Draisaitl, McDavid, and Koskinen strike again. Final score: 4-1 Oilers.
The first period was an odd one. The boys were on their heels to start the game and were making some lousy giveaways in their own end. This is sort of what we’re accustomed to as of late. Koskinen made a couple big saves and a couple defensive lapses from the Flyers lead to some scoring chances of our own. Eventually, the puck got into the hands of Connor McDavid to Leon Draisaitl to Alex Chiasson, then bada-bing-bada-boom, the puck is in the net. Chiasson was flying this period and tallied a lot of scoring chances. His goal put the Oilers on the board and created some good momentum for the remainder of the period. Both the Flyers and the Oilers exchanged unsuccessful power plays, and we headed into the dressing room with a 1-0 lead.
The second period began with a four-minute penalty kill as Drake Caggiula drew blood for his high stick on Nolan Patrick. The Oilers did a heck of a job on the PK and even built some momentum out of the long penalty kill. This eventually lead to an unsuccessful powerplay of their own, followed by some terrific shifts and puck pressure in the offensive zone. Connor McDavid scored a beauty from behind the goal line by banking the puck off of the Flyers goalie’s back, then just seconds later Adam Larsson pots a goal top shelf. Despite being on the penalty kill for almost half the period, the Oilers had a rock solid period.
The team came out absolutely flying in the third period. They didn’t let the Flyers touch the puck for the first eight minutes and it was some of the most fun hockey I’ve seen this year from them. Also, what was with the crowd being so loud? They seemed to be enjoying the team’s success at home and it seemed to be buzzing in there. Of course, exactly after that great start to the period, the Flyers took the control they’ve been looking for all game long. The Oilers went a few shifts in a row unable to clear the puck out of our zone or get the puck in deep to the Flyers zone. This eventually lead to a goal by Sean Couturier at the end of a long shift in our own end. The Oilers managed to hold on for the rest of the game and Connor McDavid put the nail in the coffin with an empty net goal.
Overall despite a handful of defensive lapses and penalties, the Oilers played a very well-rounded game. I definitely wasn’t expecting this kind of pace from them after the heavy schedule they’ve been on but it’s safe to say they impressed us all tonight. The Oilers have won six straight games at home and are a tough team to beat in the Hitchcock era.
THE BRIGHT SIDE
- Alex Chiasson scored his career high, 14th goal tonight with the Oilers. The guy has been an unreal pickup for us and I thought he’d barely score 10 goals this season. Atta be Chiassserrrr!
- With assists to Alex Chiasson’s first goal tonight, Leon Draisaitl extends his point streak to five games, and Connor McDavid extends his to eight games. Both Leon and Connor ended the night with three points each.
- I couldn’t get enough of Jujhar Khaira tonight. He was flying up and down the ice and he wasn’t afraid to egg on Wayne Simmonds and anybody else on the Flyers. Him playing on a line with Puljujarvi was entertaining because anytime someone even looked at 98, Jujhar was in their face about it.
- Connor’s first goal of the night involved one hell of a takeaway-forecheck, and in-between legs shot by Draisaitl, followed by Connor shooting it from behind the goal line to score. If that’s not entertainment then I don’t know what is! This wasn’t just a lucky goal either, Connor was going for the bank off of the goalie’s back and he couldn’t have placed a better shot.
- Adam Larsson scores his first goal of the season and first goal in 43 games! This was just seconds after Connor McDavid’s goal from an epic give-and-go pass with Spooner.
- Tobias Rieder showed off his speed a couple times tonight, specifically on the penalty kill when he broke away for a clear breakaway in the second period. He ended up fanning on the shot BUT THAT’S NOT THE IMPORTANT PART OF THIS POINT
- The Puljujarvi-Nuge-Khaira line had another incredible night. They were buzzing in the offensive end throughout the whole game and were even mixing it up a little after the whistles. I love it!
