Well Sunday was thoroughly awful. And just when they come back from a 0-2 deficit to tie it all up before the end of the 1st period, they immediately tank even harder and find a way to lose 6-2. Woof.
The loss was all on Talbot’s shoulders, but there are few teams that can find a way to win hockey games with a goaltender sporting a .739 save percentage in the game. Fat chance of winning that one. Now, not every goal was easily stoppable. Credit where due, Gionta’s tip-in was perfect. But, the 3rd goal was Talbot doing his best Roger Dorn impression. Key difference: Dorn was at least getting body contact on those.
Somehow bigger news than the fact that the Oilers have been brutal defensively to start the year was that the team switched its day off from Monday to Wednesday.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, “HOW DARE A PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY TEAM PRACTICE ON A MONDAY!” I get it. At first I was outraged too. First they come for our Mondays, then they take our Tuesdays. Before you know we’re working from Monday to Friday and probably some weekends too. It’s a slippery slope my friends. A slippery slope.
But in all seriousness, the outrage machine went to high alert for former members of the NHL Players Association. I think this was in part due to the language used when the change was first reported. It was first said that the Oilers “cancelled” the CBA mandated day off following the loss to the Sabres. If this had been the case then I also would have raised an eyebrow. Those days off were collectively bargained and by all rights earned by the players. They should be honored.
The Oilers and the players came to an agreement to change the day off from Monday to Wednesday, which kept the CBA mandated day off intact, only shifting it to begin 48 hours later. The players agreed to move it knowing that the coaching staff was not going to bag-skate them and under the premise that it was always going to be better practicing the day after an early game vs the day after a late game.
Still, Patrick O’Sullivan, Willie Mitchell, and Union Enthusiasts everywhere lost it on the Oilers, accusing them of taking advantage of a 19 year-old Captain. This is probably the first time in Edmonton that the club has been chastised for practicing, so it’s new territory. Watching as someone who doesn’t have much of a stake at all (only that of an NHL fan) in the relationship between NHL owners and NHL players, you can see how deep the mistrust is between them in some factions.
The simple request from a team to switch an hour of work on Wednesday to an hour of work on Monday became a battleground for Union members. Take a step back and look at how ridiculous this is. The Phoenix Coyotes are filling their Salary Cap with the contracts of Shadow Players who arent in the NHL or have been retired for years and that’s OK, but when a team and management agree to change a day off it’s a breach of trust in the working relationship. Sure.
LINEUP
Caggiula is still nursing injury, Hendricks has the plague, Davidson is on IR, Gustavsson is out after a collision with Larsson that appeared to injure his neck/head. Based on practice it sounds like Puljujarvi will sit. Fayne in for Gryba.
1) Dumb Penalties. Benoit Pouliot has gained a reputation everywhere he’s played for taking dumb penalties. Against the Sabres he played just 4:34 because he took back to back dumb penalties. I thought one was ticky-tac, but early in the year the stick infractions and hooking penalties get called more than ever. Against the Flames he had three minor penalties then added two more the next game. He said it yesterday at practice, after the 2nd penalty he knew he wasn’t going to play another shift. The only registed shift he had came when he stepped out of the box. Some wanted him to be benched tonight, but the Oilers are already down to 9.5 NHL forwards, they don’t have the luxury of sitting Pouliot.
2) Better Effort. Though the Oilers out-shot the Sabres, they did not look like they were on the same page at all. Breakouts were generally weak, McDavid did not find the puck with speed, and the times when good passes were made they were not capitalized on. The reason the team went to practice yesterday was to identify the problems and work on solutions. You have to think after all the heat they took that the team will be better prepared for tonight. I expect to see McDavid really flying since he was so critical of his own performance against the Sabres.
3) Control. The Hurricanes have become one of the teams that fancy stats people watch because they put a significant focus on analytics. They hired one of the very best public stats people and have been making moves that seem to signal his voice is being heard. Last year they were one of the stronger possession clubs in the NHL, but their weakness has been in net for a long time. Cam Ward and Eddie Lack are not strong goaltenders. They’ve split duty already in this young season, neither stopping enough pucks to make the team feel good (Talbot hasn’t either). They aren’t a heavily talented team, but they do have Skinner, Rask, and Faulk pushing them forward. Still, if the Oilers can push past the pressure this team creates then they have a good opportunity to capitalize on their chances.
Puck drops tonight at 7PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet Oilers. Game On!
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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