The Oilers really shat the bed against the Panthers. Not so much the team’s best players, but the supporting staff did nothing to help out and the pressure is mounting. They have to feel it, don’t they? Every day that the bottom-six doesn’t score a goal, the Edmonton media and blogs like mine, have another article up dissecting the team’s scoring woes. A funny thing is happening now though, the lower half of the roster is not only posting donuts on the scoresheet, they’re also starting to get scored on more often than not. It’s not a good trend.
So the title of this one is “Sloppy Seconds”. This is why,
- The second period… Sloppy
- The second efforts on the night… Sloppy
- The 65 seconds where Florida took the lead and never looked back… Sloppy.
I mean, the start of the game was as frantic-a-pace as a game can get. The Oilers were giving it as much as they were taking it. I was just waiting for someone to score or some penalties to slow it down a bit and eventually, the game did take it down a notch and that’s when I started to notice a certain disconnect between the two teams. It didn’t help that Mike Smith took a Mike Hoffman clapper to the womb broom. The Oilers goalie said that his start to the second period had nothing to do with that nut shot, but I don’t believe him. He should’ve been in concussion protocol after that shot to the head.
(Sorry, I’ve still got a teenager’s sense of humor. Wait, I’m a bit older now. Do teenagers still have senses of humor?)
Was this loss because Florida’s team was better, more talented or were there some other mitigating circumstances?
Happy birthday, Leon! π #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/nVhyJwHHEi
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 27, 2019
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Did You Hear…
On Oct. 18th, Jason Gregor and Tom Gazzola were talking about Taylor Hall coming back to the Oilers and some of the issues that might come with that to which Gazzola brought up that perhaps Hall wouldn’t want to play third fiddle to Draisaitl and McDavid. This was Gregor’s reply,
“I don’t really think they’re going to worry about who’s lead dog. When Connor McDavid was here, Taylor Hall said at the end of McDavid’s first season, he goes “He’s our best player.” He said it on record. It’s a bunch of bogus malarky that people in Edmonton think somehow Taylor Hall was upset that Connor McDavid was there. Taylor Hall was protecting him off the ice, picking him up at nightclubs so he wouldn’t get into trouble but that stuff’s not talked about because it’s not a juicy story.”
I don’t know about you but that line about McDavid needing to be picked up at the nightclubs to keep him out of trouble raises eyebrows. Sure, kids go out and have fun buuuut… Connor isn’t just some kid. He’s the face of hockey and with that power comes… Say it with me… Great responsibility. Meaning, you can’t just be going out and getting shitfaced without considering the consequences. Especially in the fishbowl that is Edmonton, AB, Canada. So good on Taylor for being a caring teammate. Changes my perspective of him a bit.
That said, we don’t know if these sorts of things were/are happening all of the time and to what degree. A birthday drink now and then is fine as long as things are kept under control and who doesn’t stay up late to play video games from time to time?
Bringing things back full circle, the point is, it’s all fun and games until you come to an afternoon game hungover and get outworked by the visiting team. Not saying that’s what happened, maybe the Oilers were playing well and simply made a goalie who’s had a tough go this season look great (again) or they were unlucky with their shots. A loss is a loss though
Game Grades
AΒ β Multiple positive plays offensively and defensively leading to excellent scoring chances for and/or limiting scoring chances against.
BΒ β Positively influenced the game with limited minor or major mistakes that didnβt lead to dangerous scoring chances against.
CΒ β Low event night. Noticed on the roster sheet but not so much on the ice.
DΒ β Limited positive influence while multiple errors lead to multiple goals and/or scoring chances.
FΒ β Ate sh*t. Horrid effort.
Tomas Jurco β C β In his twelve minutes of ice time, he was on the ice for only two shots for and eight against… He can’t go on playing games where only one or two of his shifts result in anything positive. If he hit waivers tomorrow, I think the Oilers would be safe from losing him. He started the third with Gagner and Sheahan, so Tippett must’ve seen something he liked.
Sam Gagner β D β Gagner had a shot, a penalty, and four hits in nearly sixteen minutes of ice-time. That would be okay if his 5×5 Corsi relative wasn’t -15.53. That tells me that for every 60 minutes that he would’ve been on the ice, relative to his teammates, the other team would’ve had 15 shots on his net. This is a player who was brought up to infuse some offense into the lineup, not be a liability defensively. But, I suppose you can rarely have one without the other. Took a poor offensive zone penalty in the first that compounded things and his backcheck on Acciari before the Panthers winger deposited goal number three was pretty horrid.
Markus Granlund β D β Had the least amount of ice-time with just over nine minutes. Largely invisible on the evening. Tick Tock… This feels so much like the Jussi Jokinen experiment, doesn’t it?
Matt Benning β C β It was his blocked point shot that started the play back into Edmonton’s zone eventually resulting in Florida’s second goal. Good hit on Hawryluk in the second. Rattled the winger’s cage quite a bit on that one.
Kris Russell β C β Broke up an early 2v1 featuring Dadonov and Huberdeau. He was hustling on the night, there’s no questioning that. Missed intercepting a pass to Ekblad in the third that the Panthers defenseman used to ring one off the crossbar.
