GDB 19.0: THE DREADED STARS
Jason Gregor
February 28 2013 11:50AM
The Dallas Stars domination over the Edmonton Oilers has become laughable. In 74 meetings the Oilers have won a meagre 15 games. The Stars have won 79.7% of the games. No other franchise has dominated the Oilers like the Stars, but if the Oilers want to make the playoffs, or at least stay in the hunt, they need to beat the Stars.
I don't see a scenario where both of these teams make the playoffs, so the Oilers need to win. A win would give them a 33.3 winning percentage against Dallas this year, which would be a big step forward.
You can't pinpoint one specific reason why the Oilers have struggled to beat Dallas since they moved from Minnesota at the start of the 1993/1994 season. There has been 14 different head coaches between the two teams during this period and hundreds of different players, yet the Stars have completely dominated the Oilers.
Just for fun here is a look at how the Oilers have fared v. all the Western teams since October of 1993. I only calculated wins, not ties (ended in 1999) or points for losing in OT or SO.
| Opponent | GP | W | Winning% |
| Dallas | 74 | 15 | 20.2 |
| Detroit | 73 | 24 | 32.8 |
| Calgary | 109 | 41 | 37.6 |
| St. Louis | 72 | 28 | 38.8 |
| Colorado | 102 | 40 | 39.2 |
| Vancouver | 111 | 44 | 39.6 |
| Chicago | 73 | 29 | 39.7 |
| Nashville | 53 | 22 | 41.5 |
| Minnesota | 70 | 30 | 42.8 |
| San Jose | 81 | 35 | 43.2 |
| Los Angeles | 82 | 39 | 47.5 |
| Phoenix | 74 | 41 | 55.4 |
| Columbus | 45 | 28 | 62.2 |
| TOTAL | 1019 | 416 | 40.8 |
The last 18 and 1/3 seasons haven't been stellar for the Oilers or their fans, but the Dallas Stars have absolutely owned the Oilers.
LINE UP
Hall/Nugent-Hopkins/Eberle
Jones/Gagner/Hemsky
SmythBelanger/Yakupov
Eager/Vande Velde/Petrell
Interesting to note it looks like Yakupov might play right wing tonight. We will see if he is more comfortable attacking from the right side and if he has any troubles on his off-wing in his own end. Krueger didn't play him on the RW to start because he felt it was harder to play the puck along the boards in the defensive zone.
Smid/Petry
N.Schultz/J.Schultz
Fistric/Potter
It sounds like Whitney and Peckham will be the healthy scratches, but that isn't confirmed. I thought Peckham played decent in his only game of the year, and feel he deserves another chance, but clearly the coaches see it differently.
Dubnyk
QUICK HITS
- A source tells me the Oilers did put a claim in for Aaron Volpatti, but the Capitals were ranked lower so they got him first. Currently the Oilers are 7th on the waiver wire. CBJ, BUFF, WSH, FLO, NYI and COL are ahead of them based on standings.
- Volpatti wasn't going to be a major difference maker, but it is obvious the Oilers need more grit. Not just fighting grit, but guys who hate to lose and will do anything to win.
- Watch how Ryan Smyth plays tonight, if he has an average game they might rest him during back-to-back tomorrow in St.Louis.
- Oilers have 16 ES goals in 18 games. They are averaging 0.88 ES goals/game. Last year the Minnesota Wild were the worst in the league with 112 in 82 games, 1.36 ES goals/game. The worst ES scoring rate since 1979 expansion was the 2003 Carolina Hurricanes with 98 ES goals in 82 games, 1.19 ES goals/game.
- To avoid becoming the most anemic ES offence in the past 30+ years the Oilers will need to score 42 ES goals in their next 30 games. Not a crazy number, only 1.4 ES goals/game, but that is almost double the production from their first 18 games.
- UFC Ring Girl and model Arianny Celeste will be at the Nation's 5th birthday party tomorrow night at the Pint off Whyte. You can watch the Oilers/Blues and talk MMA with Arianny. There are only 30 tickets left. All proceeds to go to Inner City Children's Program and you get a T-shirt and $45 in GCs. Hurry and buy them here.
GAME DAY PREDICTION: Eventually the Oilers have to win, right? You've been saying that for years, so why should tonight be any different. Sadly it won't, Oilers lose 4-3.
OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: The remaining 30 tickets to the Nation party will be scooped up before puck drop. You don't need any extra incentives to party, but when it includes charity, hotties and a Nation T-shirt it's a no-brainer.
NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: After learning the Oilers put in a claim for Aaron Volpatti, Ben Eager responds with a solid game. He lays out Jamie Benn and scores a goal in the 2nd period. After the game the Oilers brass start looking at the waiver wire wondering if there is anyone else they can put a claim on, but don't end up getting, with the hopes it fires up a few other players.
RECENTLY BY JASON GREGOR
Gregor, For the love of God, please ask Tammy and KLowe the next time they are on the show to explain their aversion to size and muscle. Why do they prefer midgets to beef? Very confusing Thanks
Today the Oilers will need much more than a clenched hand to win. Boom.
What my girlfriend is in Edmonton and she didn't tell me?
I feel like the Oilers are due for an 8 ES goal game break out. Although saddly I don't think it's today.. When do we play Columbus next?
Shocked that KLowe forgets the fruit salad of the glory days....skill, tenacity, a few sons of ****es (Napier, mclelland, tik), a few nutters (semenko, muni) and most of all, the many hustlers (Jackson, mcsorley, bookeboom and his best bud, macT) those guys are the reason Jari and Wayne danced around. Amazing departure from the past.
Yeah! If the Oilers dressed 3 or 4 scrappers that would really help their ES scoring woes! If it wasn't for Semenko, Gretzky wouldn't have amounted to anything!
I am interested to see how DD plays tonight. Given the injury to Bulin, there is a lot riding on a good performance.
No MPS? I'd like them to play MPS and waive Petrell. He is a decent PK guy but doesn't have any offensive upside doesn't intimidate anyone.
She stopped by my house first. She tried calling you but her mouth was full.
And since we're dreaming.....Oilers win 5-2
I kinda thought that with the retirement of Modano that the Oilers fortunes would change vs the Stars.
His HOF induction should have come with a points vs the Oilers asterisk. Or at least a nod to the contributions made by the Tom Poti's of the Oilers past.
Wow, those win totals are astoundingly terrible. Just curious if you had stats for Anaheim as well?
NSOGDP - Oilers force a shootout with only 15 shots on net. Locked in a scoreless tie through the first 11 rounds, Nieuwendyk trades Lehtonen, Benn and himself for Jussi Jokinen, who makes it back to American Airlines Arena in time to pot the winner (while still wearing his Hurricanes jersey).
It appears as if the dead horse that is the Oilers 1st line is still being kicked by Krueger.
Jones is being showcased on the 2nd line. He has to be, I can't see no other reason why the Oilers would have him there.
I feel for Yakupov, poor kid.
Paajarvi over Petrell.
Defense is alright, but I would play Chugham over Potter.
Oilers will lose again due to the fact that their coach doesn't know how to utilize the offense he has at his disposal.
I believe the management is smart enough to see the short comings and is allowing it to take course for a greater cause. The ends justify the means.?
Man I hated it when his jersey starts flapping in the back. He definitely had some sort of super power agaisnt us.
what does it take to pry horton from chirelli?
jones and a 1st?
GDP: Oilers score 2 goals, with one of them on special teams (either PP or PK). I don't care what Dallas scores because it is 95% likely that it will be more than 2.
OGDP: Yak/Hall/Eberle/RNH will fly down the ice leading a 2 on 1 or 3 on 2 and instead of taking the open shot, will elect to pass and miss their intended target. x 4! Maybe x 5!
NSOGDP: Dubnyk, fed up with another year of losing and of competing for his job, goes Ron Hextall on each and every Star that crosses his crease, resulting in at least 3 Stars out with fractured legs by the end of the night, spawning the phrase "going Dubnyk".
What's the over/under on blind spin-o-rama passes for the night? My prediction is that there will be 3.
Relax peoples, another 7-8 losses on this road trip is what management wants. It's lie back and think of England night again. They must not of told ole Ralphy boy of their plan, poor sap thought he actually had a shot going into this season. Oiler opponents have to be rolling their eyes at Kruegers new fail proof attacking system. Any other great ideas Ralph?
One more lotto pick is obviously the plan. 6-1 Dallas over the Edmonton Easily Beats. Save the airfare and accomodation and just mail them the two points.#freespaceonthedallasstarsbingocard
The Oilers could finish in 25th and win the lottery.
Giving up Seth Jones and Ryan Jones for a guy who is one hit away from being out of hockey would result in the Oilers really getting "Jonesed".
