Let's Talk About Zach Hyman

 

The Oilers season hasn't started the way many fans have wanted it. The Oilers came out all sorts of sloppy to start their season vs the Vancouver Canucks and found themselves down 3-0 20:39 into their season (down 2-0 after 20:00, and 3-0 0:39 into the 2nd period). Special teams and Jack Campbell (along with a McDavid Hat-Trick) helped propel the Oilers to a 5-3 victory over Vancouver (who has started the season 0-3-2 and blown leads in ALL 5 games). Things didn't get any better for Edmonton in Game 2. Up against their provincial and divisional rivals in Calgary, the Oilers once again came out sloppy and horrid, resulting in the Flames nabbing a quick 4-1 lead (and Jack Campbell being pulled). The Oilers would score 2 to make it close, but the rally would fall short and the Oilers would lose 4-3. Up against the Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton was actually the better team... for 2/3 periods. A sloppy 2nd period allowed the Sabres to nab a 3-1 lead, and Eric Comrie stood on his head as the Oilers would get it to 3-2, before an EN would seal a 4-2 victory for the Sabres. After that Sabres game, there were many concerns about the Oilers that had fans worried, myself included. Some of these concerns range from the goaltending (which I will have none of), defence being weaker (their play has been lacking), but most notably, the forward group, most notably the wingers and how they seem to be below-average.

Up until Thursday's game vs Carolina, the Oilers had scored 10 goals in 3 games played (3.33 GFPG). Here is a breakdown of the goals scored.

Connor McDavid - 4
Darnell Nurse - 2
Cody Ceci - 1
Leon Draisitl - 1
Ryan McLeod - 1
Ryan Nugent - Hopkins - 1

That's 4 centers and 2 defencemen. No wingers to be seen. And before we get technical, yes the Oilers have Nuge playing on the wing, but he's a natural centerman and so that's what I'm listing him as. The other wingers on Edmonton, Evander Kane, Zach Hyman, Jesse Puljujarvi, Dylan Holloway, and Kailer Yamamoto, all had goose-eggs on the board, and all of them looked bad in all areas of the ice...save for one.

Which brings me to Zach Hyman. Zach Hyman's short time with Edmonton has been nothing short of successful thus far. On July 28th 2021 (conveniently, the day I turned 27) Zach Hyman signed a 7 year, $38.5M deal with Edmonton, carrying an AAV of $5.5M/yr. In 76 games with Edmonton last year (his 2nd highest GP in a season), Hyman set career highs in goals (27), assists (27), and points (54). In the playoffs, not only did he go farther with Edmonton than he did with Toronto, he was also a key contributor. In 16 playoff games, Zach scored 11 goals (6 of them coming against Calgary alone) and notched 5 assists for 16 points. Hyman came advertised as a player who's got size, decent hands, and hard work ethic. And it's true. Zach Hyman never took a shift off, never looked lazy or unengaged, and played every shift like it was his last. 

Before the Carolina game, Hyman was the only Oilers winger who looked good in all areas of the ice for Edmonton. Sure, guys like Yamamoto, Kane, Puljujarvi, and Holloway (before he got injured) had spurts where they looked good, but Hyman has been the only consistent winger for Edmonton so far. He finally got rewarded by opening the scoring vs Carolina on Thursday night's 6-4 victory and has also bagged three assists for 4 points in 4 games played. He's worked hard, made great defensive zone plays, offensive zone plays, netural zone plays, penalty kill plays, powerplay plays, he's touched all areas of the ice and all in positive ways. 

Now that's not to say the other wingers won't play catchup. Like the rest of the team, they've had a sloppy start, but they finally caught some breaks vs Carolina, and performed well. Hopefully this can continue in this afternoon's game vs St. Louis. But from my eyes (as well as everyone elses), Zach Hyman has been Edmonton's best winger by far. And I know, I KNOW, he'll continue to do so. 

Love ya Zach!

Let's talk about Jack Campbell

The Edmonton Oilers won their season opener over the Vancouver Canucks by a final score of 5-3, after being down 3-0. Edmonton scored 5 straight goals to win the game, and while scoring 5 goals to win is nice, a big, BIG reason why Edmonton won that game was because of the play of Oilers starter Jack Campbell.

