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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Cult of Hockey
Will the Edmonton Oilers ever escape the Belanger Triangle at checking centre?
- The Belanger Triangle was a snide nickname for former Edmonton Oilers checking line centre Eric Belanger and his two wingers on any given night, a reference to their abysmal record when it came to scoring goals, forechecking, backchecking and keeping pucks out of the Oilers net.
- The biggest busts in terms of weak performance and acquisition cost? Here’s my Top Ten.
BLH’s Thoughts: The fellas at The Cult of Hockey has a profile for each player listed above if you’re curious about why they’re on the list and what their history is with the Oilers.
This whole thing where Edmonton goes out and picks up bottom-sixers who’ve performed fairly well before joining the Oilers but then shit the bed with the copper and blue, it’s quite the conundrum. It could be argued that finding a third line that is effective might be more of an accomplishment than developing a goaltender from within…
That said, Ryan McLeod and Dylan Holloway might be central pieces to Edmonton’s third line for the next couple of years and if I had my way, Kailer Yamamoto would be on that line too because I think he’s more suited for a role on that line than he is on one with Draisaitl and RNH.
Oilersnation
Slow Starts are Exposing the Oilers
- Everyone in Oilersnation knew this was coming. It has been discussed for weeks. I wrote about the Oilers’ poor starts in mid-November. It has been an issue since early November, and this weekend it cost them two games.
- In the past five seasons, only five teams have finished the season with a points% above .500 when allowing the first goal.
- The Oilers are 7-7 when allowing the first goal and they are 9-0 when they score first.
- I don’t blame the head coach. He isn’t on the ice.
- Losing two consecutive games for the first time this year will get their attention much more than finding ways to win despite a slow start, which has been the case for the past few weeks.
- Zack Kassian, Warren Foegele, Derek Ryan, Kailer Yamamoto need to be more consistent 5×5.
- …for many stretches this season they haven’t got enough contributions from complementary players. And not just points. But effort and commitment.
- Their next four opponents are all top-13 in points% with Minnesota, Boston, Carolina and Toronto coming in the next nine days.
BLH’s Thoughts: Here’s a thought, why not start the game with a bang? Grab your best center (Draisaitl) and have him flanked by the two most physically aggressive forwards (could be any four of Benson, Sceviour, Kassian, Foegele, or Hyman) on the team with instructions to flatten two guys on the other team within the first minute of the game.
Now, a penalty might occur, but a shift like that will get everybody into the game and if it’s at home, the crowd would definitely love it. I’m willing to risk a penalty to get my team going off the bat.
I’d follow that shift up with McDavid, Puljujarvi, and Nuge, then go McDavid (double-shift), Draisaitl, Yamamoto, and after that, Foegele, McLeod, Sceviour. Benson, Ryan, Kassian could then have their turn.
I’d want a hit and a shot on every shift if possible. No getting fancy with the playmaking, just a straight forward old-school game of hockey and wave after wave of physicality, forechecking, and attack until a goal has been scored or a TV timeout. Once one of those has happened, then we can go back to regular lines and the old game plan.
So, who makes the call as to who starts the game and how the lines are rolled? The coach…
Dave Tippett might not be the one playing, but he certainly influences its flow.
I just think that whatever the team is trying to do isn’t working anymore. They started the year 9-1-0 but have gone 8-6-0 since then, so there’s a malfunction at the junction.
Spector’s Hockey
- DAILY FACEOFF: Columbus Blue Jackets backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, Boston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk and St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko topped Frank Seravalli’s list of 15 trade targets that are in play or will be in the months leading up to the March 21 trade deadline.
- Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Justin Holl is fourth on Seravalli’s list as the Leafs will need to shed some salary when sidelined goalie Petr Mrazek is ready to return to the lineup.
- New York Rangers winger Vitali Kravtsov is fifth on the list. Seravalli observed the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens were among the interested parties. With former Rangers GM Jeff Gorton now in control with the Canadiens, he wondered if Gorton might make a pitch for Kravtsov, who he drafted in 2018.
- Florida Panthers winger Patric Hornqvist, Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller, Chicago Blackhawks forward Dylan Strome, Vegas Golden Knights winger Reilly Smith and Pittsburgh Penguins winger Bryan Rust check in at numbers six through 10 on Seravalli’s list.
- Anaheim Ducks winger Rickard Rakell, San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl, Arizona Coyotes winger Phil Kessel, Chicago Blackhawks forward Henrik Borgstrom and San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane fill spots 11 through 15.
