THE SKY DIDN'T FALL...
Jason Gregor
January 23 2013 02:11PM
Not even free beer could brighten the spirits of Oilers fans after sitting through the worst first period of a home opener in franchise history.
The Oilers stunk.
They couldn't play defence.
They rarely had the puck.
They didn't get any saves from their goalie.
They took too many penalties.
The good news is they only lost one game, not the entire season. I couldn't think of a worse scenario for the Oilers and their fans.
The building was electric prior to puck drop. The 50/50 was at $25,000 forty-five minutes before the game even started. Fans were lined up 200 deep to take advantage of 40% of merchandise, and most of them happily stood in line sipping on a free beer or half-price food.
The Oilers were ridding a wave of a confidence after a comeback victory in Vancouver. The stage was set for a great atmosphere, but that changed minutes after the game started.
2:16 in Ales Hemsky takes a holding penalty. 47 seconds later Jeff Petry is off for tripping and then the Sharks took over.
Dan Boyle rips a one-timer on the 5-on-3, then Logan Couture scores their 2nd straight PP goal, and it is 2-0 four and a half minutes into the first period.
The building got really quiet, but it exploded when Nail Yakupov scored his first NHL goal at the 8:25 mark. That was the loudest Rexall has been since the 2006 playoffs. Eight months of frustration mixed in with the excitement of the win in Vancouver led to an extremely loud minute long ovation. It was great, but short-lived.
Less than two minutes later the Oilers got mesmerized by Joe Thornton's stick-handling ability and decided to leave Patrick Marleau wide open in the slot. Marleau had time to check his teeth in the glass, before ripping one past Dubnyk. 55 seconds later he scored his second of the game, another PP marker and the game was over.
The Sharks added two more goals before the period ended, and the fans voiced their displeasure by booing the Oilers.
It was deserved. They looked completely lost in their own end.
I gave the Sharks 12 scoring chances in the first period. Twelve. The Oilers stats crew calculated they gave up 14 in 65 minutes v. Vancouver, but they allowed 12 in 20 minutes last night. Dubnyk wasn't good, but he wasn't any worse than the Oilers D-zone coverage. The Oilers only gave up three scoring chances the rest of the game, but by then it didn't matter. The Sharks were stuffed from feasting on the Oilers defenseless carcass in the first period.
It is one thing to leave a guy wide open on the side boards, but leaving guys wide open in front of the net is inexcusable.
TAKE A DEEP BREATH
Remember when the Oilers crushed the Chicago Blackhawks by scores of 9-2 and 8-4 last year. You loved it, especially when Sam Gagner tied the Oiler record for most points in a game.
You know what those two blowout wins meant for the Oilers?
Absolutely nothing, other than two points and a great night of fun for the fans. The Oilers didn't make the playoffs, nor did it represent how good they were.
After getting spanked 9-2 the Hawks went 9-2-1 in their next twelve. The blowout loss didn't cripple them, and the Oilers can't afford to let it derail them.
It is only one game, and while some will want to suggest it illustrates every weakness in the organization, it doesn't,
Before the game we knew the Oilers weren't perfect defensively and they lacked size throughout the lineup. Last night's loss, nor the season-opening win in Vancouver changes that.
The good news is that I guarantee season-ticket holders will not have to suffer through the horror of witnessing six goals against in a period again this season. The Oilers will have bad periods, bad games and horrendous shifts again this season, but they will also have periods, games and shifts that lift you out of your seat.
Yesterday sucked, and the timing couldn't have been worse, but the second game of a 48-game season won't make or break the Oilers.
How they respond v. the Kings on Thursday will be important. They can't pout, and they better grab a clue about how to play defence. If they do that, they'll be competitive.
QUICK HITS
- The 1976/1977 Montreal Canadiens were the greatest regular season team in the history of the NHL. They went 60-8-12 and won the Stanley Cup. They lost only 8 regular season games all year, but on Wednesday January 12th, 1977 they lost 7-2 to the St.Louis Blues and five days later they lost 7-3 in Boston. Even the great teams get blown out.
- ~Jordan Eberle had another five shots on goal yesterday, but his SH% is now only 10%. Yikes. Of course he does have three points, but that lower SH% is going to be the death of him.~
- The Oilers and Ralph Kreuger are in a tough spot. Shawn Horcoff and Ryan Smyth are his best top-nine forwards when it comes to playing against the opposition's top line, but if Krueger doesn't expose his kids to those situations what happens next year. The Oilers can't have Horcoff play the tough minutes and then contemplate, just an IF at this point, buying him out, with no one on the roster capable of eating those minutes. I suspect you will see Krueger match lines a bit, but the organization needs to let the kids learn the hard way how to defend the top lines. It will be a balancing act all season.
