Edmonton is in such a position that every loss, even in overtime, hurts. The struggles this fall are haunting Edmonton this winter. Also, backups. Backups are haunting Edmonton this winter. I have no idea what terrible curse has been placed upon Edmonton, but apparently if you’ve never played an NHL game before it means you’re destined to set a new team record for saves made in flailing desperation.
RNH played a whale of a game against the Hawks, but it was undone by dual brutal efforts from Russell and Draisaitl. There were plenty of errors in the game overall that led Russell to have the worst possession numbers on the blueline and Draisait to have the worst among the forwards, but the highlights were the ones that led directly to goals against.
Kris Russell’s careless backhand pass across the blueline to Nurse which was picked off and taken back the other way was awful. The Oilers needed a smarter play from their veteran defender. Given Russell’s offensive resurgence this year, we were hoping his play from the offensive blueline in would be better. It was a boneheaded play that resulted in a goal for the bad guys just seconds later.
As for Draisaitl, h found himself benched in the 3rd period and when the coach finally puthim back out there he found some instant redemption. That happy joy-joy feeling lasted just a few fleeting moments however, because in OT Patrick Kane absolutely embarrassed Drai. He twisted him inside and out so much that Leon looked like he was still trying to figure out where he was while Kane was celebrating his goal.
These two players need to play significantly better tonight.
Defenseman Eric Gryba has cleared waivers and will be assigned to the AHL. The Condors are already at the Veteran limit and therefore Gryba wont be playing right away. He would likely be their best defender.
You can be sure that the 2nd year on Gryba’s contract prevented him from being taken via waivers. Most NHL GMs don’t want to commit even that long to 6/7 defensemen. HINT. Pete. HINT. The Oilers committed to multi-year deals for Russell and Gryba and this summer Nurse and Benning need new deals. This says nothing about what the team will do with Auvitu or Davidson.
Eric Gryba is a solid defensive defenseman who can play those 3rd pairing minutes pretty well. He’s a leader on the Oiler blueline in Corsi, Fenwick, and Shot percentage. He has a solid Goals percentage as well, but one thing he can’t do is keep out of the box. He was averaging 1:28 in PIMs per game for the Oil. Considering the team’s inability to kill those penalties, they couldn’t afford to play him.
If Gryba could ever figure out how to cut those penalty minutes down then he would be a welcome addition to any team.
Points Back: 6
LINEUP
Lucic McDavid Puljujarvi Maroon RNH Caggiula Khaira Draisaitl Strome Cammalleri Letestu Kassian
Klefbom Larsson Nurse Russell Sekera Benning
Talbot OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Revenge. The last time these two teams met, the score was close but the game was not. The Jets were in control all night long and Edmonton needs to be better. Now that they’ve picked up two straight losses, the Oilers need to learn every lesson that these last 2 matches could have possibly taught them and come out with better effort and execution. The Jets pushed Edmonton around despite missing some key players. They look like a solid team right now, which is not something I enjoy writing.
2) Pool Party. Jessie Puljujarvi was one of the few Oilers that played well against the Jets in their previous meeting and he seems to be progressing quite well as a player. He now has 8-3-11 in 21 games. The playmaking aspect of his game is still waiting to show its face, but goal scoring and shooting is coming around just fine. He wont play 82, but the pace is for 30+ goals over a full NHL season. That’s what you are looking for from your 1RW and McDavid’s winger. He is getting himself in front of the net and collecting rebounds. He has a wicked one-timer. He’s fast. He’s huge and only getting bigger/stronger. The sky is the limit for this teenager.
3) Hellebuyck. Hey, so remember how everyone for the last 6-7 years has been saying that the Jets would be good if they could just get some decent goaltending? Yeah…well…they found someone decent. Hellebuyck has a .920 save percentage this season and a 20-4-5 record for Winnipeg. The 6’4… 24 year old has bounced back from a tough sophomore season to become their go-to goalie of the present and future. He’s performed at a high level (save percentage wise) at every level of hockey he’s played from College to the AHl and now to the NHL. He looks like the real deal…but at least he’s not a backup, right?
Puck drops tonight at 5PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet. Game On! Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy