Tag Archives: NHL Hockey

Madison Moroz, NHL

No Player Would Avoid This All Star Game

all star

Today’s All-Star game has become something of a farce as of late. Within recent years having big name players dropping out, such as Sidney Crosby, Pavel Datsyuk and now most recently from this year Alexander Ovechkin and Jonathan Toews who would excel at the new 3 on 3 format. It seems the game has lost its lustre, has lost the honour it once held when every single guy was thrilled to play to represent their conference or country. Wales vs Campbell, North America vs the world, those were the days. There was still a level of playfulness but guys still went hard, they backchecked a little, goalies gave a little extra effort. There was still a sense of pride within the players when they played and now it’s just become some sort of spectacle where no one really gives a flying $@!#. The NHL has to do something to make this game meaningful again, make guys want to play in it, not start campaigns like Jagr (who yes I know is older) did telling everyone to not vote for him, or we have the Rory Fitzpatrick incident in the 2006-2007 season, and now our most recent John Scott debacle.

This game should have some purpose, should have some heart still attached to it. It was refreshing to hear in an interview on Oilers TV with Tom Gazzola and Taylor Hall and see how excited he was and have this little tid bit of a quote “I think it’s going to be a good experience. It’s going to be fast. I don’t know about the other guys, but I’m going to try pretty hard. I’m excited about the whole thing.” Does he need to go out there and try hard, by all means no but he wants to cause there is still meaning to this game to him, there is still a little something to prove out there with best of the best.

Here are some proposing changes in my opinion that could make this game worth something, where guys wouldn’t get sick or “injuries” and miss the game and its festivities.

1.Put something meaningful on the line for the game, not just cash.

I am going to have to steal this idea from the MLB All-star game, which yes is an All-star game to the fans, but to the players, something much bigger is on the line. That being the winning conference AL or NL, gets home field advantage come world series time. I’m not sure if anyone has ever watched one before but these guys still joke around have a little fun, but it’s still down to business and they are doing everything they can to make sure their team wins, in hopes they get home field advantage in the world series. I believe the NHL should adopt this idea, and give the winning conference home ice advantage for the hardest trophy to win in all of the sports. Guys like Ovechkin, and Crosby and Datsyuk and many others wouldn’t be skipping this game and taking their slap on the wrist. Especially guys on cup contenders or guys in playoff positions, they wouldn’t want to miss the chance of ensuring that if their team makes the final, they get the home ice advantage.

Now by all means, I’m not saying for these players to go out and hit and give it 120% and risk an injury and hurt themselves or someone else and kill the rest of their season. Just simply would like to see some more backchecking, some actual defensive play, and guys not cherry picking every shift looking to hang out and overall a bit more effort. Would love to see the goalies not hung out to dry as often, and let them make some impactful saves, keep them in the game. By all means I’m not saying take away that sense of fun and being able to let loose during the game, some of the best moments are the players mic’d up for example in the 2011-2012 All-star game, Scott Hartnell mic’d up and chirping Dion Phaneuf every chance he got, was fantastic to see and showed how light-hearted some of the more aggressive bruisers of the game are.

2.Take away the fan voting, not entirely but establish a new system

Now obviously I might take a little heat on this one, because some tend to enjoy the fact that the fans can have control like they do in deciding who is an NHL All-star and who’s not. One small problem, fans tend to make some poor player a mockery of it or a joke causing incidents like the “Vote for Rory Fitzpatrick” campaign that happened during the 2006-2007 season, even the player going as far as making up T-shirts and pushing himself when he clearly doesn’t belong there. I propose that the NHL establish a committee of Head coaches, scouts and even some analysts and pick the respective players that deserve to be there. You could even just do Head coaches and scouts as they have the best seat in the house every night to know which players belong and which doesn’t. I believe you could get a fair group of the best of the best, but still maintain each team must be represented by minimum 1 player and continue with the captain system and let him pick.

Now as far as the fan voting goes, it shouldn’t be abolished but there should be some sort of restriction in a sense. Instead of having the ability to vote for anyone and writing in anyone one player, have a larger group handpicked by the selection committee, which could be a mix of fan favorites from each team and rookies, or however they would like to break it up that way.Keep say 1 spot open per team, a wildcard position if you must and let the fans vote on that player. It keeps the fans interactive still and ices the best product for the weekend, even in the skills competition.

