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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers

McJesus Down and Trades Upcoming? Oilers Rumblings Abound

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oilers score
An Oilers goal without McDavid. This will take some time to get used to… About 2 months.

So our Gord and Saver is out with a collarbone in half. The pessimists would say that sounds about right considering the Oilers luck and the optimists would tell you that at least it wasn’t his head or shoulder. The stats guys would have a formula to calculate the speed at which he was going and the angle of the shot forced bla bla bla bla… The old school hockey fan would say that even the best get hurt but they always come back and refer you to Bobby Orr or Mario Lemieux or more likely Wayne Gretzky.

As I was watching that play the first thing I said to myself was, “There it is.” It was too much good too fast for the Oilers. There was no way the Oilers were lucky enough to have a player of McDavid’s caliber lighting up the league like he was. Then there’s the curse going on, whether you call it the Oilers rookie curse (Hall and RNH both when down with big injuries in their rookie year) or maybe it’s the Calder curse (no Oiler has won the rookie of the year… ever). Either way it’s some serious bad luck. If you believe in luck…

McDavid WILL bounce back from this to win the Calder trophy. Special players find away to make magic and Connor McDavid is a special player. He’ll come back and pick up where he left off and it’ll be so amazing they’ll have to give him the trophy.

The other reason I’m not down on this injury as much is number 29. Leon Draisaitl has come in guns ablaze (7pts in 3gms) and I’m loving it. He’ll get moved to McDavid’s spot and according to the latest line combos he’ll also get Jordan Eberle on his other wing. You couldn’t ask for a more cherry spot for the German to succeed in.

Speaking of lineup changes, what happens to this defense when Justin Schultz comes back? The young tanks on the back end have played fairly well with the veterans sitting. Surely we wouldn’t see Gryba, Ference, AND Mark Fayne sitting in the pressbox. There’s simply too many bodies unless someone else goes on the IR which IS possible. And I don’t think you can send Nurse back now either. So somebody has to go… How about Nikita Nikitin… What?

Were you as surprised as I was when you saw the report from Bob McKenzie saying the Avs were interested in his services? Well as I was listening to Paul Almeida and Lowetide talk about the Oilers roster yesterday and how they were talking about picking up another center, it got me thinking. What about sending Anton Lander and Nikita Niktin (50% salary retained) to the Avs for center John Mitchell?

John Mitchell is 30 years old and has one more year left after this season worth $1.8 million per year. He’s a very serviceable player that can play multiple positions in the middle six. He’s a veteran player and I’m wondering if the Oilers are starting to sour on Lander’s wishy washy performances. I think the only thing hold him back might be his fancy stats. They aren’t that impressive (CF% 43.86 but Matt Duchene, who’s considered a very good hockey player, is sitting at 43.91. So take that for what it’s worth) on a less than stellar Colorado Avalanche team.

John Mitchell

Even if a deal like that was made, what happens after Xmas when McDavid comes back? Well Someone in the top 6 has to move and I’m thinking it might be Leon. Now he doesn’t have to be traded, he could be moved to the 3C role depending on if a trade is made or if Anton Lander is still sucking the hind tit. Then they’d finally have that McDavid-Nuge-Draisaitl trio they’ve been wanting.

But do you really want Draisaitl playing with Lauri Korpikoski and Teddy Purcell? I think he needs to play with guys that can put the puck in the net, right? So hear me out… Check these line combos.

Draisaitl-McDavid-Yakupov
Hall-Nuge-Eberle
Pouliot-Hendricks-Purcell
Korpikoski-Letestu-Lander

OR

Eberle-McDavid-Yakupov
Hall-Nuge-Draisaitl
Pouliot-Lander-Purcell
Hendricks-Letestu-Korpikoski

There’s also the possibility that McLellan sticks Hendricks back up into the top 6 but I think that’s pretty far fetched unless Eberle struggles in his system. But I digress.

