Oilers 3rd quarter report card

After 62 games the Oilers had a record of 33-21-8, sitting ten points up on ninth place Los Angeles.

The Oilers were 12-8-1 in the first quarter, 9-9-6 in the second and went 12-7-1 (I used 21 games for the first and second quarter, and 20 for the third and fourth).

They have been very consistent picking up 25, 24 and 25 in each quarter thus far.

I give them a solid A- for their third quarter. While some individuals are struggling, the team continues to win, and considering how consistent they’ve been through the first three quarters, we should expect them to pick up 23-25 points in the final quarter.

They lost 5-4 to Nashville yesterday to start the fourth quarter, but 13 of their final 19 games are at home, with only two sets of back-to-back games.

You can read their first quarter report card here, and their mid-season grade here. I like to look closely at how the team and individuals fared in each quarter.

               First Q    vs.                  2nd Q                            3rd Q

Record    12-8-1 (25 pts)             9-6-6 (24 pts)             12-7-1 (25 pts)

Home:      5-4-0 (10 pts)               4-3-2 (10 pts)             6-3-1 (13 pts)

Road:      7-4-1  (15 pts)              5-3-4 (14 pts)             6-4-0 (12 pts)

GF-GA    64-54                            54-56                         55-47

SF/SA     657-632                        640-630                     591-587

PP          12 of 63 (19%)              16 of 69 (23.2%)        9 of 48 (18.8%)

PK          8 of 60 (86.7%)             16 of 64 (75%)           9 of 51 (82.3%)

It is interesting to note the drop in powerplay chances. They only had 2.4 PP/game this quarter after 3.28/game in the 2nd quarter and 3/game in the first.

We also saw a dip in PK/game. They had 2.85 PK/game in the first quarter, 3.04/game in the second quarter and 2.55/game this past quarter.

  

McDavid has been very consistent all season. His SOG dipped a bit from the second quarter, however he did score one more goal. He had his best stretch of faceoff success. He still isn’t great in the dot.

In his first 21 games he won 43.9% of his draws (126 of 287), in the second quarter he was 41.9%, winning 81 of 193, and this quarter he was 46.3%, winning 76 of 164. Leon Draisaitl takes the majority of the draws when they play together, which is why we’ve seen a steady decline in the amount of faceoffs he’s taken, but at least he was trending up this past quarter.

Leon had another strong quarter. In one fewer game he produced the same amount of goals and points as the last quarter. I’d like to see him shoot a bit more. He had 21 fewer shots this quarter than the second, yet he still scored eight goals.

Eberle had a more productive goal scoring quarter than the second, but that isn’t saying much considering he only had one goal in the second quarter. He should be closer to his first quarter totals. He needs to generate more, and when he does he will score more. He had seven games with one or fewer shots this quarter. Not good enough. He has to get in better positions to shoot.

His worst quarter of the season by far. Like Eberle, it starts with his SOG. He only 1.4 per game, which simply isn’t good enough. He needs to get back to shooting the puck and going to the net. He and Eberle both scored yesterday in the first game of the final quarter and both need to carry that through the final 19 games.

I didn’t expect him to maintain his second quarter goal-scoring numbers, but even though he had his quietest stretch of the season I don’t think he played poorly. He just didn’t finish. He had the most shots, he just didn’t bury them. Maroon has had a strong season, and if he keeps going to the net I’d expect we will see him finish with 25 goals.

RNH had his most productive quarter, and he wasn’t on the ice for nearly as many goals against. He was -11 in the second quarter and +1 this time. RNH is a fluid player, who should produce more, and I wonder if we see him hire a skills coach in the summer. He should be a 55-point player, not a 40-point guy.

He’s had a very strong second and third quarter. He helps on the PP and he doesn’t get outscored at EV centering the third and fourth lines.

You wonder how his season would have gone had he remained healthy.

He had his most productive quarter of the season, despite having his lowest shot total. He was snake-bitten in the second quarter, mainly from having goals disallowed, so his luck was bound to change. His effort has been very consistent all season. He’s looking more comfortable on the PK and his size and speed should have a positive impact in the playoffs.

He was in the AHL this quarter and he produced 7-9-16 in 19 games. He had 56 shots, 2.94/game, and he scored twice on the PP and five times at EV. He is progressing well, and head coach Gerry Fleming told me Puljujarvi is looking more comfortable every game. His biggest adjustment has been getting used to the smaller ice and having to get his shot away quicker. The Condors have moved into a playoff spot, and I would keep Puljujarvi down there all year.