Depending on who you ask, some people will say that Jack didn't have the greatest start to his time with the Oilers on Wednesday night. But to be fair, I can't really fault Jack on the three goals against. I mean the first goal happens because Dylan Holloway throws a sick dish to Elias Petterson, who then shoots it on Jack. Jack makes the initial save, but the puck is sitting behind him, and Petterson is able to shovel the puck home. I mean, how can you blame Jack when that entire play is caused by Holloway making a rookie mistake.

The 2nd goal, I can kind of see an argument for, but at the same time, JT Miller isn't some bum and has a decent shot. I think Jack played it perfectly. He came out, cut down the angle as best as he could, and it didn't help that the Oilers defence were just letting JT Miller walk in. It was an elite shot, and we've seen player do this numerous times. 

As for the 3rd goal, Jack had no chance. On a Vancouver powerplay, JT Miller finds Andrei Kuzmenko back door, uncontested mind you, and Kuzmenko isn't going to miss than open net. And let's be honest, it was a silly penalty for Darnell Nurse to take (he got called for Interference at the end of the 1st, which is why the Canucks were on the powerplay). 

After that 3rd goal went in, Jack shut it down completely. Sure he got lucky on a few chances that ended up missing the net for the Canucks, but when he was called upon to make a save, Jack was there to make it. Jack's best save of the night, and the one I deemed was a momentum changing save for Edmonton, came off of a JT Miller breakaway. During (another) Canucks powerplay, Quinn Hughes found an opening in the Oilers PK formation, and sent a nice saucer pass to JT Miller who got in behind the Oilers defencemen. Now thankfully, they were close enough so that Miller didn't have enough time to try and deke, but he still has an elite shot, and so he takes it. Jack stands his ground, doesn't budge, and makes the blocker save, keeping Edmonton only down by 1. THAT was the game-changing save Edmonton needed. 

But apparently, Jack thought making saves wasn't enough to endear himself to the Oilers crowd. Oh no, no, no, no. He also figured he'd better lay a hit. With 11:35 left in the 3rd, the scored knotted at three apiece, Canucks forward Dakota Joshua attempts to chase down a puck that is rolling towards Campbell. Dakota is also in a footrace with Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse, who is also chasing the puck. Jack makes the risky goalie play of skating out to meet the puck before Dakota can grab it. And not only does Jack get the puck first and clear it away, but he also bodychecks Dakota, getting a massive cheer from the crowd. 

Jack Campbell finished the night with 33 saves on 36 shots, a .917sv%. As I said above, Jack Campbell was probably the biggest reason why the Oilers won that game. Sure having the powerplay go 3/4 (75%) and the PK going 7/8 (87%) helps, but the Oilers were sloppy, undisciplined, lazy, and all sorts of negative words to describe their performance. Jack had to keep the Oilers in the game, and he did. And even after Edmonton found their legs, starting playing, and actually competing, Jack was there to keep the door shut and win the game. 

2022 - 2023 Opening Night Rosters Set

 The opening night roster for the 2022 - 2023 Edmonton Oilers has been set in stone! With only two days to go until the Oilers drop the puck on the newest campaign, GM Ken Holland submitted his final roster list to the NHL today. Here is the current make-up for the roster. I'll be sorting by position and number.

Forwards:

#10 - Derek Ryan
#13 - Jesse Puljujarvi
#18  - Zach Hyman
#24 - Brad Malone
#29 - Leon Draisitl (A)
#37 - Warren Foegle
#55 - Dylan Holloway
#56 - Kailer Yamamoto
#71 - Ryan McLeod
#91 - Evander Kane
#93 - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (A)
#97 - Connor McDavid (C)

A few notes about the forwards before I go into the defenseman. It seems like it's been said for the last three years, but the Oilers have the deepest forward group for the first time since 2006 when they went to the Cup Final. And yeah, we said that last year, and the year before, but this time I really think that's true. The Oilers have three lines that can score, and their fourth line just has to go out there and not get scored on. Dylan Holloway makes the team, which isn't surprising, given how he played in the rookie tournament, and the preseason. Best of all, he's slated to be on a line with Leon Draisitl and Zach Hyman, so he won't be put with a bunch of plugs, and actually have skilled linemates to work off of. It is expected that Brad Malone being in on the forwards is nothing short of a paper move, as he is expected to be flipped in favour of Devin Shore. 