- I thought Caleb Jones had a good NHL debut tonight. He played 11:23 minutes and seemed pretty comfortable out there. This was a great way to dip his toes in the water and I look forward to seeing more games from him.
- Mikko Koskinen had another stellar night and is now 7-0 at home. Would you have ever thought this was possible when we first signed him? Admittedly, I was shitting on Koskinen before I even saw him play, and I apologize for that.
- Connor McDavid only played 18:51 minutes tonight which is a big decrease from what Hitch has usually been playing him. If we can win games by three goals with Connor playing less than 20 minutes per game, it will go a long way for us.
THE FACE PALMERS
- I feel weird typing this because Koskinen has played nothing but solid between the pipes for us this year, BUT – I’m shocked that no one has capitalized on all of the juicy rebounds he leaves in the slot. I mean, I’m so happy no one does, but It amazes me that he’s played so well, yet lets out so many rebounds.
- The Oilers took five penalties tonight which is far too many in my opinion. Fortunately, they had a good penalty kill going and killed all of them, and the Flyers have been struggling with special teams on the road. Hopefully we’ll be more disciplined in the future.
- The Oilers played a great game but I do think Koskinen’s solid play covered up a lot of the ugly defensive mistakes we made. It appeared at times the boys struggled to break out of the zone, especially in the third period. There were a couple of shifts in a row we couldn’t get the puck out which eventually lead to Couturier’s goal.
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
| TIME | TEAM | DETAILS | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:37 | Edmonton | Alex Chiasson (14) ASST: Leon Draisaitl (24), Connor McDavid (29) | 0-1 |
2ND PERIOD
| TIME | TEAM | DETAILS | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:37 | Edmonton | Connor McDavid (18) ASST: Leon Draisaitl (25), Darnell Nurse (8) | 0-2 |
| 14:08 | Edmonton | Adam Larsson (1) ASST: Ryan Spooner (2), Darnell Nurse (9) | 0-3 |
3RD PERIOD
| TIME | TEAM | DETAILS | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:03 | Philadelphia | Sean Couturier (13) ASST: Jakub Voracek (17), Claude Giroux (28) | 1-3 |
| 19:24 | Edmonton | EN – Connor McDavid (19) ASST: Leon Draisaitl (26) | 1-4 |
#GOODCONTENT
Alex Chiasson is going to sign a dumb contract next year. Oh man.
— Matt Henderson (@Archaeologuy) December 15, 2018
I’m starting to wonder if these guys really believe as long as Koskinen is in net there’s no way they’ll lose. They’re playing ridiculously confident. #Oilers
— David Shortt (@AdMan0828) December 15, 2018
*Caleb Jones' first pass goes tape to tape*
me: SEND HIM UP TO THE TOP PAIRING!
— Chris Gordeyko (@TheNationChris) December 15, 2018
The Flyers deserve a big fat loss after that stunt they pulled in Calgary the other night
— Ryan (@IAmByks) December 15, 2018
Caleb looked ok and got better as the game wore on, i think he will be here a while.
You have to go with Mikko vs Canucks no? If they go Talbot and lose this may be 2 pts you look back in March and say “Oh $hit what did we do!”
Put it this way if this was Talbot on the hot streak would there even be a discussion? Go with your HOT HAND!
This reply had nothing to do with his content, but on another note, I think this debate is over. Koski will probably start the next three.
Koskinen should start every game left in December.
My guess based on what Hitch has said is Koskinen against Canucks, Talbot against Blues and Koskinen against Lightning.
Keep the goalies fresh and ready.
Or on the other hand play the better goalie every game that he is rested and try to win them all.
I agree, Koskinen will play 2 of the next 3 for sure. All good teams need to run with balanced goaltending because you do not want to wear one guy out like we did to Talbit 2 years ago. The proper ratio run by most teams is anywhere from 2/3 to 3/4 for a starting goalie.
And he’s better than Wideman.
