This was not the result that I was expecting when I looked at the Flames roster yesterday. I thought for sure that the Oilers had the upper hand when it came to the defense and scoring but low and behold, I was wrong.
I will say this though, Tyler Parsons was the reason the Flames won that game for the most part. He stopped the Oilers point blank at least four times in that game. Four chances (three by Tyler Vesel and one by Kailer Yamamoto if I’m not mistaken) that should’ve been buried.
Had the Oilers scored on those, this game report would’ve been a lot nicer to read.
I don’t want to paint to you a picture that the Oilers rookies were getting their asses handed to them the entire time because they weren’t. I’m of the opinion that they were actually outplaying the Flames for the most part and it was poor goaltending, timid defending, and the aforementioned play of Tyler Parsons that sank them.
Did anybody notice the line stacking that went on in the third? Jay Woodcroft went back into the dressing room and got the Todd McLellan Turbo Blender out for the final frame and the Oilers played with a bit more purpose and it was in that frame where I wondered when Benson and Marody would put their stamp on the game. They’d been buzzing around a bit but to no avail. Then, literally, as I thought about Benson, he set up Jones; and when Marody came to mind, he scooped the puck up from behind the net, walked in front, and deposited the biscuit in the basket.
Was it just me or did anybody else notice Benson's skating wasn't the prettiest thing to watch? Maybe it was his edges or something or maybe I'm too used to Connor's skating but for a little guy, he certainly didn't have the same speed or agility that Yamamoto had or Marody or Cameron Hebig for that matter.
I was most impressed with Evan Bouchard tonight. It was obvious from an offensive point-of-view that he's exceptional. His outlet passes were phenomenal. Once he had the puck it was off of his blade and onto a teammates' within a second. There were some draft pundits that said he could be the best passer in the 2018 draft and he certainly showed that as well as his shot...
I feel like I've seen that shot before somewhere though...
Am I overthinking this too much or can you see the slightest similarity here as well? #Oilers pic.twitter.com/wVrTdj844i
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) September 10, 2018
But 7 goals against is generally frowned upon in any game of hockey and if the Oilers are going to prevent themselves from being shutout by NAIT/MacEwan for the second year in a row, they're going to have to get their shite together and get playing their game.
PLAYER NOTES:
Lines for the game to start were:
Gambardella – Marody – Yamamoto
Benson – McLeod – Vesel
Hebig – Esposito – Maksimov
Polei – Larkin – Vesey
Jones – Bouchard
Samorukov – Bear
Wilson – Day
Skinner
Wells
Gambardella - Industrious game. Had a chance to score on a breakaway but was turned away. Great tilt with a much MUCH bigger opponent and came away with the decision. I fear he's got Lander boots though.
Marody - Great hands, good feet, agile but took a while to make his mark with the goal in the 3rd.
Yamamoto - Shifty as hell. Fearless. Aggressive. Got robbed by Parsons on a couple of occasions. Great passing play with Caleb Jones and Tyler Benson on Jones' goal in the 3rd. Needs month or two in the AHL to refine his pro game I feel.
Benson - Skating let me down but his vision and passing were pristine. Physicality didn't scare him off. Came away unscathed and on the scoreboard with an assist.
McLeod - The speed is there. He can really fly. Disappointed that he missed the net on a very scoreable 2v1. It's only one game but will he be Kyle Platzer or Andrew Cogliano?
Vesel - So many chances he had to score but couldn't find a way to put the puck in the net. He's very quick and finds his way to the right spots on the ice in order to get chances.
Hebig - I noticed Hebig's speed and shiftiness but other than that he wasn't a factor in this game and he should've been I feel with the kind of skills he possesses offensively.
Esposito - Little bit of a tank out there was Mark Messier's nephew. He was throwing the body effectively and grinding hard.
Maksimov - I was watching for him but in the back of my head before I started watching the game I thought he might be invisible due to his place in the lineup. I get why he was on the 3rd line behind Yamo and Vesel but why wasn't he a target on the PP? With his shot and scoring prowess, I was hoping he'd get more love from the coaches.
Polei - Big guy, didn't do a whole lot out there.
Larkin - Another player I didn't notice a lot of.
Vesey - Apart from losing a fight, nothing ink-worthy to note.
Jones - Great skating and playmaking but a few brain farts in his own zone that lead to turnovers. Good outweighed the bad in this game though.
Bouchard - Wow! Excellent debut for Bouch. Passing was as advertised. Shot was as advertised. Defensive play was as advertised. Not as bad as you'd think but needs to learn to use that frame of his a bit more liberally.
Samorukov - Not a great night for Sammy. Too many turnovers for my liking. Got physically outmatched more often than not.
Bear - He looked quicker and more agile than last year. More confident too. And I love how fast he gets his shot off from the blue line. Got tied up in front of the net with his center on a Flames wrap-around goal, so he'll need to work on his spatial awareness a bit there but it wouldn't surprise me if it came down to Bear and Bouchard for a spot on the Oilers roster to start the regular season.
Wilson - Not bad. Got in a little scrap at the beginning of the game. Overall a solid outing.
Day - I liked Day's game. He's a bigger guy and it's apparent that he's a bit more offense-oriented. Likes to carry the puck a bit but I'm not sure if he has the speed to make it to the next level. Should be an important cog for the Condors this season though.
Skinner/Wells - Where was this Stuart Skinner tonight? Because he certainly wasn't in Calgary. Did Wells set this one out too? These are supposed to be Edmonton's goalies of the future and both of them shit the bed versus the Flames while Tyler Parsons was looking like the next coming of Mike Vernon at the other end. I know I'm being harsh but this was a horrid evening in the pipes for the Oilers goalies.
The Oilers Rookies will face the NAIT/MacEwan All-Stars on Tuesday.
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