Defenceman:

#2 - Evan Bouchard
#5 - Cody Ceci
#22 - Tyson Barrie
#25 - Darnell Nurse (A)
#27 - Brett Kulak
#28 - Ryan Murray
#80 - Philip Broberg

Like with Brad Malone, Philip Broberg being on the team is nothing more than a paper transaction. Unfortunately for Philip, he didn't impress much during preseason. A big part of this is because he beefed up in the offseason, and is still trying to work around that big body of his. As a result, he'll be sent down to Bakersfield in favour of Markus Niemelainen, who will be called up to be on the 3rd pairing with Barrie. Niemelainen impressed during preseason, so he'll be getting the call.

Goaltenders:

#36 - Jack Campbell
#74 - Stuart Skinner

As expected, Soup and Stu will be the Oilers tandem this year. Despite many doubting their abilities, I'm pretty confident with these two, and they're an upgrade over Smith/Koskinen. Both Stu Skinny and Soup had great preseasons and neither looked out of place. And you know what? I'm going to give a shoutout to Calvin Pickard, the #3 goalie in the org, who also had a great preseason.

Taking into account the roster moves that are to be coming, here is how my opening night lineup looks.

Kane - McDavid - Puljujarvi
Holloway - Draisitl - Hyman
Nuge - McLeod - Yamamoto
Shore - Ryan - Foegle

Nurse - Ceci
Kulak - Bouchard
Niemelainen - Barrie

Campbell
Skinner 

The Oilers open the 2022-2023 NHL season on Wednesday Night at home to the Vancouver Canucks. Puck drop is set for 10pm ET/8pm MT. 

Oilers 21-22 Year in Review Part 2 - Jay Woodcroft's Oilers

 As I mentioned at the end of my Part 1 of the year in review, Dave Tippet was fired on Thursday February 10th, 2022 and Jay Woodcroft (along with assistant coach Dave Manson) was promoted from the Bakersfield Condors to become Edmonton's interim head coach. As with any new HC, the team wanted to impress Jay. The Oilers played 9 games in February under Jay, and they went 6-3. They won 5 straight games right out of the gate, then lost 2 straight, won one, then lost one to end the month. However, despite the change in coach, the stats say the Oilers were still playing Tippet hockey. The Oilers scored 33 goals (3.77 GFPG) in those 9 games, but allowed 25 (2.78). Powerplay was still struggling, scoring 6 goals on 28 opportunities (21.4%), and the penalty kill wasn't much better killing off 27 of 36 penalties (75%). 

The month of March saw some minor improvements to Edmonton's play. The Oilers played 15 games in the month of March, and their record was 9-4-2. They scored 63 goals in those 15 games (4.20) GFPG) and allowed 48 goals (3.20 GAPG). The powerplay and penalty kill also saw minor improvements, as the powerplay went 12/52 (23%) and the penalty kill went 37/47 (78.7%).

April comes around and this is really where Jay's system starts to pay dividends, not only just for the players, but for the fans as well. The Oilers played 14 games in the month of April to finish their campaign, going 11-2-1. They scored 53 goals in that span (3.78 GFPG) and allowed 33 goals against (2.35 GAPG). Powerplay was clicking at 25% (8/32) and the penalty was stellar, going 92.5% (37/40), probably the best month of the year for the PK. When all was said and done, Jay had done his job. He got the Oilers into the playoffs despite being 5 points out when he was hired. Here is how Jay finished the regular season after he was hired.

