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The Hockey Writers
Oilers’ Tyson Barrie Rebounding From Slow Start
- He was held to zero points in Edmonton’s first three games, but he has since racked up two goals and six assists in the last seven. The 30-year-old did not have a positive rating in any of the Oilers’ first seven outings but has been plus-one in each of the last three games.
- Barrie’s increased production has coincided with his move from the Oilers’ top blue-line pairing to their nominal third pairing.
- Overall, he’s averaging 19:07, which is the least among the five Oilers defencemen who have played all 10 games.
- Three of Barrie’s eight points have come on the power play, compared to 23 of 48 last season when he led all NHL defensemen in points.
- Barrie is averaging 0.50 even-strength and 0.30 power-play points per game, compared to last season when he averaged 0.45 and 0.41, respectively.
- He’s on pace for 16 goals and 49 assists, both would be career-highs for the 11-year NHL veteran who’s played for both the Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs.
BLH’s Thoughts: Barrie started last year out slow too but really picked up the pace as the year progressed. I wasn’t worried with his pedestrian start this year because I was very confident he’d find his stride before the tenth game of the year.
Now, he and Bouchard were pretty shite last night, but that happens from time to time. Detroit played a hungry game, they’ve got some quick forwards, and to be honest, the brain fart from Skinner flipped the script. The Oilers might’ve won that game had they not been required to score 3 goals to take it.
I like that Tippett can swap Bouchard and Barrie depending on their form and the game situation, it’s a testament to the depth on Edmonton’s blue line. So I do find it interesting that the club might be looking to add yet another defenseman to that group and a name that’s popped up in my DMs is Hampus Lindholm…
Not sure how that works considering Holland doesn’t want to be spending major assets on rentals and if Lindholm comes with an extension, what does that say for Broberg, Keith, Samorukov, Niemelainen, Koekkoek, and Russell seeing how Lindholm would automatically slot in on the 2nd pairing.
The Athletic
The 10 best lines in hockey
- 10. Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson
- 9. Carter Verhaeghe — Aleksander Barkov — Anthony Duclair
- 8. Johnny Gaudreau — Elias Lindholm — Matthew Tkachuk
- T-6. Michael Bunting — Auston Matthews — William Nylander
- T-6. Jake Guentzel — Sidney Crosby — Bryan Rust
- 5. Max Pacioretty — Jack Eichel — Mark Stone
- 4. Ondrej Palat — Brayden Point — Nikita Kucherov
- 3. Zach Hyman — Connor McDavid — Jesse Puljujarvi
- T-1. Gabriel Landeskog — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
- T-1. Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak
BLH’s Thoughts: How does Vegas even get on this list considering all three of those players are on the IR and have never played a single game together? They might not ever play a single game together knowing how Vegas likes to do business and with the rumors of Mark Stone’s back being a lot worse than is being reported.
I’d say the same with Pittsburgh but at least those guys have spent a few minutes on the ice at the same time…
If Draisaitl is on that line instead of Hyman, is there a three-way tie for first?
How about that Panthers line? That is some elite bargain shopping done by Florida there.
The Hockey Writers Rumors
- Chris Johnston is the next NHL insider to connect the Edmonton Oilers to Fleury. It is believed the Oilers may need two things heading into the trade deadline: a left-shot defenseman and a goaltender will be at the top of the Oilers’ priority list.
- Tuukka Rask was back on the ice on Monday, skating with the Boston Bruins. While he’s still recovering from offseason hip surgery, it is believed he’ll return to the Bruins at some point this season. That he’s back on the ice raises questions about how soon he might be able to return.
- Following claims that she was sexually assaulted by former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach John “Clark” Donatelli in 2018, Erin and Jarrod Skalde have reached a resolution with the Penguins organization.
- In other Penguins news, there’s chatter the organization is looking to add a defenseman and that Toronto Maple Leafs’ blueliner Justin Holl could be an ideal fit. Holl is believed to be available and the 29-year old right-handed defenseman has a year left at $2 million.