We know at the moment that the kids can play. They’re showing us each and every game. Combine that with the likes of Hall, Nuge, and Eberle entering their primes and we just might have a team that can take care of themselves. I still think they need some muscle up front but that’s for another blog.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Take Care!

BLH (@beerleagueheroe)

Even though Connor McDavid is out with an injury that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t find a way to stay warm and look cool at the same time. Head over to the BLH Merch Shop and take a gander and some of the Oilers themed tee and hoodie designs. There’s something there for everyone and the prices can’t be beat!

These McDavid shirts are flying off the shelves! Get one now and be a true fan!

Check out Ryan Robinson’s new Oilers vlog here. He’s not a fan of Connor McDavid’s nickname and he refers to the “good book” in this one. Now I’m not a religious fellow even though I’ve spent my fair share of time in Churches (Shout out the Camrose Community Church) but I’m pretty certain that the only people that are getting pissy about the nickname are those that take life a tad too seriously. The other thing I’m pretty certain of is that if you’re spending time crusading against those that use the moniker, you’re wasting your time and life is short, there are better things to be doing. Surely the good Gord himself would say the same.

That being said Mr.Robinson does make some very valid points in his vlog Here’s the vid:

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Energy Players: Why We Need Them

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How did you feel the last time you saw one of the guys on your team just line up a player and smoke him? How about if that hit lead to a turnover and a goal? Or how did you feel watching Canada’s world junior teams in the late 90s go out and destroy their opponents through huge body checks and intense forechecking pressure? I know how I felt… Effin’ great!

I was watching the Habs/Oilers game the other night and it was the 2nd period and the game just wasn’t going anywhere. I commented upon Twitter that I’d wished the Oilers had some energy players to go out and mix it up a bit. Well this tweet was soon replied upon by some of my followers, some of which have unfollowed me due to my stance.

Now in my unfollower’s defence, perhaps he thought I meant that I wanted someone to go out there and fight, which was not my meaning and to @woodguy55’s fault, he never bothered to clarify. I suspect he/she was just looking for an excuse to unfollow. Which is fine. My brand of tea isn’t to everyone’s liking.

If you’d like more clarification on what @woodguy55’s definition of an energy player is, you can read it here at his blog. It’s an excellent article! But I reckon we’ve got different definitions of what an “energy” player is to say the least.

What I meant was I wanted to see a few guys go out there and muck it up a bit, throw some hits, and try to create some energy in the crowd and the team. I thought that might spur the team onto a goal. Fighting at that point in the game would’ve accomplished nothing and it does beg the question, when did an energy player’s definition go from hard working mucker/grinder to goon?

@crazycoach21 was right. A goal did create energy which spurned an amazing three-goal comeback for the Oilers. Kudos to him as he was right.

Now I’d like to comment on the tweet preceding that of McCrazyCoach’s. This Oilers fan is of the opinion that role players or “energy” players are shitty. Wonder if he’d say that to their face? I disagree with that sentiment and I love role players. They do the jobs that skilled players won’t, don’t, or can’t do because if they did do them their careers would be over before they knew it. Of course the numbers can’t support that theory but the day that Patrick Kane, Steven Stamkos, and Tyler Seguin start leading the league in blocked shots and hits is the day they’re no longer NHL superstars. Thus the reason you cannot have a team without energy players.

People, like myself, respect what bottom 6ers sacrifice for their teams. Every hockey player worth their salt will say that these players are the glue that holds the team together and I’d say the likes of Dave Hunter, Lee Fogolin and Dave Lumley were plenty important to the Oilers Stanley Cup winning teams of the early 80s; as important as say the Bruins 4th line of Campbell, Paille, and Thornton to their Stanley Cup or Dave Bolland and Andrew Shaw to the Blackhawks’ Cup in 2012/13.