- It had no bearing on the yesterday's outcome, but Krueger needs to dress some players who can be physical. I suspect we'll see Mark Fistric and one of Ben Eager or Darcy Hordichuk in the lineup v. the Kings. You need someone who is capable of consistently throwing body checks to keep the opposition honest.
RECENTLY BY JASON GREGOR
I realize Dooby was left hung out to dry on a few but the man plays too far in his net and is too slow...and the body language?? terrible. Can the Oil just not admit they made a mistake in this guy (especially at 14th overall...thanks once again Prendergast) and move on?
But Bob Stauffer says that Fistric is ready to go !
@Bonvie
In rookies, I'm talking about Yak and Schultz, who are the only two on the team unless Harski still qualifies. My point is that relying on first-year players is a road to disappointment, no matter how much media hype is behind them.
The entire team played better in the latter two periods - whether that was SJ laying off the beatin' stick a bit, or just feeling the effects of the the 2nd game in three nights on the road.
Positive's from last nights game.
I can't believe I'm going to say this but, I thought Paajarvi was one of the better players on the team. I think he actually deserves a long look with Horcoff and Smyth.
We know that Whitney can't possible play any worse then he has the last two games. These are his pre-season games, one of the few Oilers who never payed during the lockout, it shows.
The PP still looks good and now has two legit lines that have a chance to score.
A few more games and the Oilers should start to show good chemistry with each other, no pre-season really throws teams in the deep end, it's even more evident with a young developing team.
I would give every team in the NHL another two or three games before you start to see pretenders from contenders.
I can only hope that this is sarcasm. If so, you forgot the little winkie face after your comment. ;)
Great article Jason. You read my mind.
Some "Oiler" fans are making it sound like the season is already over and we should expect last place again. Seriously? You're better than that! If you want to be a bandwagon jumper, go cheer for the Canucks.
@Walter "Wes" Sobchak
I was going to make the same observation. I thought Paajarvi had a good game. He should stay up and play on the 4th and PK. Can move up sometimes. He looked good.
When Jones comes back, Petrell should be waived. Nobody will pick him up.
You beat me to this comment - props.
Eager out with a concussion. The team got even smaller today.
Humility can be a great thing and I believe it will be for this team. I would actually say that this game could be a blessing in disguise for the Oilers. If they would have won 5 straight in the fashion they beat the nucks then this team would have thought they were better than they are.
This loss should let them know they are better than that but only with a proper effort. It may be early but last nights loss could be what actually makes this a playoff team. You learn more from your failures than your success. Hopefully the Oilers do too.
Paajarvi , J.Schultz and to a small degree Yakupov and Hatekainen are a welcome addition at this stage . J.Schultz looks like the only defenceman our club should go forward with . We need grit badly on defence . Whitney looks finished . No grit down middle either , and we should look to replace Horcoff and Belanger with some grit down the middle . Even Gagner is replaceable with someone with more size and grit.
Until we upsize we will be prey to the bigger clubs that have some talent .
@madjam
Gee - and Tambi just missed the opportunity to pick up JFJ from Pitts for future considerations. Chaulk one up for Stevie Y...
I suspect you will be singing a different tune after watching him play........he is a beast of a hitter that moves slower than a wounded turtle!
You meant to put the parentheses on 'fans' not 'Oilers'. While yes it is absolutely too early to write the season off, I don't see how thinking a team is terrible makes you any less of a fan or a bandwagon fan. If they stopped watching or caring about the team you'd be on the money. Fans are allowed to be wary of their team without being labelled with unsavory labels.
TWO top pairing D.
An actual #2 C
An above average goaltender.
And a GM who knows what bottom 6 forwards look like.
Profit.
It was only one game. The nucks collapsed in their first game defensively. Sure they don't really have a second line but they have what may be termed outstanding dmen, but did that stop Anaheim from walking into the slot and terrible defensive collapses? No. Everything will be fine. If there is one thing that we can be sure of, it is that the oil are a better team than last year and even last years team didn't get blown out this bad every game. Be calm. Cheer on.
This just in:
MADJAM IS BACK!
Has anyone heard officially is Eager out with a concussion?
jefff would have thrown a couple f's in there.
Phhhfffttt....
That's precisely what this organization has to address within the next 20 months if they expect to make a run at Lord Stanley…..
The core veterans on this club all need to be replaced asap (Smyth, Horcoff, Whitney, Eager, Sutton and possibly Hemsky to acquire someone back in a deal. The other five guys have little or no value in any trade………
Smyth does not need to be replaced, nor does Horcoff. Horcoff can be useful in a number of roles.
