EDMONTON 0
VS.
TORONTO 4
--------------------
So, we're going to go in a bit of a different direction tonight. The approach I'm about to take doesn't absolve the players at all but there are some things that need to be said and I'm going to say them. Seriously considered not posting anything tonight. That was bloody embarassing and even more so with the crowd composition at a Leafs game. We couldn't even boo the team off the ice because of all the season ticket holders who are either part time fans or gave their tickets away.
Dallas Eakins is making too many mistakes and being outcoached night-in, night-out. Period.
Listening to him defend the team after the game, claiming that they only battle they lost was the execution battle...it was either a lie, delusion, or the man is incompetent. His team had one strong period, and even then they were disorganized. This guy is caught up in the "shoot and shoot from anywhere" game plan. It doesn't work. 30 of the shots tonight should be classified as turnovers. This team had so few quality chances it was amazing. He claimed they didn't get dominated...having that many odd man rushes generated against you, and having your goaltender have to make that many toe saves means you were dominated. I didn't mind Bachman tonight aside from the Kessel 2nd period goal as he got caught napping. He probably made 10 absolutely excellent saves, moved the puck to his team and played another calm game in the net.
Putting Gagner straight onto the top line was a mistake. He was going to be rusty and miss some chances at the very least. Even if you're going to take that chance, you surely don't give him the other team's best line as a defensive assignment right off the hop. They were set up to be destroyed and they were.
Eakins also has a foolish connection to the Yakupov-Eberle duo. He defended them after the game...one in which they'd just hung up their second -4 in a short time. Anyone watching (except the Coach apparently) can see that they do not feed off each others' games at all. Both did a few nice things individually, but they are never in the right place to keep puck control. They don't cover for pinching defencemen well at all and get exposed. They don't generate shots from the slot. Terrible and it is Eakins' job to notice.
Am I the only one that took the lesson from Kessel's adventure with John Scott earlier this year? If Eakins wanted to get Kessel off his game right from the get go, he should have sent Gazdic to shadow him the first shift and let him know how things are going to be. Instead, his ideal use of his "enforcer" is to go for a leisurely stroll on one shift with Colton Orr after Gazdic had already stopped finishing checks.
I'm not as hung up on icetime as the media seems to be at this point, but if players aren't producing or are getting owned, you don't just keep sending them to the wolves.
I give him credit for benching Petry after that incredibly stupid giveaway. That was just a horrible play. I do wonder though - would he have benched him if he hadn't had 7 D?
And that play leads me to another point - I am starting to wonder about Eakins' breakout. Way too many passes are going up the middle. This happened specifically with Jones in MTL (after which he was promoted to the first line...) and Petry tonight. I also noticed that the D are specfically looking up the middle to the point where it almost appears that Eakins has preached this as a first option. I could see this MAYBE catching AHL teams off guard, but it is a recipe for giving the other team easy goals in the NHL. The two options seem to be either to pass up the middle (often to no one) or bounce it out off the glass (after which the other team counterattacks) - I'm sure any of you who have every played the game see the problem with this.
As an offensively gifted team, you probably noticed that the Leafs don't really dump the puck that much, and drive up the middle whenever they can. The Oilers keep talking about getting the puck deep and chasing...it doesn't work with this roster (or many rosters in the current NHL). This is a rush team. They need to hold the puck and create multiple attacking levels which break down the opposition D to create passing lanes. We're seeing none of that right now. It is abundantly clear that this is not part of the gameplan. The gameplan is to either dump it or fire shots from so far out wide that they just create rush opportunities in the other direction. Again, this is something anyone who has played the game for any length of time knows you just don't do. Giving them freebies is terrible.
Eakins doesn't get it. He doesn't understand his roster or the NHL. What Dave Poulin said on the radio before the game is interesting to me...he said that Eakins is very very stubborn. This can be a great thing - unless what you're being stubborn about is wrong - which it appears to be.
This game exposed our game planning, roster decisions and lack of ability to adapt. Sure we need execution as well...but you get what you set - and we're set up incorrectly from the get-go. That's why the Oilers have not controlled a hockey game all year.
10/29/13
10/24/13
2014 LMHF Report - Game # 4
EDMONTON 1
VS.
WASHINGTON 4
----------------
Well, I can't say they didn't show up at all for this one. The first period was a perfect example of how you must execute when you have the chances or it will come back and bite you. This team came out and played one of their better offensive periods but kept either making mistakes with the puck or allowing Washington to block their shots. Part of this would seem to come from Eakins silly push to have the players peer pressure each other in to putting more pucks at the net. I've said it a ton of times by now - this isn't what good teams do. None of them. The shots are the product, not the cause. Good teams take shots when 1) They have a clear lane and a scoring chance, as Eberle should have on one of his early scoring chances where he ended up going back hand instead. Holtby was down and done, Eberle had the top shelf all day and made a bad decision; and 2) when the opposition is shifting directions with traffic. They can't effectively block shots when you're forcing them to move.
So then Ovechkin scores the first goal and the team wasn't the same from that point. The frustration set in, any remaining patience was gone to be replaced with frustration, and there was really no chance to win after that. The post game commentary seemed to give them credit for 40 solid minutes...no way. Any first 40 where you haven't scored isn't any good.
A lot of our troubles tonight stemmed from the inability to transition from our own zone. The defencemen have all adopted (or been forced to adopt, who knows) the approach of "just get it out". The thing is, this doesn't work in the NHL and it REALLY doesn't work against a team as talented as the Capitals. They have so much depth up front it is astounding, and their D has adopted a style that suits the rest of the squad well enough that they can be effective and create turnovers. Loose pucks are really all you need when that group of forwards have your back.
I haven't seen one game this year where the Oilers have looked like they were going to dominate. MAYBE parts of the Winnipeg game. Maybe. They are at best coming at the opposition in fits and starts, with extremely fragile psyches, a system that is very much a work in progress, a horrible PP that for some stupid reason relies on stopping at the blue line and backwards passes, a D crew who are allergic to generating offensive chances and spotty goaltending. It is no wonder they aren't winning.
I don't buy the "first game back home" stuff and if Eakins is already having to shorten practices etc then he has overplayed his hand and we will likely suffer for it before things get better. This team has so much that it needs to work on and they don't seem to be able to piece it together during games. Part of that is a lineup that has so little depth missing Hall, Gagner and Joensuu, but part of that is also the lack of comfort and lack of understanding of the system. None of the game is instinct right now. It is kind of a goofy line at this point, but as Maverick once said, if you think, you're dead. This game has to be a patient and controlled one, but reactions need to be happening much faster and more consistently. The amount of guys running into each other on this team right now, either literally or getting stuck in the same lane, is huge.
-----------------
Dubnyk
- Certainly not as shaky as when he left to start the road trip. The shots that beat him were pretty good except for Chimera's second goal as he was down way too early, AGAIN. Other than that he was solid. He did enough that this team should have had a chance anyway.
Petry
- So, we finally saw Jeff Petry take a slap shot. I'd be impressed except for the fact that he had the chance to take about 8 and only even tried to get away one. For those of you who saw the last seconds of the game, as Petry double, triple, quadruple clutched then started heading the wrong way when he could have gone to the net multiple times...can someone tell me what exactly he was doing? Is this guy so unsure of himself and his ability to get the thing away that he does that? He can drive the net and take on all kinds of opposition but he can't shoot even when he has room? It makes no sense.
N. Schultz
- Got burned badly on a couple of occasions and also had some nasty giveaways. I want to see Grebeshkov try to generate some rushes for this team instead of Schultz trying to play the boring game and still giving up chances.
Belov
- Hit and miss. He had some trouble pulling the trigger as well but didn't get the chances Petry did. Went down into the offensive zone a couple times and let loose a nice wrister as well. Struggled some in the defensive zone. He needs to lean more on the mean side of his game and he hasn't quite figured that out yet. Passing was a mixed bag.
J. Schultz
- One of the better games I've seen him play this year though still not as good as he can be. 3-5 good offensive reads including the one that led to his goal. Struggled with shooting from the point. He did stop Ovechkin with a nice poke check in the second, but also got caught running around against that line several times.
Ference
- Meh, he played fine. I liked that he went after Mike Green near the end and managed not to get a penalty.
Smid
- Also fine, though he especially did not have a good night in terms of getting the puck up to his forwards in a way that let them break out and rush down the ice.
Eager-Acton-Gazdic
- Okay, this annoys me. This line did not have a "good night". They did have one really nice shift in the second where they held the Capitals in and got some chances. That's great, I'm not complaining but it also doesn't mean they didn't get hemmed in their own zone multiple times. They did. They also had some hits and Eager zinged one that probably should have gone in. They were okay...but if Eakins is realizing that he needs a fourth line who can play, we need a much more talented one than this crew.
Pitlick-Gordon-Jones
- Saddling Gordon with these two was cruel and unusual punishment. He played a fine game, doing all the little things we've already come to expect from him and even getting a couple decent chances. I was hoping Pitlick would build on his game in MTL but he did not. He was perpetually behind the play, did nothing with the puck and even got pushed around. That doesn't work when you're not going to generate offense. Ryan Jones got praise from a lot of people tonight because he pushed three guys over (all "highlight hits" where he used his arms instead of his body to push guys who were off balance) and a blocked shot when the game was over. Make no mistake, this was the typical Ryan Jones skate everywhere accomplishing nothing game. You know who a good team has instead of Ryan Jones? Jason Chimera. That's who we need. Start measuring against that yardstick rather than the pile of junk that's been on the ice the past few years and it becomes clear that the bottom six aside from Gordon is nowhere near good enough at present.
Perron-Arcobello-Hemsky
- I really wanted to see Arcobello good tonight. Honestly I tried very hard after what looked on TV like good efforts on the road and got the man points. He did nothing tonight. He simply tried in vain to keep up with Perron and Hemsky. He could not. Perron played quite well and Hemsky wasn't far behind, but they seemed to stumble over each other a bit. Their games may be a little too similar in terms of what they do with the puck (aside from Perron being a bit more of a shooter) and the lanes they pick. They even collided in the second period. Hemsky found Perron for what should have been a goal around that time as well but it didn't work out. They were probably better in the second than the other lines but it wasn't enough.
Yakupov-Hopkins-Eberle
- What a weird game. Eberle comes out like a house on fire, charging past everyone either with the puck or to get a pass, could have had six by the middle of the second and ends up with none. Near the end of the first Ovechkin scores off the draw and the dive to a minus 4 game begins...so what happened on that goal? I'm still struggling with why Yakupov was headed to Ovechkin when he's the LW and Eberle just stands there doing nothing even though by all hockey logic I know, when a winger is back like that it is his man to take...what was going on there? The line continued to play decently enough in the offensive zone, but was putrid in their own zone including multiple times getting hemmed in by the Capitals. Not a good combo. Eberle and Yakupov especially just didn't work together well. No one is setting up #64's powerplay shot (which if you remember was a big issue early last season) - instead Eberle is sending no-look passes to Schultz? What?? Had to be a frustrating night for them because of how many chances they got early, but that's no excuse for what happened later. I did like that Hopkins kept going until the end, but everyone on this line had way too many shots blocked due to bad decision-making, either too slow or not making a quick move to secure a lane. Yakupov needs to have the coach simplify things and Eakins seems to have no interest. Not good.
---------
Break up the "top line". They're not any good. Eakins won't do this the right way and promote Gordon, but you can't keep giving up what 64-93-14 did tonight. It won't win games.
VS.
WASHINGTON 4
----------------
Well, I can't say they didn't show up at all for this one. The first period was a perfect example of how you must execute when you have the chances or it will come back and bite you. This team came out and played one of their better offensive periods but kept either making mistakes with the puck or allowing Washington to block their shots. Part of this would seem to come from Eakins silly push to have the players peer pressure each other in to putting more pucks at the net. I've said it a ton of times by now - this isn't what good teams do. None of them. The shots are the product, not the cause. Good teams take shots when 1) They have a clear lane and a scoring chance, as Eberle should have on one of his early scoring chances where he ended up going back hand instead. Holtby was down and done, Eberle had the top shelf all day and made a bad decision; and 2) when the opposition is shifting directions with traffic. They can't effectively block shots when you're forcing them to move.
So then Ovechkin scores the first goal and the team wasn't the same from that point. The frustration set in, any remaining patience was gone to be replaced with frustration, and there was really no chance to win after that. The post game commentary seemed to give them credit for 40 solid minutes...no way. Any first 40 where you haven't scored isn't any good.
A lot of our troubles tonight stemmed from the inability to transition from our own zone. The defencemen have all adopted (or been forced to adopt, who knows) the approach of "just get it out". The thing is, this doesn't work in the NHL and it REALLY doesn't work against a team as talented as the Capitals. They have so much depth up front it is astounding, and their D has adopted a style that suits the rest of the squad well enough that they can be effective and create turnovers. Loose pucks are really all you need when that group of forwards have your back.
I haven't seen one game this year where the Oilers have looked like they were going to dominate. MAYBE parts of the Winnipeg game. Maybe. They are at best coming at the opposition in fits and starts, with extremely fragile psyches, a system that is very much a work in progress, a horrible PP that for some stupid reason relies on stopping at the blue line and backwards passes, a D crew who are allergic to generating offensive chances and spotty goaltending. It is no wonder they aren't winning.
I don't buy the "first game back home" stuff and if Eakins is already having to shorten practices etc then he has overplayed his hand and we will likely suffer for it before things get better. This team has so much that it needs to work on and they don't seem to be able to piece it together during games. Part of that is a lineup that has so little depth missing Hall, Gagner and Joensuu, but part of that is also the lack of comfort and lack of understanding of the system. None of the game is instinct right now. It is kind of a goofy line at this point, but as Maverick once said, if you think, you're dead. This game has to be a patient and controlled one, but reactions need to be happening much faster and more consistently. The amount of guys running into each other on this team right now, either literally or getting stuck in the same lane, is huge.
-----------------
Dubnyk
- Certainly not as shaky as when he left to start the road trip. The shots that beat him were pretty good except for Chimera's second goal as he was down way too early, AGAIN. Other than that he was solid. He did enough that this team should have had a chance anyway.
Petry
- So, we finally saw Jeff Petry take a slap shot. I'd be impressed except for the fact that he had the chance to take about 8 and only even tried to get away one. For those of you who saw the last seconds of the game, as Petry double, triple, quadruple clutched then started heading the wrong way when he could have gone to the net multiple times...can someone tell me what exactly he was doing? Is this guy so unsure of himself and his ability to get the thing away that he does that? He can drive the net and take on all kinds of opposition but he can't shoot even when he has room? It makes no sense.
N. Schultz
- Got burned badly on a couple of occasions and also had some nasty giveaways. I want to see Grebeshkov try to generate some rushes for this team instead of Schultz trying to play the boring game and still giving up chances.
Belov
- Hit and miss. He had some trouble pulling the trigger as well but didn't get the chances Petry did. Went down into the offensive zone a couple times and let loose a nice wrister as well. Struggled some in the defensive zone. He needs to lean more on the mean side of his game and he hasn't quite figured that out yet. Passing was a mixed bag.
J. Schultz
- One of the better games I've seen him play this year though still not as good as he can be. 3-5 good offensive reads including the one that led to his goal. Struggled with shooting from the point. He did stop Ovechkin with a nice poke check in the second, but also got caught running around against that line several times.
Ference
- Meh, he played fine. I liked that he went after Mike Green near the end and managed not to get a penalty.
Smid
- Also fine, though he especially did not have a good night in terms of getting the puck up to his forwards in a way that let them break out and rush down the ice.
Eager-Acton-Gazdic
- Okay, this annoys me. This line did not have a "good night". They did have one really nice shift in the second where they held the Capitals in and got some chances. That's great, I'm not complaining but it also doesn't mean they didn't get hemmed in their own zone multiple times. They did. They also had some hits and Eager zinged one that probably should have gone in. They were okay...but if Eakins is realizing that he needs a fourth line who can play, we need a much more talented one than this crew.
Pitlick-Gordon-Jones
- Saddling Gordon with these two was cruel and unusual punishment. He played a fine game, doing all the little things we've already come to expect from him and even getting a couple decent chances. I was hoping Pitlick would build on his game in MTL but he did not. He was perpetually behind the play, did nothing with the puck and even got pushed around. That doesn't work when you're not going to generate offense. Ryan Jones got praise from a lot of people tonight because he pushed three guys over (all "highlight hits" where he used his arms instead of his body to push guys who were off balance) and a blocked shot when the game was over. Make no mistake, this was the typical Ryan Jones skate everywhere accomplishing nothing game. You know who a good team has instead of Ryan Jones? Jason Chimera. That's who we need. Start measuring against that yardstick rather than the pile of junk that's been on the ice the past few years and it becomes clear that the bottom six aside from Gordon is nowhere near good enough at present.
Perron-Arcobello-Hemsky
- I really wanted to see Arcobello good tonight. Honestly I tried very hard after what looked on TV like good efforts on the road and got the man points. He did nothing tonight. He simply tried in vain to keep up with Perron and Hemsky. He could not. Perron played quite well and Hemsky wasn't far behind, but they seemed to stumble over each other a bit. Their games may be a little too similar in terms of what they do with the puck (aside from Perron being a bit more of a shooter) and the lanes they pick. They even collided in the second period. Hemsky found Perron for what should have been a goal around that time as well but it didn't work out. They were probably better in the second than the other lines but it wasn't enough.
Yakupov-Hopkins-Eberle
- What a weird game. Eberle comes out like a house on fire, charging past everyone either with the puck or to get a pass, could have had six by the middle of the second and ends up with none. Near the end of the first Ovechkin scores off the draw and the dive to a minus 4 game begins...so what happened on that goal? I'm still struggling with why Yakupov was headed to Ovechkin when he's the LW and Eberle just stands there doing nothing even though by all hockey logic I know, when a winger is back like that it is his man to take...what was going on there? The line continued to play decently enough in the offensive zone, but was putrid in their own zone including multiple times getting hemmed in by the Capitals. Not a good combo. Eberle and Yakupov especially just didn't work together well. No one is setting up #64's powerplay shot (which if you remember was a big issue early last season) - instead Eberle is sending no-look passes to Schultz? What?? Had to be a frustrating night for them because of how many chances they got early, but that's no excuse for what happened later. I did like that Hopkins kept going until the end, but everyone on this line had way too many shots blocked due to bad decision-making, either too slow or not making a quick move to secure a lane. Yakupov needs to have the coach simplify things and Eakins seems to have no interest. Not good.
---------
Break up the "top line". They're not any good. Eakins won't do this the right way and promote Gordon, but you can't keep giving up what 64-93-14 did tonight. It won't win games.
10/11/13
2014 LMHF Report - Game #3
EDMONTON 1
VS.
MONTREAL 4
---------------
So, I'm not seeing it.
I didn't see whatever it is everyone and the Coach claim to have seen tonight. I didn't see the Oilers play an improved game tonight. Can someone point me to what exactly these guys are watching that led them to this conclusion?
I saw a team that couldn't get sustained pressure in the offensive zone all night. Ever.
I saw a team that couldn't even enter the zone on the powerplay. It was pathetic. This thing should have been over on PP chances alone.
Is a team doing these two things ever going to have a successful game? Nope.
Eakins made a few mistakes tonight and it is important to look at them:
- Arcobello playing with Hall and Eberle. He might as well have put a boat anchor on each. #26 couldn't keep up. Plain and simple. This completely ruins your rush offense as well as quick attacks to the net. A perfect example happened in the second period when Eberle drove the slot and saw a teammate to his left in the open ice. If this were Hopkins, a great scoring chance was there for the taking. Arcobello couldn't get close. Could he be useful on our fourth line right now? Sure. You can't have him here though.
- He played the fourth line in our own zone after they'd been hemmed in the shift before - then kept playing them afterwards even though they had another sequence of being completely boxed in.
- Claiming that the PP's issue is shooting, rather than the fact that they're all bobbling the puck, getting out of position and making bad passes is both wrong and misleading to his players. Eberle was already listening to this tripe. If this had been the order of the day, Smyth's goal doesn't happen (the shoot morons were yelling the whole time that Schultz and then Hopkins had the puck, thankfully both made the right play). Shooting when there are blockers in the zone can only be done when the play is in motion. This powerplay isn't moving anyone around at the moment. Would it kill someone to buzz the slot every now and again?
- Eakins is not picking up on the fact that his defensive scheme isn't working at the top of the zone. Where other teams have had intense pressure on our point men and created attacks off bad pinches, we have backed way off, either allowing a shot or a passing play to develop. This work work with the level of talent on NHL blue lines. It needs to be fixed. It is also hampering the breakout.
