Tag Archives: Islanders

Edmonton Oilers, Zach Laing

Oilers vs Islanders Preview – New look Oilers seek fresh start

Playoffs seem distant don't they...

 

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (22-34-7, 51 pts) vs New York Islanders (33-19-7, 73 pts)

Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton

Time: 7:30 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet One – Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

After falling to the hands of the Islanders 8-1 in Brooklyn on Feb. 7, the Oilers just haven’t quite looked the same.

The loss was dejecting, frustrating and downright disappointing. Since then, the Oilers have gone a measly 1-6-2 and have looked like a different team. The losing has taken it’s toll and the Oilers core group realizes it may not be together at the start of next year.

As tough as it may be to see happen, the truth is that the Oilers will likely have to do a deal involving Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Jordan Eberle.

Peter Chiarelli’s comments yesterday noted that he wants to see the Oilers three centers – RNH, Draisaitl and McDavid – all playing together at once for an extended period. This is something the Oilers have not had the luxury of seeing this year.

Moving forward, there is an obvious need for this team to play with more fire and more passion in the game. We got a good look at that during the Oilers last two games in California against some really good Los Angeles and Anaheim teams.

Despite coming out on the short end of the stick, the Oilers managed to keep the games close to the end. That’s something we saw from the Oilers earlier in the year when they had put some real nice games together.

For the players, from now until the end of the year it is all about proving to the management team that they want to be Edmonton Oilers.

I’ve been told that Jordan Eberle has a desire to stay in Edmonton, and there is a chance he could moving forward. Now, he has to prove on the ice that he does by continuing to play at an elite level alongside Connor McDavid and Benoit Pouliot.

No nights off, no plays off.

That mentality needs to become embedded in the Oilers, and in their style of play. Starting tonight, the Oilers need to change the pace and change the attitude of the way they play night in and night out. Otherwise, the team will continue to be a laughing stock in the NHL.

The Oilers have a bit of a new look now that they have moved on from Justin Schultz, Teddy Purcell and Anders Nilsson. Expect a post from me later tonight analyzing those deals.

 

Predictions for tonight:

  1. Oilers win 4-2, breaking the curse the Islanders left on us in Brooklyn.
  2. Connor McHatTrick.
  3. The Oilers make a trade while the game is on.

New York Islanders Preview: 

Defenseman Ryan Pulock likely will make his NHL debut. Pulock had seven goals and 24 points in 51 games with Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. “There’s a good chance Ryan will play tomorrow,” coach Jack Capuano said after practice Saturday. Defenseman Calvin de Haan (lower body) remains out, so Marek Zidlicky or Brian Strait likely will be a healthy scratch to make room for Pulock. New York has won the first three games of a season-long seven-game road trip. Goalie Jaroslav Halak started each of those games and allowed two goals; he hasn’t started four straight since Jan. 14-25. – nhl.com

Line Combos and Starting Goalies c/o Left Wing Lock:
Oilers (Cam Talbot):

Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Zack Kassian
Benoit Pouliot – Connor McDavid – Jordan Eberle
Matt Hendricks – Mark Letestu – Lauri Korpikoski
Jujhar Khaira – Anton Lander – Nail Yakupov

Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Jordan Oesterle – Brandon Davidson
Darnell Nurse- Adam Clendening

EDM Injuries: Oscar Klefbom (undisclosed), Andrew Ference (hip), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (hand), Eric Gryba (knee).

Scratched: Iiro Pakarinen

New York Islanders (Jaroslav Halak):

Josh Bailey – John Tavares – Ryan Strome
Nikolai Kulemin – Frans Nielsen – Kyle Okposo
Anders Lee – Brock Nelson – Cal Clutterbuck
Matt Martin – Casey Cizikas – Eric Boulton

Nick Leddy – Johnny Boychuk
Brian Strait – Ryan Pulock
Thomas Hickey – Travis Hamonic

Any ideas on how to improve my game previews? Send me an email at zjlaing@gmail.com.

 

Armchair GM, Edmonton Oilers, Rumors, Zach Laing

Oilers vs Blackhawks Preview – Hamonic to Edmonton?

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (6-12-0) vs Chicago Blackhawks (10-7-1)

Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta

Time: 7:30 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet One – Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

Hard to think about a pregame when there are rumours of the Oilers trading for a stud defenceman like Hamonic. None the less, the team must prepare to take on the Chicago Blackhawks for the second time in the last 10 days. The Oilers know what they face in the Blackhawks.

They are a fast, strong, high-scoring team that will basically impose their will on any team they like. A tough task for any team, the Oilers need to look to slow down the Blackhawks game. When we played them 10 days ago, the Oilers were in it to the end and outshot the Blackhawks by a total of 36-28.

Tonight, the Oilers hope that they can replicate their November 8th performance only this time, come out on top.

Walter Foddis’ Pregame Metrics

Addressing the Rumours

Earlier this afternoon, it was reported by Elliotte Friedman that Travis Hamonic has requested a trade to a Western Canadian team.

Very quietly, the New York Islanders are trying a manoeuvre a difficult situation — the possibility of trading Travis Hamonic…There’s a ton to like about this player. He’s a right-hand shot, top-pairing defenceman with four years remaining on a good-value contract.”

