GDB 16.0: CONFUSION (PUMP PANEL RECONSTRUCTION)

7 years ago

This 2016-17 season has been a mostly enjoyable experience for Oilers fans, but as I drove around our fair city yesterday, the sky blue we cherish in Alberta was shades of grey. I wondered, like you would, if this heavy sky represented the end of the winning—9-5-1, folks!—and decided that this team has me believing. Why? More after the jump.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Connor McDavid. No. 2 in league scoring and the guy ahead of him has played an extra game. Improving in the dot, the human-being rocket man, he is the biggest attraction in the league by a fair amount. American networks are adjusting themselves into unusual positions just to broadcast his games.
Cam Talbot. No. 13 in save percentage and his eight wins already (21 all of last season), he has been quality this fall. His seven quality starts have him well inside the league’s top 10 and he has solidified the position since arrival.

After that? Well, it is a mixed bag to be honest but many of these things are positives. What we know to be true is that Edmonton is outscoring opponents and above league average in many categories.

Record: 9-5-1 (7-6-2)
GF: 44 (41)
GA: 38 (41)
PP: 8 (9)
PK: 5 (9)
PP: 18.60 (18.30)
PK: 88.89 (81.70)
Shots: 457 (443)
Shots Against: 459 (442)
Source

There has been a market correction since last we talked, but this Oilers team is on the right side of many important categories. Remember, this is not a Stanley Cup contender, but rather a losing team time to climb back to respectability. I think they are there now, it is a matter of sustaining this level (or pushing north).

I first wrote about Tyler Pitlick here at ON in the late fall of 2010, and that began a myriad of posts that featured the young forward:

This is Tyler Pitlick. After a slow start to his WHL season, the young American forward is heating up. He ranks third in points among WHL rookies and is one of the reasons Medicine Hat is one of the hottest clubs in the eastern conference. Source

Offense has always been the issue, but he posted enough promising boxcars on the way to at least hint of someone ability in this area. Pitlick is blossoming in a support role this season and it will be interesting to see where he lands (today, and beyond) as Zack Kassian and others return from the IR. I have always been impressed with his skating and rambunctious style, and am pleased by his progress.

LINEUPS

Oilers

Rangers

Lineups (subject to change) courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com

NOTES:

A lot of focus on the lack of scoring from Jordan Eberle, but the Oilers wingers (for the most part) are shy of expectations. Milan Lucic and Benoit Pouliot are both well off the pace. On the RW, the return of Zack Kassian offers some hope and of course Pitlick is off the charts. I wonder if Jesse Puljujarvi breaks out soon, he looks close but that injury hurt him.
The defensive tandem of Darnell Nurse and Eric Gryba has earned rave reviews, and appear to have passed Andrej Sekera and Matt Benning in terms of ice time and (at times) matchups. That is not a good role for him, or at least the team is not well served by using him this way. Brandon Davidson had some encouraging words about his return yesterday, Edmonton will get a boost when he gets back in the lineup.
This is a big game for Edmonton, a loss means three L’s in a row and the whispers of unhappiness will become a scream. A major performance from 97 or Cam Talbot standing on his head—or both—might be a key to victory tonight.
If the Oilers give up a goal in the first period tonight, Todd McLellan may call time and then bag skate his team. Honestly.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

Sports Illustrated:Rangers coach Alain Vigneault confirmed the team has moved to a more zone-oriented approach when it comes to defending and he added it’s certainly paid off, early in the season. “For us, it’s a question of, if we can get that puck quicker I think we’re a lot faster in being able to counter-attack and use that speed,” he said. “Whether it be deep in our zone or in that neutral zone. So far, there’s no doubt that it’s paid dividends.”Source

TONIGHT

(photoshop: @TomKostiuk)

GAME DAY PREDICTION: The Oilers show up in the first period and all that follow in the first, but neither team can cash. The goaltending is brilliant in both ends and the physical tone means bodies flying all over the ice.

OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: A breakaway early in the second period breaks opening the scoring, as Mika Zibanejad scores after a galling defensive breakdown. Edmonton scores on the power play (McDavid) midway through the second and we are 1-1 after two.

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: New York peppers Cam Talbot for 30 minutes, passing 40 then 50 shots, but cannot beat him. Edmonton is playing chase most of the period and get few opportunities, leading to overtime. McDavid scores on a breakaway in overtime and the Rangers leave with only one point. Edmonton fans leave the building content in the knowledge this team has more iron than previous editions.

SPIDERMABLE THE MOVIE

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