GP: 38
Record: 26-9-3
Goals For: 149
Goals For Per Game: 3.92
Goals Against: 106
Goals Against Per Game: 2.78
Powerplay: 26/112 (23.2%)
Penalty Kill: 101/123 (82.1%)

Jay's coaching and style allowed the Oilers to make the Western Conference Finals in the playoffs. Despite being swept by Colorado, it was a close series with 3/4 one-goal games essential (I say that because Colorado did score on an empty net in Game 1). Jay was well worth the call-up (despite Ken Holland admitting he didn't want to do it) and earned himself a contract extension with Edmonton. It'll be interesting to see how the Oilers play under him next year. 

Up next in my series, I'll be doing a year review/preview for every member of the Edmonton Oilers squad. Not sure how I'll release them, but I'll figure something out. Maybe do it alphabetically or something. Anyway folks, take care, have fun, and Let's Go Oilers. 

Oilers 21-22 Year in Review Part 1 - Dave Tippet's Oilers

To the casual hockey fan, the 2021-2022 campaign for the Edmonton Oilers was fairly successful. The Oilers finished 2nd in their division for the 3rd year in a row, exorcised some playoff demons by getting past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2017, quickly dispatched the Calgary Flames in the first playoff edition of the Battle of Alberta in 31 years, and made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2006, despite losing in 4 to Colorado.

And yet, Oilers fans know that the 21-22 campaign was a tale of two teams. The Dave Tippet Oilers, and the Jay Woodcroft Oilers. Let's start with Dave Tippet's Oilers. The month of October was very good to Edmonton. The team played 7 games and won six of them. In those 7 games, Edmonton scored 29 goals (4.14 Goals For Per Game) and allowed 19 (2.71 Goals Against Per Game). Their powerplay was number one in the NHL clicking at 48% (11/23) and their PK was stellar operating at 90% (18/20). That being said, this is only a 7 game sample size, so not much to go on, and even then, even in these 7 games, there were a few ugly aspects to Edmonton's game. November saw some alarming trends begin to form in Edmonton's game. The Oilers went 9-4 in the month of November. They scored 51 goals in 13 games (3.92 GFPG), but they also allowed 40 (3.07 GAPG). Their powerplay went 12/38 (31.5%) and their penalty kill went 36/42 (85.7%) Overall at this point in the season, Edmonton has won 15 of 20 games, goals for is at 77 (3.85 GFPG), goals against is at 59 (2.95 GAPG), powerplay is 23/61 (37.7%) and their penalty kill is at 56/62 (87%).

December is where Edmonton's season almost completely derails. A combination of bad play, injuries, and covid, reduced the team to a shell of it's former self and it shows. The Oilers played 11 games in December and went 3-7-1. They scored 31 goals (2.81 GFPG), but allowed 41 goals (3.72). Their powerplay, which had basically been carrying them all season long, was a putrid 18.7% (6/32) and even their penalty kill was killing them at 71.8% (23/32). It also doesn't help that Dave Tippet missed time due to Covid, missing three games from December 14-18. Overall, December hurt Edmonton badly. Their record went from 15-5 at the beginning of December, to 18-12-1. Goals for was at 106 (3.41 GFPG), goals against was at 100 (3.22 GAPG), their powerplay was down to 31.1% (29/93) and their penalty kill had dropped to 81.9% (77/94).

In January, the only thing that improved for Edmonton, was their record (4-4-2). Everything else? It just got worse and worse. Edmonton scored 29 goals (2.90 GFPG), but allowed 35 (3.50 GAPG). Their powerplay was a putrid 13.6% (3/22), whilst the penalty kill was an abysmal 59.2% (16/27). On January 31st, the Oilers were sitting at 22-16-3. They had scored 132 goals in total (3.21 GFPG), but had allowed 135 (3.29 GAPG). They had scored 32 powerplay goals on 115 opportunities (27.8%), and they had killed off 93 out of 121 penalties (76.8%). However, the Oilers had made a move to try and fix their declining offense. On January 27th 2022, the Oilers signed Evander Kane to a one-year deal. He would score his first goal as an Oiler on January 29th 2022, recording the first goal of the game in a 7-2 victory over Les Canadiens de Montreal. 