Patrick Russell β C β Another quiet game from my favorite Dane not named Claire. In open ice, not the greatest, but along the boards and in the corners, he was gold. Didn’t translate to much mind you. Another great night on the fancies. He was the Oilers’ best 5×5 possession forward with a 63% Corsi For in a shade over eleven minutes.
Jujhar Khaira β C βJJ found his shooting stick! Three shots but no goals. Tough break. He was one of the better forwards possession-wise. He was second on the team in 5×5 Corsi % relative with a 15.53. Basically the opposite of what Gagner was, but he was on the ice for two goals against and that sort of trumps any good he did on the ice.
Riley Sheahan β C β Nothing really special out of Sheahan in this one. I would’ve liked to have seen him take Boyle out of the play before he scored FLA’s second goal instead of doing an impression o fa ladder. Later on the period, his hard forecheck with Khaira created a turnover to which Sheahan gobbled up and got a good shot on goal. I read that some feel that he’s getting played too much. Similar to how the Oilers ran out Mark Letestu, but if I recall correctly, Letestu was getting minutes on the 4th line, the PP, and the PK at that time. So it’s no surprise why he might’ve petered out. Sheahan is getting 3rd line TOI and PK minutes, which is what everybody expected, right? If he’s getting gassed just from that, Tippett has a major problem on his hands going forward.
Brandon Manning β C β Got dangled by Brett Connolly on the second goal and failed to take the man. I love his old-school game, but I also wonder when William Lagesson is going to get a game too.
Oscar Klefbom β B β On the shift following Florida’s third goal, Klefbom made a really good check at the Oilers’ blue line and then sent McDavid on a partial breakaway. I’ve noticed he’s been using his wrist shot a bit more often on the powerplay instead of his slapshot. He lost his man on FLA’s fourth goal though and that allowed Dadonov to score.
Alex Chiasson β C β I thought Chaisson was a bit careless with the puck, giving it away twice in the first period when he wasn’t pressured to do so. Just poor passes. Was the team’s only player with a + beside his name at the end of the night.
James Neal β B β Got lucky on the PP when Nuge’s redirection hit him in the knee. He had one glaring giveaway in the Panthers zone that had me looking skyward. Started the third with Draisaitl and Kassian. He had another four shots. It’s so nice having a shoot-first winger on the team. 10 goals on the season so far which has him on pace for more than 60! #Wishin’
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins β C β The 5×5 shot differential when Nuge was on the ice was one for and six against… Not a good look for one of the team’s supposed better two-way forwards. Also, on the team’s PP around the middle of the second, he passed the puck back into his own zone right to Alexander Barkov who walked in and got off a shot that should’ve never happened. Good job redirecting that shot/pass from Draisaitl on the PP though and he did draw two penalties.
Ethan Bear β C β Not a great play on Acciari’s goal, but I’m not sure how many options he had other than up the boards. Perhaps it was poor execution. Took a hard hit into the end boards that I’m sure had everyone holding their breath. It was his lovely bank shot off the end boards that Leon tucked home.
Darnell Nurse β B β Made a really nice saucer pass from the point to McDavid for the Oilers’ first real chance. It wasn’t just him, but I feel like the Panthers’ zone entries on his side of the ice were awfully easy. Laid out a big open-ice hit early in the second period that possibly took him out of the play therefor leaving Noel Acciari free to gather the puck off the boards and score Florida’s third goal of the second.
Zack Kassian β C β Kass had one really good chance in front of the net in the first period. All he had to do was deflect in the McDavid pass but the Florida defender read it and poke checked him. A couple of offsides stagnated any attempt at creating some offensive momentum when Edmonton sorely needed it.
Leon Draisaitl β C β Got himself a couple of points for his birthday and nearly scored on a breakaway at the end of the first. Definite pluses, but he sure made it like he has a ways to go before he can be considered an elite two-way forward like Alexander Barkov.
Connor McDavid β B β According to The Cult of Hockey post-game podcast, he was in on four grade-A scoring chances. He was on the ice for thirteen scoring chances for and only eight against. Obviously he was Edmonton’s best player on the night. I thought there were some shifts that he lacked some oomph in his stride, but those were few.
Mikko Koskinen β C β Had some really nice saves early on in his relief appearance but his concentration waned as the game got away from the Oilers. For a man his size and with feet as fast as his, that wrap-around goal from Dadonov should’ve never gone in and Hawryluk’s snapper at the end of the game should’ve been a routine save. It was him vs. the shooter and those should rarely go in unless you’re facing the league’s best.
Mike Smith – D – He should’ve said that the puck to the Rooster Cockburn was a factor, I would’ve given him a better grade. Had his stuff early making two really acrobatic blocker saves, but really shit the bed in the second. That’s too bad, he was doing well.
Stats courtesy ofΒ NHL.comΒ andΒ Natural Stat Trick
Next up the Oilers have their first back-to-back in Detroit and Columbus. Edmonton needs to take three of four points here to stay on pace. Let’s Go Oilers!
