GDB 4.0: Time for Action
By Jason Gregor
7 years ago
The Oilers did not show up against Buffalo on Sunday and paid for it with a 6-2 drubbing. The coaching staff and players were frustrated. They decided to postpone their mandated day off (Monday) until Wednesday in the hope of having a good practice before tonight’s tilt against Carolina.
Will it pay off?
Talking a good game and playing a good game are two completely different animals. I have no doubt the players were disappointed with their Sunday performance, but we’ve heard that many times in the past. Todd McLellan watched his team struggle with consistency last year and I believe that’s why he didn’t mince his words in his post-game presser on Sunday.
He ripped veteran Benoit Pouliot for taking what he called “stupid penalties.” He benched Pouliot for a the final two periods. He admitted his goalie struggled, but was quick to point out the rest of the team didn’t bail him out like he did them in the first period last Friday in Calgary. He said that he and the coaching staff failed in getting their team prepared.
McLellan does not want his team to get comfortable. “I think you learn lessons from each and every game, and we learned we aren’t quite ready to take a step, we can’t handle prosperity yet,” McLellan said after Sundays loss. He recognizes that this team is still shallow on experience and maintaining a killer instinct, and until they find some consistency I believe we will see and hear McLellan challenging his team.
The Oilers can’t afford a sluggish start. They can’t allow inconsistency to creep into their play again and if it takes some tough love then their head coach is willing to be the hard ass.
Winning becomes infectious and so does losing, and we’ve all seen the latter far too frequently. Something has to change, and I applaud McLellan for not holding back his frustration.
Yesterday he had calmed down. His practice was about teaching, not lecturing, yelling or a puke skate. He voiced his displeasure on Sunday, but yesterday he focused on teaching his troops what they need to do to be successful.
We’ll find out tonight how much they want to improve. Are they ready to make the sacrifices and smart plays all over the ice that will lead to more wins?
Sunday’s game was brutal. They know and you know it. You can’t change the past, and tonight we’ll find out if the future has the promise many are hoping it does. One good game won’t solve their problems, but it will be a good first step towards becoming a competitive and competent team.
LINEUP
Jesse Puljujarvi gets the night off. The youngster has been what I expected so far. He can play in the league, but hasn’t been able to make an impact. The NHL is the best league in the world and for him to come to Canada, adapt to the smaller ice, get used to the timing, space, speed and physical play of the NHL right away, is a lot to ask.
Bakersfield hasn’t played a game yet, so having him here allowed him to get more comfortable to the massive culture change and get to know some people in the organization. Injuries to Drake Caggiula, Matt Hendricks and Iiro Pakarinen are likely why he is still here. He hasn’t looked bad, he’s just as looked like most 18-year-olds would in the best league in the world.
I believe he will end up in Bakersfield, which will be great for his development. Because of his age, he can go to the AHL, before he plays nine NHL games, and his entry-level contract (ELC) won’t kick in until next year. It is a unique opportunity for the Oilers to have him get used to the North American game, but not eat up a year of his deal.
A night in the pressbox won’t hurt him. He will have a hard off-ice workout with the strength coach and a day off tomorrow. I’m sure he will play a few more games before going down, because the Oilers will need to see which forwards are playing well in Bakersfield so they can replace him with Jujhar Khaira or some other forward. Unless he magically lights it up when he returns to the lineup I think we will see him in Bakersfield before he plays nine games.
Mark Fayne will play his first game of the season. He will need to be assertive with the puck if he hopes to stay in the lineup.
CANES
QUICK HITS
- Darnell Nurse will have his third D partner in four games. It is not an ideal situation, and the injury to Brandon Davidson impacts it in ways some people overlook. Continuity with your D partner is huge and Nurse having to adjust to a new partner every game is more challenging than we realize, especially considering he’s played fewer than 75 games.
- The Hurricanes are 0-0-2, and they’ve blown a three goal lead in both losses. They took a 4-1 lead with 15 minutes to play in Winnipeg last Thursday, then allowed a SH goal nine seconds later, two more in the third and lost in OT.
On Sunday night in Vancouver they had a 3-0 lead five minutes into the second period. The Canucks had no shots in the first 10 minutes of the second period, but then Viktor Stalberg took an offensive zone penalty at 10:01. The Canucks scored at 12:03, which wasn’t technically a PP goal, but the penalty allowed Vancouver to get back in the game, and then they tied it in the third and won 32 seconds into overtime.The Hurricanes, like the Oilers, will be looking for a bounce-back effort tonight. The Hurricanes are a hard-working team. They don’t have a lot of top-end skill, and McLellan believes they are good opponent for the Oilers, because it will be a good opportunity to see if his team is willing to match their work ethic.
- The Canes are tied for first on the PP at 50%. They are three for six.The Oilers are 10th at 27.3% (3 for 11). The Oilers have been shorthanded 14 times in three games, tied for most in the NHL. They will need to stay out of the box (hello Mr. Pouliot), and when they do take a penalty their killers must be a cohesive unit.
- The Hurricanes are once again near the top in FO%, sitting second at 57.7%, winning 64 and losing 47. The Oilers are a 44.3%, winning 82 and losing 103. If the Oilers could win, on average, three more faceoffs a game they would be close to 50%. It’s not a monumental demand, and they need to improve in the faceoffs, specifically RNH and McDavid. RNH is 37%, (17w, 29L), McDavid is 39.5% (17W, 26L), Letestu is 46.7% (21w, 24L), Lander is 50% (5W, 5L) and Draisaitl is 56.4% (22W, 17L). Letestu will be over 50% soon, as he’s historically been good on draws, but RNH has to start to show improvement at some point.
- Drake Caggiula is still weeks away from playing. Jonas Gustavsson is day-to-day and that’s why the Oilers will carry three goalies until he is ready to play.
- We are having another hockey draft for Tuesday night’s games. It is free to enter and you win cash if your team has the most points. It is exclusive for Gregor Show listeners and Oilersnation readers. You can enter to play at draftkings.com/gregor1260. Good luck.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING…
It’s not quite as much a house of horrors as the other Rogers-branded arena (the one in Vancouver), but Edmonton hasn’t been too hospitable to the Canes either: since the 2005 lockout, the Oilers are 7-2-0 at home against the Canes, including their 2-1 record in the 2006 Final. In the franchises’ NHL histories, dating back to the WHA merger in 1979, the Oilers are a staggering 26-9 at home against the Hurricanes franchise, with five ties.
TONIGHT
GAME DAY PREDICTION: Leon Draisaitl scored his first NHL goal against the Hurricanes on October 24th , 2014. It was the game winner with seven minutes remaining in a 6-3 win. The Deustchland Dangler extends his point-streak to four games in a 5-3 Oilers win.
OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: In his first career game versus the Hurricanes, McDavid picks up two points. He said he played “terrible” in Sundays loss and he’ll be motivated to have a bounce-back game.
NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Anton Slepyshev has dressed in 12 NHL games. He has one assist. He’s played 10+ minutes in only three of those games. The Pride of Penza scores his first NHL goal, plays 12 minutes and has the best NHL game of his short career.
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