- Not elevating Boyd Gordon. He needed to play with Hemsky-Hall or Eberle-Perron tonight. No sense in leaving him tied to Smyth. The guy had been on a roll and this game derailed it.
Getting away from Eakins, I will give credit to the Canadiens for playing a reasonable game. They were tough in the defensive corners. I don't think the Oilers won a single 50-50 battle down low. They missed Joensuu big time in this game. Even a guy like Omark, who could have slowed the play and sent the puck to the net, would have been useful. An offensive juggernaught the Habs were not.
Their fans were annoying as always. I never will understand cheering like they're watching a european soccer game. Not in Canuck territory, but not enjoyable to be sure.
It is true that MTL's second and third goals should have never happened. Goal #2 saw a trip right in front of our net, and Andrew Ference got picked to created the 2-on-1 on the third goal. Why in hell he was pinching like that I have no idea, but that doesn't change the fact that there was a penalty there. The thing is, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. We had nothing offensively aside from some posts that came off of rush plays.
If that's better, we're in a heap of trouble.
-----------------
Dubynk
- It took him a while to settle in, but he kept the team in the game long enough that they should have been able to take control. Not saying he couldn't have stopped some of them but he was good enough really.
Petry
- Needs to be better. Didn't play a physical game, didn't get his shot away, didn't exactly dominate defensively either. Here's the thing - I know I get frustrated with Petry faster than most people, but that's because I see the toolbox he's working with and expect more. He has very few games in which he takes control. Ugly effort on that two-on-one. He took away nothing.
Smid
- Better game than the last few but not amazing. Made some hits. Decent D.
Ference
- Too aggressive playing with Justin Schultz. Got a couple shots at the net and that's okay. Again, decent defense but certainly not dominant. Big mistake on the third goal as noted above. He can't be doing that.
J. Schultz
- He's not making the dynamic offensive plays that make his game worthwhile. Just isn't moving at the same pace and that was evident tonight. Second guessing his passes maybe?
N. Schultz
- Got blown by on a couple of rushes. This is what I view as his principle mistake and he still hasn't corrected it. Not making strong passes going out of the zone. I wonder if he's headed for the PB for a game or two in the not too distant future.
Belov
- Not a great game. Some very small episodes of brilliant passing but he also got caught flat footed a couple of times that really stick out for me and didn't get his shot through all that effectively. Needs to be making decisions at a higher speed than tonight.
Brown
- Whole lot of running around doing nothing. Probably the main culprit when the fourth line got caught in the zone because even though he's "speedy", he changes direction so slowly that a team like MTL throws him out of position in a heartbeat. Bad.
Acton
- Showed why he can't be a regular in this league when Hall broke in with him. He had absolutely no clue what to do. Even a guy like Georges Laraque would have driven the net with his stick on the ice. Acton was caught looking around and totally flat. No defensive gold to bail out his weak wingers. I do like that he's not afraid to muck it up in a scrum, but especially when he's not winning draws, that isn't enough.
Gazdic
- Had the one good sequence of a hard hit drawing a fight that should have also produced a PP through the instigator rule. Other than that, he struggled more than previously to help in the defensive zone and get the puck out. If I had my druthers he'd stay longer than Brown but I doubt he does.
Smyth
- I'll give him this - I'd take him on the fourth line because in only a few minutes a night he could probably drive the net well enough to make a difference. His goal and another very similar play that didn't result in a goal were clear examples of that tonight. The thing is, when the puck isn't next to the net he's absolutely lost. Every time the puck game his way, he either lost it immediately or took so long to do anything that Montreal simply took the puck away. He went offside multiple times because he couldn't turn. He was undisciplined and easily frustrated. If he's not on the fourth line or in the PB when Joensuu returns, something is very wrong.
Gordon
- Disappeared into the background a bit tonight. I'm blaming his linemates but perhaps he was just more focused on D tonight due to his assignment. Still strong on the dot but he got lots of PP time and was not a contributor.
Yakupov
- Looked lost out there. You can almost see the gears trying to turn and just not quite click in. He's not instinctively skating to the open areas and the team has forgotten how effective they can be when the puck flows through #64. Then he got frustrated and played an even more limited game. Needs to relax, have some fun and get back to playing his game.
Hemsky
- Pretty decent for most of the game. Hit a couple posts and made some guys miss. Struggled a little at the opposition blue and was not effective on the powerplay. Was very effective when played with Hopkins and Hall. This combo should have stayed together.
Arcobello
- Said all I really want to say earlier. He does nothing but frustrate me in that role.
Perron
- So, I don't know about you, but my go-to play when there's nothing available or I'm being checked is not to simply throw a behind-the-back no-look pass. Apparently Perron thinks this is a good idea, as he did it tonight several times. Unless you have Wayne Gretzky reading your mind from somewhere else on the ice, this play just won't work. Perron was also a tad distracted by the scrums tonight and didn't push the play in a meaningful way.
Eberle
= Struggling. Stepped it up after he got nailed in the third. Simply not creating opportunities to get his shot away. I get the sense the constant line shuffling is frustrating him. Still, he needs to be better than this at creating dangerous opportunities.
Hopkins
- Another pretty solid game from him. Can definitely run with the minutes he's being given no problem. Landed several good hits where he was on the defensive side of the play and prevented the MTL attacker from advancing. Classic example of how you can hit effectively as a medium sized player.
Hall
- Not what he needs to be. Kept getting to the opposition blue and passing BACKWARDS. Made absolutely no sense. He's another guy who looks like he's trying really really hard to learn the system and pay attention to where he's going rather than just playing. I've never seen him so lost on the breakout and rush as he is right now.
--------------
Overall I see a confused team who is out there training rather than playing. They need to figure this out quickly or the losses will pile up fast enough that they kill you at the end of the year. You can't be having to think everything through in your head on the ice. You need to be reading and reacting. Too many players on this team are doing that.
VS.
MONTREAL 4
---------------
So, I'm not seeing it.
I didn't see whatever it is everyone and the Coach claim to have seen tonight. I didn't see the Oilers play an improved game tonight. Can someone point me to what exactly these guys are watching that led them to this conclusion?
I saw a team that couldn't get sustained pressure in the offensive zone all night. Ever.
I saw a team that couldn't even enter the zone on the powerplay. It was pathetic. This thing should have been over on PP chances alone.
Is a team doing these two things ever going to have a successful game? Nope.
Eakins made a few mistakes tonight and it is important to look at them:
- Arcobello playing with Hall and Eberle. He might as well have put a boat anchor on each. #26 couldn't keep up. Plain and simple. This completely ruins your rush offense as well as quick attacks to the net. A perfect example happened in the second period when Eberle drove the slot and saw a teammate to his left in the open ice. If this were Hopkins, a great scoring chance was there for the taking. Arcobello couldn't get close. Could he be useful on our fourth line right now? Sure. You can't have him here though.
- He played the fourth line in our own zone after they'd been hemmed in the shift before - then kept playing them afterwards even though they had another sequence of being completely boxed in.
- Claiming that the PP's issue is shooting, rather than the fact that they're all bobbling the puck, getting out of position and making bad passes is both wrong and misleading to his players. Eberle was already listening to this tripe. If this had been the order of the day, Smyth's goal doesn't happen (the shoot morons were yelling the whole time that Schultz and then Hopkins had the puck, thankfully both made the right play). Shooting when there are blockers in the zone can only be done when the play is in motion. This powerplay isn't moving anyone around at the moment. Would it kill someone to buzz the slot every now and again?
- Eakins is not picking up on the fact that his defensive scheme isn't working at the top of the zone. Where other teams have had intense pressure on our point men and created attacks off bad pinches, we have backed way off, either allowing a shot or a passing play to develop. This work work with the level of talent on NHL blue lines. It needs to be fixed. It is also hampering the breakout.
- Not elevating Boyd Gordon. He needed to play with Hemsky-Hall or Eberle-Perron tonight. No sense in leaving him tied to Smyth. The guy had been on a roll and this game derailed it.
Getting away from Eakins, I will give credit to the Canadiens for playing a reasonable game. They were tough in the defensive corners. I don't think the Oilers won a single 50-50 battle down low. They missed Joensuu big time in this game. Even a guy like Omark, who could have slowed the play and sent the puck to the net, would have been useful. An offensive juggernaught the Habs were not.
Their fans were annoying as always. I never will understand cheering like they're watching a european soccer game. Not in Canuck territory, but not enjoyable to be sure.
It is true that MTL's second and third goals should have never happened. Goal #2 saw a trip right in front of our net, and Andrew Ference got picked to created the 2-on-1 on the third goal. Why in hell he was pinching like that I have no idea, but that doesn't change the fact that there was a penalty there. The thing is, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. We had nothing offensively aside from some posts that came off of rush plays.
If that's better, we're in a heap of trouble.
-----------------
Dubynk
- It took him a while to settle in, but he kept the team in the game long enough that they should have been able to take control. Not saying he couldn't have stopped some of them but he was good enough really.
Petry
- Needs to be better. Didn't play a physical game, didn't get his shot away, didn't exactly dominate defensively either. Here's the thing - I know I get frustrated with Petry faster than most people, but that's because I see the toolbox he's working with and expect more. He has very few games in which he takes control. Ugly effort on that two-on-one. He took away nothing.
Smid
- Better game than the last few but not amazing. Made some hits. Decent D.
Ference
- Too aggressive playing with Justin Schultz. Got a couple shots at the net and that's okay. Again, decent defense but certainly not dominant. Big mistake on the third goal as noted above. He can't be doing that.
J. Schultz
- He's not making the dynamic offensive plays that make his game worthwhile. Just isn't moving at the same pace and that was evident tonight. Second guessing his passes maybe?
N. Schultz
- Got blown by on a couple of rushes. This is what I view as his principle mistake and he still hasn't corrected it. Not making strong passes going out of the zone. I wonder if he's headed for the PB for a game or two in the not too distant future.
Belov
- Not a great game. Some very small episodes of brilliant passing but he also got caught flat footed a couple of times that really stick out for me and didn't get his shot through all that effectively. Needs to be making decisions at a higher speed than tonight.
Brown
- Whole lot of running around doing nothing. Probably the main culprit when the fourth line got caught in the zone because even though he's "speedy", he changes direction so slowly that a team like MTL throws him out of position in a heartbeat. Bad.
Acton
- Showed why he can't be a regular in this league when Hall broke in with him. He had absolutely no clue what to do. Even a guy like Georges Laraque would have driven the net with his stick on the ice. Acton was caught looking around and totally flat. No defensive gold to bail out his weak wingers. I do like that he's not afraid to muck it up in a scrum, but especially when he's not winning draws, that isn't enough.
Gazdic
- Had the one good sequence of a hard hit drawing a fight that should have also produced a PP through the instigator rule. Other than that, he struggled more than previously to help in the defensive zone and get the puck out. If I had my druthers he'd stay longer than Brown but I doubt he does.
Smyth
- I'll give him this - I'd take him on the fourth line because in only a few minutes a night he could probably drive the net well enough to make a difference. His goal and another very similar play that didn't result in a goal were clear examples of that tonight. The thing is, when the puck isn't next to the net he's absolutely lost. Every time the puck game his way, he either lost it immediately or took so long to do anything that Montreal simply took the puck away. He went offside multiple times because he couldn't turn. He was undisciplined and easily frustrated. If he's not on the fourth line or in the PB when Joensuu returns, something is very wrong.
Gordon
- Disappeared into the background a bit tonight. I'm blaming his linemates but perhaps he was just more focused on D tonight due to his assignment. Still strong on the dot but he got lots of PP time and was not a contributor.
Yakupov
- Looked lost out there. You can almost see the gears trying to turn and just not quite click in. He's not instinctively skating to the open areas and the team has forgotten how effective they can be when the puck flows through #64. Then he got frustrated and played an even more limited game. Needs to relax, have some fun and get back to playing his game.
Hemsky
- Pretty decent for most of the game. Hit a couple posts and made some guys miss. Struggled a little at the opposition blue and was not effective on the powerplay. Was very effective when played with Hopkins and Hall. This combo should have stayed together.
Arcobello
- Said all I really want to say earlier. He does nothing but frustrate me in that role.
Perron
- So, I don't know about you, but my go-to play when there's nothing available or I'm being checked is not to simply throw a behind-the-back no-look pass. Apparently Perron thinks this is a good idea, as he did it tonight several times. Unless you have Wayne Gretzky reading your mind from somewhere else on the ice, this play just won't work. Perron was also a tad distracted by the scrums tonight and didn't push the play in a meaningful way.
Eberle
= Struggling. Stepped it up after he got nailed in the third. Simply not creating opportunities to get his shot away. I get the sense the constant line shuffling is frustrating him. Still, he needs to be better than this at creating dangerous opportunities.
Hopkins
- Another pretty solid game from him. Can definitely run with the minutes he's being given no problem. Landed several good hits where he was on the defensive side of the play and prevented the MTL attacker from advancing. Classic example of how you can hit effectively as a medium sized player.
Hall
- Not what he needs to be. Kept getting to the opposition blue and passing BACKWARDS. Made absolutely no sense. He's another guy who looks like he's trying really really hard to learn the system and pay attention to where he's going rather than just playing. I've never seen him so lost on the breakout and rush as he is right now.
--------------
Overall I see a confused team who is out there training rather than playing. They need to figure this out quickly or the losses will pile up fast enough that they kill you at the end of the year. You can't be having to think everything through in your head on the ice. You need to be reading and reacting. Too many players on this team are doing that.
10/8/13
2014 LMHF Report - Game #2
EDMONTON 5
VS.
NEW JERSEY 4
In a freaking shoot-out...
---------------------------
So that was a good example of the best and worst types of on-ice performance we're going to see in any given season but maybe we have a higher high gear than in years past. I'm probably one of the few that would take a world-class ten minutes over only a 'good' full sixty on most nights, but we saw what that could accomplish tonight minus a couple more minutes that would have put this one away.
I couldn't believe how bad this hockey team was for the first 45 minutes. It wasn't a case of effort not getting results. It also wasn't really a case of slacking. It was a case of terribly played hockey. The amount of turnovers from nearly everyone reminded me of a time in the early 90's when the Oilers couldn't make a pass to save their lives. Even the horrendous teams of the past few years have had spark. Those 90's teams were hopeless and frightening.
If we're going to look for positives in the first 45, I'd immediately highlight Yakupov, Hemsky and Hopkins. They were really the only players who had anything going offensively. Yakupov nearly scored a couple separate times before the wall came down. Hemsky saw the game was going sideways and tried to put the team on his back for a bunch of shifts. This isn't an ideal role for him as he's best when wheeling-and-dealing, but he still shows some pretty stellar stuff from time to time when playing super hero. That dangle and shot in the second period was just gross. Only a great stop by Brodeur kept that out. Hopkins was the breath of fresh air the team needed. While they did get down, he kept that top unit's heart ticking until they found the beat enough in the third period to be effective.
It is worth looking at how Eakins used his bench in this game. In the third period it seemed as though he was basically running 2 and a half lines. Part of this was out of necessity with Hamilton out, but instead of giving the fourth line a bunch of shifts as many coaches would do when down three and playing a crummy game, Eakins gave the game to the horses to see if they could run from behind. It appears that they can. Looking at the TOI in the game summary seems to verify what I saw by eye. I do find it interesting that Yakupov and Hemsky only got just under 17 minutes total. They must have been used more surgically because they were all over the place in the third making things happen. Anyway, just wanted to note that if this is the new coach's response to being down 3 or more - to run the top guys ragged for a comeback or die trying - I agree with the approach in almost all circumstances.
Where I will say Eakins need to do some work is on his "swarm defense". It is leaving the point men wide open and also sabotaging the breakout as players are out of position. Having that winger in the slot the way he does doesn't serve a purpose and having to chase all over the place just feeds chaos. Need to iron some of these things out.
Also, Eakins talks a bunch about "moments". Watching this team let its foot off the gas on the final powerplay was a sad moment and a huge strategic mistake. This was the time to finish the job and he has them sending in one forechecker. That won't do at all with a PP and 4 minutes to go when all the momentum is going your way. Stupid strategy that almost cost them the 2 points. Against a divisional opponent I would have been pretty angry.
Great to get to see Martin Brodeur in his final season. LMHF#2 is a big fan and really appreciated the chance to see him. He was stellar for two periods and I'm not sure much can be said about anything other than the SO goals and maybe an overplay on Hall's goal. The guy's going to go out playing some terrific hockey. Very cool to see him get an assist too. Guy has always been an amazing puck handler and it was certainly on display for almost all of tonight.
A lot of people seem to be debating the turning points of this game - I saw two offensive and two defensive worth discussing:
The first Oilers goal came on a powerplay that was a bit of a break. The thing is, the PP hadn't been very good tonight and most of the time was spent chasing the puck back into the defensive zone to regroup. For them to execute was a big deal. That it was Hopkins in his first game back was probably also a big deal. Hopkins makes that play of getting to the puck quickly and tapping it in at the side of the net better than anyone else. There have been chances like that in the two previous games but no one's been getting them. He did and it got them on the board. I didn't see the team kick into high gear at this point though.
It was after Ference's goal that the team started going. It was a bit of a weird goal. Justin Schultz was probably trying to send the puck off the boards to the low forward but it happened to go to Ference. His choice to shoot was a good one with three Devils screening their own goalie but it takes skill to thread the needle through a crowded shooting lane like that. He did well to make that happen. At 3-2 the players and fans were into it for sure.
The defensive plays came very close together. I believe both were at 3-2 but I could be wrong. LaBarbera made a key cover when the Devils were threatening that stopped a play that was really looking to be headed into the net. The Oilers were scrambling and this stopped it. Smid also made a really important poke play on a puck that was headed to an open Devil with an open net. Big deal.
---------------
LaBarbera
- He wasn't as wobbly as in the preseason, but he still wasn't great. I can't fault him for getting beat by Jagr as that shot has baffled goalies for a long time now. Jagr owns us. Brunner's shot was stellar. That guy is a deal on that contract he got. Would have been a great add for most teams in the league and I can't see why it took so long for him to be taken. He went down too early on the Ryder shot (which is an issue that both of our goalies have. The thing was, Justin Schultz played this 2-on-1 so badly...taking away neither the pass nor the shot, that LaBarbera had to guess. He did guess badly though. The fourth goal...on one hand having your own Dman butt it into your net is pretty unfortunate. On the other, he was out of position and bobbled the puck. Got to have that one and bail your guy out.
Petry
- Very frustrated with his game tonight. He got beat clean at least 3 times when he actually had a step on the attacker. There's no reason this should be happening to a guy who skates as well as Petry does. He had several chances to get shots on net and didn't deliver. Passing was 50/50. It isn't that he was really terrible but that he can be so much better and wasn't.
Smid
- Made the key defensive play I noted above, but didn't really stand out. He's not skating the puck out of the defensive zone as much as he needs to in games like this. This is one of the strengths of his game and he struggles when he doesn't utilize it. No big hits that I recall but he was okay defensively.
J. Schultz
- I know Martin Brodeur praised him after the game, but aside from a couple adventures into the offensive zone that turned out fairly well, Schultz was pretty bad. He got beat in the defensive zone way too many times and wasn't maintaining a close enough gap with his check. He had Ference with him most of the game in an attempt to sort of bail him out but the plan didn't work that well. I'm sure he'll come back with a stronger game, but he may be struggling with Eakins' system at this point.
Belov
- This game was a struggle for him most of the way. He didn't get his shot to the net, turned the puck over too often, and looked confused in his own zone at times. The mean edge wasn't there either. I'm not worried as this is a very talented guy who is barely acquainted with the NA game, but he certainly needs to be better.
N. Schultz
- Didn't see him very often. This usually means he played well.
Ference
- Two things: I know he had his stick held on the Ryder goal and that should have been a penalty, but wasn't he already out of position anyway? Too far out wide. On the Elias goal, he should have rotated towards the puck after Hopkins lost his man. The thing is, as I've noted before, Ference gets lost in front of his own net from time-to-time and this can cost the team. He actually shouldn't have been on the ice at this point either, but that's a different point. Very good shot on the goal as I noted, and he was generally solid.
Brown
- Landed a couple decent hits and caused enough of a ruckus to instigate a fight. I suppose that is what they ask of him. The thing is that his ineffectiveness on the breakout hemmed his team in the its own end on several occasions.
Acton
- I liked that he got under the Devils' skin enough to draw a crowd but did not like that he alone drew a penalty. You have to draw the other team in if that's where you're going. Positionally and on the PK he was fine.
Gazdic
- Same problems as Brown. Though I like his skating and ability to take a pass, if he doesn't make more things happen than tonight, and doesn't improve on the breakout, he will be gone pretty quickly.