The team can't have all elite players, you need PKer's you need 3rd and 4th liners.
Players like Petrell or Eager, Belanger, Hartikainen even Hordichuk have no business being on an NHL club( not including Eager) Eager has head issues, last year and now this year.
Wes,
If Ryan Smyth is your guy then knock yourself out but had he not requested a trade out of LA the Kings could very well have fallen short of winning the cup last year….I’m surprised the Kings didn’t send him a ring!
Ryan is all about Ryan and has never been part of a championship team.. more often then not his season was long over before the playoffs began.
These guys would bring almost nothing back if involved in a trade but somehow they have tremendous value to you! Take a minute and think about that…………
LOL, I had to props this.
You get a lot of monkey crap thrown your way around here, (and for the most part deservedly so) but sometimes you make a lot of sense.
Nothing against Petrel Sean, really like the guy myself, Call them the things he doesn't do then.
For the money he's just not a hard player to pay against, he is not fast, he is not aggressive, I just think the Oilers can do better.
Wes,
Did you scream at your television last night?
Sean,
We've been a terrible team most of the past twenty years and recently we've finished 30th,30th and 29th - why do you think that is?
DSF, not your biggest fan but mad props.
Comment of the day/night.
I know the answer! Is it because the team lost more games than they won?
Wanye didn't go to the home opener last night and tweet his signature "Wanye holding up crack beer while overlooking the ice from the upper deck" pic.
I blame this loss squarely on him. And on free Rexall crack beer night too! WHAT an idiot. ;)
I learned that Glenlivet is 9 bucks a shot in the oilers lounge.
Also... apparently new technology allows a brick to be tested for concussions. Bizarre.
What next.... a post?
Good for you DSF. You take a lot of heat on here. Sometimes you deserve it, and I think you know that. Most people believe your intents are malicious and therefore think you're spoon feeding them Oilers hate propaganda. You know this, yet continue to do so for whatever reason. Maybe you think people will grasp some greater overall concept. Maybe you think this will induce change. You seem smarter than that though.
Regardless, for the most part I find your opinion to be consistent and genuinely un-biased, from an overall hockey perspective. I think you do a good job of keeping your thoughts, complaints, insults and sarcasms directed at the hockey related issues. Unlike some of your verbal combatants. Looking at you Clyde Frog. Did you know that DSF has mentioned his mother has passed on a couple of different occasions? Even if you don't believe that, it looks poorly on you to continually mention it on the off chance that you're wrong.
Were going to gauge our deep team and hit the panic button after one lousy period of hockey? After the first the Oilers were on top of the Sharks, Niemi played a good game after that. He got tested often and the top line is starting to look dominating.
Yakupov looks shaky but thats to be expected, Smyth and Horcoff are very valuable cogs in the lineup. The D needs to sack up a bit more and not always fall for that late man. I notice the late man on the rush always seems to be open, the coaching needs to emphasize better man coverage on the late checker. Something that hasn't been there since MacT left town.
She was having an affair with Tommy Salo's wife.
Now they have "unemployed, super happy frat guy".
~Obviously this works way better than an intelligent rocket for a host.~
Since you felt the need to include me in your post.
1) You are mistaken .The Oilers had the third best power play in the NHL.It is how you finish that matters..If you think Potter played a bigger role in that power play than the other players on the ice. You are mistaken. He was the third wheel. Potter was also a part of the team that finished 29th in the NHL
2) Last I checked San Jose's first line does not play in the AHL. The team was exposed.
3) Actually they are men playing a boys game.
4) Pull the pin..... What does that even mean?
5) San Jose stepped off the gas. Even a fan blinded by his teams colors had to see that.
6) I just said what I wanted and defended it.
7) If you are going to try to insult someone. Please spell their name right. It points to your credibility and intelligence.
Continue to drink the Kool-aid. Myself I will look at the team critically and realistically.
@justDOit
Who said our rookies were going to be saviours to this club?? Eberle, Hall, Nuge....not rookies.
Thanks for that
Right now it feels like we have a less than adequate band-aid defence with lack of grit and talent beyond J.Schultz by the looks of it .
We do have some up and coming defence in Teubert , Marincin , Klefbom , Musil , etc. , but they could be several years down the road to respectability .
Will Kreuger pan out (50-50) ? Goaltending still at issue , and may be far from resolved . What might it cost if Luongo enters the picture ? Maybe they'll throw in Kassian into a deal ?
Still early but i don't see any major changes taking place as yet . Even Smid , N.Schultz, Potter and Petry shows no improvement . Whitney looks lost . Good signs from Yak and J.Schultz .
If you don't want to read a blog post comment move on to the next comment. If you see their name @ move on.
Problem solved.