Matt Henderson has got to be the worst of the worst. PC may have the two FA signings of the year in Koskinen and Chaisson. All Hendo can tweet about is that about possible big contacts next year. He would much rather be right about PC being an idiot than the Oil having success.
Matt, don’t worry if Chaisson keeps up this pass and gets into the 30 goal range his contract will be beyond what the Oil can fit into the cap.
As for me. I’m enjoying the ride while it lasts.
Some members of the Taylor Hall fan club, that were once Oiler fans are now Taylor Hall fans that secretly hope the Oilers lose.
Taylor Hall wasn’t just a cancer that infected the locker room but he divided the (Oilers) nation.
I don’t think Taylor hall was the major problem. From what Ference said about the young kids demeaning those who practice hard I’d believe that likely started with Eberle, probably exacerbated by hall. I still believe Eberle should have been shipped out for Larsson instead of hall.
I agree Kosko should start tomorrow. And Ed i’m loving what Chass is doing and i’m pulling for him to keep his goal scoring up. But as far as his next contract goes, i can’t see it being outrageous, simply because of who he plays with. Reason is, could he get this production on another line, i don’t think so. But i’m sure it will be a reasonable term with a significant raise.
Pat Maroon scored 27 goals in our top 6 playing with McDavid and/or Drai. We all thought his next contract would be huge or get us a king’s ransom in a deadline trade. Neither happened. His UFA contract is $1.9 million and the return in a trade was a 3rd rounder. This should stop the fretting about trading Chiasson at the deadline because your return on a PTO player will be minimal and his value to the team for this year is much more than anything you will get. As for not being able to afford him next year, you may be surprised given Maroon’s history.
Yeah, I think most GM’s realize that if your line mates are McDavid and Drai chances are you will have a career year, never to be repeated elsewhere
How’s Maroon doing this year? I think he has two goals.
1 goal, 1 even strength point, 7 powerplay assists.
@wiseguy that’s not entirely accurate PC only got a third for Maroon cause he over played his hand trying to get more elsewhere. He admitted as much in post deadline press conference. Maroon also admitted he left money on the table to play in STL because that’s where his son lives and wants to be close to him.
I hope people are starting to get over their dislike for Spooner. I like the player and i HATED Strome. Think Spooner is going to be ok.
I’m with you.
What a novel idea: Oilers fans cheering for Oilers players on an Oilers blog.
I am still 100% against the trade. We traded a RH 3C who was effective on the PK and in his own end for a LH 4C/4LW who is a defensive liability and doesn’t PK. How was this a positive trade. Strome has actually put up more points since the trade.
So please explain how this was a good trade, and “i hated strome” is not a legitimate answer.
I’m not sure he is a defensive liability and still want to give him some time to see what we have in Spooner. I liked Strome myself but he was too slow despite his other attributes. Ebs is not looking good this year he is in a major slump and over payed so no real loss there. Hitch will work his magic with Spooner I suspect and will find him the right role. The best team I ever saw play was the 88 Russian national team and they did not have any right handed shots on that team if I remember correctly. To me the Strome/Spoooner trade still needs to play out.
Are the Oilers of 2018-19 the Penguins of 2015-16? Struggling the first part of the season, they fire old coach and get a new coach Sullivan (Hitchcock). Presto. Kessel (Chiasson) from another team cliques into gear. And some goalie named Murray (Koskinen) shows up out of nowhere. Crosby (McDavid) and Malkin (Drai) put the goal scoring machine (Oilers) into high gear and double Presto – Stanley Cup winner. Two years in a row. There just might be parallel worlds. Time to dream, eh?
I like Draisaitl but comparing him to Malkin? Come on man!
Drai is the new Malkin change my mind
HAHAHA i like it.
They have to be cautious with Koskinen’s starts. His career high is something like 45 games in one season
How can Chris the Intern talk about bad rebounds ? Kosk’s best feature is his remarkable rebound control.