@I'd rather have Shock and Awe, over just Bold.
Even if they told him, the Ralphsults would be the same.
Tom Wandell is on waivers, what do you think about Edm picking him up?
Nice to hear that we at least tried to get Volpatti. So often players become available in season that might fit a role in Edmonton and we never seem to even make an effort to get them. We made a play for a guy named Ryan Jones a few seasons back and he is still playing for us today. We have spent enough time in the basement that I feel like it's an option that we haven't explored enough.
Our record against the West in that graphic is disgusting. The Stars beat us twice in Edmonton and I don't see a different result tonight. 3-2 Stars.
You bet it would. Every time Ebs and Noogie's frail bodies take a hit, slash or abuse, not only does it amount to their apprehension 5 on 5, it makes them change the way they play to compensate for the abuse....so many layers of negatives when you dig deep. Moron management has never been able to pursue and persuade 3 Steve Ott's to play in Edm? What a joke
Steve Tambellini is like a 3 year old playing PS3 or XBox-- he only hits the same button (*draft*) over and over again while expecting different results.
These are the GMs with a better record than Steve Tambellini over the past three and a half seasons: EVERYONE!
#hashtaggingcommentsisretarded #wheredowedrawthlinedoihavetohashtagworkemails? #squee?
I can't believe she didn't tell me! Must still be mad when she found out I was married! Bhahah! And well if there are only 3 spin O rama's, then they are begining to listen to the coach! Man am I ever sick of that move, or the pass from the slot to the wing that never gets through!!!!
@Ales Hallsky
When in Rome......
Our Oilers appear mentally challenged most nights. In an effort to conform, was i doing it right?
#appology
You mean the Steve Ott who is leading Buffalo to 29th place?
You are right though, they have never been able to get three Steve Ott's to play here.
In his defense I would point out that Tambo is not a villain in a science fiction movie and therefore cannot clone anyone.
If he did learn, I suggest he start by cloning other people than Steve Ott.
NSOGDP: Hall makes a statement game and has as many hits as he does shots (cue the basketball term: double-double). Hall scores 1 goal from inside the blue paint on a gritty-smytty-from-10-years-ago type goal where he takes an ugly cross check from behind. Hall also draws a penalty on the same play, and on the ensuing power play Nuge, after reading Willis' article at Cult of Hockey about not scoring from the half boards, puts in a wicked wrister. Eberle, after reading plenty of Willis' articles, realizes he's not carrying his weight in terms of zone entries and tries real hard to compensate, but fails miserably...only to be switched to Yak's spot...and as the only good shooter on the line, Smytty and Belanger pick up 2 assist each as Eberle then shows the whole world how to finish. Yak and Gagner keep putting up points as they are inspired by the other youngsters, and the whole team ends up winning 5-1. Statement game.
Yes Sir, if that is what you were going for, you are doing it right...
#APPOLOGYACCEPTEDWHYAMIYELLING!!!
@Shredder
Dare to Dream
Finally. Someone who understands that adolescent midgets cant alone stickhandle through the nhl.
I suppose your defense of Tammy is well-placed, I shouldn't be too tough on Tammy and the non-fiction he has created in Edmonton
So lets have a friendly bet? what period do you think the Oil will score their 1 goal tonight? me thinks...3rd
NSOGDP: Dubey goes lights out, stacking the pads like his old Russian friend taught him before tweaking some obscure muscle, and he earns his first shut-out of the year. Belanger undresses Lehtonen for the game-winner and Yakupov does his famous knee-slide because Eric forgot to celebrate and promptly skated off, as if he was on a line change.
As much as I hated the Stars, Modano was a great player to watch. Guy could fly... Jersey flapping was scary
For the record (or FTR as the kids say these days), the reason guys are waived is because they were deemed too crappy to play on a NHL team.
Think about that for a second.
As far as the game goes, the Oilers chances of making the playoffs are slipping away like the sands of time. I'm sure the team knows this.
This is a winnable game. Expect our boys to come out playing their nuts off. 4-2 Oilers.
I would swap Eager and Smyth on the lines. I think that Smyth has a hard time with Yakupov's speed, whereas Eager won't have a problem with it. Yakupov and Eager would be a bit dangerous in their own zone (meaning more heavy lifting for Belanger) but that duo would be energy+.