3. Last not but not least, which is the most drastic idea, but create heavy fines and suspensions for missing out.

It always seems so convenient that a player comes down with an illness or a nagging injury that just so happens to flare up days before the All-star game. These guys may not know it, but they are dropping the value of this game, the game its self is losing the integrity and it’s sad to see. Yes I do understand some guys really can’t play and could use the few days rest, but the NHL needs to set up a neutral doctor in these situations to make sure these guys are in fact A-okay to play and aren’t just using a little sore wrist to get out what’s supposed to be an amazing display of skill and raw talent, especially this year with the new 3 on 3 format. Start making these players accountable in a big way for missing and I’m certain they will think twice before missing. But maybe if ideas 1 and 2 happen, they won’t need to even worry about this. I do understand they get a little slap on the wrist for missing the game, but I would rather see a heavier fine and heavier suspension if a player is, in fact, choosing not go without a legitimate reason.

In closing, we all just want to see the best of the best in the NHL face off against each other, the ones who deserve to be there at. Watch them enjoy themselves on the ice and still show the lighter side of what can be a brutal sport sometimes. Also, have them share a fantastic weekend with their families, cause for some this is their first or their last All-Star experience. The NHL needs to do something to make this game more meaningful, give it more purpose, they made it more exciting with the 3 on 3. Now it’s time to make this game worth something again, and restore the honour this weekend once had and bestowed upon its participating players and not just make it all for the show, but again make it so players are counting down the days to get there and putting something important on the line.

Here’s a look at the 2016 NHL All-Star Jerseys in case no one as seen them, let us know what you think in the comments below.

 

Thanks for reading everyone, let me know what you think  @madi39 on twitter or in the comments section below!

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

BLH Post Gamer- G11- Edmonton Oilers Vs Montreal Canadiens

HOLY JUMPING!!!!!! WHAT A COMEBACK!!!! WHAT…..A…….COMEBACK……!!!!! I’M STILL AT A LOSS OF WORDS!!

Okay back to reality. This team showed such resiliency and effort. They never gave up and the players that we needed to step, stepped up! Leon was up for his first game of the season, Darnell Nurse with his second, they both helped lead the charge with their never give up attitude and made strong cases to stay with the big club.

First Period: This should be game film for the rest of the year to emphasize what NOT to do in a game. The Oilers came out flat footed, disorganized and looked like a bunch of baboons on skates. They were outshot 11-5, out scored 3-0 and this game was looking like it was going to be a blow out. 2 of the 3 goals in the period were just flat out defensive brain farts, a Klefbom turnover (unlike him). He should have been much more aggressive on Torrey Mitchell and forced him to make a play instead of being a screen for Talbot. Klefbom could have tried to force him wide or at least force him to throw a muffin on net, something other than giving him the opportunity to fire a rocket top cheddar on Talbot. Then mere seconds later, Lander decided to guard the invisible man in front and Galchenyuk was left all alone for an easy tap in.

They looked like they had no clue what was going on out there, they couldn’t handle passes, break outs, heaven forbid a pass was made on the tape. Even though he let in 3 goals on 11 shots, Cam Talbot once again was standing tall and keeping the game from going out of control. Kudos to you good sir, Kudos to you!

https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/659927093422239744

Second Period: This was a test, a true test to see how this young group could respond after playing their worst hockey of the year. I most likely can’t repeat what Coach McLellan said in the room during the intermission but I imagine a lot of F bombs were dropped and shame was thrown around like no tomorrow. Whatever was said, worked and it worked like magic.

The Oilers came out with some energy, some actual structure and organization. The boys showed some passion and fight. They showed effort outshooting the Habs 11-5 this period as they hemmed the Canadiens in their zone with a lot more sustained pressure. Quality chances were coming through and you could get a sense they were gonna put one behind the best goalie in the league, Carey Price.

The Breakouts were much cleaner, passes much simpler and crisper, and the intensity and speed picked up rigorously as the Oilers started to determine and set the pace of the game. Then they finally caught a break as Montreal took a penalty late in the game. The Oilers had good puck movement and work off the half wall which lead ultimately to Leon Draisaitl who was behind the net. With a clever little bank shot off of Carey Prices behind ze German got the boys on the board! A bounce that finally went their way.

Third Period: This is the period where the young, quick, talented, hard working Oilers showed up, and boy did they show up! What we witnessed was complete domination by the Oilers in the third period versus the NHL’s best team. Once again led by Connor McDavid, who just seems to take games over when needed. Along with Taylor Hall, these two have driven their respective lines and have turned games around for the Oilers this year. It really feels like the pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together.

The third period began with a fruitless power play but they carried the momentum with them onward after it ended. They had their wheels going, out muscling defenders and beating them to the pucks. The Oilers had the leagues best team on their heels and they had no signs of slowing down.

Connor McDavid made a smart play to fight for the puck, keep it alive and get it to the point man Darnell Nurse but instead of firing it on net, he showed patience and passed it off to Brandon Davidson who walked in and unleashed a bomb that found the back of the net with a little screen from Nail Yakupov. At this point you knew that it was on like Donkey Kong! The Oilers kept this momentum going, the defence was doing an excellent job at making sure the Habs weren’t getting rebounds and that the shots were coming from the outside, making Talbot’s job much easier for the rest of the night.

Entry into the Oilers’ zone got increasingly more difficult from the beginning of the third period as the boys in blue and orange limited the Habs’ third period shots to a measly 5. It was only few shifts later that the line of Yakupov-McDavid-Pouliot struck again with a fantastic play that started in their own zone.  A chip up the boards by Yak, then McDavid, with the presence of mind to see Pouliot breaking down the middle ice unmolested, made a nice little one touch pass whilst fending off one of the best defencemen in the NHL, PK Subban; to send Pouliot on a mini breakaway where he fired it home to tie it up!! The building went bananas!

The Oilers didn’t stop there, they continued to put pressure on Montreal’s broken defence, using their speed and support systems to force them into making mistakes. Then… Finally it happened in the last minute of play. Taylor Hall dumps it in, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins uses his speed and out muscles former Oiler Jeff Petry off the puck, circles the net and makes a beautiful pass to a trailing Leon Draisaitl who has a wide open cage to net the go ahead goal! One of the best comebacks I’ve seen in a long time and against the best in the league! OUTSTANDING!!!

Interesting tidbit about the game, a small quote from Coach Mclellan regarding something Taylor Hall did for Leon Draisaitl, if you ever questioned Hall’s leadership, i’d suggest you stop;

The evening’s Beer League Three Heroes were:

1.Leon Draisaitl – Been high on the kid since before he was drafted. He clearly took what little time he had down in the AHL and used it to his advantage. He looked stronger, smarter; more mature and far less hesitant with the puck. He was going to all the right areas on the ice, and even looked good defensively, oh and he netted the game winner to go along with another. Two goals on the evening!!

2. Connor McDavid – You know I’m getting real sick and tired of putting this kid up here…. Ahhh who am I kidding? I’ll never get tired of it. After an abysmal first he took over this game. His speed couldn’t be handled, his tenacity to get the puck wasn’t matched by any Montreal player, and he made two magnificent plays to set up the tying goal and the second goal. Seven game point streak for the kid including two assists.

3.Ryan Nugent Hopkins – He played the most minutes of anyone in the game, forward and defence. just over 25 minutes. A great performance was had at both ends of the ice, apart from having an off night in the faceoff circle, he had numerous takeaways. He also really had his legs underneath him, and made an incredible hard working play to set up Dr.Drai for the game winner. This guy is something else. One assist on the night.

You know what the Golden Plunger can sit beside the Toilet today… that was too epic of a comeback, but an honourable mention will just go to the horrible first period.

Here are some post game metrics AKA Fancy stats from our very own Walter Foddis!