Hamilton
- Hadn't done much when he went down with an injury. Very unfortunate for him as this may have been his only decent chance with Smyth in the doghouse and Joensuu out. The downgrade from #6 to #48 is very evident and when you don't take advantage to prove you can contribute from lower in the batting order you do yourself no favors.
Arcobello
- He did enough that he wasn't a hindrance to the team. I know a lot of people probably liked his performance but as an offensive unit the lines he played on didn't have any flow for a long time. While the hitting is an admirable trait for most, I'd like to see him drop it except for when he has a chance to really lay someone out. He's not a good enough skater to get back into position after a late hit so these don't serve much of a purpose. If he cuts this out he'll be much better positionally.
Yakupov
- Hamstrung at the beginning of the game because he had to essentially fly solo. He gave it a go but that isn't his game and the puck wasn't coming at the right time to utilize his shot. This started happening after Eakins began bumping him onto the top two combos. He seems to work best with either Hall or Hemsky which isn't a big shock. Most guys who are as good as he is can play both wings without much trouble but I do wonder if he needs to be on the right side. He just seems to be more effective from over there and that was true tonight as well. Still not being used properly on the powerplay for some reason. I'm really struggling to see why/how it isn't happening. Missed a chance to make it 5-3 on a rebound. I've been surprised a couple of games in a row now that he hasn't managed to finish from there as he keeps getting to the puck but doesn't finish. Loved the shot-pass off Brodeur to Hemsky. That's becoming a signature play for #64.
Perron
- Go watch that goal if you haven't seen it. Just a gorgeous shot from the faceoff dot. Pure scorer style. He had actually jumped a couple faceoffs earlier and nearly had similar chances. He made no mistake on this one after Arcobello did a good job of tying up his man. The amazing thing was, he almost scored from nearly the exact same spot, but on his knees a couple minutes after. Amazing. Tonight was a great example of the fact that he makes his presence known, whether that is with a highlight reel goal or simply crashing the net and getting in the other team's face. I'd rank him just below the three guys I noted in terms of the 60 minute effort, but when it was go time he was right at the top.
Eberle
- Probably a better game from him tonight, but I still see struggling. He's not getting into shooting position and getting the puck on net as often as he should. When he does, as on the little break he got tonight alone with Brodeur where he took a low shot rather than making a move, he's not doing the things he would normally do. The shootout goal was classic Eberle, but we can demand more from him than he showed tonight. Lots of icetime though and did a fairly good job on the PK.
Gordon
- What a pleasant surprise. He upped his game again tonight and is someone going PPG. While no one expects him to keep this up, I'm guessing the sound positional play, good decision making and faceoff wins will continue. He managed to keep up with the offensive guys as they took off which is something not every checking C can actually do. Really solid game.
Hemsky
- He recognized early on that the team was struggling and attempted to carry them over the finish line. He didn't do that but did help keep them in the game long enough that the win was still there for the taking. One thing you had to notice about Hemsky's game tonight was that he won a bunch of puck battles when the Devils had clean possession. That's not an easy thing for a guy like him to do, but the effort was there and the skill did the rest. Great little play to set up Hall for the fourth goal. He knew where #4 would be and got the puck to that area. Beauty. Couple mistakes of note in the first but other than that a very strong game.
Hall
- Well, all I can say is the look of relief on his face at his goal was only surpassed by the relief of the fans. He was on the borderline to start getting booed tonight. There were a ton of people expecting a turnover every time he touched the puck. For quite a while he actually obliged. It wasn't just cross-ice passes to the opposition either. It was little plays in the corner and trying to make simple passes. Nothing was working. When he got the puck with skating room he would bumble it. Not good. I remember vividly when he made a five foot pass in the third thinking that was the first successful pass he'd made in 3 periods. It wasn't but that was how bleak his game was looking. The goal was excellent especially because HE WENT TO THE FOREHAND! Maybe the BS backhand move is dead. We can hope. Getting around Brodeur's pokecheck isn't easy, and credit to him for going to the right ice to give Hemsky a play. He did indeed come through with the game on the line.
Hopkins
- They don't win this without him. Huge minutes. Going full speed all night. I was amazed to see him leading nearly every rush when the "Big 3" were together. I really didn't expect zero rust when he hadn't played in months. Never underestimate Hopkins I guess. One curious thing though: They seemed to be setting up his shot from the Yakupov spot - I don't know about you but I don't think his shot is strong or accurate enough to be firing away from far out like that. Oh well.
-------------
The fans booed the players off the ice at the end of the second period tonight. They deserved all of it. They also deserved all of the cheers they got as the game picked up in the third and ended with LaBarbera finishing off the Devils after Eberle and Perron went shelf. That's just the way the game goes sometimes.
VS.
NEW JERSEY 4
In a freaking shoot-out...
---------------------------
So that was a good example of the best and worst types of on-ice performance we're going to see in any given season but maybe we have a higher high gear than in years past. I'm probably one of the few that would take a world-class ten minutes over only a 'good' full sixty on most nights, but we saw what that could accomplish tonight minus a couple more minutes that would have put this one away.
I couldn't believe how bad this hockey team was for the first 45 minutes. It wasn't a case of effort not getting results. It also wasn't really a case of slacking. It was a case of terribly played hockey. The amount of turnovers from nearly everyone reminded me of a time in the early 90's when the Oilers couldn't make a pass to save their lives. Even the horrendous teams of the past few years have had spark. Those 90's teams were hopeless and frightening.
If we're going to look for positives in the first 45, I'd immediately highlight Yakupov, Hemsky and Hopkins. They were really the only players who had anything going offensively. Yakupov nearly scored a couple separate times before the wall came down. Hemsky saw the game was going sideways and tried to put the team on his back for a bunch of shifts. This isn't an ideal role for him as he's best when wheeling-and-dealing, but he still shows some pretty stellar stuff from time to time when playing super hero. That dangle and shot in the second period was just gross. Only a great stop by Brodeur kept that out. Hopkins was the breath of fresh air the team needed. While they did get down, he kept that top unit's heart ticking until they found the beat enough in the third period to be effective.
It is worth looking at how Eakins used his bench in this game. In the third period it seemed as though he was basically running 2 and a half lines. Part of this was out of necessity with Hamilton out, but instead of giving the fourth line a bunch of shifts as many coaches would do when down three and playing a crummy game, Eakins gave the game to the horses to see if they could run from behind. It appears that they can. Looking at the TOI in the game summary seems to verify what I saw by eye. I do find it interesting that Yakupov and Hemsky only got just under 17 minutes total. They must have been used more surgically because they were all over the place in the third making things happen. Anyway, just wanted to note that if this is the new coach's response to being down 3 or more - to run the top guys ragged for a comeback or die trying - I agree with the approach in almost all circumstances.
Where I will say Eakins need to do some work is on his "swarm defense". It is leaving the point men wide open and also sabotaging the breakout as players are out of position. Having that winger in the slot the way he does doesn't serve a purpose and having to chase all over the place just feeds chaos. Need to iron some of these things out.
Also, Eakins talks a bunch about "moments". Watching this team let its foot off the gas on the final powerplay was a sad moment and a huge strategic mistake. This was the time to finish the job and he has them sending in one forechecker. That won't do at all with a PP and 4 minutes to go when all the momentum is going your way. Stupid strategy that almost cost them the 2 points. Against a divisional opponent I would have been pretty angry.
Great to get to see Martin Brodeur in his final season. LMHF#2 is a big fan and really appreciated the chance to see him. He was stellar for two periods and I'm not sure much can be said about anything other than the SO goals and maybe an overplay on Hall's goal. The guy's going to go out playing some terrific hockey. Very cool to see him get an assist too. Guy has always been an amazing puck handler and it was certainly on display for almost all of tonight.
A lot of people seem to be debating the turning points of this game - I saw two offensive and two defensive worth discussing:
The first Oilers goal came on a powerplay that was a bit of a break. The thing is, the PP hadn't been very good tonight and most of the time was spent chasing the puck back into the defensive zone to regroup. For them to execute was a big deal. That it was Hopkins in his first game back was probably also a big deal. Hopkins makes that play of getting to the puck quickly and tapping it in at the side of the net better than anyone else. There have been chances like that in the two previous games but no one's been getting them. He did and it got them on the board. I didn't see the team kick into high gear at this point though.
It was after Ference's goal that the team started going. It was a bit of a weird goal. Justin Schultz was probably trying to send the puck off the boards to the low forward but it happened to go to Ference. His choice to shoot was a good one with three Devils screening their own goalie but it takes skill to thread the needle through a crowded shooting lane like that. He did well to make that happen. At 3-2 the players and fans were into it for sure.
The defensive plays came very close together. I believe both were at 3-2 but I could be wrong. LaBarbera made a key cover when the Devils were threatening that stopped a play that was really looking to be headed into the net. The Oilers were scrambling and this stopped it. Smid also made a really important poke play on a puck that was headed to an open Devil with an open net. Big deal.
---------------
LaBarbera
- He wasn't as wobbly as in the preseason, but he still wasn't great. I can't fault him for getting beat by Jagr as that shot has baffled goalies for a long time now. Jagr owns us. Brunner's shot was stellar. That guy is a deal on that contract he got. Would have been a great add for most teams in the league and I can't see why it took so long for him to be taken. He went down too early on the Ryder shot (which is an issue that both of our goalies have. The thing was, Justin Schultz played this 2-on-1 so badly...taking away neither the pass nor the shot, that LaBarbera had to guess. He did guess badly though. The fourth goal...on one hand having your own Dman butt it into your net is pretty unfortunate. On the other, he was out of position and bobbled the puck. Got to have that one and bail your guy out.
Petry
- Very frustrated with his game tonight. He got beat clean at least 3 times when he actually had a step on the attacker. There's no reason this should be happening to a guy who skates as well as Petry does. He had several chances to get shots on net and didn't deliver. Passing was 50/50. It isn't that he was really terrible but that he can be so much better and wasn't.
Smid
- Made the key defensive play I noted above, but didn't really stand out. He's not skating the puck out of the defensive zone as much as he needs to in games like this. This is one of the strengths of his game and he struggles when he doesn't utilize it. No big hits that I recall but he was okay defensively.
J. Schultz
- I know Martin Brodeur praised him after the game, but aside from a couple adventures into the offensive zone that turned out fairly well, Schultz was pretty bad. He got beat in the defensive zone way too many times and wasn't maintaining a close enough gap with his check. He had Ference with him most of the game in an attempt to sort of bail him out but the plan didn't work that well. I'm sure he'll come back with a stronger game, but he may be struggling with Eakins' system at this point.
Belov
- This game was a struggle for him most of the way. He didn't get his shot to the net, turned the puck over too often, and looked confused in his own zone at times. The mean edge wasn't there either. I'm not worried as this is a very talented guy who is barely acquainted with the NA game, but he certainly needs to be better.
N. Schultz
- Didn't see him very often. This usually means he played well.
Ference
- Two things: I know he had his stick held on the Ryder goal and that should have been a penalty, but wasn't he already out of position anyway? Too far out wide. On the Elias goal, he should have rotated towards the puck after Hopkins lost his man. The thing is, as I've noted before, Ference gets lost in front of his own net from time-to-time and this can cost the team. He actually shouldn't have been on the ice at this point either, but that's a different point. Very good shot on the goal as I noted, and he was generally solid.
Brown
- Landed a couple decent hits and caused enough of a ruckus to instigate a fight. I suppose that is what they ask of him. The thing is that his ineffectiveness on the breakout hemmed his team in the its own end on several occasions.
Acton
- I liked that he got under the Devils' skin enough to draw a crowd but did not like that he alone drew a penalty. You have to draw the other team in if that's where you're going. Positionally and on the PK he was fine.
Gazdic
- Same problems as Brown. Though I like his skating and ability to take a pass, if he doesn't make more things happen than tonight, and doesn't improve on the breakout, he will be gone pretty quickly.
Hamilton
- Hadn't done much when he went down with an injury. Very unfortunate for him as this may have been his only decent chance with Smyth in the doghouse and Joensuu out. The downgrade from #6 to #48 is very evident and when you don't take advantage to prove you can contribute from lower in the batting order you do yourself no favors.
Arcobello
- He did enough that he wasn't a hindrance to the team. I know a lot of people probably liked his performance but as an offensive unit the lines he played on didn't have any flow for a long time. While the hitting is an admirable trait for most, I'd like to see him drop it except for when he has a chance to really lay someone out. He's not a good enough skater to get back into position after a late hit so these don't serve much of a purpose. If he cuts this out he'll be much better positionally.
Yakupov
- Hamstrung at the beginning of the game because he had to essentially fly solo. He gave it a go but that isn't his game and the puck wasn't coming at the right time to utilize his shot. This started happening after Eakins began bumping him onto the top two combos. He seems to work best with either Hall or Hemsky which isn't a big shock. Most guys who are as good as he is can play both wings without much trouble but I do wonder if he needs to be on the right side. He just seems to be more effective from over there and that was true tonight as well. Still not being used properly on the powerplay for some reason. I'm really struggling to see why/how it isn't happening. Missed a chance to make it 5-3 on a rebound. I've been surprised a couple of games in a row now that he hasn't managed to finish from there as he keeps getting to the puck but doesn't finish. Loved the shot-pass off Brodeur to Hemsky. That's becoming a signature play for #64.
Perron
- Go watch that goal if you haven't seen it. Just a gorgeous shot from the faceoff dot. Pure scorer style. He had actually jumped a couple faceoffs earlier and nearly had similar chances. He made no mistake on this one after Arcobello did a good job of tying up his man. The amazing thing was, he almost scored from nearly the exact same spot, but on his knees a couple minutes after. Amazing. Tonight was a great example of the fact that he makes his presence known, whether that is with a highlight reel goal or simply crashing the net and getting in the other team's face. I'd rank him just below the three guys I noted in terms of the 60 minute effort, but when it was go time he was right at the top.
Eberle
- Probably a better game from him tonight, but I still see struggling. He's not getting into shooting position and getting the puck on net as often as he should. When he does, as on the little break he got tonight alone with Brodeur where he took a low shot rather than making a move, he's not doing the things he would normally do. The shootout goal was classic Eberle, but we can demand more from him than he showed tonight. Lots of icetime though and did a fairly good job on the PK.
Gordon
- What a pleasant surprise. He upped his game again tonight and is someone going PPG. While no one expects him to keep this up, I'm guessing the sound positional play, good decision making and faceoff wins will continue. He managed to keep up with the offensive guys as they took off which is something not every checking C can actually do. Really solid game.
Hemsky
- He recognized early on that the team was struggling and attempted to carry them over the finish line. He didn't do that but did help keep them in the game long enough that the win was still there for the taking. One thing you had to notice about Hemsky's game tonight was that he won a bunch of puck battles when the Devils had clean possession. That's not an easy thing for a guy like him to do, but the effort was there and the skill did the rest. Great little play to set up Hall for the fourth goal. He knew where #4 would be and got the puck to that area. Beauty. Couple mistakes of note in the first but other than that a very strong game.
Hall
- Well, all I can say is the look of relief on his face at his goal was only surpassed by the relief of the fans. He was on the borderline to start getting booed tonight. There were a ton of people expecting a turnover every time he touched the puck. For quite a while he actually obliged. It wasn't just cross-ice passes to the opposition either. It was little plays in the corner and trying to make simple passes. Nothing was working. When he got the puck with skating room he would bumble it. Not good. I remember vividly when he made a five foot pass in the third thinking that was the first successful pass he'd made in 3 periods. It wasn't but that was how bleak his game was looking. The goal was excellent especially because HE WENT TO THE FOREHAND! Maybe the BS backhand move is dead. We can hope. Getting around Brodeur's pokecheck isn't easy, and credit to him for going to the right ice to give Hemsky a play. He did indeed come through with the game on the line.
Hopkins
- They don't win this without him. Huge minutes. Going full speed all night. I was amazed to see him leading nearly every rush when the "Big 3" were together. I really didn't expect zero rust when he hadn't played in months. Never underestimate Hopkins I guess. One curious thing though: They seemed to be setting up his shot from the Yakupov spot - I don't know about you but I don't think his shot is strong or accurate enough to be firing away from far out like that. Oh well.
-------------
The fans booed the players off the ice at the end of the second period tonight. They deserved all of it. They also deserved all of the cheers they got as the game picked up in the third and ended with LaBarbera finishing off the Devils after Eberle and Perron went shelf. That's just the way the game goes sometimes.
10/2/13
2014 LMHF Report - Game #1
EDMONTON 4
VS.
WINNIPEG 5
------------------
Well, that result was quite unsatisfying but we definitely have a lot to talk about after tonight's game. Even though it was only the first game, we learned a lot about this hockey team and especially our new coach. I like a lot of what Eakins has been saying. The thing was, because of the way he utilized the preseason we didn't really get to experience how a game would flow when two points were on the line and now we have.
Eakins' penalty kill will be a bit of a work in progress but could become our killer secret weapon. Tonight for the most part he ran out Acton and Gordon whenever there was a faceoff and had them race off for Hemsky and Hall when there was a chance. Eberle and Perron also saw limited time but it focused mostly on those first four. You could see the opportunities for rushes and scoring chances that came as a result of Hall and Hemsky being out there. The one thing they will have to watch is that as skilled guys they see the vulnerability of the powerplay near the point and chase the puck a little too much. Discipline will be required in that space going forward but make no mistake, other teams will have to adjust to this style of play. I like it a ton.
Eakins wasn't afraid to make small adjustments to his lines at key points during the game. The one I noticed most was at the end of the second when he ran Yakupov out with Hemsky and Hall, then Joensuu with Eberle and Perron (I think that was it anyway but maybe there was a C in there. I know Joensuu was jumped up). He did this because some of those players were doing good things and he knew he could get away with it because there wasn't much time left in the second. That's a lot more Scotty Bowman than Craig MacTavish and that's a good thing.
The defensive system is a work in progress to be sure. If you watched our three units tonight, you'd have noticed them getting caught both chasing the puck and stuck behind their own net. For the most part the forwards did their jobs but the D are going to have to review the playbook. It wasn't really for lack of effort that mistakes were made but instead confusion led to pucks in the net. I'm guessing this will improve significantly.
After Trouba got in Arcobello's face, Eakins sent the goons over for the faceoff. This got a great reaction from the crowd and seemed to send the right message even though nothing actually wound up happening. This was part of an overall tone to the game that was fairly clear. We didn't take much crap tonight despite the fact that the Jets have a bunch of big boys who like to impose their will. We have several guys who are fairly mean and were definitely showing it tonight. If this keeps up it will pay dividends. I'm speaking mainly of Gazdic, Belov, Joensuu, Ference and even Perron who is chippy in a way that is productive.
The powerplay made some mistakes in that it didn't flow through the shooters enough. I know we scored twice but the play still has to flow through shooting chances for Yakupov and Eberle to be as effective as it can be. This is also true with the goalie out. Neither really got a good set up all night. That's not a coincidence - it is a strategic mistake.
Two players were deployed far too much and at the wrong times by Eakins - Smyth and Arcobello. I'm sure Eakins trusts Smyth because he's a vet and Eakins can probably relate some of his grinder game to the old man but that is no excuse for not bumping him off the top line earlier and it was preposterous to see Smyth out there at the end of the game trying to equalize. #94 has no business there. None. I'm worried that Eakins will lean on Smyth for far more than he's capable of for too long and it will hurt this team. Arcobello was also out there when the game was on the line. I know there aren't a lot of choices but Boyd Gordon and Taylor Hall can handle getting double-shifted with the game on the line. Especially after what Arcobello showed tonight.
Overall there were things I liked and didn't like but there are a decent amount of positives to take and it will be interesting to see how Eakins deploys a more complete roster.
On to the goals:
1 - Gazdic
What a debut for a random fourth line enforcer. He now gets to say that he scored on his first shift in his first NHL game. That's Mario-type stuff. Pretty incredible. I'm sure the quality of that shot will improve in his mind over time, but credit to him. He surprised and handcuffed Pavelec and the Oilers led 1-0.
2 - Gordon
I always question playing the faceoff guy on the powerplay but here's an example of where it worked out. Gordon positioned himself well in front and got his stick on a Schultz special wrister. The play that Justin made was really nice because he sold the pass to Yakupov and then delivered a very tippable wrister straight through the maze while in motion. Hemsky and Hall had played catch before this and Yakupov was a solid decoy. Very nice unit-wide effort.
3 - Hemsky
I'm sure that as Hemsky cut across the zone there were all kinds of people whining. They don't understand why he makes this play and probably still don't even after he buried the goal. He knew he had Wheeler dead and made him look like a complete twerp, then held on to the puck long enough that Byfuglien was completely blocking Pavelec's view and then made no mistake. Textbook Hemsky.