The point is energy players bring an element to the rink that skilled players cannot unless their name is Doug Gilmour, Peter Forsberg, Eric Lindros, Wendel Clark, or Alexander Ovechkin. There are plenty more but you get the gist. Some players are paid to score, some are paid to hit or block or do whatever else it takes. Rob Klinkhammer racked up nearly 30 hits in that time before his injury but I don’t see anybody complaining about that. Why? Because he was doing an effective job in a lineup spot he’s got no right to be in. Matt Hendricks had 10 hits and 10 blocks and was an ace on the faceoff dot. But to hell with them because their shitty hockey players. Well Maybe it’s to hell with you if that’s your opinion.

Hockey is a physical game, if you don’t like it go watch figure skating.

I think the team is really missing the element that Rob Klinkhammer and Matt Hendricks bring to the table. When I seen that Tyler Pitlick was getting recalled I thought that he was coming up to fill-in for the injured veterans… Not the case but the real replacement did okay.

Today will be the second installment of the Battle of Alberta! I’m only hoping it goes as well as the first one did. Historically role players have played an important… role… in these games. So I’m looking forward to watching but I think we all know who will be running the show… Connor McDavid!

Anyways, that’s all I wanted to say. I just had to get that off my chest. What’s your definition of the energy player? Do you think they’re required or are surplus and will soon go the way of the goon? Let me know in the comments below!

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Lindsay Ryall, NHL

Upgrading The Oilers D, and Keeping it Real

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Forget about Weber, time for a pragmatic option

For as long as Shea Weber has been in the league there has been a constant chant by Edmonton Oilers fans that the Oiler’s GM waive some magical wand and bring over Shea Weber, or Brent Seabrook, or Duncan Keith . . .

Sadly none of these players are available now, nor will they ever be.  The Oiler’s future top pairing are named Nurse and Klefbom, but unfortunately they haven’t matured to a top pairing D just yet and need real support.  Defense by committee is an option (maybe the only one) but the Oiler’s D need real top 4 defenders,  not pretenders: see Nikitin, Ference, and Fayne.

So what can we do?  There are only a couple of teams flush with defencemen and in need of what we can offer.  The Winnipeg Jets have plenty of D on the roster but aren’t likely to give up any quality.  A likely D man we could pry out?  Likely Toby Enstrom who is on the wrong side of 30, not that physical, not overly offensive, and with a hefty salary.  So where else could we look?

Next best target: Nashville.  Weber again?  Nope, most have given up on that fantasy.  Seth Jones . . . wrong again.  Not enough whiskey in Nashville to impair the judgement of Nashville’s GM into that mistake.  Dare to dream, but it won’t happen.  The realistic target should be fourth year pro, Ryan Ellis.

Although Ellis is relatively deep on Nashville’s defense chart, there is plenty to be excited about when it comes to this 24 year-old rearguard.  Ironically, the Oilers could have had Ellis for free back in the 2009 draft, but instead chose to draft the now long departed Magnus Paajarvi.  Ellis was a prolific scorer in junior, but many prospects are.  It’s his work as a pro that makes him a coveted blue-liner.  Ellis split 2011 -12/2011 – 13 between the farm team and the big club and continued to produce along the way.  In his first full season with the Nashville Predators he scored a respectable 27 points (6g, 21a, +9) in 80 games.  Last year he scored the same number of points in only 58 games and has continued to produce this year with four points in 7 games and plus 2.  And what about his underlying stats?  His Corsi for was an acceptable 50.3 in 2013 – 14 and very good 54.5 last season.

The catch with Ellis is his size.  He’s 5’10 and 180lbs, which is definitely undersized as NHL players go, not to mention NHL defenseman.  But there are success stories.  You only have to look to Minnesota Wild’s Jared Spurgeon (5’9, 176lbs.) to see an example of a d-man who can survive (even thrive) in the western conference.

Looking at Ellis’ game, he’s not only blessed with good hockey sense, but is surprising physical.  In one memorable moment last season he stood up former junior teammate Taylor Hall when he was in the middle of one of his unnecessary toe drags.