Helluva of a ride! Especially with that first period where everyone was ready to step off the ledge, to the dominating second and third periods. Those were the catalysts to one of the best comebacks this team has ever seen, especially against the best team in the NHL at this point in time. What the Oilers did in the second and third periods are what they will have to replicate every game. The urgency, the commitment, the extra 10% every shift and not giving up no matter the score. Sticking to the game plan, trusting one another and feeding off each and every player on that bench. This isn’t the team of individual efforts anymore, it’s about creating momentum and possession.

Next game is against the Calgary Flames Saturday night for another installment of the BOA. Last time out it was a bit of a cake walk, but the Oilers can’t expect it to be the same. Calgary hasn’t been playing so hot and is going to be hungry and looking for some vengeance for their last loss against the Oilers. Edmonton will just have to do what they did last game, continue to find the scoring areas, use their speed down the wings and crash the net as either Flames goalie doesn’t have the highest of confidence. Lots of shots, quick movement and sticking to the game plan and the Oilers should walk away with a win, especially after having the momentum they have after this win, and playing Calgary at home. Should be a high energy packed game with the Oilers coming out on top.

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

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

BLH Post Gamer- G8 Edmonton Oilers Vs Washington Capitals

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Tonight was a big test for the Edmonton Oilers, coming in on a three game winning streak and beating the Red Wings last game rather convincingly. But man oh man was it just a gong show from the puck drop, we knew it was going to be a shootout with the Capitals but I just didn’t expect it to be a slaughter. Washington was coming off a back to back and was starting their back up, Phillip Grubauer. Edmonton should have came out and forced the puck down their throats and wore them down as much as possible. Instead they tried to skate with them and continued to let Washington find themselves and keep themselves in the game. I felt maybe it was too much confidence coming into the game off a winning streak and at home, as well as not being fully prepared for tonight’s game.

Tonight the Washington Capitals used their speed, simple passes and broke out of their zone with ease and really exposed the Oilers defence. It was not a good night and it didn’t start off well as Washington CAPITAL-ized on a beautiful passing play finished off by Kuznetzov, who would go on to add two more and tack on two apples for a 5 point night. Credit to the Oilers though, they continued to battle back going shot for shot, goal for goal. The Oilers were matching the caps speed and utilizing it by continually putting pucks behind the defenders, winning the battles and getting a cycle or at the very least a strong possession shift. The first period was pretty well even though the Oil were down by 1 going into the second, they still managed to keep the shots even and there were no signs of capitulation.

https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/657730054957506560

Right off the bat in the 2nd they had a quick strike to tie it up! A power play goal coming from the RED HOT Connor McDavid. The crowd was jacked but it seemed all to all go down hill from there. The Oilers were caught flat footed and they were puck watching almost every chance they got. The legs just weren’t underneath them.

The Oilers had their moments in the second frame with a few power plays they should have capitalized on, but once again these were the demise of their own momentum. The Capitals potted 3 quick goals that went unanswered and that was that. I’m not sure Anders Nilsson could have done much on most of them, as he was getting little to no help all night. But that’s not to say he was standing on his head like the previous two games. Tonight no one was doing anyone any favors, even with an offence scoring 4 goals it appeared that everyone was falling complacent on the defensive side of the puck. A lot of the times tonight everyone o the ice seemed to be in La La Land as they were being hypnotized by the puck movement and skill of this veteran-laden Capitals team and it gave the Caps’ power house offence even more room to play with in the offensive zone.

It’s odd saying that the effort just wasn’t there, especially when you score four goals but the 3rd period was chalked full of uninspiring hockey. I mean anytime you score four you should be skating away with the victory. Not only that but not scoring on a two man advantage was the nail in the coffin. Bad habits crept into everyone’s game once they got down and the boys were gripping those sticks a bit too tightly. I can only imagine the sort of talk the coaching staff had with the group after the game and what’s going to be said and done at practice tomorrow.

Tonight was a learning lesson, growing pains, that no matter who you are facing and no matter how well your offence is playing that you can’t fall complacent and forget about the defensive side of the puck as teams like the Capitals will jump on every opportunity to create a scoring chance. One of the biggest factors tonight, was the unnecessary penalties they were taking, not just because they were down 3 goals, but because it was killing any and all momentum the team was building up.