4 - Joensuu
He was already having a strong night when this goal came and I was very glad to see him get rewarded for his effort, especially in the first two periods. The guy is big but has some hands as well so I suspect we'll see him set up in front like he did on this one a bunch during the season. The Jets had no answer. Eberle got absolutely robbed an instant before Joensuu banged in the rebound and a ton of credit goes to his effort on this play. The Oilers powerplay went to the net hard and wouldn't be denied.
-------------
Dubnyk
- The headliner in tonight's game for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't just the weak goals which we will get to in a moment. He was shaky in the net from the very beginning and save for a brief spot in the second he never got things right. Easy shots were vexing him and when he wasn't awkwardly covering up, he was kicking out obscene rebounds that had his collapsing defence scrambling. I don't absolve them of blame, but there was just no way to help Devan out tonight. Scheifele's goal was a rookie mistake on angles and Dubnyk admitted as much. You can't let your team down out of the gate like that. I don't give him a pass on the Little goal even though he was partially screened. He either wasn't squared up properly or plain wasn't ready. There's absolutely no excuse for Trouba's goal. That was a Tommy Salo post-Belarus special. I also have a big problem with the fifth goal, because while his D was indeed scrambling, he was all over the place and wound up allowing the goal because he was nowhere near the net. You can't drift around outside the crease as a goalie. He was the component of the team that didn't play well enough to win tonight and he should wear the horns for that. To his credit, he seemed to accept responsibility.
Belov- N. Schultz
- Much like his efforts in the preseason, Belov made a bunch of parts of the game look silly easy tonight. The puck flowed from his stick out of the zone into transition like it was nothing. He bullied guys around his own net. He made pretty good choices when it came to pinching and wasn't shy with the puck on the opposition blue. With all that said, he did make some mistakes, getting caught out of position on a couple of occasions including one severely so that led to a goal against. What I struggle with is whether Schultz was actually the majority player in those mistakes. What is for sure is that Schultz is attempting to block the puck incorrectly. He was down on one knee multiple times tonight and it cost the team on the Little goal then almost again later. As a vet he knows that this isn't the way to do it and that you have to be moving towards the shooter as you block in order to cut down the angle. Not good enough. I'm wondering if despite being and 'A' Schultz gets chased off the team before too long this year. There were some things he did better than last year in this game but he made a ton of the same mistakes.
J. Schultz-Ference
- This pair looks like it will work. Justin made a number of strong plays including for his assist at the opposition blue. Probably my favorite was how well he read a developing play to get himself a chance at a wide open net coming off the right side. Unfortunately he couldn't corral the puck but you could see the play unfolding perfectly in his head just a second ahead of the actual pace of play. Just a beauty thing to watch happen. Defensively he was fairly strong aside from being caught behind the net at times. Used his active stick to break up a few plays. Ference was strong in the corners and played a basic, mean game on the blue line. I noticed the one area that still concerns me though...he doesn't contain his man well in front of the net. He either loses position or gets outworked at times. This was true on the fifth goal and a couple other times during the game. It doesn't have to be a big thing - but if you've ever played the position and been good at this part of the game as I was, you're surprised he hasn't found a coping strategy. I relied on controlling the opposition's stick and bringing a player down as I fell if things got desperate. Ference also got some shots through, but he also had enough opportunities that there should have been more. Too many blocked, tipped and prevented.
Petry-Smid
- This pair struggled to move the puck to safety a lot more than they usually do. Most of their difficulty involved getting beat behind the net. Smid looked at least a step off his normal pace and wasn't getting into position quickly enough to lay any hits. This is a big part of his game when he's most effective. Not sure why this was happening tonight. Petry wasn't making as many mistakes, but also did some weird things. In the third when he stepped into the slot with a great scoring chance he fired so wide he wouldn't have hit a barn. It was UGLY. When this line was out with the Hall unit, they couldn't get the play going for their forwards. I'm sure they'll bounce back.
Gazdic-Acton-Brown
- As a unit they did the job certainly. Gazdic and Acton especially. I don't think there's much more you can ask from your newly acquired fourth liner than to come up an assist short of a Gordie in the first game he's played for your team. That's impressive even if the goal wasn't art. What I liked about Gazdic's game was his ability to take a pass, decent skating and better positioning than I expected. He didn't get caught as much as Brown does and that allowed him to hit more and get more pucks. Good, strong win in his fight against a big dude. Acton showed off his speed tonight and did fairly well for himself. Nothing wrong with winning faceoffs, keeping things simple and only making mistakes related to the quality of your wingers. What I mean by this is that the line DID have a common difficulty for fourth lines which is getting stuck in their own zone. Not ideal but they kept it to a minimum. You all know what I think of Brown and it was a typical game for him minus the stupid penalty. Ran around a lot...didn't really get anyone solid and didn't impact the game. Good for him getting to the net on Gazdic's goal though. Surely threw off Pavelec.
Joensuu-Gordon-Yakupov
- In the first period this was the Oilers strongest offensive line in more ways than one. Joensuu established the heavy game he wanted to play very early on. 'Strong' describes the way he played to a tee. He was imposing his will in the corners, in front of the net and engaged with defenders powerfully. There's no doubt the team was missing a guy like this, and one who can skate and apparently has a nose for the net would be a massive find. If he can keep this type of thing up we'll have an important piece. The only thing that I noticed happens to him sometimes is that he's not very good on longer shifts or when tired. He can get awkward and slow. This will require discipline to keep in check. Loved how he went right after Byfuglien and wasn't taking anything from him. You have to be bold to take that guy on. Gordon was pretty much as advertised other than that he struggled to figure out where his linemates were headed at times. There was confusion out there and oddly enough the veteran C was the one experiencing it. I'm sure he'll be fine after he settles in some. Good goal and a lot of strong work tonight. Yakupov was fairly quiet. Part of this was because the PP didn't set him up and part was because he was doing a lot of the chasing and trying to get the puck to Joensuu in front rather than being the shooter on his 5-on-5 line. He had a great chance in the third after Joensuu drove the net that he really needed to cash and didn't. That was surprising and disappointing. He looked good when jumped up to play with Hall and Hemsky. That's where he needs to go for now.
Perron-Arcobello-Eberle
- I hate to do it, but this line was off tonight and it was because of Arcobello. He looks like a kid brother, skates and jersey too big who is out there trying to keep up and trying his damnedest but just can't. I saw him win one puck battle tonight in a role where he needs to be digging it out for Perron and Eberle to make magic. He had a perfect chance to tie the game in the third from a wide open slot and instead stood still, took way too long and took a poor shot with a winger streaking in behind the goalie. All he had to do was keep moving, or make a pass and that puck is in the net all day. He can't keep up at this level. Tonight exposed him in a way the preseason really couldn't and I'm not sure how he could improve from here really as it isn't the effort but the tools. Eberle was just okay. He started strong early but didn't do enough to get himself open with the puck. To be fair, he's used to playing a different role but should have been able to adjust. Perron had two really good chances to score that resulted in shots at the net but he missed. Very unfortunate but not a very flashy game.
Smyth-Hall-Hemsky
- One of the worst games you'll see from Hall all season. Obviously the turnover that resulted in Trouba's goal will be looked at over and over. I actually have a much bigger problem that he went and put another random pass to the opposition out there right afterwards in the offensive zone. Even the best players in the league have to learn from their mistakes. Most of Hall's tonight came when he'd migrated back to essentially playing wing. I'm guessing he didn't notice but you can tell he's still trying to learn and maybe getting frustrated. He really struggled with the puck at times tonight, and when Hemsky would give him the usual lead on a pass, he'd miss it because he hesitated just a bit too long. That's not Taylor Hall. Very frustrating I'm sure and I'd bet we'll see a man on a mission against VAN. Smyth looked like he was trying to skate in a fat suit and playing with no hands. While his positioning was okay and he at least caused some trouble in front of the net, he couldn't keep up at the times when Hemsky and Hall got going. There's only so much a two man offensive unit can do. Hemsky was excellent for pretty much the whole game. Created a bunch of chances, scored a beauty and gave the team chances to close the game out.
-------------------
Here we go. It is going to be a ride this year. The one thing I take from tonight - how the hell do you stop us when Hopkins and Gagner are back? I don't think you can. That was a big WPG D crew and forwards we took on tonight and they couldn't really manage when we played our game. Look out.
VS.
WINNIPEG 5
------------------
Well, that result was quite unsatisfying but we definitely have a lot to talk about after tonight's game. Even though it was only the first game, we learned a lot about this hockey team and especially our new coach. I like a lot of what Eakins has been saying. The thing was, because of the way he utilized the preseason we didn't really get to experience how a game would flow when two points were on the line and now we have.
Eakins' penalty kill will be a bit of a work in progress but could become our killer secret weapon. Tonight for the most part he ran out Acton and Gordon whenever there was a faceoff and had them race off for Hemsky and Hall when there was a chance. Eberle and Perron also saw limited time but it focused mostly on those first four. You could see the opportunities for rushes and scoring chances that came as a result of Hall and Hemsky being out there. The one thing they will have to watch is that as skilled guys they see the vulnerability of the powerplay near the point and chase the puck a little too much. Discipline will be required in that space going forward but make no mistake, other teams will have to adjust to this style of play. I like it a ton.
Eakins wasn't afraid to make small adjustments to his lines at key points during the game. The one I noticed most was at the end of the second when he ran Yakupov out with Hemsky and Hall, then Joensuu with Eberle and Perron (I think that was it anyway but maybe there was a C in there. I know Joensuu was jumped up). He did this because some of those players were doing good things and he knew he could get away with it because there wasn't much time left in the second. That's a lot more Scotty Bowman than Craig MacTavish and that's a good thing.
The defensive system is a work in progress to be sure. If you watched our three units tonight, you'd have noticed them getting caught both chasing the puck and stuck behind their own net. For the most part the forwards did their jobs but the D are going to have to review the playbook. It wasn't really for lack of effort that mistakes were made but instead confusion led to pucks in the net. I'm guessing this will improve significantly.
After Trouba got in Arcobello's face, Eakins sent the goons over for the faceoff. This got a great reaction from the crowd and seemed to send the right message even though nothing actually wound up happening. This was part of an overall tone to the game that was fairly clear. We didn't take much crap tonight despite the fact that the Jets have a bunch of big boys who like to impose their will. We have several guys who are fairly mean and were definitely showing it tonight. If this keeps up it will pay dividends. I'm speaking mainly of Gazdic, Belov, Joensuu, Ference and even Perron who is chippy in a way that is productive.
The powerplay made some mistakes in that it didn't flow through the shooters enough. I know we scored twice but the play still has to flow through shooting chances for Yakupov and Eberle to be as effective as it can be. This is also true with the goalie out. Neither really got a good set up all night. That's not a coincidence - it is a strategic mistake.
Two players were deployed far too much and at the wrong times by Eakins - Smyth and Arcobello. I'm sure Eakins trusts Smyth because he's a vet and Eakins can probably relate some of his grinder game to the old man but that is no excuse for not bumping him off the top line earlier and it was preposterous to see Smyth out there at the end of the game trying to equalize. #94 has no business there. None. I'm worried that Eakins will lean on Smyth for far more than he's capable of for too long and it will hurt this team. Arcobello was also out there when the game was on the line. I know there aren't a lot of choices but Boyd Gordon and Taylor Hall can handle getting double-shifted with the game on the line. Especially after what Arcobello showed tonight.
Overall there were things I liked and didn't like but there are a decent amount of positives to take and it will be interesting to see how Eakins deploys a more complete roster.
On to the goals:
1 - Gazdic
What a debut for a random fourth line enforcer. He now gets to say that he scored on his first shift in his first NHL game. That's Mario-type stuff. Pretty incredible. I'm sure the quality of that shot will improve in his mind over time, but credit to him. He surprised and handcuffed Pavelec and the Oilers led 1-0.
2 - Gordon
I always question playing the faceoff guy on the powerplay but here's an example of where it worked out. Gordon positioned himself well in front and got his stick on a Schultz special wrister. The play that Justin made was really nice because he sold the pass to Yakupov and then delivered a very tippable wrister straight through the maze while in motion. Hemsky and Hall had played catch before this and Yakupov was a solid decoy. Very nice unit-wide effort.
3 - Hemsky
I'm sure that as Hemsky cut across the zone there were all kinds of people whining. They don't understand why he makes this play and probably still don't even after he buried the goal. He knew he had Wheeler dead and made him look like a complete twerp, then held on to the puck long enough that Byfuglien was completely blocking Pavelec's view and then made no mistake. Textbook Hemsky.
4 - Joensuu
He was already having a strong night when this goal came and I was very glad to see him get rewarded for his effort, especially in the first two periods. The guy is big but has some hands as well so I suspect we'll see him set up in front like he did on this one a bunch during the season. The Jets had no answer. Eberle got absolutely robbed an instant before Joensuu banged in the rebound and a ton of credit goes to his effort on this play. The Oilers powerplay went to the net hard and wouldn't be denied.
-------------
Dubnyk
- The headliner in tonight's game for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't just the weak goals which we will get to in a moment. He was shaky in the net from the very beginning and save for a brief spot in the second he never got things right. Easy shots were vexing him and when he wasn't awkwardly covering up, he was kicking out obscene rebounds that had his collapsing defence scrambling. I don't absolve them of blame, but there was just no way to help Devan out tonight. Scheifele's goal was a rookie mistake on angles and Dubnyk admitted as much. You can't let your team down out of the gate like that. I don't give him a pass on the Little goal even though he was partially screened. He either wasn't squared up properly or plain wasn't ready. There's absolutely no excuse for Trouba's goal. That was a Tommy Salo post-Belarus special. I also have a big problem with the fifth goal, because while his D was indeed scrambling, he was all over the place and wound up allowing the goal because he was nowhere near the net. You can't drift around outside the crease as a goalie. He was the component of the team that didn't play well enough to win tonight and he should wear the horns for that. To his credit, he seemed to accept responsibility.
Belov- N. Schultz
- Much like his efforts in the preseason, Belov made a bunch of parts of the game look silly easy tonight. The puck flowed from his stick out of the zone into transition like it was nothing. He bullied guys around his own net. He made pretty good choices when it came to pinching and wasn't shy with the puck on the opposition blue. With all that said, he did make some mistakes, getting caught out of position on a couple of occasions including one severely so that led to a goal against. What I struggle with is whether Schultz was actually the majority player in those mistakes. What is for sure is that Schultz is attempting to block the puck incorrectly. He was down on one knee multiple times tonight and it cost the team on the Little goal then almost again later. As a vet he knows that this isn't the way to do it and that you have to be moving towards the shooter as you block in order to cut down the angle. Not good enough. I'm wondering if despite being and 'A' Schultz gets chased off the team before too long this year. There were some things he did better than last year in this game but he made a ton of the same mistakes.
J. Schultz-Ference
- This pair looks like it will work. Justin made a number of strong plays including for his assist at the opposition blue. Probably my favorite was how well he read a developing play to get himself a chance at a wide open net coming off the right side. Unfortunately he couldn't corral the puck but you could see the play unfolding perfectly in his head just a second ahead of the actual pace of play. Just a beauty thing to watch happen. Defensively he was fairly strong aside from being caught behind the net at times. Used his active stick to break up a few plays. Ference was strong in the corners and played a basic, mean game on the blue line. I noticed the one area that still concerns me though...he doesn't contain his man well in front of the net. He either loses position or gets outworked at times. This was true on the fifth goal and a couple other times during the game. It doesn't have to be a big thing - but if you've ever played the position and been good at this part of the game as I was, you're surprised he hasn't found a coping strategy. I relied on controlling the opposition's stick and bringing a player down as I fell if things got desperate. Ference also got some shots through, but he also had enough opportunities that there should have been more. Too many blocked, tipped and prevented.
Petry-Smid
- This pair struggled to move the puck to safety a lot more than they usually do. Most of their difficulty involved getting beat behind the net. Smid looked at least a step off his normal pace and wasn't getting into position quickly enough to lay any hits. This is a big part of his game when he's most effective. Not sure why this was happening tonight. Petry wasn't making as many mistakes, but also did some weird things. In the third when he stepped into the slot with a great scoring chance he fired so wide he wouldn't have hit a barn. It was UGLY. When this line was out with the Hall unit, they couldn't get the play going for their forwards. I'm sure they'll bounce back.
Gazdic-Acton-Brown
- As a unit they did the job certainly. Gazdic and Acton especially. I don't think there's much more you can ask from your newly acquired fourth liner than to come up an assist short of a Gordie in the first game he's played for your team. That's impressive even if the goal wasn't art. What I liked about Gazdic's game was his ability to take a pass, decent skating and better positioning than I expected. He didn't get caught as much as Brown does and that allowed him to hit more and get more pucks. Good, strong win in his fight against a big dude. Acton showed off his speed tonight and did fairly well for himself. Nothing wrong with winning faceoffs, keeping things simple and only making mistakes related to the quality of your wingers. What I mean by this is that the line DID have a common difficulty for fourth lines which is getting stuck in their own zone. Not ideal but they kept it to a minimum. You all know what I think of Brown and it was a typical game for him minus the stupid penalty. Ran around a lot...didn't really get anyone solid and didn't impact the game. Good for him getting to the net on Gazdic's goal though. Surely threw off Pavelec.
Joensuu-Gordon-Yakupov
- In the first period this was the Oilers strongest offensive line in more ways than one. Joensuu established the heavy game he wanted to play very early on. 'Strong' describes the way he played to a tee. He was imposing his will in the corners, in front of the net and engaged with defenders powerfully. There's no doubt the team was missing a guy like this, and one who can skate and apparently has a nose for the net would be a massive find. If he can keep this type of thing up we'll have an important piece. The only thing that I noticed happens to him sometimes is that he's not very good on longer shifts or when tired. He can get awkward and slow. This will require discipline to keep in check. Loved how he went right after Byfuglien and wasn't taking anything from him. You have to be bold to take that guy on. Gordon was pretty much as advertised other than that he struggled to figure out where his linemates were headed at times. There was confusion out there and oddly enough the veteran C was the one experiencing it. I'm sure he'll be fine after he settles in some. Good goal and a lot of strong work tonight. Yakupov was fairly quiet. Part of this was because the PP didn't set him up and part was because he was doing a lot of the chasing and trying to get the puck to Joensuu in front rather than being the shooter on his 5-on-5 line. He had a great chance in the third after Joensuu drove the net that he really needed to cash and didn't. That was surprising and disappointing. He looked good when jumped up to play with Hall and Hemsky. That's where he needs to go for now.
Perron-Arcobello-Eberle
- I hate to do it, but this line was off tonight and it was because of Arcobello. He looks like a kid brother, skates and jersey too big who is out there trying to keep up and trying his damnedest but just can't. I saw him win one puck battle tonight in a role where he needs to be digging it out for Perron and Eberle to make magic. He had a perfect chance to tie the game in the third from a wide open slot and instead stood still, took way too long and took a poor shot with a winger streaking in behind the goalie. All he had to do was keep moving, or make a pass and that puck is in the net all day. He can't keep up at this level. Tonight exposed him in a way the preseason really couldn't and I'm not sure how he could improve from here really as it isn't the effort but the tools. Eberle was just okay. He started strong early but didn't do enough to get himself open with the puck. To be fair, he's used to playing a different role but should have been able to adjust. Perron had two really good chances to score that resulted in shots at the net but he missed. Very unfortunate but not a very flashy game.
Smyth-Hall-Hemsky
- One of the worst games you'll see from Hall all season. Obviously the turnover that resulted in Trouba's goal will be looked at over and over. I actually have a much bigger problem that he went and put another random pass to the opposition out there right afterwards in the offensive zone. Even the best players in the league have to learn from their mistakes. Most of Hall's tonight came when he'd migrated back to essentially playing wing. I'm guessing he didn't notice but you can tell he's still trying to learn and maybe getting frustrated. He really struggled with the puck at times tonight, and when Hemsky would give him the usual lead on a pass, he'd miss it because he hesitated just a bit too long. That's not Taylor Hall. Very frustrating I'm sure and I'd bet we'll see a man on a mission against VAN. Smyth looked like he was trying to skate in a fat suit and playing with no hands. While his positioning was okay and he at least caused some trouble in front of the net, he couldn't keep up at the times when Hemsky and Hall got going. There's only so much a two man offensive unit can do. Hemsky was excellent for pretty much the whole game. Created a bunch of chances, scored a beauty and gave the team chances to close the game out.
-------------------
Here we go. It is going to be a ride this year. The one thing I take from tonight - how the hell do you stop us when Hopkins and Gagner are back? I don't think you can. That was a big WPG D crew and forwards we took on tonight and they couldn't really manage when we played our game. Look out.
9/25/13
2014 LMHF Report - Preseason Game #4
EDMONTON 5
VS.
