toronto)

So here we are…February 28th…NHL Trade Deadline Eve. Many GM’s suffering from what surely feels like cauliflower ear after working the phones for hours. Breath stinking with coffee, a side effect from not sleeping, or “conducting business” as they tell their families…

Whoa hold up dude! I am so sorry! Let me back this up. I was born in Canada, where are my manners?

Hello Beer League Heroes universe, my name is…well…just call me Kosmic Burrito. I’m going to be your bushy bearded, burrito loving blogger, bringing you some spaced out Oilers sports reports. Before I go any further, I want to say a huge thank you to the staff here at Beer League Heroes for giving me the opportunity to connect with their wonderful audience and fans. It is an absolute honour to be working as a part of this team. Might I add, that now being behind the scenes, holy f%8k these guys bust their asses off! Like come on, we all knew how hard they work for us fans, but…. No you didn’t! Trust me! I have a whole new level of appreciation for them, and I am more than stoked to be working with this great team.

3, 2, 1…Blast off…

Could Taylor Hall really make Team Canada for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey this summer?

Welcome aboard ladies and gentlemen, I’m glad to be taking this trip with you…I know, I know…It’s NHL trade deadline eve! But that’s not what I’m going to write about. We have a lot of fantastic authors taking care of all your fiendish trade needs. Do you know what’s going down this summer? It’s the return of the World Cup of Hockey…yes, and it just so happens to be taking place in my neck of the woods, Toronto. Yes that’s right, Kosmic Burrito is digging for Oil in Leafs Nation, haha!

What version of Team Canada do you think we’ll see in September at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey? Will it be an offensive dynamo led by Sidney Crosby and John Tavares? Or will it be just like the defensive juggernaut that we saw in 2014 with Jonathon Toews? Speaking of which, who will be El Capitano? Toews or Crosby? Do you strip 2010’s Golden Boy of the “C” and pass it over to 3 time Stanley Cup champion, Captain Serious? That’s a huge decision, and I’m kind of glad that I don’t have to make it. Also, if Subban makes the team, will he actually see ice this time? Sorry not sorry Habs fans, I had to! And please, for the love of Pete!!! Give us a healthy Stamkos!

Since we already know that Mike Babcock will be returning as head coach, and with the official roster announcement coming on March 2nd, let’s take a look at some players that may be included on the roster. Some will be guaranteed locks (Crosby, Toews, etc), and some will have a potential roster spot (Eberle, Getzlaf, etc).

I’ll start with the goaltenders, since there really isn’t as much debate there.

Possible Goaltenders: Carey Price, Braden Holtby, Roberto Luongo, Corey Crawford, and Marc Andre-Fleury

Personally, I see them going with: Price, Holtby, and Luongo (in that order). With the year that Holtby is having, he almost deserves the shot over Price. Honestly though, congrats Braden, you’re having a helluva season! I added Luongo in there for some mentorship, and veteran presence. But really, this is Price’s job too lose. Especially with his 2014 Olympic performance still freshly lingering.

Moving on to the Defense, we’ll start with the left side. Because let’s face it, you know Babcock loves a balanced “lefty/righty” lineup. You can’t knock the job his defense did in 2014, it was historic. So he’ll definitely run the same type of game plan, I am sure.

Possible LHD: Duncan Keith, T.J. Brodie, Marc-Eduard Vlasic, Dan Hamhuis, Mark Giordano and Jay Bouwmeester

Possible RHD: Drew Doughty, P.K. Subban, Brent Seabrook, Shea Weber, Alex Pietrangelo, Brent Burns, and Kris Letang

The Defense always seems to drum up just as much debate among Canadians, as which forwards were omitted. So take my prediction with a grain of salt haha! I think that the pairings could look something like this:

Keith – Weber
Giordano – Doughty
Vlasic – Burns
Extra Skater: Letang

Now the forwards…..the forwards….WE HAVE SO MANY AWESOME FORWARDS!!!!!! I remember growing up, my Dad would always tell me:

“Son, Canada is so good, we could dress 3 teams and win all 3 medals!!” – Papa Burrito

I’d like to think that the rest of the world is catching up though. But on with the forwards!!! I’m not going to break it down by positional possibilities, because there will most definitely be a few guys playing out of their natural position. But I will make my predictions for possible line combinations.

