The Edmonton Oilers are in Los Angeles tonight and based on the previous results (Edmonton is 0-4 against LAK this year, being outscored 15-8 in those four games) OilersNation should not enter the evening confident. One thing we can look for tonight? LAK are probably closer to Peter Chiarelli’s vision of the Oilers than the current Oilers.
Milan Lucic is thinking about steel beams pic.twitter.com/hJOCKE40aT
— Disabled List Member (@atf13atf) March 23, 2016
The Kings send giants in waves, their forwards are barely contained by boards and glass and opposition defenders are merely shrapnel. Even their skill guys—Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty—are damned difficult to play against. The Oilers, in their current incarnation, also have a difficult time playing against the Kings (record above is proof) because of their lack of experience. Young players, especially defensemen, often make poor decisions with Milan Lucic bearing down on them like a runaway train.
CHIARELLI’S PLAN
Peter Chiarelli’s plan is to make the Oilers more like the Kings, and his old Bruins. Those teams have plenty of skill, but they are also:
- Big and aggressive in all areas (forecheck, backcheck, PK, hitting, and they are a little filthy)
- Agitating
- Punishing
- Strong, strong, strong up the middle
We can see it in the additions of Eric Gryba, Zack Kassian and Patrick Maroon—but we have not yet seen it at center, which is about the summer. We can see it in the addition of Griffin Reinhart last summer, the elevation of Darnell Nurse to the NHL and his being kept despite struggles over much of the season.
We can also see it in the new rivalry with the San Jose Sharks. The last time I remember San Jose and Edmonton having bad blood, Raffi Torres was looking innocent and Milan Michalek was not doing well. Before that? Dougie Weight was heading off the ice and Bryan Marchment was swearing—and that folks was around the turn of the century.
What does that mean for this summer? Well, tonight the Kings will ice Milan Lucic, and the former Bruins winger is a free agent this summer. If he comes available, I think it is reasonable to suggest Peter Chiarelli will pursue him with extreme prejudice. In fact, even a player like Kris Versteeg—who has missed the last three games—offers the kind of grit/skill package Chiarelli valued highly in Boston (and is procuring for Edmonton).
Bottom line: When you are watching the Kings tonight, imagine that style with men like McDavid, Hall, Draisaitl, Klefbom and Sekera driving the offense. That’s the template, I believe.
Wayne Gretzky personally surprises Justin Bieber with Oilers jersey. MORE @ https://t.co/6nSCF7g7RJ pic.twitter.com/Fi2bDu43EJ
— BarDown (@BarDown) March 26, 2016
I am putting this here, so Wanye doesn’t have to.
ICYMI, #Oilers TV’s latest True Blue feature on @cmcdavid97‘s #NHLDraft memories | VIDEO > https://t.co/lXyoPhHXCv pic.twitter.com/LInFYewyw7
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 26, 2016
Along with all of the other terrific things about this young man, he is a hockey fan and hung around on day two of the draft to see where his friends went in the selection. I wonder if Dylan Strome, Nick Betz and Alex Debrincat end up as Oilers down the line.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
Oilers lineup courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com
Kings lineup courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com
QUICK HITS
- How on earth are the Oilers going to employ all of these left-handed defensemen next season? We assume that Oscar Klefbom, Brandon Davidson, Darnell Nurse and Griffin Reinhart will play next year, and with Andrej Sekera, that’s a lot of lefties! Suspect we will see some trade movement among these names.
- How much of this summer will be spent addressing defense? Well, I think the Oilers could go into next season with this forward group, Talbot and a substantial backup, and be considered a strong playoff contender IF the defense is sound. Big if, but that will be the summer—along with that big center I suspect Peter Chiarelli has in mind to replace the Nuge.
- I will be doing some draft work in April for ON, interested to know if you prefer spotlights (entire article on one player) or overviews? Let me know.
