GDB 12.0: NO SLEEP TIL BROOKLYN

7 years ago

We love HOME games; have Liquor Depot delivery in under an hour. Click, pick, sit back and watch the game.

In a week in which the Edmonton Oilers lost to the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers, they actually gained ground on the Pacific Division. It has been a truly weird week.

ONE WEEK AGO…

That was October 30th, just a few short days ago. Since then, the teams have been all over the map:

Edmonton 3gp, 0-2-1, 1 point
San Jose 2gp, 0-2-0, 0 points
Calgary 3gp, 1-2-0, 2 points
Vancouver 2gp, 0-2-0, 0 points
Los Angeles 3gp, 1-2-0, 2 points
Anaheim 3gp, 2-1-0, 4 points
Arizona 3gp, 2-1-0, 4 points

The two bottom feeders of a week ago were the only clubs to post a winning record this week, so the overall standings of the division have tightened. That said, the Oilers remain on top despite a poor week—and could be there a week from now with a 2-1-0 record the rest of this road trip (Brooklyn, Detroit, Pittsburgh). Tonight is a big game, despite the fact we are in the early days of this season.

MVP

I think most of us would list Connor McDavid as the Oilers MVP, but Cam Talbot has a story to tell. He is leading the NHL in wins and performing well in save percentage:

Overall save percentage: .927 (No. 9 among regulars)
Even-strength save percentage: .926 (No. 13 among regulars)
Power-play save percentage: .952 (No. 3 among regulars)

WHERE DO THE OILERS STAND COMPARED TO LEAGUE?

Courtesy Hockey-Reference, here is a quick comparison to average across some interesting stats. Oilers first, league average in brackets:

Average Age: 26.3 (27.8)
Record: 7-3-1 (5-4-1)
Goals For: 34 (30)
Goals Against: 27 (30)
Goal Differential: +7 (0)
Power-play goals for: 5 (7)
Power-play goals against: 3 (7)
PP percentage: 15.15 (18.84)
PK percentage: 90.91 (81.16)
Shots: 336 (320)
Shooting Percentage: 10.1 (9.2)
Shots Against: 342 (319)
Save Percentage: 92.7 (91.2)
Source

I wanted to post this because the fan reaction I have seen since the Ottawa loss is very severe. Folks, the Oilers are going to lose a lot of games this season, and chances are their road record (currently 3-1-1) is going to take a beating between now and April.

I hope you enjoy this, because this is what progress looks like. You don’t win the Stanley in the first year of turning north. And yes, Jordan Eberle, Milan Lucic, Adam Larsson and Oscar Klefbom are good yet imperfect players—they were when Edmonton was winning and they are now that the losses are here. One thing I believe we can agree on? A long losing streak would be a major downer, so winning today has extra importance. Stop the bleeding=happy Oilers Nation. Right?

LINEUPS

Oilers:

Islanders:

Lineups courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com and are subject to change.

NOTES

Kris Russell is out with injury, via Bob Stauffer. Eric Gryba draws back into the lineup. Source
If there is a recall from Bakersfield, the most likely defensive option may be someone other than Griffin Reinhart, who played his first game last night after spending time on the sideline. Reinhart got hurt again in last night’s game and did not return, no word on the type of injury or severity.
The best forward among the Condors is Jujhar Khaira, who did not play last night, also due due to injury.
The line shuffling in practice on Friday offers up some interesting duos. Lucic-Draisaitl have had some chemistry in the few moments they have played together, Maroon-McDavid were very strong at the end of last season and the Nuge should be a great mentor for JP (if they can avoid tough assignments—and that is a very difficult task).
Cam Talbot and Jonas Gustavsson are likely to split the games this weekend, it will be interesting to see if Todd McLellan goes back to Talbot if Gustavsson struggles early in his game.

TONIGHT

GAME DAY PREDICTION: The Oilers come out like a house on fire, firing rockets at the Islanders net and owning the possession battle. Alas, they cannot solve the Islanders goalie. 0-0 after one.

OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: An early four-minute power play for the Islanders turns the game—as Anton Lander scores a shorty and New York does not recover. A spirited Edmonton group makes it 2-0 on a Connor McDavid breakaway stop, with the rebound buried by Jordan Eberle.

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: The Islanders score early in the third period, and there are some tense moments in the middle of the third frame. However, a late empty-net goal by Matt Benning puts it all away, 3-1 Oilers.