Clearly he plays bigger than his size.   And as noted, all that Ellis has accomplished at this stage has come playing 4/5 (15 minutes a game) on a star-studded blue line.  Which begs the question: what could he do on a talent starved blueline in Edmonton?  As most have observed, Edmonton’s forwards are suffering from a blueline deficient of a D-man who can make the outlet pass at pace, or who has a bruising slaphot.  Ellis can provide both.  He has character, and the Oilers could use more of it.

So Who Do We Trade to Get Him?

Ok now, before everyone dusts off their pitchforks, hear me out on this one.  The realistic ask for Ellis would be Nail Yakupov.  We could pitch a high pick, some prospects, but that likely won’t be sufficient. Unfortunately now that Nail has gained some value, it’s time to trade him, and here’s why.

We all love Nail for his work ethic, charisma, and energy.  But what is his real upside?  It’s not a ppg player which he currently is.  What would his point total be this season if his centre was Anton Lander, instead of Connor Mcdavid?  Even in a top 6 role with a very capable centre (not named Mcdavid) his best production would be 20ísh goals and 50 points.  And that’s good, but it is a position that can be filled.  As for the ongoing disaster that is our current d-corps . . . Not so much.

Would Nashville Be on Board?

Ellis is not being shopped right now.  The Predators have drafted him, developed him, and are reaping this rewards of his productive play at $2.5M per season.  But they are always challenged offensively.  As a result there is a real possibility Nashville could be open to a trade for Nail on the premise he could bring more scoring to their team.  And it’s likely he would, it’s just not likely he would bring as much as they would like.

Are the Ask and Return Unequal?

Maybe, but all things are relative.  And at this time the urgency is doing something about the D.  Most would suggest the target on Nashville should be Seth Jones, not Ryan Ellis.  And of course that would be nice, but the reality is, Seth Jones is a future defensive star and the Predators (and the NHL) know it.  Unfortunately the closest the Oilers will likely get to having a Jones on the blue line would likely be Seth’s younger brother, Caleb.  But Ellis is a positive option, as seasoned blogger Rob Soria pointed out last spring.  Whether Nashville would go for it is another question.  But with talent piling up on Nashville’s blueline and their offense receiving little in the way of reinforcements, it might be a trade that works for both  parties.

Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Oilers Post Game Report, Madison Moroz, NHL

BLH Post Gamer- G6 Edmonton Oilers Vs Vancouver Canucks

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The Oilers came into tonight’s game on a high, coming off a fantastic win last night over their inter-province rivals the Calgary Flames. You could tell right off the bat, they were coming out with tons of confidence and didn’t really miss a step from the night before. Their puck movement was still on point and was looking better and better as the game progressed. The puck management aspect of the entire team is 100 times better then the first game as everyone is making much smarter decisions with the puck. There were a few hiccups along the way but that’s expected, but the progression has been excellent to see. Coming into this 2015/16 season who knew the Oilers would have solid goaltending? Nilsson has stood on his head and Talbot has provided that calming presence that’s been missing for the good part of a decade. If they keep it up, watch out Western Conference.

The Oilers were outshot 34 – 24 in this game but it certainly wasn’t an indication of who the better team was. The game was evenly matched throughout the night with each team having their fair share of opportunities but I’m giving the slight edge to the Oilers. There just appears to be a bigger sense of urgency with this team to get the puck, to win the puck battles and give that extra 10% to get that puck back, especially in the offensive zone where they have looked relentless at times. Everyone is pulling their own weight and making the most of their ice time. Even Luke Gazdic, who put in extensive time this off season to become a better hockey player, hasn’t looked lost on the ice. The ConYak Connection is looking deadlier an deadlier with the more minutes they play together. I’m going to make a bold prediction here and now, if they continue to play together, Yakupov cracks 30 goals, there is just an uncanny chemistry these two are building.

