The Edmonton Oilers have a problem. They aren’t scoring and it’s costing them games.
The RNH/McDavid experiment is apparently over and now it’s back to the Leon and Connor Show but my question is, why not put all three on the top line?
Long term it isn’t a good idea obviously but this team needs a shot in the arm offensively and if the 3rd line is going to get 4th line minutes, a first line of RNH/McDavid/Draisaitl could definitely pick up that extra TOI and give the opposition matchup nightmares.
Montreal is up next for the Oilers and they are flying. Max Domi is scoring again (9pts in his last 5 games), Brendan Gallagher is lighting the lamp (7pts in his last 10 games), Jonathan Drouin is realizing his potential (5pts in his last 5 games), and Tomas Tatar (4 goals in his last 5 games) has come in and contributed on the scoresheet consistently as well. On the downside, Carey Price isn’t performing like the $10M goalie we know him to be and their defense is vulnerable as they’re not the most agile defenders in the world.
I think that if the Oilers ran the following line combinations and lines two through four could simply hold their own, that would give them an excellent opportunity to reverse their fortunes and kick this scoring drought. It’s as if they caught something from the Penguins…
RNH-McDavid-Draisaitl
Rieder-Strome-Rattie
Lucic-Khaira-Marody
Caggiula-Brodziak-Kassian
Chiasson
Look, I get it. These are not ideal lines but it’s what the Oilers have at the moment and it’s not as if they’re incapable of playing good hockey. They are and we’ve seen it. I mean, is the roster that the Vancouver Canucks icing really better than the Oilers roster? No, of course it isn’t because they believe in themselves and they’ve got a coach who can relate with them, who is willing to make mistakes with them, and isn’t coaching for his job at the moment.
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On the other side of the coin, if the Oilers did load up their first line like Colorado does with MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Landeskog or Boston does with Marchand, Bergeron, and Pastrnak, and it doesn’t work… Well, then the Oilers are up Shit Creek without a paddle.
In that scenario, I’d blow up the lines completely and just search for anything that gets traction. Maybe throw Milan back up with Leon and Nuge down to the 3rd line. Something like this,
Caggiula-McDavid-Rattie
Lucic-Draisaitl-Marody
Rieder-RNH-Strome
Khaira-Brodziak-Kassian
Chiasson
Then just go at it wave after wave and try to use that centre depth as much to their advantage as possible.
You know, if we’re being honest with ourselves, are the line combos really the problem? Is the problem really sitting between the players’ ears? This roster is not as bad as it’s playing, I truly believe that but for whatever reason they’ve got some serious issues when it comes to their reactions to getting scored on which really shouldn’t be to anybody’s surprise as the Oilers are the 2nd youngest team in the league.
These ridiculous ups and downs will continue until either they get the right mix of veterans and young players or until the young players are old enough to manage their emotions maturely.
This team really needs to get back down to basics and start firing that bloody puck and going to the blue paint. I know it sounds cliche but so many goals are scored right there. Watch, Brendan Gallagher or Andrew Shaw tonight, they will be getting their noses dirty all night and it’ll drive the Oilers nuts. The result will probably be a goal from Gallagher or he’ll have a direct hand in one. Drake Caggiula had better be taking notes.
As it is, the lines for tonight’s game look as such,
Caggiula-McDavid-Draisaitl
Rieder-RNH-Chiasson
Lucic-Strome-Marody (Rattie)
Khaira-Brodziak-Kassian
Klefbom/Larsson
Nurse/Benning
Garrison/Gravel-Russell
If Russell is down to the 3rd pairing I’m going to guess he’s dinged up and might get the scratch. As for the forwards, I pray for that 2nd line. Alex Chiasson’s heater is over and now the Oilers are stuck with him until his next one. If there’s a next one.
I am hoping for a Mikko Koskinen start as well. He hasn’t been the losing goalie in his last four starts and I feel like he’s the better of the two available netminders at this point in time. Cam Talbot will have to “earn” his way back into the starter’s role I feel and I think it’s fair as well based on Todd McLellan’s accountability policy. To add to that, I think Talbot needs to “earn some currency” with his teammates too so that they actually want to play for him when he minds the Oilers net.
My prediction for tonight’s game: The Habs fans will be louder than the Oilers fans. Shocking. As for the game itself, as homerish as it sounds, I like the Oilers here.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!
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