Dave Tippet would only last three games in the month of February. In his last three games, the Oilers went 1-2. They scored 6 goals (2.00 GFPG), and allowed 11 (3.66 GAPG). Their powerplay went 2/8 (25%) and penalty kill went 6/8 (75%). Dave Tippet was fired on February 10th 2022, and Jay Woodcroft was named interim head coach. At the time of Dave Tippet's firing, here is how the Oilers looked.

Dave Tippet's Oilers

Record: 23-18-3

Goals For: 146

Goals Against: 146

Goals For Per Game: 3.31

Goals Against Per Game: 3.31

Powerplay: 34/123 (27.6%)

Penalty Kill: 99/129 (76.7%)

Truthfully, it seemed like the Oilers were playing a bit better in the last few games of Tippet's time with Edmonton. However at the time of his firing, the Oilers were 5 points out of a playoff spot, and in a year where it was either "2nd round or bust", the change needed to happen. Next up, I'll take a look at how the Oilers were under Jay Woodcroft, how his attitude and coaching style completely changed the Oilers season, and how he helped them go from outside looking in, to 8 wins away from a cup. 

Game Day Recap - Game 1

Welp...that could've been worse.

The Oilers started their 2018-19 campaign with a stumble and fall. It was an embarrasing effort to say the least. Every single thing that happened last year in a loss, happened in this game. Let's recap.

Stop me if you've heard this one before. The Oilers allowed the goal of the game, on the first shot of the game. Yup. Kyle Palmieri made it 1-0 Devils just 58 seconds into the game. Thankfully the Oilers would tie it a few minutes later. Hands up if you had Milan Lucic scoring the first goal of the Oilers season? Nobody? Didn't think so. On their 1st PP of the season, Connor McDavid decided to ignore the PP strategies and just took the puck into the offensive zone himself. He was flying, skating behind the net, and passed out front where Lucic burried his 1st of the season. So yeah, that must be a confidence boost for #27. Sadly, that's was as close to "being in this thing" as the Oilers would be. Period 1 ends with the scored knotted at 1 a piece.

Period 2 was the worst period of Oilers hockey I've seen in my 12 years of being a fan. Outscored 2-0 and outshot 10-3, the Oilers didn't register a shot on goal until the 17 minute mark of the 2nd. 17 minutes and they never had 1 shot on net. Even when the score was 3-1, Talbot was the only reason it was kept to that score at the end of the 2nd. Kyle Palmieri got his 2nd of the game, making it 2-1 and that was followed up by Travis Zajac making it 3-1.

Period 3 wasn't a whole lot better. Zajac potted his 2nd of the game making it 4-1 and that's where I shut it off. I followed on Twitter, catching a bit about where Leon Draisitl potted his 1st of the season off a feed from Milan Lucic and McDavid. I don't care who scored the empty netter for the Devils.

Positives:

1. McDavid - gets 2 points tonight and looked as good as he always does. Not much to complain about.
2. Lucic - After how last season ended, Lucic was looking for anything to get him going this season. He had a decent preseason with 3 points in 4 games, and he followed that up with 2 points tonight. He was physical, he was making smart passes, and he was engaged. Probably the best Oilers player on the ice bar-none.
3. It's over - nothing more to say here
4. It's only 1 game - 81 left to go, there is time to iron out a few things. But not much.

Negatives:

1. The effort - This team was garbage. I'm tired of making excuses. There is 0 excuse for how they played tonight. Getting 0 shots on net for the first 17 minutes of a period? Inexcusable. Not have having a decent looking PP? Inexcusable. Getting beat to every puck and losing every puck battle? Inexcusable.
2. Defence - Complete and utter shit. Nurse and Benning especially.
3. PP - What are they thinking? The PP looked like shit. Utter crap. No actual strategy, no actual purpose. The only reason they scored once was because McDavid decided to skate the puck in himself.

Let's hope they turn things around, fast.

Pacific Division Preview

It's the most wonderful time of the year. When the coaches are coaching and everyone telling you, your team will suck. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Yes my friends, it's that time of year again. Training camp opened today and holy crap, what a day it was, highlighted by the trade of Erik Karlsson to the fucking Sharks (because NHL). With the preseason set to get underway here in the next few days, and only 23 days until Regular season puck drop, I'm here to do my preview of the pacific division. Go through each team, give my thoughts on them, and then make my picks for the playoffs. We'll be doing this in alphabetical order, so let's get to it.