At certain points tonight, you could tell the Oilers were looking a little tired, especially in the second period where they were outplayed for the most part. It looked like the first back to back was wearing on them a little. As their legs started to slow down the passes became less crisp, but this is where McLellan’s team management has come into play, an area where I don’t think he is getting enough credit right now. He is finding a nice balance to this line up, placing Klinkhammer or Hendricks on the top line, on paper doesn’t seem like the brightest of ideas but so far it’s paying off. They are creating the time and space for Hall and RNH and are smart enough players that they know their roles on the ice. The way the coaching staff is handling the defensive minutes is paying dividends for them, not overplaying and not under playing anyone, but using everyone just the right amount. It shows in the way they were still able to find the energy to pull out a win in overtime tonight.

The game this evening was just another prime example of how simple hockey can in fact make it complicated for the opposing team. They made sure to get the puck behind the Canucks’ defenders and to put them on their heels and force turnovers.

Hall has looked like a man possessed as of late, using his hockey IQ and speed to get in quick and either win the puck battle or get the defence to cough it up. In an astounding margin the Canucks had 17 giveaways tonight compared to the Oilers 4, which is speaking volumes to the adjustments that McLellan is making with this team.

Quite amazing what a proven NHL head coach can do with a team like this, there were a few bumps in the road, but without those you don’t know what to tweak or to improve. The more this team plays, the more chemistry that is being established with an incredible sense of balance from the net out. There is trust in everyone to make the right play which is something this team has lacked in previous years.

Tonight’s Beer League Three Heroes are:

1. Anders Nilsson – The guy has been nothing short of spectacular in this first 2 starts with the Oilers, creating an actual goalie tandem for the Oilers to rely on, he has stopped 81 of 85  his first two starts. He doesn’t quite have the calming presence, but he’s making the saves and he is keeping them in the games and that’s all that matters.

2. Lauri Korpikoski – He has been a very solid pickup since the Oilers traded for him. He isn’t known for his offensive ability, but he’s been effective every shift, especially tonight. He netted the game winner in overtime off a sweet saucer pass from Sekera. If the Oilers can continue to get depth scoring from guys like him…. Don’t think they will continue to be taken lightly anymore.

3.Nail Yakupov – Everyone has just been ready to write this kid off as a bust but he is looking better after an odd start where he looked lost on the ice. Yak is finding his bearings and discovering real chemistry with Connor McDavid, as two nights in a row he has shown his ability to find the scoring areas and unleash his blistering NHL caliber shot.

Tonight, once again, I thought long and and hard and I just couldn’t find anyone to give the Golden Plunger award to, so instead I’m going to post a brief paragraph of some post game analytics from our resident fancy stats expert Walter Foddis!

Brief Post-Game Analytics

Top possession (SAT +/-) forwards: Klinkhammer +2, Gazdic +1, & Letestu 0.
Top possession defenders: Sekera +2 and Fayne 0.

Bottom possession forwards: Pouliot -12, Yakupov -9, & Nugent-Hopkins -6.
Bottom possession defenders: Reinhart & Gryba at -11.

When does a team who has played back-to-back games begin to show fatigue? Toward the end of the game, which is exactly what happened to the Oilers. Overall (5v5), the Canucks outshot the Oilers 44 to 31 in shot attempts (Oilers’ SAT%=41.3%) & 24 to 11 in scoring chances (SC%=38.3%; defined by war-on-ice.com). Edmonton fell behind in scoring chances at about 15 minutes, but then managed to keep pace until the last 5 minutes of the 2nd period. At that point, they did not get a single scoring chance for almost 25 minutes!

Despite being terribly out-chanced, the Oilers tied the Canucks in high-danger scoring chances (shots from the slot) with 8. Shot quality matters. That they paced the Canucks on this metric, and kept it low, suggests that the team did a good job of keeping shots to the outside. Regardless, goaltending and a little puck luck (e.g., Daniel Sedin’s over-the-crossbar scoop) was the difference. At even strength Nilsson stopped  27 of 28 shots for a 96.4 save%.