NEW YORK Rangers 3
---------------------
My comments tonight should be read with the knowledge that I didn't see most of the second period. A friend happened to be in a suite this evening so we stopped by for snacks and refreshments. Got to get me one of those things...though I think paying the $29 for warm potato chips (which ARE delicious, but COME ON) would be a little crazy after a while.
Seeing the roster that was posted before the game I thought that despite the fact that we had a decent enough preseason squad put together, the team would get kicked around pretty good tonight. The Rangers didn't ice that squad though so it was a much different contest.
It was a tad easier to follow tonight's game than the last because some of the familiar combinations were back. I think at this point because of injuries and such we are locked in to seeing the top two lines from tonight's group in the season opener. I've been disappointed that Eakins hasn't wanted to try Yakupov in Smyth's spot but at least he has a plan and when those guys are on the ice they don't get beat. They don't produce like the would if they had another dynamic force instead of an aging one, but they do just fine against good opponents.
The second line has morphed out of necessity, but despite the fact that Arcobello is certainly not the second best Oilers center I suspect he stays in place as well. This is far from ideal, but Kassian had other plans so I guess we're stuck with this. I'm really hoping that some interesting players come across the waiver wire and we're not too loaded up with lunkheads at the bottom of the roster to pick up a useful player.
I'm not happy with the way the bottom six is shaping up. While there is improved depth and competition, it is mostly a group of 12-14 slot forwards rather than say, 8-11 slot forwards. I'm hoping that due to the new coach mainly there will be no loyalty to past sacred cows and changes will come quickly and decisively. You can easily replace most of a bottom six with interchangeable parts if your squad isn't one of the top five in the league. The first test of if there is indeed a new sheriff in town is whether Ryan Jones is cut loose.
I am cautiously optimistic when it comes to our D. While we lack a dominating force at the Pronger, or even Pitkanen/Visnovsky level, we have a solid group that could very well all rank as top 4 type defencemen if they perform well. Belov is a very pleasant surprise and as I've noted previously the only thing I really bemoan is that we couldn't get Ranger for free as well. Think about it - we just sent the first round draft pick who fired a no-look pass for a beautiful assist back to his junior team - that is progress compared to where this team has been. I look forward to seeing how this group shakes out.
In net I am not convinced these will be the two goalies at the end of the season. More on that ahead.
-------------
LaBarbera
- Pretty hit and miss effort. There were some good saves and some times when he looked really shaky. I'm getting the impression that he's just not that comfortable yet. Maybe he settles in and maybe he doesn't. I'm really hoping that this is finally our lucky day and that they've found a legit goaltending prospect in Ty Rimmer. I only saw him for the one game, but it wouldn't shock me if he first lights up OKC and then makes his way to Edmonton for a time (assuming contract details are worked out). Just looked like he had 'it' whereas I haven't seen any of that from the designated backup yet.
Belov
- Another really strong game. So far in the progression of the 3 games I've seen, he has expanded his repertoire and comfort level during each and you'd have to think he's just going to get stronger and more in tune with his teammates. Strong passes, good positioning, blockng plays and hitting. I like that a lot. He's also got a reputation for going a little crazy from time to time and he nearly jumped in to bail out a teammate in the third period. I suspect there's some mean there to be exploited once he knows where the line is.
Petry
- Had what I'd classify as a typical Petry game. Some great and some not so much. Hope he's tuned up and ready to get the intensity level high this season. I'd say you have to make a very important call with him this year and either he is an anchor for years or you deal him while his value is on the upswing. Either situation can be a winner for the team.
Fedun
- Pretty blah game which unfortunately for him will likely leave him out of the conversation. There's a lot of flash at the bottom of the Oilers blue line and that's just not his game. He's also not so far ahead defensively of the other players in the discussion that it vaults him ahead in any special way. I suspect he's headed down to be a surprising rock on the OKC D and will be called up by the Oilers during the year.
J. Schultz
- A quiet game interlaced with some really nice plays. Very well done on his assist in terms of waiting in position for the play to develop and then executing. Defensively he was okay. Will be very interesting to see how he is deployed as you didn't really get any sense of that during the preseason and there is depth on the blue line that we didn't have last year. Perhaps we mostly roll 3 pairs?
Nurse
- Tonight's game ends a great run at camp for a guy who I had very little expectation of going in. Really liked the read and the play he made for his assist. That showed a lot of confidence and skill for a guy in his position. Certainly not shy about joining the rush despite not exactly being known as an offensive juggernaught. I truly hope he dominates the OHL but cannot find a place on the Oilers until 2 camps from now because our D is that good. I doubt that will happen but a guy can hope. The muscle mass gain begins NOW!
Larsen
- I get why people like this guy. He can certainly motor around the ice and once again made some beautiful passes but didn't manage an assist somehow. It is very interesting that not very long ago we would have really needed this kind of defenceman and now he's useful but we have redundancies in place. I suspect he'll make the team and perform fairly well, but be moved on during the season because someone from OKC will have emerged and stolen his spot due to a more complete skill set (Marincin isn't as far away as a lot of people thought, for instance). We shall see and I hope he's strong enough defensively to make a positive difference.
Hall
- Again good but had some struggles with the puck for whatever reason. Lovely tip. Everything suggests that as the pace rises and the intensity of real games comes, he'll be more than ready. He looks more comfortable (in a good way) than I've seen him despite the position change and he should start the season really strong.
Hemsky
- Looking very ready and fitting in well with Hall and Smyth. The patience he showed on and after the PP that led to Hall's goal was just perfect and he made an excellent read to get Schultz that puck. I wonder if he'll try going low more often now. Hall at C seems to suit Hemsky well in terms of the flow of the play up the ice which is something I wasn't sure would happen. These guys could be pretty excellent together all year if both hang in there.
Smyth
- I'm beginning to wonder if he did indeed take on the fitness challenge during the offseason. I'm not saying this is his proper place because it certainly is not, but he is not holding these guys up and the team MAY be able to survive until some of the injured return even with Smyth in his current role. He'll probably be worn out and done by the time that happens but at least he's using all the tools in the box for now.
Eberle
- Looks better than I've ever seen him. Suspect this is because he's completely healthy. Another really strong night with Perron capped by the goal in the third where he was in the exact right spot despite a defenseman being in on the rush. He's going to tear it up this year.
Perron
- Fits right in with this hockey team while providing something a little different than what they have. Again tonight I saw him going back at the opposition when they took liberties as well as instigating on his own. We need a guy like that who plays just a bit on edge but wanders around tipping pucks into the net and lazering shots. They picked the right guy (much as I think they actually needed David Backes but we all know that isn't happening). Really wonder who centers this pair...maybe it doesn't even matter.
Arcobello
- I will give him that he had a pretty good offensive game. He shows some nice sparks and with the state of the Oilers C depth right now I suspect it was enough to make the team. The thing is that he is also making mistakes, including bad passes and getting caught out of position, against non-NHL rosters. He will be exposed once the real games come along and I hope the wingers are able to carry him. Needs to add a lot of things to his game, the most important one being cosistency, in order to have any shot at a permanent NHL job.
Eager
- He wasn't that bad tonight, which seems to be a step up for him. I wonder if I have too high of expectations for him. I see a guy who has a bunch of skill and a large frame. That should get you pretty far in the NHL. While his goal was a bounce of the post and Biron's legs, it was still good to see him put a strong effort on net and get the job done. I'm sure his confidence is absolutely in the junker at this point. He had a much better camp that I thought he would and may very well make the team based on what we've heard from Eakins. I'm not sure how long that lasts, but good for him. There's a lot to work with there despite the 10-cent head.
Pitlick
- Faded from his performance last night into one of the guys blending into the background again. Too bad for him as I suspect if he'd strung together even two of those games he would've made it because he's got higher potential and is more likely to convert a chance than a Hamilton, Acton or others. That may be by the wayside now. This year he will either get back on a true prospect track or begin the path that ends for most with a career in Europe, making lots of tax-free coin and living an interesting life, but coming short of your dream.
Acton
- Pretty invisible tonight for me. Again I see he won a bunch of faceoffs and maybe that's enough for him to stay but I hope the same hope I did with Arcobello in terms of our ability to replace him. Nothing about him suggests to me that he has long term NHL potential.
Hamilton
- Really tailed off the past two after a strong effort. Just not noticable tonight. Even if you're not running around crazy or lighting up the offensive zone you have to do something to be noticed and he just didn't. If he was being judged as Omark was he'd be gone but he isn't so who knows.
Jones
- Another really weak performance. In addition to the bad decisions he's been making with the puck for a couple games this preseason and generally iffy positioning, he was getting himself caught cheating again including on the PK. He won't have that ace to play this year if Eakins remains committed to playing his top guys on the PK. The competition is better now and Ryan Jones may well have played himself off this team due to his totally lacklustre performances including in tonight's game.
Lander
- I think I expect a lot more from Anton than he will be able to provide. I still see the guy who was fairly skilled for Sweden's junior team and a good leader etc. That he cannot separate himself at this level of play means that he's wandered off the path. He was another guy who just blended into the background tonight. If he's not winning faceoffs, not killing penalties and not an ace in the defensive zone...what is he?
----------------------
One more game until the final decision are made. Should be fun! Really hoping to see a couple additions in the coming days that aren't lunkheads. We need centers who can play. There are a number out there and likely some teams waiving useful players due to cap issues. Perhaps the solution will make itself obvious.
VS.
NEW YORK Rangers 3
---------------------
My comments tonight should be read with the knowledge that I didn't see most of the second period. A friend happened to be in a suite this evening so we stopped by for snacks and refreshments. Got to get me one of those things...though I think paying the $29 for warm potato chips (which ARE delicious, but COME ON) would be a little crazy after a while.
Seeing the roster that was posted before the game I thought that despite the fact that we had a decent enough preseason squad put together, the team would get kicked around pretty good tonight. The Rangers didn't ice that squad though so it was a much different contest.
It was a tad easier to follow tonight's game than the last because some of the familiar combinations were back. I think at this point because of injuries and such we are locked in to seeing the top two lines from tonight's group in the season opener. I've been disappointed that Eakins hasn't wanted to try Yakupov in Smyth's spot but at least he has a plan and when those guys are on the ice they don't get beat. They don't produce like the would if they had another dynamic force instead of an aging one, but they do just fine against good opponents.
The second line has morphed out of necessity, but despite the fact that Arcobello is certainly not the second best Oilers center I suspect he stays in place as well. This is far from ideal, but Kassian had other plans so I guess we're stuck with this. I'm really hoping that some interesting players come across the waiver wire and we're not too loaded up with lunkheads at the bottom of the roster to pick up a useful player.
I'm not happy with the way the bottom six is shaping up. While there is improved depth and competition, it is mostly a group of 12-14 slot forwards rather than say, 8-11 slot forwards. I'm hoping that due to the new coach mainly there will be no loyalty to past sacred cows and changes will come quickly and decisively. You can easily replace most of a bottom six with interchangeable parts if your squad isn't one of the top five in the league. The first test of if there is indeed a new sheriff in town is whether Ryan Jones is cut loose.
I am cautiously optimistic when it comes to our D. While we lack a dominating force at the Pronger, or even Pitkanen/Visnovsky level, we have a solid group that could very well all rank as top 4 type defencemen if they perform well. Belov is a very pleasant surprise and as I've noted previously the only thing I really bemoan is that we couldn't get Ranger for free as well. Think about it - we just sent the first round draft pick who fired a no-look pass for a beautiful assist back to his junior team - that is progress compared to where this team has been. I look forward to seeing how this group shakes out.
In net I am not convinced these will be the two goalies at the end of the season. More on that ahead.
-------------
LaBarbera
- Pretty hit and miss effort. There were some good saves and some times when he looked really shaky. I'm getting the impression that he's just not that comfortable yet. Maybe he settles in and maybe he doesn't. I'm really hoping that this is finally our lucky day and that they've found a legit goaltending prospect in Ty Rimmer. I only saw him for the one game, but it wouldn't shock me if he first lights up OKC and then makes his way to Edmonton for a time (assuming contract details are worked out). Just looked like he had 'it' whereas I haven't seen any of that from the designated backup yet.
Belov
- Another really strong game. So far in the progression of the 3 games I've seen, he has expanded his repertoire and comfort level during each and you'd have to think he's just going to get stronger and more in tune with his teammates. Strong passes, good positioning, blockng plays and hitting. I like that a lot. He's also got a reputation for going a little crazy from time to time and he nearly jumped in to bail out a teammate in the third period. I suspect there's some mean there to be exploited once he knows where the line is.
Petry
- Had what I'd classify as a typical Petry game. Some great and some not so much. Hope he's tuned up and ready to get the intensity level high this season. I'd say you have to make a very important call with him this year and either he is an anchor for years or you deal him while his value is on the upswing. Either situation can be a winner for the team.
Fedun
- Pretty blah game which unfortunately for him will likely leave him out of the conversation. There's a lot of flash at the bottom of the Oilers blue line and that's just not his game. He's also not so far ahead defensively of the other players in the discussion that it vaults him ahead in any special way. I suspect he's headed down to be a surprising rock on the OKC D and will be called up by the Oilers during the year.
J. Schultz
- A quiet game interlaced with some really nice plays. Very well done on his assist in terms of waiting in position for the play to develop and then executing. Defensively he was okay. Will be very interesting to see how he is deployed as you didn't really get any sense of that during the preseason and there is depth on the blue line that we didn't have last year. Perhaps we mostly roll 3 pairs?
Nurse
- Tonight's game ends a great run at camp for a guy who I had very little expectation of going in. Really liked the read and the play he made for his assist. That showed a lot of confidence and skill for a guy in his position. Certainly not shy about joining the rush despite not exactly being known as an offensive juggernaught. I truly hope he dominates the OHL but cannot find a place on the Oilers until 2 camps from now because our D is that good. I doubt that will happen but a guy can hope. The muscle mass gain begins NOW!
Larsen
- I get why people like this guy. He can certainly motor around the ice and once again made some beautiful passes but didn't manage an assist somehow. It is very interesting that not very long ago we would have really needed this kind of defenceman and now he's useful but we have redundancies in place. I suspect he'll make the team and perform fairly well, but be moved on during the season because someone from OKC will have emerged and stolen his spot due to a more complete skill set (Marincin isn't as far away as a lot of people thought, for instance). We shall see and I hope he's strong enough defensively to make a positive difference.
Hall
- Again good but had some struggles with the puck for whatever reason. Lovely tip. Everything suggests that as the pace rises and the intensity of real games comes, he'll be more than ready. He looks more comfortable (in a good way) than I've seen him despite the position change and he should start the season really strong.
Hemsky
- Looking very ready and fitting in well with Hall and Smyth. The patience he showed on and after the PP that led to Hall's goal was just perfect and he made an excellent read to get Schultz that puck. I wonder if he'll try going low more often now. Hall at C seems to suit Hemsky well in terms of the flow of the play up the ice which is something I wasn't sure would happen. These guys could be pretty excellent together all year if both hang in there.
Smyth
- I'm beginning to wonder if he did indeed take on the fitness challenge during the offseason. I'm not saying this is his proper place because it certainly is not, but he is not holding these guys up and the team MAY be able to survive until some of the injured return even with Smyth in his current role. He'll probably be worn out and done by the time that happens but at least he's using all the tools in the box for now.
Eberle
- Looks better than I've ever seen him. Suspect this is because he's completely healthy. Another really strong night with Perron capped by the goal in the third where he was in the exact right spot despite a defenseman being in on the rush. He's going to tear it up this year.
Perron
- Fits right in with this hockey team while providing something a little different than what they have. Again tonight I saw him going back at the opposition when they took liberties as well as instigating on his own. We need a guy like that who plays just a bit on edge but wanders around tipping pucks into the net and lazering shots. They picked the right guy (much as I think they actually needed David Backes but we all know that isn't happening). Really wonder who centers this pair...maybe it doesn't even matter.
Arcobello
- I will give him that he had a pretty good offensive game. He shows some nice sparks and with the state of the Oilers C depth right now I suspect it was enough to make the team. The thing is that he is also making mistakes, including bad passes and getting caught out of position, against non-NHL rosters. He will be exposed once the real games come along and I hope the wingers are able to carry him. Needs to add a lot of things to his game, the most important one being cosistency, in order to have any shot at a permanent NHL job.
Eager
- He wasn't that bad tonight, which seems to be a step up for him. I wonder if I have too high of expectations for him. I see a guy who has a bunch of skill and a large frame. That should get you pretty far in the NHL. While his goal was a bounce of the post and Biron's legs, it was still good to see him put a strong effort on net and get the job done. I'm sure his confidence is absolutely in the junker at this point. He had a much better camp that I thought he would and may very well make the team based on what we've heard from Eakins. I'm not sure how long that lasts, but good for him. There's a lot to work with there despite the 10-cent head.
Pitlick
- Faded from his performance last night into one of the guys blending into the background again. Too bad for him as I suspect if he'd strung together even two of those games he would've made it because he's got higher potential and is more likely to convert a chance than a Hamilton, Acton or others. That may be by the wayside now. This year he will either get back on a true prospect track or begin the path that ends for most with a career in Europe, making lots of tax-free coin and living an interesting life, but coming short of your dream.
Acton
- Pretty invisible tonight for me. Again I see he won a bunch of faceoffs and maybe that's enough for him to stay but I hope the same hope I did with Arcobello in terms of our ability to replace him. Nothing about him suggests to me that he has long term NHL potential.
Hamilton
- Really tailed off the past two after a strong effort. Just not noticable tonight. Even if you're not running around crazy or lighting up the offensive zone you have to do something to be noticed and he just didn't. If he was being judged as Omark was he'd be gone but he isn't so who knows.
Jones
- Another really weak performance. In addition to the bad decisions he's been making with the puck for a couple games this preseason and generally iffy positioning, he was getting himself caught cheating again including on the PK. He won't have that ace to play this year if Eakins remains committed to playing his top guys on the PK. The competition is better now and Ryan Jones may well have played himself off this team due to his totally lacklustre performances including in tonight's game.
Lander
- I think I expect a lot more from Anton than he will be able to provide. I still see the guy who was fairly skilled for Sweden's junior team and a good leader etc. That he cannot separate himself at this level of play means that he's wandered off the path. He was another guy who just blended into the background tonight. If he's not winning faceoffs, not killing penalties and not an ace in the defensive zone...what is he?
----------------------
One more game until the final decision are made. Should be fun! Really hoping to see a couple additions in the coming days that aren't lunkheads. We need centers who can play. There are a number out there and likely some teams waiving useful players due to cap issues. Perhaps the solution will make itself obvious.
9/24/13
2014 LMHF Report - Preseason Game #3
EDMONTON 2
VS.
WINNIPEG 1
---------------
It was actually quite difficult to follow the game tonight. Between the fact that none of the on-ice Oilers combos were recognizable and also that the game itself was kind of disjointed and unexciting there just wasn't a whole lot to sink your teeth into.
This is more of the type of lineup I would expect in a preseason. Lots of guys competing for spots on the squad. It is good to see this many guys who are fighting for an NHL job. They aren't as good as I'd like to see for the most part, but at least the competition is there.
When it comes to the Jets, we certainly didn't see a lot. The only really noticeable guy was Kane and he really wasn't doing anything special. Their goaltender was really nothing to write home about either.
For most of the night each team's D was keeping everything to the outside and there were not a lot of quality shots. I'm guessing this was mainly a function of the forward lineups but it is harder to see a good defenseman playing a solid game unless he does it Pronger-style.
I'm definitely not used to the Jets in these newer colors. Even though it has been a long time, I keep looking for the royal blue rather than the navy. I'm sure that will change but it is funny the things that stick with you. Kind of like how the Oilers orange actually stands out less than the previous generation of white on dark numbers.
SO let's get to the individual players which are what we're really interested in at this point.
--------------
Dubnyk
- Very good night for Devan. He wasn't tested like crazy, but looked poised, ready and well-positioned throughout the entire game. I'm not sure what exactly it is but he just looks more sure of himself this year. Whether that is because of another year of experience, being given the #1 tag or a combination of things I don't know, but there's just a different vibe coming from him. Make no mistake, that goal was an ugly one that would have went wide if he hadn't got it with the knob of his stick, but I wouldn't count it as a mistake under pressure goal. There was a weird one immediately after that which also almost went in but he really settled in subsequently. Strong game.
Belov
- He makes this team in the top 6. No doubt. Tonight was filled with steady plays, strong passes, good decisions and excellent positioning. This is two games in a row where he made it look pretty easy as a veteran NHLer would. I can't wait to see what he looks like after 20 games. We could have a real gem here. If we'd have been able to snag Paul Ranger as well, we might have gotten 2 top-4 defensemen for nothing. Oh well. Funny note of the night - Belov didn't know what to do with the hat when he was named a star at the game. He just kind of waved it around and went back down the tunnel. Bit of a language barrier there I guess. Hahaha.
