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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Oil on Whyte
Goaltending Isn’t The Biggest Issue
- 5v5 Play Needs to be Better
- They have given up 156 high danger chances against 5v5 that is the 5th highest in the league. While they have gotten 139 chances for. This is something the Edmonton Oilers need to work on. Even with giving up that many chances the the goaltending save percentage is above average.
- Penalty Kill Saves
- The adage says “the goalie is your most important penalty killer” this couldn’t be more true with current Oiler team… The goalies for this team are leading the NHL in penalty kill save percentage with 92.68%.
- All the Really Matters is the “W”
- With a record of 9-2, Mikko Koskinen leads the league in wins. He may be 27th in save percentage in goalies who have 5 or games played, but he has the most wins. This means he may not make the most saves, but he makes them when they matter.
- Right now I think that the major issue is giving up chances against, not the amount of saves not being made. If the Edmonton Oilers are able to cut down chances against the goaltending will only get better.
BLH’s Thoughts:
Lowetide.ca
- I think the Oilers have the Jets in their heads, at least a little. Edmonton’s game last night had many elements we saw in the playoffs 2021: Jets taking liberties and not paying with penalties, Connor Hellebuyck outdueling Edmonton’s goalie, strong five-on-five scoring by the Jets, and a frustrated Connor McDavid.
- The prospects pushing this year are all on defense. Broberg is a feature power-play performer, and has points on the penalty kill, but that’s a tell too. He’s playing in all situations, and doing well, age 20. He is the class of this group by some margin.
- Raphael Lavoie is currently deciding if he’s going to be the next Tyler Pitlick (299 NHL games) or the next Curtis Hamilton (one game). No amount of coaching can make a talented player more consistent, and Lavoie has regressed from last season.
BLH’s Thoughts: Peaks and Valleys… Lavoie is in a valley and Broberg is on a peak… Young pros, this is what you have to contend with as they develop into the player they’re going to become.
Sometimes it takes a few years for these big goal scorers to find their way, right?
Take Boris Katchouk for example, that guy lit OHL netminders up for fun in junior but in his first full AHL campaign he only scored 11 goals in 75 games. In his second year, he only had 14 tallies in 60 games, but last season things started to click as he potted 11 goals in 29 games. Now he’s in Tampa getting a taste of the NHL.
Maybe it’ll take a few years in Bakersfield for Rafa to get sorted. It happens.
NHLRumors.com
- George Richards: Scouts listed to attend last night’s Florida Panthers – New York Islanders game include the Los Angeles Kings (2), Vegas Golden Knights, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers.
- Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: Chicago Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz isn’t in a rush to get their GM search going. They are letting things cool down a bit after the investigation… Ed Olczyk could be a candidate for hockey ops if they decide to go that route.
- Mike Heika: If the Stars want to activate goaltender Ben Bishop they will likely have to trade either Anton Khudobin or Braden Holtby to have enough salary cap space.
- A look at 10 potential candidates for the permanent GM position, along with their current team/association: Jeff Solomon (Ducks), Martin Maddex (Ducks), Dave Nonis (Ducks), Martin Futa (Hurricanes), Mike Gillis (NHLPA), Jeff Gorton (NHL Network), Sean Burke (Canadiens), Kevin Weekes (ESPN), Jim Rutherford, and Chris Pronger.