Hey gents.
Love our new structure.
Leafs vs Oil CUP FINAL .. You heard it here first !!
It’s weird….there’s a point in here about Koskinen letting out rebounds, but the play by play guys said his rebound control has been great. Weird.
Well to be fair Talbot lets out less rebounds because the puck is in the net behind him more often.
Looking around the league (which I can’t say I’ve done in depth searching) if we are giving Koskinen the starter title(which is probably the proper thing to do at this point) which other teams have a better backup than Talbot? We seen last couple years that Talbot catches fire after Christmas. It seems to me he’s starting to catch on now honestly. Not quite there, but starting to.
I’d say at this point the oilers have what could potentially be one of the top five
Tandems in the league
Ok I’ll play. Talbot is ranked 51st with a .894 save % and ranked ranked 49th with a 3.22 GAA. I would say almost every team has a better backup but hey don’t let the facts get in the way of your argument.
@Spydyr I generally disagree with your comments but this one was not only hilarious but also accurate, well done.
My pleasure.
you’re right
That was a perfect reply
During month of December the Oilers have played 8 games, 5 started by Koskinen and 3 by Talbot. During the month of December the Oilers have the top save percentage in the league. Right now the Oilers have the top 1-2 punch in the league.
Talbot’s .875 save % against the jets show his partner is pulling the bus when it comes to stats.
@Spydyr, i agree Talbot has been weak as a whole this year but if we are talking under Hitch and Camdog is talking about December ( when Cam usually starts playing better as history has shown) we need to look at the stats. You cannot just look at his stats vs WPG his sv% in his 2 other Dec starts were .939 vs MIN and .933 vs STL. So to quote yourself “..but hey don’t let stats get in the way of your argument”. If you want to point out stats, uou cant just pick the ones that suit your own narrative. As I mentioned this is just looking at December as per @Camdog’s comment.
Also looking more at Cam’s stats, in 18 games he has posted a .900 sv% or higher in 10 of his games. It’s not that Talbot is incapable of playing well and helping his team win, it’s that his ability to be consistent is an issue.
He has been above a .920 sv% 7/18 games played. But hey I’m just pointing out stats.
For the record I too believe Koskinen should be the starter over Talbot but I feel Cam could be a worthy backup and his history of playing well in December and beyond could be a benefit.
So you are lecturing me on cherry picking my own stats then say “this is just looking at December”. Alrighty than.
@Spydyr you really need to learn to read a post before you comment. I clearly said my response was in response to @Camdog’s comment regarding the Oilers in December. You decided to respond to him by picking out the one game in December Cam played poorly. All I did was look at the whole months body of work as you clearly decided to ignore the previous 2 games he played. I then looked at his entire body of work and and pointed out that he is still a capable goalie but his inconsistency is an issue.
I also stated that I think Koskinen should be the starter, but sure just ignore the whole post and choose to focus on the point that clearly makes your remark about the 875 sv% look ignorant. The reason we were looking at December is because of the run that the Oil are currently on and that it shows the teams goaltending making positive strides. I have no problem looking at stats from the entire year but I will always put more weight in what has happened lately (not 1 game ago, moreso the last 8-12 games) as it represents a 10-15% portion of the season and can usually be viewed as a decent sample size as to how a team/player is currently performing.
Perhaps put some thought and analysis into your comments and they won’t sound so ignorant.
The Oilers right now have the best goalie tandem in the league. Koskinen is putting up Vezina quality minutes and Cam is one of the best back up goalies in the league. As Hitch would say – you need to play 2 goalies in the west because schedule and travel in the west is horrendous. Oilers right now are in a good place in net, contrary to what some may think.
You say Cam is one of the best back up goalies in the league.
Talbot’s stats this year rank him 51st with a .894 save % and 49th with a 3.22 GAA.
Show that statement is just not true and is based on you being a Talbot fan.