Ference
- He looked like a vet who is simply out there getting ready for the reason. There's nothing really wrong with that I suppose but it doesn't give us a lot to work with. He is usually in the right place though I have noticed between this game and one on TV that he doesn't seem to play the man very well in front of the net. He gets caught away from the man and can't close the gap fast enough. I hope we're not counting on him to be a superstar shutdown guy.
Smid
- Looked a little off to me in that he got beat a couple times and took a pretty weak penalty. I really have no problem with a vet having a game like this. Maybe a touch off the pace especially on the WPG goal as he reached with his stick rather than getting in front of the man as he usually would.
Larsen
- I get that the guy is talented. Tonight he moved around the ice pretty quickly and you can certainly see his puck talent in the offensive zone. I kept asking though if he was better than Brad Hunt (who can't make this team) was and I don't think he is in the offensive zone. His reads are good but not great. He made several strong passes across the zone, but didn't really get the puck to the net effectively aside from one slapper and contributed very little elsewhere. It will really come down to what kind of lineup Eakins wants. He has options.
Fedun
- Ho-hum boring kind of game. Not a stand-out performance like last night but if that was the norm he'd already be in the league. Didn't see a lot of negatives from him but also didn't see any really strong passes, hits or reads. He probably needs more spark in his game if he wants to displace Larsen/Grebeshkov because those guys have been in the NHL before.
Schultz
- I honestly saw him twice. That means he didn't do anything amazing but also didn't have serious mistakes. I don't recall him getting beat wide, which was a problem for him later. I'll be interested to see who he is paired with.
Jones
- Bloody invisible. I remember a hit a one good forecheck. Aside from that he really struggled. If there's a guy who is playing his way out of a previously guaranteed spot, it is him. Eakins likely doesn't have the loyalty that Jones would have gotten from another coach and so the guy can't be coasting. Games like tonight prove to me that he really has forgotten why he was originally brought in. He can't drift around the ice waiting for something to happen because he isn't that type of player. He needs to be out there busting it and he simply isn't. If camp is all that's being judged, he'd be cut.
Acton
- Another goal for him tonight which is nice to see. I didn't catch a lot of flashy details but he did seem to be in the right places on the ice. The one thing I struggle with is that because we've been so bad for a number of years, judging the marginal players by eye has become more difficult. We've gotten used to a lower standard. Thing is, given that Sam Gagner looks like a horror movie actor at this point, this guy might make the opening night squad.
Hamilton
- After last night's stronger performance you'd expect the guy might get rolling. That wasn't the case and I was fairly disappointed at the lack of jump in his game tonight.
Joensuu
- Well at this point I'm betting this guy makes the team and I'm not really complaining. A world-beater he is not, but he's a big guy who can skate some, take a pass and seems to have a bit of a nose for the net. I liked his goal as a textbook example of how and why you drive the net. He hits from a strong skating position and seemed to chose his spots well. He needs to work on positioning some but that can come with coaching. Ideally he'd be on the 4th line but I'm guessing he'll start on the third. Worth giving him a chance though I would like to see if he can keep up against a more NHL ready roster. We shall see.
Pitlick
- I went in expecting not to like his game because his story has been quite frustrating and I was wondering why everyone's still bothering to talk about him. The game on TV the other night did nothing to change this for me but I try not to form my picture from how the game looks there because you can't see the flow of the play. I don't know how much better he was tonight but the guy put together a pretty solid game. He made sure to finish his check more than any other player on the ice, got the puck to the net, got over his freezing with the puck problem and ended up with an assist for his trouble. If he could actually keep that game up I suspect he'd make the team out of nowhere because he is more talented than most of the other options but he just doesn't have a track record. We'll have to see if he keeps going, but I was impressed.
Lander
- Quiet but decent game I'd say. Made a couple nice plays in the offensive zone which is an important thing to see. Didn't catch him breaking up a lot of plays or hitting anyone like his competition was. The only reason he's in the conversation is the position he plays.
Arcobello
- He was the strongest of the marginal C's in the offensive zone tonight. There's no doubt he's reasonably talented. The thing I can't get past in his game which was on display again tonight was that he doesn't try to get to the slot and makes plays from the outside. You have to be truly elite to make plays from there at the NHL level and he is not. The guy needs to shift more of his game to the middle of the ice. It was good that he got the shots he did and he's a better PP player than most, but if anything Omark is the guy you need as a PP extra. Again, this is a guy who is only in the conversation because of his position.
Brown
- Same old. Ran around laying mediocre hits. I did like some of his forechecking and the fact that he got under Kane's skin some. Thing is, if you want toughness that does something, you want the Pitlick and Joensuu types, not this guy.
Eager
- I don't get it. This is a huge opportunity for him and he's doing nothing. Eager throws in a nifty stickhandle and some good skating every now and again, but where are the hits? Where is the getting in people's faces? Where is his positioning in the offensive zone? It is really unfortunate that any game he had appears to be gone, because it would be great if the guy found the ability to be a useful player again. I don't see how he will.
Yakupov
- Looked kind of lost tonight. There were some strong rushes on the boards but that was about it. He is rushing the shot on the 5-on-3 a bit. Trying to do this means you have to beat the goalie clean rather than having him moving around a bunch or screened. Not many NHL goalies get beaten this way with any regularity. Really liked that Eakins had him PKing. There is potential there because of his high skill level, high speed and willingness to work very hard.
Omark
- Didn't do much of anything. It almost seemed like he was concentrating really hard on positioning and taking his man. I agree that he needs to learn that but games like this are not the time. He needs to be out there being a dynamic offensive guy. We didn't see much of that. Part of the issues was that the line as a whole didn't work out very well but that can't be an excuse when you're trying to make a team. Hope he plays again tomorrow because one bad night shouldn't doom his chances. He should switch to C!
Gordon
- Honestly he did his normal job just fine but looked totally lost combined with Yakupov and Omark. This was a little strange to me because he didn't seem to have this issue in his last game but it was certainly the case tonight. Doesn't worry me. I'd class him with Ference in terms of what a preseason game looks like to him.
-----------------
Pretty boring game really, but I love getting a win whenever.
VS.
WINNIPEG 1
---------------
It was actually quite difficult to follow the game tonight. Between the fact that none of the on-ice Oilers combos were recognizable and also that the game itself was kind of disjointed and unexciting there just wasn't a whole lot to sink your teeth into.
This is more of the type of lineup I would expect in a preseason. Lots of guys competing for spots on the squad. It is good to see this many guys who are fighting for an NHL job. They aren't as good as I'd like to see for the most part, but at least the competition is there.
When it comes to the Jets, we certainly didn't see a lot. The only really noticeable guy was Kane and he really wasn't doing anything special. Their goaltender was really nothing to write home about either.
For most of the night each team's D was keeping everything to the outside and there were not a lot of quality shots. I'm guessing this was mainly a function of the forward lineups but it is harder to see a good defenseman playing a solid game unless he does it Pronger-style.
I'm definitely not used to the Jets in these newer colors. Even though it has been a long time, I keep looking for the royal blue rather than the navy. I'm sure that will change but it is funny the things that stick with you. Kind of like how the Oilers orange actually stands out less than the previous generation of white on dark numbers.
SO let's get to the individual players which are what we're really interested in at this point.
--------------
Dubnyk
- Very good night for Devan. He wasn't tested like crazy, but looked poised, ready and well-positioned throughout the entire game. I'm not sure what exactly it is but he just looks more sure of himself this year. Whether that is because of another year of experience, being given the #1 tag or a combination of things I don't know, but there's just a different vibe coming from him. Make no mistake, that goal was an ugly one that would have went wide if he hadn't got it with the knob of his stick, but I wouldn't count it as a mistake under pressure goal. There was a weird one immediately after that which also almost went in but he really settled in subsequently. Strong game.
Belov
- He makes this team in the top 6. No doubt. Tonight was filled with steady plays, strong passes, good decisions and excellent positioning. This is two games in a row where he made it look pretty easy as a veteran NHLer would. I can't wait to see what he looks like after 20 games. We could have a real gem here. If we'd have been able to snag Paul Ranger as well, we might have gotten 2 top-4 defensemen for nothing. Oh well. Funny note of the night - Belov didn't know what to do with the hat when he was named a star at the game. He just kind of waved it around and went back down the tunnel. Bit of a language barrier there I guess. Hahaha.
Ference
- He looked like a vet who is simply out there getting ready for the reason. There's nothing really wrong with that I suppose but it doesn't give us a lot to work with. He is usually in the right place though I have noticed between this game and one on TV that he doesn't seem to play the man very well in front of the net. He gets caught away from the man and can't close the gap fast enough. I hope we're not counting on him to be a superstar shutdown guy.
Smid
- Looked a little off to me in that he got beat a couple times and took a pretty weak penalty. I really have no problem with a vet having a game like this. Maybe a touch off the pace especially on the WPG goal as he reached with his stick rather than getting in front of the man as he usually would.
Larsen
- I get that the guy is talented. Tonight he moved around the ice pretty quickly and you can certainly see his puck talent in the offensive zone. I kept asking though if he was better than Brad Hunt (who can't make this team) was and I don't think he is in the offensive zone. His reads are good but not great. He made several strong passes across the zone, but didn't really get the puck to the net effectively aside from one slapper and contributed very little elsewhere. It will really come down to what kind of lineup Eakins wants. He has options.
Fedun
- Ho-hum boring kind of game. Not a stand-out performance like last night but if that was the norm he'd already be in the league. Didn't see a lot of negatives from him but also didn't see any really strong passes, hits or reads. He probably needs more spark in his game if he wants to displace Larsen/Grebeshkov because those guys have been in the NHL before.
Schultz
- I honestly saw him twice. That means he didn't do anything amazing but also didn't have serious mistakes. I don't recall him getting beat wide, which was a problem for him later. I'll be interested to see who he is paired with.
Jones
- Bloody invisible. I remember a hit a one good forecheck. Aside from that he really struggled. If there's a guy who is playing his way out of a previously guaranteed spot, it is him. Eakins likely doesn't have the loyalty that Jones would have gotten from another coach and so the guy can't be coasting. Games like tonight prove to me that he really has forgotten why he was originally brought in. He can't drift around the ice waiting for something to happen because he isn't that type of player. He needs to be out there busting it and he simply isn't. If camp is all that's being judged, he'd be cut.
Acton
- Another goal for him tonight which is nice to see. I didn't catch a lot of flashy details but he did seem to be in the right places on the ice. The one thing I struggle with is that because we've been so bad for a number of years, judging the marginal players by eye has become more difficult. We've gotten used to a lower standard. Thing is, given that Sam Gagner looks like a horror movie actor at this point, this guy might make the opening night squad.
Hamilton
- After last night's stronger performance you'd expect the guy might get rolling. That wasn't the case and I was fairly disappointed at the lack of jump in his game tonight.
Joensuu
- Well at this point I'm betting this guy makes the team and I'm not really complaining. A world-beater he is not, but he's a big guy who can skate some, take a pass and seems to have a bit of a nose for the net. I liked his goal as a textbook example of how and why you drive the net. He hits from a strong skating position and seemed to chose his spots well. He needs to work on positioning some but that can come with coaching. Ideally he'd be on the 4th line but I'm guessing he'll start on the third. Worth giving him a chance though I would like to see if he can keep up against a more NHL ready roster. We shall see.
Pitlick
- I went in expecting not to like his game because his story has been quite frustrating and I was wondering why everyone's still bothering to talk about him. The game on TV the other night did nothing to change this for me but I try not to form my picture from how the game looks there because you can't see the flow of the play. I don't know how much better he was tonight but the guy put together a pretty solid game. He made sure to finish his check more than any other player on the ice, got the puck to the net, got over his freezing with the puck problem and ended up with an assist for his trouble. If he could actually keep that game up I suspect he'd make the team out of nowhere because he is more talented than most of the other options but he just doesn't have a track record. We'll have to see if he keeps going, but I was impressed.
Lander
- Quiet but decent game I'd say. Made a couple nice plays in the offensive zone which is an important thing to see. Didn't catch him breaking up a lot of plays or hitting anyone like his competition was. The only reason he's in the conversation is the position he plays.
Arcobello
- He was the strongest of the marginal C's in the offensive zone tonight. There's no doubt he's reasonably talented. The thing I can't get past in his game which was on display again tonight was that he doesn't try to get to the slot and makes plays from the outside. You have to be truly elite to make plays from there at the NHL level and he is not. The guy needs to shift more of his game to the middle of the ice. It was good that he got the shots he did and he's a better PP player than most, but if anything Omark is the guy you need as a PP extra. Again, this is a guy who is only in the conversation because of his position.
Brown
- Same old. Ran around laying mediocre hits. I did like some of his forechecking and the fact that he got under Kane's skin some. Thing is, if you want toughness that does something, you want the Pitlick and Joensuu types, not this guy.
Eager
- I don't get it. This is a huge opportunity for him and he's doing nothing. Eager throws in a nifty stickhandle and some good skating every now and again, but where are the hits? Where is the getting in people's faces? Where is his positioning in the offensive zone? It is really unfortunate that any game he had appears to be gone, because it would be great if the guy found the ability to be a useful player again. I don't see how he will.
Yakupov
- Looked kind of lost tonight. There were some strong rushes on the boards but that was about it. He is rushing the shot on the 5-on-3 a bit. Trying to do this means you have to beat the goalie clean rather than having him moving around a bunch or screened. Not many NHL goalies get beaten this way with any regularity. Really liked that Eakins had him PKing. There is potential there because of his high skill level, high speed and willingness to work very hard.
Omark
- Didn't do much of anything. It almost seemed like he was concentrating really hard on positioning and taking his man. I agree that he needs to learn that but games like this are not the time. He needs to be out there being a dynamic offensive guy. We didn't see much of that. Part of the issues was that the line as a whole didn't work out very well but that can't be an excuse when you're trying to make a team. Hope he plays again tomorrow because one bad night shouldn't doom his chances. He should switch to C!
Gordon
- Honestly he did his normal job just fine but looked totally lost combined with Yakupov and Omark. This was a little strange to me because he didn't seem to have this issue in his last game but it was certainly the case tonight. Doesn't worry me. I'd class him with Ference in terms of what a preseason game looks like to him.
-----------------
Pretty boring game really, but I love getting a win whenever.
9/22/13
2014 LMHF Report - Preseason Game #2
EDMONTON 5
VS.
VANCOUVER 2
--------------
Well, here we are one game later than expected but back in the same old comfortable place and thankfully with a positive result.
The night didn't get off to the greatest start. I'm glad it didn't turn out to be an omen. First, while I know the Oilers and Northlands aren't exactly on friendly terms at the moment, it is rather ludicrous that the parking lot wasn't ready for hockey season. The exit off of 112 ave was closed. If it is the City's fault then I could see it and maybe it is, but someone should be pulling those strings properly. Then Jason LaBarbera had his name spelled wrong for his first game at Rexall in an Oilers uniform. Yikes. Luckily, the night got better from there.
When it comes to preseason games, there are a few different things going on for me. It is really weird to have to consult a roster to make sure I can track the players. It means I don't watch as instinctually as I usually do and sometimes it is harder to follow the play. When you watch a lot of games and the same players for a good bit of time, you pick up things and I don't really track any of them by number. It is by skating stride, stick position, helmet, whatever. Something else anyway. I'm usually paying more attention to new guys and bubble players of course because that is where the battles are being waged. This camp and preseason appears to be different than most in that we're seeing the coach run lines of vets out there pretty regularly and they've been carrying the play. I suppose having support players play a support role makes a lot sense as well.
This game rolled out as many games do - not an exceptional amount of rust but certainly some in spots. A number of guys had more struggles with the puck than you'd normally expect but that isn't exactly abnormal. I'll need some more time to study it but it was clear that the Oilers are playing a new system. Being able to see the whole ice surface gave an interesting look into how they were attacking in the offensive zone and how they were defending specifically. I liked a lot of what they did when they really got focused on the forecheck. It was very difficult for the Canucks to stop them.
As for the goals:
Gagner's goal came not long after he'd missed another great chance generated by his linemates. After Yakupov made a really strong play to keep the puck in and get it to Eberle, Jordan walked in slowly off the side as he tends to do and made a quick pass low to Perron. It was a nice little read which allowed Perron the time to make a tiny move and force a pass through to the wide open Gagner. He'd usually finish with more authority than he did, but no problem.
Perron's goal came after a brilliant PK shift by Hall and Hemsky had pushed the Canucks back on their heels. Perron led the charge in continuing this momentum, getting the puck on a rush and finding Fedun, who had made a great little read and joined the rush. The puck went towards the net and eventually wound up on Perron's stick as he headed toward the net. No mistake.
Smyth's goal was set up by another solid offensive read by Fedun. While Hemsky delayed and surveyed the options from the wing, Fedun got his attention and snuck in as a lane opened up through the middle. Hemsky put it on his tape and Smyth went to the net. Fedun again put it toward the net and Smyth, despite making a gimme look about as tough as he possibly could, shoveled it in.
Yakupov's goal was a long time coming. He'd been firing all night - maybe a little too much actually - and hadn't been rewarded. He got himself to exactly the right place again, which is something a lot of people will begin to notice a lot more often about his game, and got ready. Ryan Hamilton got the work started in the corner, Khaira made a nice move behind the net to set up a pass to Yakupov who tapped it in. Beauty.
Acton made no mistake after being sent in alone by Hemsky, who bounced the puck off a Canuck stick and got his own pass back. It was headed to Ryan Smyth originally but certainly worked out for the best.
PLAYER REPORTS
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LaBarbera
- Oh boy...not a good start to his Oilers career. It started with the previously mentioned name screw-up, then he lets in that Santorelli shot which he had a clear look at and went right through him. After that he didn't allow another goal but was REALLY shaky and seemed to be intimidated by the Canucks players getting to the crease. A big guy like him needs to stand in there and make saves while dishing out some blockers if necessary. I'm hoping tonight was just nerves or rust, because if not then the backup job should go to...
Rimmer
- I knew absolutely nothing about this guy coming into tonight. I had never seen him play a minute. From the very start of his night, he was positionally solid, confident in the net and ahead of the play to make saves look easy. He got tested a number of times and passed all of them except 1) forgetting that he couldn't handle the puck in the corner in the NHL and 2) the Canucks second goal, which while it was not a bad goal, could have been avoided with better rebound control. Petry and Nurse were pretty ugly on that shift though.
Petry
- Some good things and some iffy things. You can certainly tell that he's stronger and has been working hard on his shooting. Petry got a hard slapper away a lot faster than I've seen him able to in the past. If this keeps up it makes him a much more effective player in the opposition's zone. He was also better in the corners and positionally for most of the game. He still made a few passes to absolutely nobody and skated past the play a couple times, but for the most part he was excellent.
Nurse
- He's a really interesting defenseman and a ton of why was on display tonight. I really enjoyed seeing him go back at the Canucks players who were trying to take liberties with him. A stick here...elbow there...it is a necessary part of being an imposing defenseman in the NHL and despite the fact that he's still got 50lbs to gain before doing that full-time, he wasn't scared of the Canucks goon squad. That's impressive. He was also pretty solid with the puck and can certainly skate. He needs to work on positioning for sure as well as some of his offensive instincts based on what we saw tonight. While I like where he is, I'd also like to see him go back to junior after tonight so that he can get focused on being a dominant player in the OHL and start gaining a bunch of muscle mass rather than trying to keep up with the NHLers at this point.
Belov
- Like many of you I was quite intrigued to see what we'd get from Belov tonight. It is important to keep in mind that his performance tonight is in less than ideal circumstances due to visa troubles. He wasn't adequately prepared and yet, he looked very smooth and relaxed on the blue line. I was expecting some panic and saw none. In the first he had two shots in a row blocked by forwards who I imagine were closer than he is used to. He adjusted immediately and didn't have that problem again. Defensively he was solid and made the game look pretty simple. He skated and passed very well, seemingly never having to rush anywhere on the ice. He reminded me of Joni Pitkanen without the top-gear speed and the beauty flip pass. We could really use a guy like this if his performance tonight is an indication of the starting line. He didn't even get to show off much of his offensive skill tonight because other players were given a focus in that area.
Grebeshkov
- Make no mistake, Denis had an ugly first period. Also make no mistake, I like Grebeshkov a lot as a hockey player, always have. He came back pretty strong in the second period including a gorgeous pass to send Hemsky in alone on Lack. I'm still trying to figure out if there was a hook or what on that play because Hemsky never misses chances like that. The pass was just stunning. In the third he was just okay. There were a number of rather ugly giveaways tonight including a backhand pass in the first that made absolutely no sense. Here's the thing: If he's willing to put in 20 games in the AHL and get settled back into playing in NA for this organization, I bet he'd be really useful the rest of the way. I don't know if he's willing to do that or if the team is thinking this way, but that is the route I'd go. There's still genius there.