He had a dreadful quarter. He was injured, unproductive and rarely looked engaged in the play. He can salvage his season with a strong final quarter and playoffs. Otherwise this will go down as easily his worst NHL season.

I believe he will be a much better player next season. You can tell he is pressing, by how often he misses the net on great scoring chances. If Peter Chiarelli adds a player or two at the deadline, Caggiula will likely see his icetime cut a bit, or he’ll have a game or two in the pressbox. That might help him because I’m sure he’s a bit fatigued having never played more than 45 games the past few years in NCAA.

He is a dominant AHL player, but his footspeed holds him back in the NHL.

He looks like the odd man out, and I wonder if he gets a stint in the AHL in the final quarter to help them in their push to the playoffs. I like his size and speed, and he has a great shot. He’s still very young, and this has been a good developmental year for him.

Anytime you get three goals in 15 games from Hendricks you are happy. Hendricks rebounded after a tough 2nd quarter where he was -7. When your fourth line scores goals and is a plus line you are happy. I suspect he will get a few nights off down the stretch to keep him fresh.

He missed the first 56 games of the season and produced three points in his first four games. Hard to critique his game, but if the Oilers add at the deadline he could be the odd man out.

He’s only played five games due to injury. He has good size and speed. He has the potential to be a solid third or fourth line centre down the road. He just needs more playing time. I could see him getting some AHL time if the Oilers a centre at the deadline.

He doubled his SOG from the first quarter during the past 20 games. He had a bit of struggle for four or five this quarter, but overall he’s been very solid.

He was dominant in the third quarter and was the Oilers 3rd highest point producer behind McDavid and Draisaitl. He rebounded defensively this past quarter after a tough middle 21 games, and I believe he still hasn’t reached his full potential.

He and Klefbom were a fantastic duo. Not only was Larsson very good defensively, he chipped in eight points in 17 games. He was +14 in 17 games. 

A solid quarter. Benning doesn’t play like a rookie much of the time. He’s very poised with the puck. Eventually I believe we will see more offence from Benning, but the team has wisely not overloaded him with too much responsibilities. 

Didn’t play the entire quarter, but played in Nashville on Sunday. He will have 19 games to knock off the rust and be ready for the playoff push.

He finally scored. He has a good shot and it is frustrating he rarely uses it. We saw him hit two goal posts in the past four games on one-timers from far out where he beat the goalie. He needs to shoot more. He only had eight shots in the 15 games he played this quarter. I’d like him to be more assertive offensively and use his speed to jump into the play more often.

A solid extra defender. He most likely will not play much down the stretch, but when called upon he can fill in on the third pair and give you 12-15 solid minutes.

He is still searching for his first goal. He skates well, has a hard shot, but he isn’t physical, hasn’t added any offence and hasn’t done anything that stands out from the group. He can play both sides, and likely will down the stretch, and if he is your 7th defender then you have a solid top-six.

He spent the quarter in Bakersfield and barring a major string of injuries on the Oilers blueline he won’t be returning. Fayne has been a really good leader to the kids according to head coach Gerry Fleming. He’s also chipped in 2-9-11 in 22 games.

He played two games and at this point he is #9 on the Oilers D depth chart. He skates well, and is good insurance in case of injury. 

 

Cam Talbot had 19 starts in the first quarter going 11-7-1 with a .919sv% (534 saves on 581 shots) and a 2.48 GAA. In the second quarter he had 18 starts, going 9-4-5 with a .920sv% (496 saves on 539 shots) and a solid 2.39 GAA.

This past quarter he had 18 starts and posted a record of 11-6-1 with a .924Sv% (460 saves on 498 shots) and a 2.14 GAA. He had his best SV% and GAA during this quarter, and he also faced fewer shots which is a good sign for the team.

Talbot has been very consistent all season. 

Laurent Brossoit had two starts in the third quarter and four appearances with a record of 1-1-0. He stopped 81 of 89 (.910sv%), and a 3.10 GAA. He was okay as a backup. He wasn’t outstanding, but if your backup can win half his games you’d be happy. He still seems vulnerable to shots over the shoulder, and if the Oilers don’t acquire a veteran he likely will get three, maybe four starts in the final 19 games.

 

The Oilers had their best quarter of the season, if you go by winning percentage. 

They would love to get more production from Eberle, Lucic and RNH, and if that occurs over the final 19 games they should glide into the postseason.

When you break down their season into quarters, the Oilers have been fairly consistent, and despite the usual ups and downs of the season, the Oilers are what you see. 

They are a young team still striving for consistency, but overall they’ve been solid, and the most positive sign for them heading into the final quarter is they’re finally learning how to win on home ice.