It was just a horrendous up and down game, mistake followed by another mistake, followed by another. This is going to be a game they are really going to have to learn off of, pay attention to the moments they were caught standing still and/or out of position and figure out what to do to fix it. What happened tonight is something they need to make sure they don’t build bad habits off it. Find a solution, fix it, and move onto the next game and continue to improve. The Oilers were just outmatched tonight by what is arguably the best team in the east with all do respect to the Montreal Canadiens.

Tonights Three Beer League Heroes are:

1. Evgeny Kuznetzov – This is what Capitals fans have been waiting for, tonight he showed his dynamic speed, skill and talent. 3 goals, and 2 assists accompanied with 7 shots. He was by far the best player on the ice.

2. Ryan Nugent Hopkins – He played an excellent game tonight, 1 goal, 1 assist and played a great north/south game; he was strong in his own zone, was 73% on the draws and was winning every puck battle. Nuge is starting to play more and more on the PK and is becoming a key contributor to the NHL’ s #1 PK.

3.Nicklas Backstrom – Since returning from his injury he’s been red hot, he quickly showing why he is one of the best centres in the NHL. He showed his touch and speed when he got sprung on a break away and put away the second capitals goal, finished with 1 goal and 1 assist, but he was also all over the ice tonight, creating something on every shift he was out there for.

Tonight’s Golden Plunger award goes to….!

Teddy Purcell looked like the last few games since being demoted to the third line, that he actually found himself and was playing some solid hockey. He was playing a simple game, wasn’t trying to be too fancy and had some real nice chemistry with Korpi and Lander, that was until tonight, and when he got moved up on the top line and it seemed he was killing every drive up the ice, anything positive he was seemingly destroying it. I truly had high hopes for him, but he just cant seem to find his way especially when he starts to play on the top line, maybe his confidence is shot right now, either way he’s not doing the team much good.

Andrew Ference is in the same boat, he played okay last game, not bad for being out 4 games. Tonight it was just brain fart after brain fart with this guy. He took two unnecessary penalties, and killed the momentum the Oilers had on both plays. Twice tonight he watched an icing get rimmed around his side of the boards and just watched it go down the ice for an icing call. There were moments he was on his D partners side of the ice, essentially leaving the middle and the other side of the ice open. If not for the smarts of RNH and McDavid at times, it could have gotten a lot uglier had those lanes been wide open.

Overall tonight was just a bit of a disaster, there isn’t much more to say on tonight other than to make sure something like this never happens again. They need to be more disciplined against teams like this, stay focused and stick to the game plan and make sure they stay defensively aware and stick to the defensive side of the puck. The shots were kept low tonight, but there were just too many high quality scoring chances, no matter who’s in net, its hard when thats all you’re stopping all night.

The next game is this Sunday against the surging LA Kings who have won 4 straight, after starting the season 0-3. In the past few years the Oilers have always had trouble facing the big bad Kings. But how the mighty don’t seem so mighty anymore. With a new system in place, bigger defence and a much better offensively structured system accompanied by solid goaltending should, in theory, make this game a lot different than years past.

Tyler Toffoli ,the Kings leading scorer, is on fire as of late and if the Edmonton Oilers’ defence can keep his line and him in check, they should be able to walk out of there with a win. The game plan against the Kings isn’t going to be to dump and chase, but to use their speed, work the puck down low and keep their feet moving and cause the slower Kings to put themselves out of position. This will keep Kings’ netminder Jonathan Quick from moving side to side. They will really need to work the points in this game, activating when they can to create that 4th forward situation and getting as many pucks through on net, while crashing the crease. Jonathan Quick has a temper and hates nothing more then traffic in front of him and the Oilers need to exploit that and put some pucks past him.

Thanks you for reading everyone! I know tonight was a rough game, but let me know what you think by getting in touch with me on Twitter @madi39 or in the comments section below!

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:G3-Edmonton Oilers Vs Dallas Stars

 

Well tonight was interesting. I was definitely in a glass case of emotion as a fan and I can only imagine how everyone else felt. The Oilers didn’t come out too strong in the first, the shot count can be misconstrued as it was pointed out a lot how much the Dallas Stars just put the puck on net from anywhere; with the naked eye you could see a good high percentage of the shots weren’t high quality.