Possible Forwards: Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Steven Stamkos, Taylor Hall, Ryan Johansen, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, John Tavares, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Claude Giroux, Matt Duchene, Patrice Bergeron, Jeff Carter, Ryan O’Reilly, Jordan Eberle, Joe Thornton, and Logan Couture

Again, just like my defensive prediction, take this with a grain of salt as. But here is what I think the forward lines just might look like:

Hall – Crosby – Stamkos
Benn – Seguin – Johansen
Carter – Toews – Bergeron
Duchene – Tavares – Giroux
Extra Skater: O’Reilly

I’d like to think that this possible roster boasts a combination of size, speed, grit, and skill. It does have the Babcock trademark balance of left and right shot defensemen, and I’m not sure if you could find a better trio of goalies. All in all, I don’t know about you, but I am really excited to see the return of the World Cup.

Again, the great thing about being fans, is that we can debate the rosters all day. But it’s anyone’s guess until they make the announcement on March 2nd. I do know one thing though…it sure would have been nice to see McDavid’s name on there, possibly lining up with Sid and Serious…

Speaking of which, stay tuned for my 2016 World Cup of Hockey Team North America Under 23 team report.

Thanks for tripping with me, I’m going to look forward to your feedback!

Follow me on the Twitter @kosmicburrito

NHL, Zach Laing

15 – 16 Season Primers: Washington Capitals

Welcome to the 2015 – 2016 Metro Division Season Primers.

Completed already: Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Last year was another disappointing finish for a Washington Capitals who have been lead by one of the best goal scorers in NHL history, Alexander Ovechkin. The Capitals have longed for a team like they have assembled now. Defensively, the team is lead by Brooks Oprik, John Carlson, Karl Alzner and Matt Niskanen; a group that has been slowly assembled by Capitals GM Brian MacLellan and a group that is ready to dominate the NHL.

Notable Additions: RW T.J. Oshie, RW Justin Williams

Notable Departures: RW Joel Ward, RW Troy Brouwer, C Eric Fehr, D Mike Green

The additions of both Oshie and Williams are going to be humongous for a team that was a top-10 scoring team last season. They are both better than Ward and Brouwer respectively, and Williams is infamously known for being a key player in the playoffs and is 7-0 in Game 7’s he has played in. Williams shares a record with Glenn Anderson for scoring the most Game 7 goals in NHL history, with seven and he also holds the record for most points in Game 7’s, with 14.

When the Capitals make the playoffs, as I expect them to, Williams will be a huge help in getting them over that hump.

LW                                             C                                             RW
Alex Ovechkin (9.539) – Nicklas Backstrom (6.700) – T.J. Oshie (4.175)
Marcus Johansson (3.750) – Evgeny Kuznetsov (3.000) – Justin Williams (3.250)
Brooks Laich (4.500) – Andre Burakovsky (0.895) – Tom Wilson (0.895)
Jason Chimera (2.000) –  Jay Beagle (1.750) – Michael Latta (0.575)
Stanislav Galiev (0.575)

LD                                             RD
Brooks Orpik (5.500) – John Carlson (3.967)
Karl Alzner (2.800) – Matt Niskanen (5.750)
Dmitry Orlov (2.000) – Nate Schmidt (0.813)
Ryan Stanton (0.575)

 G
Braden Holtby (6.100)
Philipp Grubauer (0.750)
Justin Peters (0.950)

In order for the Washington Capitals to be successful this season, they will need to rely on their number one ranked power play that lead the league last season, as well as the strong goaltending of Braden Holtby. The best case scenario for the Capitals this season will of course be a Stanley Cup Championship.

The fact is though, Alexander Ovechkin has never gotten past the second round of the playoffs. Despite that his performance has never seen a drop off, Ovechkin is now 30 years old and he isn’t getting any younger. The Capitals have begun to capitalize and finally have gotten some great cogs to fit in around the Great 8. It will be interesting to follow them this season.

As I said before, I expect the Capitals in the playoffs and vying for the Eastern Conference Championship.