Edmonton had 2 shot attempts on 2 minutes of power-play, which translates to 60 shot attempts (SAT) per 60 minutes. This pales in comparison to their PP against Calgary in which they shot at a rate of 145 SAT/60. A rate of 100 SAT/60 would give the Oilers a top-5 PP, which is what I’m hoping they’ll achieve.

The top-line duo of Hall and Nugent-Hopkins were beat up possession-wise by the Sedin brothers and the Canucks top-2 defenders, Edler and Tanev. Their SAT differential against these 4 players was about 40%. McDavid and Yakupov also had a rough possession night; mostly up against Vrbata, Sutter, & Burroughs. Their SAT% against Vancouver’s 2nd line was about 37%

What more can you say about this team as of late? After that pummeling in Dallas they are really starting to get their feet underneath them. You can see there is a sense of trust and confidence in each other that was missing, not just in within the locker room but from the coaching staff as well. There is confidence being built knowing your goalie is there to make a save, knowing that your defence pairing is going to make the smart play, and knowing that the forwards are going to get on their horse to get back.

Tonight was a good win, not just because it was off a back to back, but because they weathered a pretty heavy storm in the second when their legs started to get weary. They stuck with the game plan, got their second wind; came out hard, and didn’t quit in the third or OT.

The next game is against the Detroit Red Wings Wednesday evening. Detroit started out hot winning 3 straight and have since cooled off losing 2 in a row. This is going to be a really good test for the Oilers, they are playing a younger, quicker, Red Wings team that they aren’t used to seeing. This might be a game where they have to just stand in the ring, square up, and be the aggressor. I can’t express this enough, the Oilers mustn’t stray away from the simple hockey they are playing. It’s imperative that they continue to hammer the puck deep and force the opposition’s defence to turn it over. The defence will be in tough as they are going to need to be able to hold down the fort in the defensive zone, this Red Wings team has some crafty snipers in Tomas Tatar, Henrik Zetterberg and Calder Trophy Candidate Dylan Larkin.

The boys just need to continue to keep the shots on the outside and letting whoever is in net see the puck. If the muckers and grinders keep playing physical, its going to create tons of frustration for Detroit. If they are suffocating them and jumping on every loose puck and making sure support is there, then this is a game the Oilers can win!

BLH note: Sure it would just be game 7 of 82 but if the Oilers won 3 in a row here, would that change the way other fans/teams look at this squad?

Thanks for reading tonight, let me know what you think @madi39 or in the comment section below!

 

Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Oilers Post Game Report, Madison Moroz, NHL

BLH Post Gamer- G4 Edmonton Oilers Vs St. Louis Blues.

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I don’t even know where to start with tonight. The Oilers came out like banshees the first 5 minutes and looked like this was going to be a good solid game for them. They were winning puck battles, putting pucks on net, putting the St. Louis defence on their heels and doing exactly what was needed for them to stand a chance tonight. The boys in orange had two good quality scoring chances with Lauri Korpikoski capitalizing on one that seemed to be just a harmless dump in.

Fast forward 2 minutes after the Oilers scored and everyone is caught staring at the puck like its a pair of Katy Perry’s rack and St Louis nets one to tie it up. To the Oilers credit they did keep a good strong 2 or 3 minutes after that and once again looked like they were going to be sustain some sort of momentum for the rest of the period. But the Blues did what they do best and enforced their will upon the Oilers to take over for the rest of the period, killing all Oilers momentum.

https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/654849090933673988

The second period was fantastic up until the Tarasenko rocket going top cheddar on Talbot, but in his defence that would’ve went in on 99.9% of all NHL goalies. That just seems to be the way its going though. In typical Oilers fashion all the momentum they had built up in the second killed by a lazy face-off draw. So instead of getting in the lane of the shooter and causing him to second guess the shot, they just became pylons screening Talbot. It’s these bad habits the Oilers have to break and they have to break them quick because elite teams like the Blues are just going to pounce on it every single time. All the air was out of the building by that time until… Hall scored that magnificent goal!