Honestly, I'm not sure why Eager hasn't got a sniff in the top 6 yet (even the odd shift). He's played better in the last 5-6 games than any of Paajarvi, Harti, or Yak. I'm sure there's politics in play, but it kind of flies in the face of earning your spot. I guess every coach has his preferences.
Smyth, Petrell and Vandevelde have the potential to get a good cycle game going and Petrell's capable of potting a couple in close. That line would be sound defensively and might end up with more minutes overall than the other combo.
#loliagreethis#issofukinstupidletsneverspeakofthis#again
@MrMackey
I think it's a straight problem of Eager's penalties. When matched up against the slower bigger third and fourth lines, he less inclined to take a bad penalty, but when he plays against speed and skill, just like other teams playing against our top line, all he can do is hook and slash.
Its a personnel issue.
We need:
bodychecks: -Steve Ott, Theo Peckham, Luke Schenn
Pest: -Max Lapierre, Brandon Prust
Faceoff: -David Steckell
Leadership: -Landeskog, Brendan Morrow
Delete:
-Whitney, Smyth, Petrel, Potty, Alice, Pajarvi
Lineup: Hall-Noogie-Ebs Ott-Gagner-Landeskog Yakupov-Whorecough-Prust Steckell-Lapierre-Morrow
Schenn-J Schultz N.Schultz-Smid Petry-Peckham
=complete annihilation with zero injuries to star players.
I think some people are finally getting on board the Krueger sucks bandwagon. About time guys. Now instead of running guys like Eager out of town can we focus our hate on Krueger instead?
He refuses to truly change the lines when it has been proven convincingly that we suck 5v5. He can't handle elite talent (see point one as well as his handling of Yakupov). And also are the special teams really any better than last year? I mean the Nuge run PP last year was great but this years PP (while being our main source of scoring) seems lost at time and many of our PP's fail to create even one scoring chance, some don't even make it into the zone.
I view all of this as coaching deficiencies. I don't think you can blame bottom six injuries for the failings on the club. It's about time this team started showing some signs of life and some real promise for the future. We are quickly heading towards another high draft pick and that is just simply unacceptable. We should be entering our winning window right now instead of being stuck in a perpetual rebuild.
The time is now Oilers, prove to us that all these years in the dumpster have been worth it.
Breaking News! Flames sign O'reilly to a 2 year 10 mil offer. http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/28/caps-claim-volpatti-off-waivers/#/2013/02/28/breaking-flames-sign-oreilly-to-offer-sheet/
GDP: Because I'm sick of the Oilers losing to this stupid team - Oilers win, 2-1.
Wow, ballsy move by Calgary. Good for them.
but its not finished yet. the Avs could match it.
$5M/yr for 2 years + 1st and 3rd round picks in this years draft? That's damn expensive for O'Reilly... Your first 1Rnd pick, with a Center heavy draft year, could turn out to be an O'Reilly anyway. I'm not sure if this is a good move or bad move, but atleast it's a move.
Is Calgary the first team this year to offer a RFA a contract offer this year, I believe so and wonder how the other 29 managers will react to this. Good thing we locked up Hall/Ebbs to long term deals (or is it?)
IT IS
The thing the pushes this into the bad move category is how high Calgary's pick is probably going to be. I mean seems like it should for sure end up being a top ten pick in what is being considered a good draft year. If a playoff team had made this offer I would have said good move. But who knows maybe this improves Calgary enough to become a playoff team.
Ballsy move by Calgary, for all the talk that they should tank you got to hand it to them for trying to put a winner on the ice. Takes more guts to try then to purposely tank repeatedly
Hall's going to bring the heat tonight and lead the Oilers to a big win. 5-4 in regulation, five even strength goals. Haha, I'm allowed to dream right?
Colorado will match.
Colorado would be stupid to match! Calgary just screwed themselves.
Did it work on NHL 2013?
Don't like the move from Calgary's perspective.
They have an aging core, with Kipper and Iginla just about done. Who is O'Reilly going to center for the next 2 yrs?
If they miss the playoffs and that pick winds up in the top 5 in a real strong draft? Wow. Could be Mike Millbury bad.
Could get them into the playoffs, maybe, (O'Reilly is not a miracle worker) but to give up a top 10 pick for 2 years of ROR doesn't make any sense long term.
O'Reilly is a good pick up for Calgary if they don't match. Great on the faceoff, 22 years old and more ice time than any other forward on the team. He's worth 5 million a year IMO.