What a gut-wrenching loss that was for the Oilers, eh? During that whole game, I felt uneasy about Edmonton’s play and that’s because there were far FAR too many scoring chances and posts hit by the Blackhawks. I mean, Jonathan Toews must’ve had at least five chances (including the one he “scored”) on his own and I don’t even think he played that well. It’s just that Edmonton’s defense left him alone enough times that he got the opportunities.
The Oilers did not deserve to win that game. Simple as that.
I have a plethora of things rattling around in my head, so I’m just going to throw them down here on digital paper and let you digest them as you see fit.
- If the Oilers shut 19-year-old Kirby Dach down, will they shut down the Hawks?
This guy is good and he’s running Edmonton’s show AS. A. ROOKIE. Now, I seem to remember talking about this weeks ago. I believe I said that the Oilers have to be aware of a young player like Dach because these are just the sort of scenarios where young superstars emerge… Where’s Zack Kassian when you need him?
- These refs have to get their heads out of their asses.
Two games in a row the refs have sent the Oilers to the box FOUR consecutive times. Are the Blackhawks simply not breaking any rules or is this pre-season for the refs? How can they go from calling every little BS infraction for two periods and then nothing for the third? Get it together!
- Andreas Athanasiou…
Went from playing the best game of his career to becoming average and vanilla again. Bruce McCurdy and David Staples have touched on this before and I think they’re right. What they’ve been saying is that AA needs to stay on that third line where he runs the offense because when he is promoted to play with Leon or Connor, he’s lost and he defers to them.
- It’s hard to win the 5×5 battle if the majority of the play is on special teams.
Not only that, but it takes away from the flow of the game. This isn’t football. Hockey can’t be stopped and started all the time for it to be entertaining.
Getting back to the original point. The Oilers are shooting themselves in the foot by taking so many penalties. They’re forcing their best players to sit on the bench and taking away the team’s best chance to win the game. Now, with that said, what are the odds you start to see McDavid killing penalties in game 4?
- Chicago has turned their weakness into a strength.
The defense of the Blackhawks was their supposed weak link and they’ve taken that and used it against the Oilers. How many shots are they getting from the point because Edmonton’s forwards don’t feel that they’re a threat? Without Adam Larsson, the Hawks can do what they want to in front of the net and it’s paying off.
It’s funny and I think you should have to ask yourself this, do you think that the Oilers defense has full confidence in the goaltending if they’re blocking so many shots?
Another point on their defense. Where’s Edmonton’s forecheck? We’ve got maybe the fastest team in the league and the softest forecheck. When I have seen the Oilers put some real pressure on Chicago’s defenders, they’ve caused turnovers…
- Chip and Chase?
The Oilers need to stop trying to carry the puck over the blueline and chip it into the zone and hunt it down. I get the whole possession game thing, but if one team is shutting that play down, why would you continue to go to that well? Go to another one!!! Edmonton has the speed and the talent to chip the puck past the blueline wall and retrieve it. Boom! Possession. Again. Weird how that works against a slow plodding defense…
- Where’s the desperation?
While’s Chicago’s D is having all the fun in the Oilers’ zone, why isn’t Edmonton’s defenders having a bit of their own in the Hawks’?
The Oilers have players who can shoot the puck, so why don’t they? Oscar Klefbom has got a great shot for redirections. Darnell Nurse’s shot is very hard but not so accurate. Ethan Bear might have the best shot on the team save for Evan Bouchard and what about Matthew Benning? Hardest shot on the team and one of the hardest in the league! And here’s the thing, it doesn’t even matter how hard the shot is, it just needs to get to the net! Chicago knows this and they are murdering the Oilers with it because Koskinen and Smith both have had real problems with redirections all year.
Well, I think the problem is, apart from James Neal and Alex Chiasson, not many players want to get into the muck and that’s a problem.
- Patrick Russell to the rescue!
That’s a tough break (no pun intended) for Tyler Ennis. Here’s to a speedy recovery for him.
Now, who’s going to come in to replace the local boy? Well, I’m going to say, Patrick Russell. The coach loves him and he plays a very predictable and honest brand of hockey. Not only that but he had two points in a handful of minutes in that tune-up game vs. CGY.
Gaetan Haas is another option but as a winger, not a center. He’s right shite on the dot but other parts of his game could be very useful. Things like his unpredictability, his no-fly-by rule, his speed, and his tenacity. I don’t know how much the coach enjoys his lack of consistency though.
At this point, I would say no on Nygard. He’s still on the mend from hand surgery I guess and I really don’t know how much he would bring to the ice aside from being able to skate really fast in a straight line. You’d like him to be a Grabner-type, but he doesn’t seem to have that skill or does but isn’t quite comfortable in his role yet to display it.
- Tomorrow’s Lineup?
Neal-McDavid-Kassian
RNH-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
AA-Sheahan-Archibald
Chiasson-Khaira-Russell
Klefbom/Larsson
Nurse/Bear
Russell/Benning
- The vets.
Chiasson, Khaira, and Neal have been very good in their role. I love the beef they’ve brought to the game. James Neal looks like a guy who’s been shot out of a rocket and Chiasson has slowly become one of my favorite players because he gives zero f*cks out there. I wish more players would play like these two are. They deserve more TOI, in my opinion.
- SMITTY!
Reckon it’s Koskinen or Smith tomorrow? In the grand scheme of things, I don’t think it matters. The netminding in this series has been a dog’s breakfast. I like Koskinen because there’s less chaos, but on the other hand, Mike Smith really got hung out to dry in game 1 and he’s got a bit more “playoff” pedigree… Win and you’re in, lose and you’re out, right?
- What a seesaw battle these two teams have given us.
Edmonton is 1-2 in the regular season and post-season vs. Chicago. The interesting thing is, the Oilers have followed up their losses to the Hawks with a win the next time the two teams have played. Will that happen tomorrow though?
Here’s the thing. The Oilers aren’t even playing to their average potential. If they did that, they’d be the team up 2-1. So many players are sh*tting the bed right now, it’s not even funny. Edmonton’s best players are finding a way to be minus contributors on the shot share. The team’s PDO is .964 too though, so there’s an element of puck luck that isn’t going their way.
Hockey is chaos, but you can channel that chaos your way if you put the work in. The Oilers aren’t putting the work in nor are they making the necessary sacrifices and now their backs are against the wall. How they come out in game four will speak volumes to the leadership, character, and overall mix of players on this club; and should they come out colder than Donald Trump’s heart, it would not shock me to see some players moved who we thought were unmoveable.
We mustn’t forget though. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That is all.
