Tag Archives: Maroon

Edmonton Oilers, Michael Sifeldeen, NHL

The Half-Season Report Card

So now that we have 41 games in the books, how has the Oilers’ season fared thus far? Some lists, as of this writing:

**BLH’s Note** – I was a bit slow (read as hungover) to get this post out before the Sens/Oilers game tonight but the gist of Mike’s post remains the same. Please enjoy! – BLH**

THE WEST


EVERYONE ELSE

As I type this, the Edmonton Oilers are the 2nd best team in the Pacific Division, and the 9th (NINTH) best team in the NHL. Holy crap. When was the last time the Oilers were in the top-third in the league at the halfway mark of a season? I’m not even going to look that stat up because I know how depressing and awful it will be.

Wheel, snipe, celly, boys. We are officially basement-dwellers no longer. (Speaking of snipes and cellys, congrats to Matt Benning on his first career NHL goal tonight! Always stoked to see a newbie get his first. Here’s hoping to a long future with Benning on the Oilers blueline.)


THE FACTS

Man, it’s been an emotional roller coaster of a season, hasn’t it? There’s something about being vaguely in playoff contention for most of a season make the highs feel really high, and the lows really low. There have been multiple points in the season where I’ve felt that we’ll never lose a game again, and just as many where it seems like we’ll never be able to squeak out a win.

There are consistency issues with this group, but, like this evening, they’re pulling it together and finding ways to win more often than not, and at this point in our team’s development, that’s a promising thing.

As we watch the Pacific play out, it’s seeming more and more likely that this is a good year for us to see some postseason play for the first time in over a decade, and if we can keep this general pace up through the second half of the season (which features a much more Oilers-friendly travel and game schedule), I don’t see why we can’t make it happen with this group, especially as some usual Pacific heavyweights struggle.

We need to take advantage of the situation we’ve been presented with and keep the pressure going into February and through April.


MY THOUGHTS

  • McDavid is McDavid, that much goes without saying. He’s perfect and I love him.
  • Draisaitl is a horse game in and game out, and I won’t even flinch if Pete gives him $6M this offseason.
  • Larsson is a big, mean, minute-eating machine and hasn’t made me miss Taylor Hall once since the season began.
  • Kris Russell — despite the continued and relentless naysaying from nerds on Twitter with their noses in stat sheets — has been good.
  • Lucic I’m undecided on; I think he needs this season to get up to speed with the way he’s going to have to play going forward if he’s going to be on McDavid’s wing in the future.
  • Thankfully, Patrick Maroon just continues to be a goddamn beauty and make up for Looch’s shortcomings so far this season. (And congrats to him on his first hatty a couple nights ago!) I’d be happy protecting Maroon for expansion and exposing Davidson with the way he and Benning have been playing, and in my little fantasy land where everything is happy and people get what they deserve, Maroon and Pouliot’s contracts would be straight swapped.
  • Nuge has been clutch in a few key situations in the last month or so, but I think both he and Ebs need to get their lives together a little bit and start producing at-or-near where they were in seasons past. (Uh, hello, have these guys forgotten that they were our top line guys for like four years? They aren’t even really producing at a solid second line pace through 41 this season.)
  • Puljujarvi needs to go to the AHL immediately and start playing big minutes. He needs seasoning and we are truly treating him even worse than we did Draistail in 2013. I’m quite concerned with how Chiarelli and McLellan are utilizing him, and why he hasn’t been sent down as of like last month is a mystery to me. We have a Finn in Bakersfield who can befriend the guy and help him out if it’s a language-barrier thing. I just want that big pizza-eating goof to turn into the stud we know he can be. :]
  • Caggiula is great! (I told you guys he would be.) Sort of reminds me of an early-2010s Eberle back when he gave a shit, with regard to his agility and general skill in tight situations with the puck. He’s sneaky, unusually strong on the puck for a little guy, and has some pretty silky mitts. Give this kid another season or two of solid third line minutes and some PP time and I don’t see why he doesn’t become a 60-point scorer by his mid-20s.
  • You’ll recall, dear BLH readers, I also predicted Mark Letestu as a regular in the lineup because of his good attitude and solid 3/4 line stats. The only thing I missed was neglecting to type his full name: Mark “Shootout and Overtime Specialist” Letestu.

THE GRADE

B+

We’ve got a good thing going here, boys. Keep it up.

Please.

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Edmonton Oilers, Kris Hansen, NHL

BLH Edmonton Oilers Weekly Recap March 24-April 2nd

The Week that Was

Hahahaha, no. This week was terrible for the Edmonton Oilers. I mean the game against Anaheim wasn’t awful, still lost 2-1. Then came the giant stinker from last night: a 5-0 loss to the dreaded Calgary Flames.

Why are people upset? It’s game 80, Oilers aren’t making the playoffs for a tenth straight year. Well, that stinker was the last Battle of Alberta game at Rexall Place and the Edmonton Oilers failed to show up to the damn game.

Edmonton Oilers Stars of the Week

After that effort, there is not going to be any stars given this week except for one: Todd McLellan. Boy has this guy gone through a lot this season and it’s recapped by this awesome press conference from last night’s post game.

Look at that fire in his eyes. This is a guy that freaking. hates. losing. He’s not accepting this sad show effort that was given last night. He even swore in the press conference! McLellan does not beat around the bushes to how bad the Oilers were last night. I think he has his own list of players he would love to keep and players he would jet into the sun. It was a horrible team effort and McLellan attacks the issue with the attitude in the room. Did he mention specific players? No. He still doesn’t throw specific players under the bus (well, now that Justin Schultz is gone).

