Edmonton Oilers Playoff Talk: It Could be a Short Series

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The Athletic

Breaking down Flames vs. Oilers: Key matchups, injury updates and storylines

The Flames win this series if…

They stay out of the penalty box. Calgary took way too many penalties against Dallas — 15:51 penalty minutes per game…
They also need to get it together on the power play, which was not working against Dallas (only two goals on 24 chances), if they want any chance at winning the special teams battle.

The Oilers win this series if…

McDavid can go off like he did against the Kings. The perennial Hart Trophy candidate had 14 points in seven games.
They’ll also need Smith to keep up with Markstrom, and to keep Calgary’s top line in check.
They’ll need to stay disciplined.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve got a feeling that this series isn’t going to be a long one. I reckon either Connor McDavid will continue to make a mockery of his opponents and Calgary’s scoring troubles will continue or Jacob Markstrom will close the door, Tkachuk, Toffoli, and a few of the other Calgary forwards who were snakebit vs. Dallas will wake up and the Flames will shut McDavid down resulting in the Oilers offense dissolving before our eyes.

I’m also very wary of the quality of officiating. I’m scared that the regular season-like reffing that was going on early in the first round is gone now and that will work to Calgary’s advantage seeing as it would limit Edmonton’s PP chances.

I hope the Oilers can win this, but if I’m being completely honest, my feeling is that Calgary takes it.

Oilersnation

Edmonton Oilers recall seven black aces

Bakersfield Condors defencemen Philip Broberg, Markus Niemelainen and Dmitri Samorukov, forwards Seth Griffith, Dylan Holloway and Brad Malone, as well as netminder Stuart Skinner are all making their way to town to serve as the black aces.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-
PHILIP BROBERG	31	4	19	23	+14
MARKUS NIEMELAINEN	34	2	6	8	+4
DMITRI SAMORUKOV	51	3	15	18	+16
SETH GRIFFITH	64	30	50	80	+18
DYLAN HOLLOWAY	33	8	14	22	-4
BRAD MALONE	52	14	25	39	+10

	GP	W-L	SV%	GAA
STUART SKINNER	25	22-7-7	.920	2.21

BLH’s Thoughts: Pretty crazy that Broberg had more points than Holloway whilst playing fewer games.

Ken Holland was on Oilers now and he said 10 or 11 guys were coming up and that some were flying and others were diving but he expected them in Edmonton in the next couple of days. The Oilers GM singled out Dmitri Samorukov and James Hamblin if I remember right. He said the Russian defender is about ready to start practicing again, so that’s a plus if Edmonton falls into an injury crisis on the back end.

I don’t know if we’ll see any of these players in this series unless the Oilers start dropping like flies. My preference would be to see Holloway over Brassard or Turris, but I’d bet Jay Woodcroft doesn’t see things that way. I mean, Brad Malone and Seth Griffith are probably ahead of Holly on the depth chart as it stands anyhow.

Trade Rumors

Sportsnet

There are teams who believe the Wild will find a way to keep Kevin Fiala.
One under-the-radar goalie to watch: Eric Comrie.
A decision from Russian free agent Andrei Kuzmenko isn’t expected in the near future, but after initial interviews concluded with the likes of Edmonton, Nashville, Vancouver and Vegas, some other teams reached out to make sure they would get their shot. One was believed to be Anaheim.
There were two teams San Jose talked to about Erik Karlsson, but I don’t believe anything was close.
Some Islander fans were in a panic that Mathew Barzal indicated something like he wouldn’t sign an extension if Trotz stayed as coach. I don’t believe that is true.
Several sources are drawing a line from Trotz to Vegas, but I’ve heard the Flyers, who have seen him firsthand in Washington and New York, have a deep, deep respect for him and his work.
The Athletic’s Rob Rossi exploded heads in Pittsburgh on Monday by reporting the Penguins’ best offers to Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin were three years and $15M… As for Letang, the last I heard was a four-year offer, at a bit less than his current average salary of $7.25M.
Don’t believe there’s been much negotiation with UFA-to-be Jack Campbell. But I do think there’s been discussion with Mark Giordano to return at a lower salary.
I made a point to ask about any particular Europeans who might get traction. Rikard Gronborg’s name has been around for a few years. One other name I heard was Dan Tangnes, a Norwegian who just coached Zug in the Swiss league to its second consecutive championship.