Hey y’all! Welcome back for another season of Edmonton Oilers hockey! I’m BLH and I’ll be giving you the skinny on today’s game!
If you’re new here and are wondering what 3P2W means, well, it stands for Three Players to Watch and seeing I’m as lazy as I am, I figured we’d shorten it to 3P2W.
So with that out of the way, let’s talk a little bit about what’s been going on lately in the Oilogospehere and then get into the player’s I’ve put under the spotlight for today’s matchup!
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Random Pontifications
- Jay Woodcroft is going to get fired. I’m going to say it right now. He can’t survive this bad of a start to what was supposed to be a Stanley Cup season for this team and I think it’s fair to ask what happened?
- What was the thought process that led him to believe changing what was working for this team to attempting to copy systems played by Tampa or Boston when the rosters on those teams were far deeper and better suited PLUS THEY HAD F*CKING GOALTENDING!!! Rookie mistake!
- So, now we’re going to start hearing names like Gerard Gallant, Bruce Boudreau, Claude Julien, or Joel Quenneville as replacements.
- I don’t know if Quenneville’s gonna get another shot in the NHL after the latest news about the Blackhawks came out. That might be the nail in his and Stan Bowman’s coffin and the league should probably punish the organization with a bit more integrity too. Stop with the fines. Start taking away draft picks.
- Gallant I’ve got time for. He was doing pretty pretty well with the Rangers before they axed him.
- Julien and Boudreau seem like long shots but at the same time I don’t know if Jeff Jackson is going to go out and get another rookie NHL head coach.
- Jeff Marek brought up Patrick Roy…
- Personally, I say ride this shit season all the way home. Sit Connor and Ekholm and whoever else is in need of rest or surgery. Promote the kids and play the hell out of them. Bury Campbell somewhere far far away.
- I don’t care who says the Campbell contract isn’t tradeable, it absolutely is. You’ll simply hate the price to do it though.
- Reckon SJ gives two hoots about their season right now? Deal Campbell, a 1st, Petrov and Broberg to San Jose for Blackwood or Kahkonen. Then if neither of those guys shows he can play, deal them or let them walk in the summer. Make it known that if you’re not performing, you’re out!
- You never know what might happen while at the same time the club might get some fantastic offers for guys on inflated contracts.
- IF the team couldn’t pull out of this tailspin, it would be a shame not to pilfer some fat deals and go into next season with more assets and a ton of cap space to go along with the increased salary cap. And then maybe actually try to build the team that is deep enough to play the kind of system(s) that the successful teams use.
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Three Players to Watch for the (team)
- #40 Elias Pettersson (6g 14a 20pts) – Over the course of his previous ten games he’s got 16 points. He’ll be flanked by a couple Russians in Kuzmenko and Mikheyev, so, this will be an extremely dangerous line due to its speed, skill, and playmaking.
- #9 JT Miller (6g 10a 16pts) – Miller’s got eight points in his last five games (4g 4a) but that’s on nine shots only. Either way, he’s going to make life even more difficult for the Oilers. Even if he doesn’t score, he’ll be in their faces.
- #43 Quinn Hughes (4g 12a 16pts) – What did I say earlier in the year? I said he might break 90pts this year and yeah, he’ll slow down eventually, but at this rate he’s got to be a lock for the Norris if he stays healthy.
Three Players to Watch for the Oilers
- #25 Darnell Nurse (2g 1a 3pts) – I’ve seen some extra snarl in his game this year and I don’t mind that. I also don’t mind that he’s leading the team with 20 blocked shots. Good on him for that. But what I do mind is the bloody brain farts that don’t seem to get ironed out of his alleged $9M game.
- #55 Dylan Holloway (0g 0a 0pts) – Hollywood’s got 15 shots on the year so far and nothing to show for it. Now there’s talk about sending him down to Bakersfield and I’m not against that. I grew up watching guys get shuttled to and from the minors all the time during the year. He’ll be back up before the season is out.
- #37 Warren Foegele (3g 1a 4pts) – McLovin’s somehow found a way to come out of his last five games with 17 shots (2nd behind Kane’s 20) and only has 2 goals in return. If he keeps shooting eventually something’s gonna go in and Lord knows this team needs it.
The Next Twelve Games (#2-#13)
- 10/14 vs. Canucks – I think the Oilers will take 2/2 vs. Vancouver to start the year. (W)
- (4-3 LOSS)
- 10/17 @. Predators – The Preds don’t scare me. Their roster is in shambles. Poor Jusse Saros and Roman Josi. (W)
- (6-1 WIN)
- 10/19 @ Flyers – Their forward group looks entertaining but they’ve got nobody on defense. (W)
- (4-1 LOSS)
- 10/21 vs. Winnipeg – The Jets are always a tough out. I like their chances. (L)
- (3-2 OTL)
- 10/24 @ Wild – Minny isn’t as good as they used to be but still very solid. (W)
- (7-4 LOSS)
- 10/26 vs. Rangers – I like NY’s defense and goaltending here. (L)
- (3-0 LOSS)
- 10/29 vs.Flames – Calgary is going to surprise a few this year. (L)
- (5-2 WIN)
- 11/2 vs. Stars – This will be a very tight game. (W)
- (4-3 LOSS)
- 11/4 vs. Predators – Leon will continue to light the Preds up. (W)
- (5-2 LOSS)
- 11/6 @ Canucks – I’ll take Edmonton for a third time here, Alex. (W)
- 11/9 @ Sharks – I don’t even recognize half the names on SJ’s roster… (W)
- 11/11 @ Kraken – I like Seattle’s roster. Well-rounded. (L)
(predictions made 10/11/2023)