Hunt
- He's an interesting player. Someone I was reading compared him to Bergeron and I certainly get it. Tonight he was aggressive, quick and confident in the offensive zone. He can definitely play in the other team's zone. He does struggle in his own zone and lacks the physicality that Bergeron brought to the table. I see a lot of positive things and you all know I love an offensive defenseman, but on a team with so many guys who can contribute in that way, he isn't on an elite level and therefore can't quite compete. Hopefully he'll tear it up in OKC.
Fedun
- Did a great job covering for Hunt when it was necessary. I've noted some of his offensive plays above. The most impressive part of his game is his decision-making. He's just an overall well-balanced dman but he pinches at the right time, goes to the corner at the right time, passive at the right time and aggressive at the right time. You've got all day for guys like that because they make things really easy on the rest of the team. He's come a long way and he's almost there. Will certainly play some NHL games this year.
Jones-Acton-Brown
- I have a hard time watching a line like this. I don't like the way Jones or Brown play the game and have never seen Acton play. I know there will be those who liked Brown's game tonight. He did draw a penalty and fought Wiese (though not very well) after he'd been running around. Credit to him for that but it changed nothing as the rest of the game and the Gagner hit clearly illustrate. The issue with Brown is that no one's actually scared of him. His hits looked better than they were because he's running around...no one was rattled. A player of marginal impact like this needs to play a solid game to go with the other stuff. He can't. There was a sequence in the first period where he turned the puck over in the offensive zone, got it back off a lucky bounce, then immediately lost it again and the Canucks were headed the other way. It was so ugly. Acton's game was pretty blah for me. Nothing really stood out despite trying to watch him. When it comes to guys like this, I'm usually looking for things that suggest to me they have the same things that guys like Kyle Brodziak, Jason Chimera and the like had. Something that elevates them above the other 500 or so guys who could get a look from an NHL team. I don't see it but this was only one game to be fair. Jones had a shift in the third period where he made the same pass to absolutely no one twice in a row...I'm not sure whether this drove me more nuts than the fact that people cheered or not. He also took two totally unnecessary penalties. There was less cheating in his game and he did do some solid forechecking for sure, but if there is a true blank slate then he is probably getting passed in these games.
Hamilton-Khaira-Yakupov
- A curious combination. You almost get the idea that Yakupov asked the coach to play and got plopped on a line he wouldn't otherwise be with but who knows. Nail was his usual self, firing all kinds of shots, ringing a post in the second period, speeding by pretty much everyone and dishing out some hits and trash talk for good measure. His goal was noted above and he certainly could have had more. Looked pretty good on the powerplay which is no surprise. Khaira was a guy I was very interested in. During the warmup I noticed that he appeared to have a lot of skill with the puck and is certainly already larger than a lot of his teammates. The one thing I've heard about this guy from a bunch of people is that he's mean on the ice and we didn't see that tonight. He seemed almost too focused on playing the positional game. While he did connect on a couple really solid his that knocked guys down, I was looking to see him get in Canuck faces and maybe cause some trouble. He didn't really do that. We'll have to see if he has that edge to his game. At least he's already a better hitter than a couple of the guys the Oilers currently designate that role to, while having much more offensive potential and a bigger frame. More than anything else he looked like a player who is probably about 2 camps from making the team. Hamilton is an interesting player. He looks to be in better position than some of the guys vying for a spot on this team. I'd chalk that up to being a vet and maybe knowing more of what Eakins wants. He can play a heavier game if tonight is an indication but certainly isn't a big-time hitter. His skating leaves much to be desired from a technical perspective and if anything holds him back that will probably be it. Worth another look, but I honestly hope we're too good for him to make the squad.
Perron-Gagner-Eberle
- I like this line a lot. They did have some issues figuring each other out at times and looked a little off, but then it would click and the opposition was just dead in the water. Eberle appears to be healthy and relaxed based on tonight's game, which is all he needs to be a force of nature out there. He ran the play a bunch of times tonight and looked really solid. The only thing I'll dog him for is not finishing that chance in the first in a way that wouldn't have allowed the idiot refs (who were bloody awful for most of the game - it took me all of 6 minutes to get completely pissed at them) to take it away from him. Got to make that cleaner. He controlled the puck, skated and passed well. He was the main reason that this line could easily have had 3 more goals. Perron is going to be a revelation for a lot of Oilers fans. In addition to being able to keep up with the skill of this team based on tonight's adventure, he gets in there and hits people, plays really calmly with the puck and is very versatile. I wouldn't put him on the point during the powerplay, but it will be criminal if he doesn't PK. The guy makes it look easy in terms of pressuring the opposition. Loved watching that. Gagner was a little off his game early on but was settling in nicely when Kassian went moron on him. I hope he's okay - especially because we're already a C short.
Smyth-Hall-Hemsky
- #s 83 and 4 drive this bus for sure and they were both quite strong all night but both also struggled some with the puck. Hall had trouble pulling the trigger and Hemsky was a little rusty in close battle situations but most of the plays still got made. When they get going they play a real flow game that moves all over the ice and ends up in the offensive zone with a chance. It is a pleasure to watch. With Hemsky I'd say the mistakes were rust...for Hall I'd guess either a new stick or concentrating a little too much on learning to play C. If anything I actually like that he can roam around a lot more to find passing angles as this kind of thing works really well for him. These two were dynamite on the PK. Absolutely scary for the other team to be dealing with. Smyth certainly looked to be giving an effort out there, but he just can't keep up. I'd like to see him in a more appropriate role with Yakupov joining this line instead, but who knows what Eakins' plan is.
----------------
Certainly a fun game to watch with lots to learn and much to still be discovered. The beginning of another adventure. I'm already having much more positive thoughts about this one. Liked hearing that Eakins sought out a unique viewing angle for tonight's game to make sure he was seeing things at a certain speed. This guy is going to be very fun to follow as he tries to implement his ideas in the NHL.
Glad to be back writing guys. Here's to a great year.
VS.
VANCOUVER 2
--------------
Well, here we are one game later than expected but back in the same old comfortable place and thankfully with a positive result.
The night didn't get off to the greatest start. I'm glad it didn't turn out to be an omen. First, while I know the Oilers and Northlands aren't exactly on friendly terms at the moment, it is rather ludicrous that the parking lot wasn't ready for hockey season. The exit off of 112 ave was closed. If it is the City's fault then I could see it and maybe it is, but someone should be pulling those strings properly. Then Jason LaBarbera had his name spelled wrong for his first game at Rexall in an Oilers uniform. Yikes. Luckily, the night got better from there.
When it comes to preseason games, there are a few different things going on for me. It is really weird to have to consult a roster to make sure I can track the players. It means I don't watch as instinctually as I usually do and sometimes it is harder to follow the play. When you watch a lot of games and the same players for a good bit of time, you pick up things and I don't really track any of them by number. It is by skating stride, stick position, helmet, whatever. Something else anyway. I'm usually paying more attention to new guys and bubble players of course because that is where the battles are being waged. This camp and preseason appears to be different than most in that we're seeing the coach run lines of vets out there pretty regularly and they've been carrying the play. I suppose having support players play a support role makes a lot sense as well.
This game rolled out as many games do - not an exceptional amount of rust but certainly some in spots. A number of guys had more struggles with the puck than you'd normally expect but that isn't exactly abnormal. I'll need some more time to study it but it was clear that the Oilers are playing a new system. Being able to see the whole ice surface gave an interesting look into how they were attacking in the offensive zone and how they were defending specifically. I liked a lot of what they did when they really got focused on the forecheck. It was very difficult for the Canucks to stop them.
As for the goals:
Gagner's goal came not long after he'd missed another great chance generated by his linemates. After Yakupov made a really strong play to keep the puck in and get it to Eberle, Jordan walked in slowly off the side as he tends to do and made a quick pass low to Perron. It was a nice little read which allowed Perron the time to make a tiny move and force a pass through to the wide open Gagner. He'd usually finish with more authority than he did, but no problem.
Perron's goal came after a brilliant PK shift by Hall and Hemsky had pushed the Canucks back on their heels. Perron led the charge in continuing this momentum, getting the puck on a rush and finding Fedun, who had made a great little read and joined the rush. The puck went towards the net and eventually wound up on Perron's stick as he headed toward the net. No mistake.
Smyth's goal was set up by another solid offensive read by Fedun. While Hemsky delayed and surveyed the options from the wing, Fedun got his attention and snuck in as a lane opened up through the middle. Hemsky put it on his tape and Smyth went to the net. Fedun again put it toward the net and Smyth, despite making a gimme look about as tough as he possibly could, shoveled it in.
Yakupov's goal was a long time coming. He'd been firing all night - maybe a little too much actually - and hadn't been rewarded. He got himself to exactly the right place again, which is something a lot of people will begin to notice a lot more often about his game, and got ready. Ryan Hamilton got the work started in the corner, Khaira made a nice move behind the net to set up a pass to Yakupov who tapped it in. Beauty.
Acton made no mistake after being sent in alone by Hemsky, who bounced the puck off a Canuck stick and got his own pass back. It was headed to Ryan Smyth originally but certainly worked out for the best.
PLAYER REPORTS
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LaBarbera
- Oh boy...not a good start to his Oilers career. It started with the previously mentioned name screw-up, then he lets in that Santorelli shot which he had a clear look at and went right through him. After that he didn't allow another goal but was REALLY shaky and seemed to be intimidated by the Canucks players getting to the crease. A big guy like him needs to stand in there and make saves while dishing out some blockers if necessary. I'm hoping tonight was just nerves or rust, because if not then the backup job should go to...
Rimmer
- I knew absolutely nothing about this guy coming into tonight. I had never seen him play a minute. From the very start of his night, he was positionally solid, confident in the net and ahead of the play to make saves look easy. He got tested a number of times and passed all of them except 1) forgetting that he couldn't handle the puck in the corner in the NHL and 2) the Canucks second goal, which while it was not a bad goal, could have been avoided with better rebound control. Petry and Nurse were pretty ugly on that shift though.
Petry
- Some good things and some iffy things. You can certainly tell that he's stronger and has been working hard on his shooting. Petry got a hard slapper away a lot faster than I've seen him able to in the past. If this keeps up it makes him a much more effective player in the opposition's zone. He was also better in the corners and positionally for most of the game. He still made a few passes to absolutely nobody and skated past the play a couple times, but for the most part he was excellent.
Nurse
- He's a really interesting defenseman and a ton of why was on display tonight. I really enjoyed seeing him go back at the Canucks players who were trying to take liberties with him. A stick here...elbow there...it is a necessary part of being an imposing defenseman in the NHL and despite the fact that he's still got 50lbs to gain before doing that full-time, he wasn't scared of the Canucks goon squad. That's impressive. He was also pretty solid with the puck and can certainly skate. He needs to work on positioning for sure as well as some of his offensive instincts based on what we saw tonight. While I like where he is, I'd also like to see him go back to junior after tonight so that he can get focused on being a dominant player in the OHL and start gaining a bunch of muscle mass rather than trying to keep up with the NHLers at this point.
Belov
- Like many of you I was quite intrigued to see what we'd get from Belov tonight. It is important to keep in mind that his performance tonight is in less than ideal circumstances due to visa troubles. He wasn't adequately prepared and yet, he looked very smooth and relaxed on the blue line. I was expecting some panic and saw none. In the first he had two shots in a row blocked by forwards who I imagine were closer than he is used to. He adjusted immediately and didn't have that problem again. Defensively he was solid and made the game look pretty simple. He skated and passed very well, seemingly never having to rush anywhere on the ice. He reminded me of Joni Pitkanen without the top-gear speed and the beauty flip pass. We could really use a guy like this if his performance tonight is an indication of the starting line. He didn't even get to show off much of his offensive skill tonight because other players were given a focus in that area.
Grebeshkov
- Make no mistake, Denis had an ugly first period. Also make no mistake, I like Grebeshkov a lot as a hockey player, always have. He came back pretty strong in the second period including a gorgeous pass to send Hemsky in alone on Lack. I'm still trying to figure out if there was a hook or what on that play because Hemsky never misses chances like that. The pass was just stunning. In the third he was just okay. There were a number of rather ugly giveaways tonight including a backhand pass in the first that made absolutely no sense. Here's the thing: If he's willing to put in 20 games in the AHL and get settled back into playing in NA for this organization, I bet he'd be really useful the rest of the way. I don't know if he's willing to do that or if the team is thinking this way, but that is the route I'd go. There's still genius there.
Hunt
- He's an interesting player. Someone I was reading compared him to Bergeron and I certainly get it. Tonight he was aggressive, quick and confident in the offensive zone. He can definitely play in the other team's zone. He does struggle in his own zone and lacks the physicality that Bergeron brought to the table. I see a lot of positive things and you all know I love an offensive defenseman, but on a team with so many guys who can contribute in that way, he isn't on an elite level and therefore can't quite compete. Hopefully he'll tear it up in OKC.
Fedun
- Did a great job covering for Hunt when it was necessary. I've noted some of his offensive plays above. The most impressive part of his game is his decision-making. He's just an overall well-balanced dman but he pinches at the right time, goes to the corner at the right time, passive at the right time and aggressive at the right time. You've got all day for guys like that because they make things really easy on the rest of the team. He's come a long way and he's almost there. Will certainly play some NHL games this year.
Jones-Acton-Brown
- I have a hard time watching a line like this. I don't like the way Jones or Brown play the game and have never seen Acton play. I know there will be those who liked Brown's game tonight. He did draw a penalty and fought Wiese (though not very well) after he'd been running around. Credit to him for that but it changed nothing as the rest of the game and the Gagner hit clearly illustrate. The issue with Brown is that no one's actually scared of him. His hits looked better than they were because he's running around...no one was rattled. A player of marginal impact like this needs to play a solid game to go with the other stuff. He can't. There was a sequence in the first period where he turned the puck over in the offensive zone, got it back off a lucky bounce, then immediately lost it again and the Canucks were headed the other way. It was so ugly. Acton's game was pretty blah for me. Nothing really stood out despite trying to watch him. When it comes to guys like this, I'm usually looking for things that suggest to me they have the same things that guys like Kyle Brodziak, Jason Chimera and the like had. Something that elevates them above the other 500 or so guys who could get a look from an NHL team. I don't see it but this was only one game to be fair. Jones had a shift in the third period where he made the same pass to absolutely no one twice in a row...I'm not sure whether this drove me more nuts than the fact that people cheered or not. He also took two totally unnecessary penalties. There was less cheating in his game and he did do some solid forechecking for sure, but if there is a true blank slate then he is probably getting passed in these games.
Hamilton-Khaira-Yakupov
- A curious combination. You almost get the idea that Yakupov asked the coach to play and got plopped on a line he wouldn't otherwise be with but who knows. Nail was his usual self, firing all kinds of shots, ringing a post in the second period, speeding by pretty much everyone and dishing out some hits and trash talk for good measure. His goal was noted above and he certainly could have had more. Looked pretty good on the powerplay which is no surprise. Khaira was a guy I was very interested in. During the warmup I noticed that he appeared to have a lot of skill with the puck and is certainly already larger than a lot of his teammates. The one thing I've heard about this guy from a bunch of people is that he's mean on the ice and we didn't see that tonight. He seemed almost too focused on playing the positional game. While he did connect on a couple really solid his that knocked guys down, I was looking to see him get in Canuck faces and maybe cause some trouble. He didn't really do that. We'll have to see if he has that edge to his game. At least he's already a better hitter than a couple of the guys the Oilers currently designate that role to, while having much more offensive potential and a bigger frame. More than anything else he looked like a player who is probably about 2 camps from making the team. Hamilton is an interesting player. He looks to be in better position than some of the guys vying for a spot on this team. I'd chalk that up to being a vet and maybe knowing more of what Eakins wants. He can play a heavier game if tonight is an indication but certainly isn't a big-time hitter. His skating leaves much to be desired from a technical perspective and if anything holds him back that will probably be it. Worth another look, but I honestly hope we're too good for him to make the squad.
Perron-Gagner-Eberle
- I like this line a lot. They did have some issues figuring each other out at times and looked a little off, but then it would click and the opposition was just dead in the water. Eberle appears to be healthy and relaxed based on tonight's game, which is all he needs to be a force of nature out there. He ran the play a bunch of times tonight and looked really solid. The only thing I'll dog him for is not finishing that chance in the first in a way that wouldn't have allowed the idiot refs (who were bloody awful for most of the game - it took me all of 6 minutes to get completely pissed at them) to take it away from him. Got to make that cleaner. He controlled the puck, skated and passed well. He was the main reason that this line could easily have had 3 more goals. Perron is going to be a revelation for a lot of Oilers fans. In addition to being able to keep up with the skill of this team based on tonight's adventure, he gets in there and hits people, plays really calmly with the puck and is very versatile. I wouldn't put him on the point during the powerplay, but it will be criminal if he doesn't PK. The guy makes it look easy in terms of pressuring the opposition. Loved watching that. Gagner was a little off his game early on but was settling in nicely when Kassian went moron on him. I hope he's okay - especially because we're already a C short.
Smyth-Hall-Hemsky
- #s 83 and 4 drive this bus for sure and they were both quite strong all night but both also struggled some with the puck. Hall had trouble pulling the trigger and Hemsky was a little rusty in close battle situations but most of the plays still got made. When they get going they play a real flow game that moves all over the ice and ends up in the offensive zone with a chance. It is a pleasure to watch. With Hemsky I'd say the mistakes were rust...for Hall I'd guess either a new stick or concentrating a little too much on learning to play C. If anything I actually like that he can roam around a lot more to find passing angles as this kind of thing works really well for him. These two were dynamite on the PK. Absolutely scary for the other team to be dealing with. Smyth certainly looked to be giving an effort out there, but he just can't keep up. I'd like to see him in a more appropriate role with Yakupov joining this line instead, but who knows what Eakins' plan is.
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Certainly a fun game to watch with lots to learn and much to still be discovered. The beginning of another adventure. I'm already having much more positive thoughts about this one. Liked hearing that Eakins sought out a unique viewing angle for tonight's game to make sure he was seeing things at a certain speed. This guy is going to be very fun to follow as he tries to implement his ideas in the NHL.
Glad to be back writing guys. Here's to a great year.
9/14/13
Advisory - No Report Tonight - Sept. 14
Hi all, my apologies for not compiling a year-end report. I got working on it and it just didn't come along fast enough to be relevant.
Normally I'd be very pumped for tonight and on my way to the game. Sadly I am working (boo!) in Jasper (yay!) and will miss the game tonight. Looking forward to the next game in a week though.
Normally I'd be very pumped for tonight and on my way to the game. Sadly I am working (boo!) in Jasper (yay!) and will miss the game tonight. Looking forward to the next game in a week though.
4/28/13
2013 LMHF Report Game #24
EDMONTON 7
VS.
VANCOUVER 2
------------------
Well thank jeebus for that.
Our season draws to a close with a victory against what should be considered our most hated rival. Qualifiers notwithstanding I'm going to take full enjoyment out of this.
Let's get the short negatives out and move on to a positive close to our year.
1. The Oilers still can't get "chips for everyone" right. That's sad. If we'd lost I may have lost it at that point.
2. Why has Mike Brown either self-neutered or been neutered by the coaching staff? There is no point to playing a player so bad if he isn't going to light people up or at least scrap in a game like this. There were many deserving Canucks out there and he wasn't interested in any of them. That Tom Sestito was allowed to mess with Yakupov and #64 had to do his own fighting back (though he did that well, more later) is an utter shame.
3. Some of those Dubnyk rebounds were just AWFUL. The Sestito goal set up by Kassian was about as juicy of a rebound as you'll ever see. He gave out two more of these in the period and got bailed out. He really needs to work on handling his angles. Two major weaknesses remain for him: low shots off the wall and high blocker shots. Hopefully these areas are a major focus in the offseason.
4. Eric Belanger demeans the Oilers jersey by wearing it. The guy spent the entire game avoiding the play. He wouldn't go into the corners. He wouldn't fight for the puck. He wouldn't even lean in on the faceoffs. I've never seen a guy loop out of the play that much during a hockey game. He should be absolutely ashamed of himself. If he ever plays another game as an Oiler I will be appalled.
I think that was about it. I'm not going to dwell on the rest of the season tonight. Let's enjoy what we got to see in this one.