- If the Oilers can win tonight or on Monday, they will have their second .500 month of the year.
- Edmonton’s goal differential (-37) is no longer league worst. The Vancouver Canucks have passed them with a steaming pile of bad in recent games.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Kings made playoffs 23 times in franchise’s initial 41 seasons. Now 6 times in last 7 seasons.
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) March 20, 2016
-
Jewels From the Crown: The Kings’ coaching and dedication to system has certainly yielded
results. They’ve been the top Corsi For percentage team in the NHL four
years running. In the 2011-2012 season, they were second only to
Detroit, and only by a tenth of a percent. Source
GAME DAY PREDICTION
GAME DAY PREDICTION: The Kings—who have lost three in a row—come out firing in the first period and take a 1-0 lead. A chippy game turns ugly with some vicious hits and stick retaliations.
OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: The Kings pop two more early in the second period and the game settles in to a typical NHL ‘running out the clock’ game by midway through the second. A late goal by Nail Yakupov on the power play gives the visitors some hope.
NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION:
The Oilers shock the Kings (and the world) by scoring twice in a very physical third period, with Taylor Hall scoring the tying goal just before getting leveled by Drew Doughty. The Kings win it in overtime on a Tyler Toffoli snipe. It is a helluva game, and postgame comments are somewhat similar to recent San Jose Sharks’ players comments—indicating the battle has been joined, if not in the standings, then in the games at least.
Ah yes Johnny Hockey, the pint sized, 7th in league scoring in his 2nd season, one of the couple most exciting players in the World, lowly 4th round pick that you feel threatens Connor leading you to spout Connor is better every 2 days.
Get back to me when Connor scores a hatty, or pots a pair of goals in 10 seconds or does something other than lead his team to the league basement…
In response to insecure Socaldave
Wow that was a good draft pick you made for Johnny! Lol your comments drip of jealousy. What will happen when the flames have to move back to Atlanta? Or do you still think they’re going to build that arena?
Oilers came to life in the 3rd! Cmon boys!
Or I should say maroon did! He’s a gamer for sure!
So if the refs weren’t mildly retarded and would have called that goalie interference earlier in the game, it would have been tied 4-4.
What was the deal with the early whistle that ended up in the back of the Oilers net? I didn’t hear the explanation on that one.
HOLY CHRIST! Yak gets buried from behind and no call?????
Buried from behind hey? Told you the Oilers were going to bend over tonight. And they say I don’t know anything.
Yo scorps you can swing anyway you like, there is enough cowboy duds for you to dress up in down their.
Quick was the difference. With average tending tonight, the oil get at least a point. All this with a call-up defence against the cup favorites. I can live with tonight’s moral victory.
Huh. So you admit the oilers have a crappy defence but then blame the loss on LB? Makes zero sense. I’m thinking if McLennan shared your thinking he would have pulled LB early. This one is not on the goalie. Sorry. And… quick allows 4 goals and you give him all the credit for the kings??? I’m not sure you watched the game at all
LB .844% quick .862%.
Tell me again quick was the difference??
Well in one way he is right . If Brossoit make a couple more stops they may have actually won
And if quick makes a couple more stops it’s a blowout… we could do this all night. Lucic and toffoli won that game. Plain and simple. And maroon, easily the most engaged oiler kept em in it
Yes . Maroon a great pick up by Chiarelli.
I can’t wait for the wrap up to comment:
1) On the last face off why would the Oilers line up two wingers (10 & 19) on the wall instead of one behind Letestu? Made it way too easy for the Kings to get the loose puck.
2) we all see now that Clendening has balls made of soft foam with the crap he took in front of the net at the end of the game. Embarrassing.
3) Overall reffing, game after game is absolutely brutal.
Out
Man this expert analysis is horrible, Stompoopolis has to go.
Why is a troll like Fire Scorpion allowed on this thread. He doesn’t talk hockey, he just talks trash. It basically destroys the thread.