1. Anaheim Ducks:

Those damn dirty Ducks. Most fans in the NHL can stand this team. Come playoff time, they're one of the dirtiest teams in the league, constantly hacking and slashing the opposition with little to no consequences. That being said, their still a good team who can never be counted out. Sure Getzlaf and Perry are older, Bieksa and Kesler probably won't play for a while, but their young guys of Ritchie and Rakell, Montour and Manson, along with star goalie John Gibson, give the Ducks a team to respect.

2. Arizona Coyotes:

At this point, it's practically a cliche to make fun of the Coyotes. A team that was forcefully dragged out into the desert, gone through multiple problems with ownership, and even had a bad situation with Shane Doan 2 seasons ago. However, the Coyotes are starting to turn heads, at least my head. They have a few young players to be excited about. Clayton Keller is a gem, Dylan Strome is still improving, and Anti Raanta is starting to come into his own as a starter. I still think Barret Hayton is a bit of a stretch, but watch out for the Desert Dogs in a season or 2.

3. Calgary Flames:

As an Oilers fan, it'd be easy for me to dump on them...so I will. Calgary is going to not have a good season. While their forward lines did indeed improve, they've brought in too many ex-hurricanes, in Peters, Lindholm, Hannifin, and Ryan. Yes because nothing says success like bringing in players and coaches from a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2009. On top of that, their defence is weaker now (though Hannifin will get better) and they're once again relying on Mike Smith to be a brick wall, praying to the hockey gods that he doesn't get injured.

4. Edmonton Oilers:

No preview needed, because this is an Oilers blog. All I'lll say is that Oilers make the playoffs.

5. LA Kings:

The Kings always baffle me season in and season out. They have some horrible contracts, but the players aren't that bad. They sneak into the playoffs, then win the Stanley Cup. Their biggest off-season acquisition was Ilya Kovalchuk, but Kovalchuk hasn't played in the NHL since 2012 (ironically losing to the Kings in that Cup Final). Still, the Kings have the likes of Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, and Jonathan Quick who always keep the Kings competitive.

6. San Jose Sharks:

I expect them to win the Pacific, if not the for the fact that they have Marc-Edward Vlasic, Brent Burns and now ERIK KARLSSON. On top of that, the Sharks seemed to have reformed Evander Kane and have a wealth of prospects and depth to help them should an injury occur. Their moves suggest their going for the prize, trying to win one for Pavelski and Thorton.

7. Vancouver Canucks:

Most Canucks fans are entering new territory. For the first time in, what, 18, 19 years, Henrik and Daniel Sedin will not be suiting up for an NHL season. Both announced their retirement last season and so the Canucks are forced to start anew without their superstar Sedin twins. Brock Boeser was a nice surprise for them this year, but their still a few years off from playoff contention sadly.

8. Vegas Golden Knights:

How do you decide the path of a team that makes the Cup Finals in their inaugural season? The answer is, you don't. The Knights defied all the odds, broke all the rules, and set the standard for expansion teams. The addition of Max Paciorety and Paul Statsny keep their scoring up, and Marc-Andre Fleury is still a god in net. It'll be interesting to see how they do in their second season.

So with all of that said and done, who do I think makes the playoffs? Well here is my top 3 for the pacific.

1. San Jose - They've got too much talent to not win the pacific.
2. Edmonton - McDavid and company will rebound. They did it two seasons ago, I see them doing it again.
3. LA or Vegas: Honestly, the 3rd spot is up for grabs. Vegas was riding an emotional high last season, so they'll come back down to earth slightly, and the Kings are well, the Kings.
Wildcard. Anaheim: While the Ducks will drop off, they'll still be a good team. If a pacific team makes it into the wildcard slot, it'll be Anaheim.

So yeah, that's my pacific preview. Nothing too complicated, but it's not supposed to be lol. Now let's get this hockey season underway already!