This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!
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The Hockey Writers
6 Takeaways From Oilers Opening Night Shootout Win Over Canucks
Mike Smith Was Excellent
- He made 36 saves on 38 shots for a .947 save percentage. Many of the stops were high-grade scoring chances for the Canucks but Smith was up to the task.
Too Many Penalties
- Tippett said the Oilers took too many penalties, which was true. The bigger concern might have been that a couple of them were untimely and unnecessary ones.
- …the Canucks were only 1-for-5 and the Oilers penalty kill was strong.
Evan Bouchard Got Big Minutes
- Evan Bouchard was a machine with 6:01 on the penalty kill. He wasn’t just relied on in that role either. Bouchard finished the game with 22:07, which placed him third on the blue line for minutes played. In the final moments of the game, Tippett had Bouchard paired with Darnell Nurse which is a telling sign.
Zach Hyman Produced Despite Not Being on Top Line
- Hyman worked hard and scored on the power play despite not being on the top line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Hyman was a workhorse, playing in all sorts of situations.
Darnell Nurse Picks Up Where He Left Off
- On Wednesday night, Nurse was all over the ice again. He might have been the Oilers’ best player. He played 32:24, had six shots, eight hits, four blocked shots, and an assist.
Kyle Turris the Hero
- Turris who got the shootout winner for the Oilers. A player who was waived just ahead of the regular season, cleared waivers, and was kept on the team, Turris worked hard in the offseason and was hoping to reinvent himself as a winger in a bottom-six role.
BLH’s Thoughts: I still think that Kyle Turris is getting showcased for a trade down the road. I don’t know how the organization felt about him lacing into the local media members who’ve been hard on Josh Archibald since the spotlight on his COVID-19 vaccination stance was uncovered.
Dave Tippett and his coaching staff shouldn’t make it a habit of playing Darnell Nurse 30+ minutes/night if they want him to have some gas in the tank for the playoffs…
Oil on Whyte
Three Takeaways From Game One Win Against Canucks
The Goaltending Was Reliable
- He was on fire during the last few minutes of the game and during overtime. He was the reason the team picked up that extra point with some critical saves late, and he was pretty fired up after the win… Posting up a .947 save percentage on night one is great.
The Power Play Showed Some Skill
- The Edmonton Oilers only had two opportunities on the power play, and one of those led to a great goal by newcomer Zach Hyman.
Goals In Front Of The Net Matter
- Edmonton’s two goals on the night both came right in front of the net. The team was great at getting shots in front of the net and increasing traffic. This is a must moving forward during the season.
BLH’s Thoughts: I believe it was Kevin Weekes who said over the summer that all the successful Oilers teams of the past had some “bulldogs” on their rosters, guys who leave it all on the ice and take no prisoners. Well, now they do and my hope is that their work rate is infectious. I also hope that the additions of Ryan, Hyman, and Foegele are the missing ingredient that can take this team past the first round of the playoffs.
NHLTradeRumor.com
Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff reports everyone has done and said the right things, playing nice in the sandbox – but that doesn’t change the fact that Tarasenko still strongly desires a trade… Rumors in the offseason had the Anaheim Ducks as a team with serious interest in Tarasenko.
Pierre LeBrun was on TSN’s Insider Trading segment and reports the name that’s retaining attention around the league is Dylan Strome… It was reported earlier this offseason that the Ottawa Senators had interest in a Strome trade.
NHL Analyst Chris Johnston was on TSN Radio and he was reporting if the Penguins start the season slowly they could look at trading one of the big three in Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang or Crosby… Not sure the Avalanche have the assets to make a trade for Crosby but it would start with Bowen Byram and a first round pick.