There were actual boo’s at some points of the third, not something McDavid was used to hearing in Erie I imagine. It’s just bad habit after bad habit costing this team games, every time the puck is ending up in the net but on the positive side, less times than before because there is some actual goaltending in the net for once. Not only that but with some sort of actual defensive system set up by Jay Woodcroft.

I’m not sure what the mentality of this team is going forward, but something has to give, something has to change or get better. It’s like they think since their defence is improved and the goaltending is improved they can sort of lean back on it and not be as aggressive on the offensive side. Right now it seems anyone not named hall, who leads the team with 20 shots in 4 games, is willing to put the puck on the net enough. Hall hasn’t played the greatest but he’s at least trying to keep things moving and trying to create something out of nothing. But tonight, once again, there just wasn’t enough of that urgency. And like the old hockey saying goes, Keep. It. Simple. Stupid.

To establish some sort of confidence especially against teams like the Blues they are going to need simplify everything, and once you start to gain that confidence, then throw in that curveball to your game and see how the opposing team reacts. Tonight’s game just reeked of everything the Oilers can do to sabotage themselves, it’s going to take some time for them to get out of the funk and get the bad habits out of their system, but how much time can we as fans allow? How much time do the young stars of this team have?

Tonight’s three Beer League Heroes are:

1.Vladimir Tarasenko – What more do you need to say about this kid? Has an unbelievable release, break away speed and is strong on his feet, he played excellent tonight and was all over the ice.

2.Brian Elliott – This guy has been an Oiler killer the last 6 games against them, he’s just a solid goalie who keeps his team in it every night, and tonight when the Oilers applied the pressure, he made sure not to fold and he kept things calm.

3.Taylor Hall – Appears to be the only Oiler trying to establish some offence by throwing everything he can at the net. He started off slow this game, but really picked it up and start gaining some traction and you could see his wheels started going.

Now for the Golden Plunger award….

EVERYONE, not named Taylor Hall or Cam Talbot. I admit Talbot had not his best game, but he was making saves and doing what he needed to keep them in it and was there for his team when the shite hit the fan. Yes, he had a crazy giveaway, but he wasn’t the issue tonight and hasn’t been since he’s arrived.

Taylor Hall tends to drive this bus most of the time and it would be nice if others would just hop on along for the ride sometimes and build off his momentum.The rest of the team, doesn’t matter if you’re Connor Mcdavid or Mark Letestu, someone has to step up along side and create some sort of force to reckon with. Tonight was just awful, do we need to play Where’s Waldo? No! Instead let’s play Where’s Pouliot? Where’s Yakupov? Where’s Eberle…just kidding. Point made, there are too many invisibles right now and players need to start making an impact if they aren’t scoring. No one could handle the puck tonight, could make a solid tape to tape pass Now it’s not time to hit the panic button but it might be time to wake up.

Overall, tonight playing in front of your home crowd for the first time of the young season and the last time in that arena, they come out with a stinker. It seems once the game gets close, the Oilers can’t hold on and  weather the storm. Its going to take time for everyone to gel again with the new system, new faces behind the bench, growing pains are the worst with this team it seems. The first 5-7 minutes of the game and the 15 minutes in the second is how they need to play every night. Wear down opponents, be relentless, show that you are there to play. Here’s to hoping the Oilers are just one game of away of showing the world who they are.

Now of course there are positive things to the start of this season, we have the #1 PK in the league, we have confident goaltenders who are keeping us in games and we have an improved defense and system in place.

The next game is Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks, a game the Oilers should be able to win. Its not a very good Vancouver team and should be a game the Oilers can build momentum off of and come away with a win. They have to be aggressive, relentless and play a simple game come Sunday and shove the puck down the Canucks throat. The Oilers can’t let them breathe and the must force the turnovers, use the speed they have and send some stretch passes on Vancouver’s d-core to cause some havoc.

Thanks for reading everyone, if you’d like let me know what you think @madi39 or in the comments below!