BLH Sunday Night Pint #12

Helluva roller coaster we’ve been on eh folks! First losing 4 in a row and then winning two on the trot whilst beating the two teams that feel the greatest to beat! I mean really, beating Calgary and Vancouver is damn near orgasmic, especially after losing the way we did to the Stars…

Well this week’s Sunday Night Pint is a beaut! We’ve got Zach Laing, Madison Moroz, Corey Mitchell and myself; BLH, to serenade you with our whimsical tones which are akin to that of a capella group comprised of cats in heat. Too much? Well we’re no Jethro Tull if that makes it any clearer. Cue Laing’s flute solo!

We’re going to be touching on the Oilers PP, the search for the Oilers’ new goal song, and roster changes or potential roster moves. So as my father used to say, “Get your hands out of your pants and let’s get going!”

The Oilers Power Play… Woes or WHOA!!!

ZL: Well, the power play seemed to click against the Flames the other night as the Oilers were finally able to connect on one of our chances. I think the thing is that these groups just need to gel. McDavid should be on the point IMO. His speed will allow him to get back and make defensive plays. Patience folks.

CM: Same way everyone else is suggesting. Split that first unit up. Hall, Nuge, and Ebs (when he’s back) with Klefbom and Schultz on the back. 2nd unit is McDavid, Yak, and Pouliot, with Sekera and Reinhart. Keep your forward lines together on the PP to keep the chemistry there

MM: Id fix the PP by slowing things down, and working it more down low, use the speed and skill and open up the point shot more. Having the penalty killers gravitate lower in the zone, opening up that point and just going hard to the net, getting some garbage goals and boosting this power play’s confidence. Especially when working down low, I’d like to see the d-man or 4th forward slide into the slot for a one timer or at least a diversion.

BLH: Well I was crying for the team to spread out the offence a bit between the two PP unites and what did they do? Spread it out. And what happened? Goals! I just couldn’t stand seeing Lander, Yakupov, Purcell, Sekera and Letestu trying to work a man advantage… Like nails on a blackboard… If only they had a player with a cannon from the point… (Too bad Brad Hunt isn’t an NHL defender… Or is he?)

Do the Oilers Need to Make a Roster Change?

ZL: No I don’t think so. I would love to see Draisaitl and Nurse up with the big club, I think we are better off holding where we are and seeing where we progress to. That’s a decision we could make in November.

CM: I would send Slepyshev to the AHL. He’s outclassed at the NHL level at this stage. Yes, he’s played pro hockey in the KHL, but it’s a different game here, and he needs to learn the nuisances. Also, with Chara rumours flying around right now, I would make that trade. A huge shot, plays mean, and has a massive veteran presence on the blue line. Those are all things we all say Edmonton needs. Chara would be a massive benefit to this team.

MM: No roster changes for me right now, after these two wins it appears like the team has some great chemistry and some real balance within the lineup, I’m not ready to hit the panic button quite yet, if they can continue to do what they are doing now, they wont need to make any changes. Every line is doing something out there, especially with a nice 1-2 punch with our top lines, you can tell teams are finding it difficult to decide which line they want to much up with, and the third line has been effective at keeping up the momentum in their favor. Everyone is firing on all cylinders.

BLH: Guess who’s value is going up as we speak? Said player also has a very VERY affordable contract for the next two seasons… If you said Matt Hendricks you’re wrong. It’s Nail Yakupov. Look folks, let’s have some real talk here. The team has just rang off two wins, what if they go the rest of the month without a win? Will all this hoopla mean anything? The defence is still having trouble. It still needs an upgrade and playing Fayne higher than no.4 is going to bite the team in the ass more often than not.

Eberle is going to come back and then what? Hendricks and Klinkhammer have serviced Nuge and Hall with an element they haven’t seen yet and it’s working wonders for them. And not only that but coaches are all about pairs not trios when it comes to making up lines.

Would you deal an Eberle or a Yakupov if it got you a top pairing dman? I might… And the names that tickle my fancy are Ryan Ellis, Seth Jones, and Jared Spurgeon. All puck moving dmen stuck behind veteran NHLers on their respective squads.

A New Goal Song!

ZL: Classic Metallica!! (BLH NOTE: Zach picked the lyrics youtube clip but this sweet comp of hits and fights fits the bill perfectly.)

CM: If you follow me and Twitter, you know I’ve been very vocal in the need for a new goal celebration song. Stadium Love is absolutely brutal, and does nothing to engage the crowd when a goal is scored. Song 2 by Blur is an obvious choice, but if it were me, I would have the PA system cut straight into the chorus of Get Free by the Vines. High energy rock song to really get Rexall shaking after the Oilers score. Stadium Love? No wonder there’s a lack of offence from this team

MM: Its an oldie but always a goodie!!

BLH: My goal song would be “Beer” by the Reel Big Fish. It’s got the woos and the whoas to get that eve so important crowd participation (think the Anaheim Ducks goal song “Bro Hymn” by Pennywise) and the uptick in tempo that would keep the team from coming down from that goal scoring high. Plus come on, Beer… Beer League Heroes… It makes sense. Check it out:

That’s it for today boys and girls! Thanks for reading and leave your thoughts in the comments section below. The ugly lights are coming on and I don’t care where you go but you can’t stay here!

I’ll leave you with Ryan Robinson’s latest Oilers vlog! Take care and see you next time!

BLH