The defence was keeping a lot of shots to the outside and blocked 25 shots tonight. The boys on the back end were actually doing an average job of blocking off the shooting lanes but the Stars were just throwing everything and the kitchen sink at Nilsson tonight; who let in 2 softies, but absolutely stood on his head making 48 saves on 51 shots. It’s nice to see the Oilers get solid goaltending in net for once.

The boys in white came out rocking in the second though with much more energy, keeping pace in the period with the Stars in shots only being outshot 14-13. They got a much needed boost with two quick goals from Oscar Klefbom and Connor McDavid, who finally broke the goose egg with his first career NHL goal. They didn’t look back from that point, sustaining pressure, winning puck battles, making the smart and simple plays first, and sticking to the game plan.

Everyone seemed to have a nice kick of energy and we had hope could pull off a win. Then the third period started and my emotions were going all over the place, a lot of screaming and yelling at the TV. The Oil just didn’t appear to have the fire they came out with in the second and then they took a bad penalty and that deflated any sort of momentum they had built to that point.

I knew once Yakupov missed on that breakaway something bad was going to happen, I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.

You can only be outplayed and out shot for so long till another one goes in, killing all momentum and crushing my hopes and dreams for a win. I was on an emotional roller coaster tonight, but I was again pleased that this team efforts level is much better then its ever been the last 3 years, so there’s a positive right?

 

The Three Beer League Heroes tonight are:

1.Jason Spezza- He played a fantastic game tonight, he was all over the offensive zone, played great defensively and had a hat-trick for his first 3 goals of the season, he was by the far best player on the ice and well deserving of the first Hero.

2. Anders Nilsson– What can you say about a performance like that, he let in 2 softies in my opinion, but he battled hard for the full 60 minutes, made 48 saves tonight and stood on his head giving Edmonton a chance to stay in this game and he did just that. Thoroughly impressed with his compete level, something I don’t remember seeing with the Islanders.

3.Connor Mcdavid- Who else deserves this, after two LONG grueling games scores his first NHL goal, like 2 other phenom’s in Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky. He still played a solid game and looks mature beyond his years, he’s only getting better as each game passes and more comfortable, tonight was the first night of him picking up some steam.

Tonight’s Golden Plunger Award goes to…..

Anton Lander. It never pleases me to give this award out especially to a guy who’s been working his tail off and earning his job every night. It’s not that he played horrible, it’s that he just didn’t make use out of any of his minutes he had out there, almost a third of them were shorthanded and he appeared to be benched in the third period. So the coaching staff saw something they didn’t like out of him tonight. He just didn’t have that pep, that puck prowess he usually has when he’s out there, winning puck battles and just being strong on the puck like he normally is.

Side note: Anton Slepyshev only played 5:27 tonight.

Overall with tonight’s loss, I was happy to see that we could battle back and square the game up and get some momentum from two of the players we need to step up in times of need. Still frustrated after the fact that they just didn’t have their legs tonight, and couldn’t keep a consistent flow of momentum going. Taylor hall wasn’t himself and you could see was not 100%.

The only positive out of the offence tonight was the Pouliot-McDavid-Yakupov line, who have some found good chemistry and I’m hoping they’re kept together to capitalize on this blossoming chemistry. No moral victories tonight, this was a loser’s loss because the Oilers simply weren’t the better team out there tonight.

I’ll say it again, the effort out of this team is still far more improved then what we are accustomed to and much better body language on the bench, especially from the Oilers emotional leader in Hall.

Next game is against the St. Louis Blues at the home opener on Thursday night. The Oilers have to come out crashing and full of life in this game if they want to stand a chance, they can’t surrender the same amount of shots as they did tonight and get away with it again. They have to tighten up defensively and start throwing more pucks on net, start shooting and start the crashing, its going to be the only way they can penetrate the Blues defensive system. Shots and speed, utilize the fact that they’re the quicker team and start creating breakdowns in their zone.

Thanks for reading feel free to let me know what you think @madi39 or in the comment section below!