Edmonton Oilers Talk: Who Goes Back to The Bake When Nurse/Ceci Come Back?

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Oilersnation

2021-22 Edmonton Oilers in Seven part three: Are the Oilers good?

At the time of writing this Thursday afternoon, Edmonton has the best points percentage in the entire NHL and are somehow navigating missing like… every defencemen they have.
…the last seven games were a weird stretch for the Oilers… the Oilers powerplay cooled off a little bit but still operated at a 23.8 percent clip
Unlike before, the Oilers didn’t really jump out as being elite in any single sense of the term. Instead, they were about average in nearly every category…
Even with their top two left shot defencemen, the Oilers have been giving up far too many goals against for what you’d like to see.
Over this recent stretch, the Oilers had a +3 goal differential. Good, but not great by any means.
Complacency is the enemy and Edmonton can’t let their great start slip away.
Over the next seven games, the Oilers have a great chance to stay hot at home… This seven-game set sees them play six of seven at home.
Over the last two years, the Oilers have posted the league’s 12th best home points percentage at .658 — a great target for them to hit to keep pace.

BLH’s Thoughts: The road is killing the Oilers this year, eh? Five of their six losses have come away from Edmonton… They might want to clean that up a little or that great start that the ON writer is talking about will get chipped away slowly over the remainder of the season.

Can anybody explain to me why a team this good can’t start a game on time? Why does it take a period or two for the Oilers to get going? Is it coaching? Is it playing personnel? What in Sam’s Hell could it be?!!!

The Athletic

Analyzing Cody Ceci’s importance to the Edmonton Oilers and future deployment

Ceci averaged 21 five-on-five minutes a game in the four contests after Nurse left the lineup, delivering a 52 percent shot share and 52 percent expected goals with young partner Broberg. Edmonton went 3-1-0 in those games, with Ceci playing heavy minutes.
Ceci at five-on-five this season has a goal differential of plus-1 (8-7) when playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. When away from the dominant centres, he is minus-4 (7-11) so far this season.
Ceci is a better puck mover, has more impact on the team offensively and Edmonton will score more and allow more goals when he is on the ice than the club delivered a year ago with (Adam) Larsson.
If he’s playing with Keith, then a third-pairing deployment is the smart play. If a player like Broberg emerges, Ceci may benefit from playing more with the younger defender.
The bottom line is Ceci is delivering on expectations, and the Oilers are in a period of transition on the second-pairing deployment.

BLH’s Thoughts: One thing you probably won’t see with Ceci that we did with the Iron Swede last night, a crosscheck to the head of Leon Draisaitl. Adam, he’s got some dirt in his game.

Tell ya what, I can’t wait to see Ceci back in the lineup again. I’m a full-on believer of the guy now and the faster he can get in there, the better. Not that I don’t enjoy seeing the young Scandinavians do their best, but the kids are getting their shows run but the opposition’s aggro forecheck. Edmonton’s defense needs the kind of stability Ceci brings. Plus it’ll get a lefty back on his strong side, be that Russell or Broberg, and Edmonton will be able to bring down some of the TOI of the fellas who’ve been covering for the former Senator, Leaf, and Penguin since he got bit by The ‘Vid.

By my count, Darnell Nurse should be back very soon and Ceci in about 5 days or so. So what do you do with the defense then? Two guys got to go and I’m thinking Lagesson and Broberg should. Give Russell a rest because he deserves it and give me more Markus Niemelainen.

Love that Huge Finn so far! If he can get acclimated to the pace of the NHLsooner, he might be just what the doctor ordered in City of Champions. Reckon he reminds Ken Holland of Jiri Fischer, who he had in Detroit before a cardiac arrest on the Red Wings bench one night and a subsequently discovered heart condition ended his career. Pretty similar players stylistically if you ask me.

Spector’s Hockey

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Stu Cowan wondered what effect the Canadiens’ recent management changes will have upon Jeff Petry’s future with the club… Cowan speculates Petry could be one of the players the Canadiens move if new executive VP of hockey operations Jeff Gorton decides to rebuild the roster.
TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports he’s spoken with several playoff contenders who value Ben Chiarot… Chiarot carries a 10-team no-trade list submitted last summer. LeBrun believes the lack of quality rental defensemen could make Chiarot a hot commodity and perhaps fetch a first-round pick.
TSN: Darren Dreger believes Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion is looking for some help for his struggling club.
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports the Senators’ last-place status in the standings won’t push Dorion to make a move simply for the sake of doing so.