THE BRIGHT SIDE

• This game is over.
• The Khaira-Strome-Slepyshev line was easily the best trio on the night. They were the only ones that were actually able to generate something positive with a higher frequency than a lunar eclipse.
• Connor McDavid is still an Oiler, but he deserves better than this. He deserves a management team that knows what they’re doing. He needs to play better and we know he will, but can the brass surround him with the players that can make an impact?
• Al Montoya came into a no win situation and was solid in relief of Cam Talbot again. Sure, he allowed another power play goal against but I’m pretty sure Patrick Roy himself wouldn’t have been able to do much while playing behind this gong show of a PK formation. Montoya gets the next start or nah?
• After getting pumped in the faceoff circle on Saturday night against Vancouver, the Oilers rebounded nicely with a 58% success rate against the Sabres.
• At least the Oilers led in hits (43-23)? Oh right, that’s because they never had the puck.
• At least Pouliot didn’t score?

THE FACE PALMERS

• The Oilers allowed the first goal for the 29th time this season. 29th! Unbelievable.
• Sam Reinhart opened the score (probably did it for Griff) with a power play goal, which seems like an Oilers tradition at this point. Somehow it felt worse that the puck just barely trickled over the line. Almost more insulting, somehow.
• The Sabres added to their lead only 17 seconds in the second period as Ryan O’Reilly outmuscled Puljujarvi in the slot and put the puck past a helpless Talbot. The whole sequence was a gongshow as Lucic got outworked on the boards which led to the puck ending up on O’Reilly’s stick. It goes without saying that it was a dog farts way to start the period.
• Zemgus Girgensons got the Sabres’ third goal of the night which left the crowd so quiet that you could hear the disappointment in their hearts.
• Jack Eichel chased Cam Talbot with a perfectly placed wrister that beat the goalie right under the bar. And could you believe it was on the power play? I’ll give you a moment to recover from the shock.
• Terrible night with the puck. They couldn’t pass, they couldn’t break out of their zone, and they couldn’t sustain any kind of pressure. Horrible puck management by the Oilers.
• Cam Talbot was supposed to be a stabilizing force between the pipes tonight and he was anything but. I know the team in front of him was also bad but there were some very stoppable pucks that got past him. Another forgettable night for Dadbot.
• I counted four brutal giveaways for Milan Lucic in the first period alone. The play was dying on his stick and that is a massive problem.
• Why can’t the Oilers kill penalties at home? Why is it that they can be so good on the road but completely useless at home? They allowed three goals on four power play chances tonight. This nightmare won’t ever end.
• Not to be outdone, the power play is pretty much useless all of the time and, as expected, did absolutely nothing again tonight (0/2). Gregor talked about it this morning, the power play has only been able to succeed at a 10% clip over the past 27 games.
• The last thing I want to do is a #BeetCast and there’s something even more offensive about having to do one because of the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres are terrible and the Oilers should feel bad for making me feel bad. For the rest of you, feel free to join in and ask questions over on my Twitter.

SCORING SUMMARY

#GOODCONTENT

THE SECOND HALF NATIONDRAFT