This could in fact be a huge opportunity for the Edmonton Oilers to improve off of what has been a tire fire of a defence for some time.

Currently, the 25-year old right handed shot Hamonic has four more years left on a deal that will pay him an AAV of $3.85 Million/yr. His numbers aren’t fantastic. Over his 347 game career, he has scored 115 points, 47% CF all at 22 minutes of ice time.

BLH feels that “acquiring Travis Hamonic would be a GIANT step in the right direction for the Oilers and it would show not only the fans but the NHL that Chiarelli means business and he’s not willing to sit on his hands unlike previous GMs.” You can expect an article from him soon covering this potential deal in more depth.

The Otherside:

Goalie Corey Crawford will start for Chicago, which is 2-5-0 on the road heading into its “Circus Trip” to Western Canada and California. Since coach Joel Quenneville took over in October 2008, the Blackhawks have made six November “Circus Trips” and gone 25-10-2, outscoring opponents 125-92. They’re 4-1-0 against the Oilers during that span and 11-2-0 overall on the trip the past two years, including 5-1-0 last season. “I certainly think your team gets a lot closer [during the trip], and with the number of new guys that we have, I think that’ll be a good experience for some,” Quenneville said. “The best thing about it [is] it’ll be a good test to find out how we can play consistently on the road in some real tough buildings.”  – nhl.com

Line Combos and Starting Goalies:

Oilers (Anders Nilsson):


Oilers lineup c/o Left Wing Lock

Blackhawks (Corey Crawford):


Blackhawks lineup c/o Left Wing Lock

Any ideas on how to improve my game previews? Send me an email at zjlaing@gmail.com.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHSNahtN5Vg]

Brennen York, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

WHL Players to Watch

Another exciting season of WHL hockey is right around the corner, and with main camps kicking off this week, the anticipation of opening night is almost unbearable. There are tons of enticing storylines to watch for as the season gets underway, and the one I will be watching the closest is how the 2016 draft eligibles will perform. Over at DraftGeek.ca, we currently list six WHL’ers in our top thirty which is somewhat underwhelming, however I fully expect to see Sam Steel, Tyler Benson, and Jake Bean’s stock rise over the course of the year, meaning we could see three WHL players in the top ten come draft week. Aside from the draft eligibles, there’s a laundry list of players to keep an eye on this season for a number of different reasons.

Mathew Barzal (C) – Seattle Thunderbirds

After an injury plagued campaign in 2015, Mathew Barzal has possibly the most to prove out of any Western Hockey League player. Barzal will be a huge threat this year as his elite level puck skills and vision make him a dangerous junior hockey player. The T-Birds are a team on the rise with a good, young core in place; it’s possible we see them take over as the top squad in the U.S division. Though they will lose veterans like Shea Theodore, Roberts Lipsbergs, and Justin Hickman, players like Nolan Volcan, Gropp, Kolesar, and Bear will be able to pick up the slack, and along with Barzal carry the team into the playoffs.

Nolan Patrick (C) – Brandon Wheat Kings

Nolan Patrick may be the next superstar to come from the WHL. Since Ryan Nugent Hopkins, the WHL has lacked in elite talent near the top of the draft order, and I’m not saying they haven’t been producing great talent, there just hasn’t been a Jonathan Toews or Steven Stamkos level prospect come around for a while. That changes with Nolan Patrick. I believe he’s the next one. Nolan brings a unique package to the Wheat Kings in that he’s as good of a goal scorer as he is a puck distributor. He has a big frame and gets around the ice extremely well. The Wheaties will push for a memorial cup this season, and it will be on the back of Nolan Patrick.

Carter Hart (G) – Everett Silvertips

The 2014/15 season was an interesting one for the young netminder. Playing behind a veteran goaltender usually means you won’t see a ton of starts, and it’ll be a while before you see time as a regular. Carter had a different story to write. After unseating Austin Lotz as the starter late into the season, Hart ran with the starting gig throughout the playoffs posting a .929 save percentage along the way. Coming off a gold medal at the Ivan Hlinka tournament, expect Carter to come into the season with a ton of confidence. Without anyone to really push for the job, I fully expect Carter to run with the job and finish top 10 in the league.

Conner Bleackley (C) – Red Deer Rebels

It wouln’t be a huge surprise to see Bleackley stick around in Colorado this season, but with the additions of Carl Soderberg and Mikhail Grigorenko, it’s more likely he suits up for the Rebels this season. With a lack of game breaking forwards up front, Bleackley will be heavily relied upon as the key offensive spark plug for the Mem Cup hosts. Conner is a strong two way player who isn’t necessarily considered an offensive minded player, but this will be the year we get to watch him emerge as a dominant junior hockey player. If all goes well for Conner, his offensive totals will be in the 70 point range. If he can prove to be a reliable point producer this season, it’s likely he’s brought in as a third line NHL’er next season.

Of course there are a ton of players who will play key roles on their clubs this season, but if I were to list every player who’s poised to have a breakout campaign I’d be writing for weeks. In a year that almost any team will be able to push for a playoff spot, I think this will be a very exciting season, and I can’t wait to get things rolling.