One of the first things we got to see is how pathetic we know the Canucks are. Henrik playing 22 seconds is one of the most cowardly things I've ever seen. That "streak" should be voided. Kesler as always went whining to the bench after every single shift and didn't go face to face with anyone as per usual. Sesito tries to throw a knee on Yakupov. Bieksa spends the evening swinging his stick then breaks it over the bench like a whining child. Luongo goes headcase and starts letting in Jarred Smithson shots. Vigneault is too dumb to pull his likely playoff starter and save him the embarassement. It was lovely. I truly hope they exit in four games as they and their fans deserve to.
This game of course took a long while to get going. For much of tonight a lot of us were not sure if either team was going to do much in the way of showing up. The little bit of feistiness that appeared at the end of the second might have gotten things going a big. I still don't see why taking liberties against our players (Yakupov, Hall was crosschecked multiple times, Eberle took some abuse) is tolerated so readily by our coaching staff but at least these was some push back from individual players in little ways.
Let's go through the Oilers goals:
1 - Gagner breaks hard to the area behind the net and wins a battle to get the puck to Hall who makes a nice little backhand flip to the blue. Schultz to Schultz for a good, low, tippable shot and Eberle is in perfect position to get the job done. This goal was a big deal because the Oilers were really struggling to get a good offensive chance.
2 - The Oilers powerplay was moving the puck around really well and more movement through the middle of the ice meant the Canucks had a harder time dealing with the flow of the play. Yakupov is set up right beside the net (which I'm really thinking is the key to a ton of powerplay goals and might be worth doing some research on in terms of what % come from that spot. Has to be a bunch). Schultz does a good job of getting the puck to the net and of course Yakupov makes no mistake with that kind of chance. He was so excited. As usual. Worth noting that Sestito tried to mock him after his own goal. That worked out really well for him...
3 - This play starts as Eberle gets absolutely robbed when he can't finish off a rush led by Hall. No one quits on the play including Fistric who makes a great little play to keep it in at the blue line. Eventually the puck heads behind the net where Hall works it out and Schultz has smartly snuck to the front. Once again, no mistake.
4 - Horcoff makes a solid play in the neutral zone and smartly gets the puck deep as Magnus is carrying speed and can get in on the forecheck quickly. He takes advantage of an ugly mistake, then looks and sees Yakupov standing right in front of an open net. Bing-bang, it is in the net. As Yakupov was skating to the bench he was pointing enthusiastically at the Oilers bench. I think someone told him to get himself to the front of the net for the rest of the game. His next goal only cemented that for me.
5 - Starts with a forced turnover to Schultz in the neutral zone. He finds Hall moving down the wing who makes an excellent read to find a trailing Eberle in the slot. Eberle dummies the Canuck defender, then Luongo. Gagner, whose role on the play might have been missed on TV, played a part in generating the turnover and then was a great decoy who got thrown into the boards as Eberle scored.
6 - Nail finishes what he started. This play was all him. Made a great little play to keep things alive in the offensive zone initially, Magnus got the puck to Fistric. As this is happening, Yakupov heads straight to the front of the net, perfect screen, Fistric fires, Yakupov takes the rebound off his chest then deftly beats Luongo low. It was an absolutely stunning sequence from a tremendous hockey player. Couldn't see the celebration live so I'm glad they got it on the highlights. It was borderline subtle for him!
7 - Smyth crashes behind the net, Jones gets the puck and centers to Smithson who misses with his stick, barely gets it with his feet, then shoots without looking and scores. You know you're having a night when...
I'm just very happy to be able to count that many goals against that team and especially that goalie.
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Dubnyk
- Made some nice stops but also gave out some nasty rebounds as noted above. For the most part he was in control and cut back on the puck handling which helped his team out in the end.
Smid
- Good enough performance from him tonight, though I thought he dialed back the physicality at times which was a little mystifying. There were opportunities to really lay out some Canucks players and he didn't take them. He was caught up ice on Sestito's goal, but that shouldn't have mattered as he was elbowed in the head and the rush never should have happened in the first place. Aside from that lapse he was defensively solid.
Petry
- Quieter game than usual from him but that meant fewer mistakes. I'm okay with that. He landed a really nice hit in the second period which was something to see. Puck movement was just okay.
Fistric
- Certainly one of his better games. He kept several offensive sequences alive with his play at the opposition blue line and was also rewarded with two assists by getting the puck headed toward the net. I also liked that he went at Lapierre and a couple other Canucks as the game wore on. I'm not sure why he didn't go after Sestito when he tried to knee Yakupov though. That was a little strange.
J. Schultz
- It is about time he had a game where the offence flowed so freely. His goal and passing game were great examples of the high level of skill he can bring to any game. He also bailed out a couple Nick Schultz mistakes including one ugly pinch that generated a 3-on-1. He was offensively effective without having to jump in too much. That's the mark of a strong offensive defenceman.
Potter
- He had a weird game. There were several instances where I couldn't really figure out what he was doing. No really exceptional moments in the positive but he did come out ahead so that's something.
N.Schultz
- He was okay much of the night. I'm still not sure exactly what he was thinking on that ugly pinch given that Justin Schultz had refused to pinch on the other side not long before that. Some good work behind the net.
Brown
- Yeah, I really don't know why he dresses if he effectively does nothing in a game like this one. He went to the front of the net and forechecked I suppose, but he always gets caught deep in the zone and tonight was no different. He also looped away rather than finish his check. Disappointing. He should've at least administered some bruises.
Smithson
- I'm glad the guy scored. It has to have been a weird ride for him over the past couple weeks. It doesn't change the way I think about him, but he actually scored that goal and had another good chance. Good for him.
Smyth
- I'm glad that what may have been his final game as an Oiler was a better effort than we've gotten used to this year. He forechecked hard, drove the front of the net and nearly tipped a couple in. Generated a couple penalties and some scoring chances for others. Didn't take any crap and specifically had words with Kesler which is at least something.
Belanger
- I've said all I want to say about him already. I hope he's never in another one of these reports.
Lander
- Uninteresting game. Didn't really stand out other than being thrown into the net by a Canucks defender at one point.
Jones
- I'll give him that he put out a good effort tonight. He hit people, went hard into the corners and did what he needed to do. Good plays to set up some chances and also got involved physically in pushing back a touch against the Canucks.
Horcoff
- Pretty solid tonight actually. While he wasn't able to be anywhere near keeping up with Yakupov and Hall/Paajarvi, he instead contributed by moving the puck well in the defensive and neutral zones while also picking off a few passes. This helped the transition game immensely. It was good to see him adapt his game and help his teammates out.
Paajarvi
- A quietly successful game. He didn't do the things that I always watch for from him (using his speed to find openings, going to shooting areas in the offensive zone) but he did forecheck well and play off Yakupov to some extent once that line became the norm. Supported Eberle decently as well. If only we could get him to be a better player with the puck in front of the net. He had a couple really good chances to score in close tonight and just couldn't do much of anything with the puck.
Eberle
- Easily could of had four or five tonight. He was robbed by Luongo and his defence at least 4 separate times including a couple beautiful backhand plays. This was the Eberle we need to see. He wanted the puck on his stick and drove the slot to look for shooting opportunities. When Eberle forces the play to the slot, good things happen either in terms of great shooting chances or a pass to a wide open teammate. His goals were covered above but just from a general standpoint he was excellent tonight.
Gagner
- Worked really hard and took a lot of abuse tonight. While he wasn't rewarded the same way the other high profile young guys were, he did pick up some points and did certainly make things happen. He was strong in the corners and made some very nice passes and decoy plays when the offence got going. Always good to see him contribute. I will also note that #89 never shies away from the scrum. He was in there multiple times tonight and I have a lot of respect for that.
Hall
- What else can you really say? He was tremendous as the Oilers offensive play pick up. He made so many things happen behind the net and off the rush specifically. I've said for some time that he plays his best games when he treats his primary offensive responsibility as being a rush passer. He showed why again tonight on several occasions and especially on Eberle's third period goal. Just a beautiful read. Kind of surprised he didn't score as well on a night when he's jumping around like that, but he didn't wind up needing to.
Yakupov
- We've covered his wonderful goals above but there was a little play I saw that I really wanted to highlight. Yakupov was around the low circle with the puck on the powerplay. Not much was happening in terms of movement and many other players would have been stuck, forced a pass and made a mistake or taken a stupid shot to the chest. Yakupov, without looking at all, made a subtle move then fired a laser shot-pass off of Luongo's pads right to Eberle. #14 was so shocked he couldn't score but MAN what a simple, utterly brilliant play. No one on the ice saw that and I don't think any other player could have done it the way he did either. I'm sure he knew what he needed to do to catch Huberdeau and he just went out there and made it happen. He engaged physically with Tom Sestito, hitting him when he had the chance and swinging his stick a little bit. He was all over the ice and passed the puck to himself off of the boards several times. It was an absolute treat watching someone that excited play the game in such an impressive way.
----------------
I'm hoping to put together a year in review, something that's been missing the past couple years, relatively shortly. There's a lot to say and a lot of decisions to be made.
The one thing I will say is that I've been mulling it throughout the season and while Hall surpassed Eberle this year in the "best of the group" race, I will say that Nail Yakupov is on his way to greater things than even Hall. Why?
1. He loves the game so damn much.
2. He appears to work harder than any of the group.
3. Sheer talent. The guy will score 50.
4. He's focused.
5. His game is versatile and we'll be talking about him as a complete player within a season.
#64 is bloody amazing. Period. Can't wait to watch this guy win a Richard Trophy.
Thank you all again for sticking with this throughout another trying year. We all hope for a tremendous offseason and better days ahead. You readers are the reason I plow through the horrible losses and why I so relish getting home to write after a massive win. Thank you once again for the encouragement, reads, discussion and everything else.
VS.
VANCOUVER 2
------------------
Well thank jeebus for that.
Our season draws to a close with a victory against what should be considered our most hated rival. Qualifiers notwithstanding I'm going to take full enjoyment out of this.
Let's get the short negatives out and move on to a positive close to our year.
1. The Oilers still can't get "chips for everyone" right. That's sad. If we'd lost I may have lost it at that point.
2. Why has Mike Brown either self-neutered or been neutered by the coaching staff? There is no point to playing a player so bad if he isn't going to light people up or at least scrap in a game like this. There were many deserving Canucks out there and he wasn't interested in any of them. That Tom Sestito was allowed to mess with Yakupov and #64 had to do his own fighting back (though he did that well, more later) is an utter shame.
3. Some of those Dubnyk rebounds were just AWFUL. The Sestito goal set up by Kassian was about as juicy of a rebound as you'll ever see. He gave out two more of these in the period and got bailed out. He really needs to work on handling his angles. Two major weaknesses remain for him: low shots off the wall and high blocker shots. Hopefully these areas are a major focus in the offseason.
4. Eric Belanger demeans the Oilers jersey by wearing it. The guy spent the entire game avoiding the play. He wouldn't go into the corners. He wouldn't fight for the puck. He wouldn't even lean in on the faceoffs. I've never seen a guy loop out of the play that much during a hockey game. He should be absolutely ashamed of himself. If he ever plays another game as an Oiler I will be appalled.
I think that was about it. I'm not going to dwell on the rest of the season tonight. Let's enjoy what we got to see in this one.
One of the first things we got to see is how pathetic we know the Canucks are. Henrik playing 22 seconds is one of the most cowardly things I've ever seen. That "streak" should be voided. Kesler as always went whining to the bench after every single shift and didn't go face to face with anyone as per usual. Sesito tries to throw a knee on Yakupov. Bieksa spends the evening swinging his stick then breaks it over the bench like a whining child. Luongo goes headcase and starts letting in Jarred Smithson shots. Vigneault is too dumb to pull his likely playoff starter and save him the embarassement. It was lovely. I truly hope they exit in four games as they and their fans deserve to.
This game of course took a long while to get going. For much of tonight a lot of us were not sure if either team was going to do much in the way of showing up. The little bit of feistiness that appeared at the end of the second might have gotten things going a big. I still don't see why taking liberties against our players (Yakupov, Hall was crosschecked multiple times, Eberle took some abuse) is tolerated so readily by our coaching staff but at least these was some push back from individual players in little ways.
Let's go through the Oilers goals:
1 - Gagner breaks hard to the area behind the net and wins a battle to get the puck to Hall who makes a nice little backhand flip to the blue. Schultz to Schultz for a good, low, tippable shot and Eberle is in perfect position to get the job done. This goal was a big deal because the Oilers were really struggling to get a good offensive chance.
2 - The Oilers powerplay was moving the puck around really well and more movement through the middle of the ice meant the Canucks had a harder time dealing with the flow of the play. Yakupov is set up right beside the net (which I'm really thinking is the key to a ton of powerplay goals and might be worth doing some research on in terms of what % come from that spot. Has to be a bunch). Schultz does a good job of getting the puck to the net and of course Yakupov makes no mistake with that kind of chance. He was so excited. As usual. Worth noting that Sestito tried to mock him after his own goal. That worked out really well for him...
3 - This play starts as Eberle gets absolutely robbed when he can't finish off a rush led by Hall. No one quits on the play including Fistric who makes a great little play to keep it in at the blue line. Eventually the puck heads behind the net where Hall works it out and Schultz has smartly snuck to the front. Once again, no mistake.
4 - Horcoff makes a solid play in the neutral zone and smartly gets the puck deep as Magnus is carrying speed and can get in on the forecheck quickly. He takes advantage of an ugly mistake, then looks and sees Yakupov standing right in front of an open net. Bing-bang, it is in the net. As Yakupov was skating to the bench he was pointing enthusiastically at the Oilers bench. I think someone told him to get himself to the front of the net for the rest of the game. His next goal only cemented that for me.
5 - Starts with a forced turnover to Schultz in the neutral zone. He finds Hall moving down the wing who makes an excellent read to find a trailing Eberle in the slot. Eberle dummies the Canuck defender, then Luongo. Gagner, whose role on the play might have been missed on TV, played a part in generating the turnover and then was a great decoy who got thrown into the boards as Eberle scored.
6 - Nail finishes what he started. This play was all him. Made a great little play to keep things alive in the offensive zone initially, Magnus got the puck to Fistric. As this is happening, Yakupov heads straight to the front of the net, perfect screen, Fistric fires, Yakupov takes the rebound off his chest then deftly beats Luongo low. It was an absolutely stunning sequence from a tremendous hockey player. Couldn't see the celebration live so I'm glad they got it on the highlights. It was borderline subtle for him!
7 - Smyth crashes behind the net, Jones gets the puck and centers to Smithson who misses with his stick, barely gets it with his feet, then shoots without looking and scores. You know you're having a night when...
I'm just very happy to be able to count that many goals against that team and especially that goalie.
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Dubnyk
- Made some nice stops but also gave out some nasty rebounds as noted above. For the most part he was in control and cut back on the puck handling which helped his team out in the end.
Smid
- Good enough performance from him tonight, though I thought he dialed back the physicality at times which was a little mystifying. There were opportunities to really lay out some Canucks players and he didn't take them. He was caught up ice on Sestito's goal, but that shouldn't have mattered as he was elbowed in the head and the rush never should have happened in the first place. Aside from that lapse he was defensively solid.
Petry
- Quieter game than usual from him but that meant fewer mistakes. I'm okay with that. He landed a really nice hit in the second period which was something to see. Puck movement was just okay.
Fistric
- Certainly one of his better games. He kept several offensive sequences alive with his play at the opposition blue line and was also rewarded with two assists by getting the puck headed toward the net. I also liked that he went at Lapierre and a couple other Canucks as the game wore on. I'm not sure why he didn't go after Sestito when he tried to knee Yakupov though. That was a little strange.
J. Schultz
- It is about time he had a game where the offence flowed so freely. His goal and passing game were great examples of the high level of skill he can bring to any game. He also bailed out a couple Nick Schultz mistakes including one ugly pinch that generated a 3-on-1. He was offensively effective without having to jump in too much. That's the mark of a strong offensive defenceman.
Potter
- He had a weird game. There were several instances where I couldn't really figure out what he was doing. No really exceptional moments in the positive but he did come out ahead so that's something.
N.Schultz
- He was okay much of the night. I'm still not sure exactly what he was thinking on that ugly pinch given that Justin Schultz had refused to pinch on the other side not long before that. Some good work behind the net.
Brown
- Yeah, I really don't know why he dresses if he effectively does nothing in a game like this one. He went to the front of the net and forechecked I suppose, but he always gets caught deep in the zone and tonight was no different. He also looped away rather than finish his check. Disappointing. He should've at least administered some bruises.
Smithson
- I'm glad the guy scored. It has to have been a weird ride for him over the past couple weeks. It doesn't change the way I think about him, but he actually scored that goal and had another good chance. Good for him.
Smyth
- I'm glad that what may have been his final game as an Oiler was a better effort than we've gotten used to this year. He forechecked hard, drove the front of the net and nearly tipped a couple in. Generated a couple penalties and some scoring chances for others. Didn't take any crap and specifically had words with Kesler which is at least something.
Belanger
- I've said all I want to say about him already. I hope he's never in another one of these reports.
Lander
- Uninteresting game. Didn't really stand out other than being thrown into the net by a Canucks defender at one point.
Jones
- I'll give him that he put out a good effort tonight. He hit people, went hard into the corners and did what he needed to do. Good plays to set up some chances and also got involved physically in pushing back a touch against the Canucks.
Horcoff
- Pretty solid tonight actually. While he wasn't able to be anywhere near keeping up with Yakupov and Hall/Paajarvi, he instead contributed by moving the puck well in the defensive and neutral zones while also picking off a few passes. This helped the transition game immensely. It was good to see him adapt his game and help his teammates out.
Paajarvi
- A quietly successful game. He didn't do the things that I always watch for from him (using his speed to find openings, going to shooting areas in the offensive zone) but he did forecheck well and play off Yakupov to some extent once that line became the norm. Supported Eberle decently as well. If only we could get him to be a better player with the puck in front of the net. He had a couple really good chances to score in close tonight and just couldn't do much of anything with the puck.
Eberle
- Easily could of had four or five tonight. He was robbed by Luongo and his defence at least 4 separate times including a couple beautiful backhand plays. This was the Eberle we need to see. He wanted the puck on his stick and drove the slot to look for shooting opportunities. When Eberle forces the play to the slot, good things happen either in terms of great shooting chances or a pass to a wide open teammate. His goals were covered above but just from a general standpoint he was excellent tonight.
Gagner
- Worked really hard and took a lot of abuse tonight. While he wasn't rewarded the same way the other high profile young guys were, he did pick up some points and did certainly make things happen. He was strong in the corners and made some very nice passes and decoy plays when the offence got going. Always good to see him contribute. I will also note that #89 never shies away from the scrum. He was in there multiple times tonight and I have a lot of respect for that.
Hall
- What else can you really say? He was tremendous as the Oilers offensive play pick up. He made so many things happen behind the net and off the rush specifically. I've said for some time that he plays his best games when he treats his primary offensive responsibility as being a rush passer. He showed why again tonight on several occasions and especially on Eberle's third period goal. Just a beautiful read. Kind of surprised he didn't score as well on a night when he's jumping around like that, but he didn't wind up needing to.
Yakupov
- We've covered his wonderful goals above but there was a little play I saw that I really wanted to highlight. Yakupov was around the low circle with the puck on the powerplay. Not much was happening in terms of movement and many other players would have been stuck, forced a pass and made a mistake or taken a stupid shot to the chest. Yakupov, without looking at all, made a subtle move then fired a laser shot-pass off of Luongo's pads right to Eberle. #14 was so shocked he couldn't score but MAN what a simple, utterly brilliant play. No one on the ice saw that and I don't think any other player could have done it the way he did either. I'm sure he knew what he needed to do to catch Huberdeau and he just went out there and made it happen. He engaged physically with Tom Sestito, hitting him when he had the chance and swinging his stick a little bit. He was all over the ice and passed the puck to himself off of the boards several times. It was an absolute treat watching someone that excited play the game in such an impressive way.
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I'm hoping to put together a year in review, something that's been missing the past couple years, relatively shortly. There's a lot to say and a lot of decisions to be made.
The one thing I will say is that I've been mulling it throughout the season and while Hall surpassed Eberle this year in the "best of the group" race, I will say that Nail Yakupov is on his way to greater things than even Hall. Why?
1. He loves the game so damn much.
2. He appears to work harder than any of the group.
3. Sheer talent. The guy will score 50.
4. He's focused.
5. His game is versatile and we'll be talking about him as a complete player within a season.
#64 is bloody amazing. Period. Can't wait to watch this guy win a Richard Trophy.
Thank you all again for sticking with this throughout another trying year. We all hope for a tremendous offseason and better days ahead. You readers are the reason I plow through the horrible losses and why I so relish getting home to write after a massive win. Thank you once again for the encouragement, reads, discussion and everything else.
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