You have to love kicking off an NHL season with a Battle of Alberta! Well… Sort of. Final score: 5-2 Flames.
There is nothing that I enjoy more thoroughly than some good old Flames ass kickery. Remember the start of the 2010-11 season? When Jordan Eberle opened things up with the goal of the year and Steve McIntyre caved in Raitis Ivanans’ melon? What a night that was! Tonight wasn’t really like that at all. Despite badly outshooting the Flames, the Oilers lost their home opener.
After the way last season started, the Oilers had to have a quick start. That’s not what happened at all. Instead of a lead, the Oilers got down 2 quick goals early in the first period on some awful defensive breakdowns. The Oilers did play well after that. In terms of possession, the Oilers ran the show for most of the game. Unfortunately, they also ran into a hot goaltender. Karri Ramo played very well, and was a huge reason that the Flames were able to pull out the win.
There was some rust, and systems issues that will need to be ironed out, but on the whole it was a decent start to the 2014-15 NHL season. Yes, I’m saying that even though they lost. I think the Oilers played well and deserved to win. A loser thing to say? Perhaps. Feel free to say your piece.
Let’s wrap it up…
THE BRIGHT SIDE
- It was nice to see Teddy Purcell get his first goal out of the way early in the season.
- It was nice to see the Oilers shooting the puck. The shots on goal were 40 to 26 which was encouraging considering the Oilers sometimes hate shooting the puck.
- The Pouliot – Draisaitl – Yakupov line was impressive tonight.
- Taylor Hall is a lord of war.
- Defensive zone coverage was a mess in the 3rd period.
THE FACE PALMERS
- Boys… The game started at 7:30pm Mountain Standard Time (roughly) what were you doing?
- Defensive coverage was atrocious on the first 2 Calgary goals.
- Sportsnet put the Flames logo next to Taylor Hall’s goal in the graphic. (see below)
- Scrivens really battled the puck tonight.
- Karri Ramo stole the show tonight.
- Mason Raymond should never score hat tricks EVER.
BEST OF THE TWEETS
@OilersNation look what they did to that boy in the 30 years since the 1st cup win OR maybe it was the booze #GOILERS pic.twitter.com/Azh7E0Rnv1
— Travis Dakin (@TravisDakin) October 9, 2014
JUSTICE LEAGUE! ASSSSEMMMMMMBLLLLEEEEEE! #GOILERS
— Count TowelBoy (@TheTowelBoy) October 10, 2014
Scrivens plays better when he gets 20 shots a period not 7. Great oilers puck control though #oilers #shaky #hope
— Fly Child (@flychildmusic) October 10, 2014
@OilersNation Did they accidentally dress the 1983-84 Oilers for the start of this one?
— David Smitten (@DavidSmitten) October 10, 2014
@OilersNation Look out #flames! When this #oilers #corsi translates, you’ll be beggin for mercy!
— jason dunn (@trueoilfan) October 10, 2014
@OilersNation #sportsnet FAIL! pic.twitter.com/MIl9JsopEt
— Kristen Hagg (@KristenHagg) October 10, 2014
@OilersNation And so begins the winter of my discontent… <sigh>
#oilers
— Byron Churchill (@bcjames44) October 10, 2014
“Is it October yet?”, they said. “I can’t wait for October”, they said.
— Ryan B. (@IAmByks) October 10, 2014
@OilersNation Our shoulder surgeon is more experienced than their shoulder surgeon? #Sorry #ThatsAllIveGot
— David Smitten (@DavidSmitten) October 10, 2014
@OilersNation we hired the advance stat guy, and won the advance stat stats? #reaching
— Brent Kellington (@IbBK) October 10, 2014
When you’re watching the game, be sure to tweet at @OilersNation or @jsbmbaggedmilk for your chance to have your tweets show up in the GDB Wrap Up.
NATION CHARITY DRAFT
Today, we launched the Regular Season charity draft at nationdrafts.com. For $20, you can pick the best roster possible, based on the player boxes, and have a chance to win some great prizes courtesy of our friends at Oodle Noodle and the Pint.
Most importantly, part of the proceeds from all monies raise will be going to the Edmonton Inner City Children’s Program. Not only will you be flexing your hockey brain for prizes and eternal bragging rights, you’ll be supporting a great cause as well.
People need to stop acting like Scrivens is an NHL starter and is as good as other NHL starters in the League. That’s just being delusional.
Scrivens has always been a questionable backup at best. That’s the reality.
How do you figure? He has done nothing but post good numbers anywhere. Except for draft pedigree he has a very similar track record to a number of starters around the league, including everyone’s new favorite darling Bishop.
I actually think Fasth might be better, but claiming Scrivens has never demonstrated any possible ability above “questionable backup” is nonsense.He was bad last night. Everyone agrees. Let’s not all lose our minds over it.
Scrivens numbers have not always been solid that’s why he’s went from team to team to team as a backup and not a single team gave him a chance as a starter, except the Oilers of course because of a few games. Fasth has been Solid his entire career, Scrivens is a quality backup, Fasth is better technically and always has been, I’m not dumping on Scrivens, I expect him to bounce back with a solid game but Fasth has always been the guy in trade talks throughout the NHL to get out of Anaheim and become a NHL Starter because technically he’s good all around and actually has the potential. Fasth was a beast in camp and Scrivens was shaky even in camp. It’s up to Eakins now, but I see Fasth having a great game against Vancouver and then Eakins going back to Scrivens against L.A because it’s Eakins, Scrivens has another bad game and he will be done as Dubnyk mentally as a first year starter. Fasth has the mentallity to be a starter, always has.
1. Maybe take a look at the numbers before you say Scrivens hasn’t been posting good numbers.
2. I like Fasth very much, but I don’t think “always” means what you think it means given that his NHL career has been all of 2 seasons (37 games) long and has taken place entirely in his 30s.
The Scrivens hype needs to be brought down a level though, that’s all I mean. He’s had a hard time even keeping a backup job on a few teams in the last few years, that’s just the reality.
Scrivens number are average as a backup(which is ok), I agree about Fasth though but he’s been quality when healthy and came into camp in beastmode and ready to take over, Eakins started the goalie that was shaky in camp and that’s what happened. I’m not blaming Scrivens, I’m blaming Eakins for putting him in that position while he was having a bad camp. I expected Scrivens to crash down because of his numbers,before the season even started, it was inevitable. The story was awsome, story time is over I believe and it will be seen.
He has been much better than an “average backup”. It’s like you refuse to actually look. Scrivens has posted a very similar track record to guys like Bernier and Bishop and everyone raves about those guys. How do you differentiate when there is nothing to separate them?
The only thing to worry about now is if Scrivens has another bad game or 2 in a row he’s going to be hit mentally, he’s always been a goalie that drowns when things start going downhill, he loses confidence faster than any goalie I’ve ever seen, he’s never been a mentally focused goalie, he had the same problems with the Leafs, and we can just hope it doesn’t continue into the next game or 2 or he’s done.
Pure nonsense. Nobody with a tendency to lose confidence scraps his way up the ladder like he has.
I agree to a point in every aspect. I think we all expect better out of Scrivens, for someone who is trying to prove himself right now. Which I expect him to, he’s a class act. Other than that I really liked the Oilers game all around, if they keep it up they might have something going. I just think Fasth takes this Canucks game and rolls with it and establishes himself as a NHL starter as he’s always been talked about throughout the NHL talks. Go Oilers!
It’s not the goalies that are the issue, it’s the coach is not knowing how to use them.