I loved the comment about how they will work on Monday. You can bet your life that they will be bagged skated. Oilers fans are in a very sour mood today and I can’t blame them (personally I’m going to avoid social media today because of that).

It’s a tough loss for sure but remember, it’s a crappy loss for a crappy team. They happen. I know everyone wants to blow up the team but I don’t think that’s quite right. There will be changes, there will be old faces gone replaced by new faces. Yet, dismantling an entire team? When has that ever worked out?

Edmonton Oilers News and Notes

April 30th is the Draft Lottery. I think everyone has that circled in their calendars.

Lowetide continues to bring a level headed approach concerning the Oilers. 

Who is Alex Lyon and why are the Oilers after him?

At the Oilers Rig I’m looking at Chiarelli’s moves One Year In. Latest addition were the summer trades. 

Connor McDavid was named rookie of the month for March.  This was McDavid’s third rookie of the month award and is the only rookie this season to win multiple ones.

Nail Yakupov requested a trade out of Edmonton. 

Around the League

Toronto Media is getting prepared for when Edmonton wins the draft lottery 

Duncan Keith somehow only got 6 games for using his stick as a weapon 

Three players were fined for diving, including Nail Yakupov 

Former NHL Referee Don Wicks passed away at 76. 

The NHL had emails leaked and boy, do they make the NHL look horrible. You can search for them at this article 

Highlights

Dustin Byfuglien destroyed Mark Stone

Wilson destroyed Zadorov too

Maroon is a beauty.

The Week Ahead

The Edmonton Oilers wrap up their season with a back to back games against the Vancouver Canucks including Wednesday for their final game at Rexall Place and Saturday at Roger’s Arena.

That’s the week that was, have yourselves a good week and follow me on Twitter. 

Edmonton Oilers, Zach Laing

Oilers vs Flyers – Maroon makes Oilers debut

Shaughn Butts/Edmonton Journal

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (23-34-7, 55 pts) vs Philadelphia Flyers (29-22-11, 69 points.

Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Time: 5:00 PM MT

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

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

Two in a row!

That’s right, the Oilers come into tonight’s matchup after winning two in a row. After defeating the New York Islanders 3-1 on home ice Sunday night, the Oilers Connor McDavid beat the Sabres 2-1 in OT.

The win in Buffalo was the Oilers first game on a brief four game road trip which will be the team’s longest road trip before the end of the season on April 9th.

Tonight, Patrick Maroon makes his Oilers on the third line with Mark Letestu and Lauri Korpikoski. I don’t think it would be out of the realm of possibility to see him play some minutes with McDavid and Eberle and McLellan mentioned that today.

“We just want him to feel comfortable,” McLellan said. “Will he move up? Will he move around? Of course he will, because we’re trying to adapt and adjust with a bunch of new players. Let’s let him get his feet wet, let’s let him feel comfortable and then we’ll figure out where he fits.”

Maroon has 79 points in 204 games played and has this season he has 13 points in 56 game played.

“I’m really excited, it’s going to be a great opportunity for me,” he said. “Anaheim was really good to me, but they had to make some moves and I was the guy to go. I’m excited to become an Edmonton Oiler. This team is going to be really good in a few years. Just to be part of this rebuild, and the new stadium, is really exciting for me.”

“I have pretty good hands for a big man,” Maroon said. “My job is to create space for my linemates, get to the net, create some havoc and hopefully we can get some goals.”

I really like the style of game that he plays, and I think he will be a good addition to this team. At only $1.5 million per for the next two years, he is on a very reasonable contract given the success he saw alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in the past.

He seems to be coming into town with the right attitude and I am really happy with this move. To me, Maroon is one of those ‘love him if you have him, hate him if you don’t’ guys. Now that he’s in Edmonton, I love him.

Yak is back!

Predictions for tonight:

  1. Maroon is awesome, and gets time in the top six tonight.
  2. The Pardy Party continues and he follows up his debut with another strong performance.
  3. Connor McDavid avenges his injury suffered at the hands of the Flyers, and takes it to the next level. 2G, 1 A.

Flyers Preview: 

For Philadelphia, the Stanley Cup Playoffs already have started. “Right now every game is a playoff game for us,” defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere told the Flyers website Wednesday. “We need points in every game.” The Flyers have won three straight and are three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild card into the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. “We’re going to fight to get back into a playoff spot,” forward Claude Giroux said. “There’s no quitting in this team.” Steve Mason could start in goal Thursday. In three games against the Oilers with the Flyers, he’s 3-0-0 with a 1.95 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. Michal Neuvirth has started the past four games, going 3-1-0 with a 2.53 GAA and .907 save percentage. He made 29 saves in a 5-3 win Monday against the Calgary Flames.

— NHL.com

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

Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Zack Kassian
Nail Yakupov – Connor McDavid – Jordan Eberle
Patrick Maroon – Mark Letestu – Lauri Korpikoski
Matt Hendricks – Anton Lander – Adam Cracknell

Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Adam Clendening – Darnell Nurse
Adam Pardy (Party) – Brandon Davidson

EDM Injuries: Oscar Klefbom (leg infection), Andrew Ference (hip), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (hand), Eric Gryba (knee), Benoit Pouliot (unknown, but likely shoulder separation).

Scratched: Iiro Pakarinen, Luke Gazdic, Nikita Nikitin

Philadelphia Flyers (Michal Neuvirth): 

Brayden Schenn – Claude Giroux – Wayne Simmonds
Michael Raffl – Sean Couturier – Sam Gagner
Scott Laughton – Nick Cousins – Matt Read
Chris Vandevelde – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – Ryan White

Andrew MacDonald – Shayne Gotisbehere
Nick Schultz – Mark Streit
Evgeni Medvedev – Radko Gudas

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