I don’t have a lot of good news for everyone. The Oilers didn’t just lose that game, they showed that they weren’t even in the same league as the Dallas Stars. The loss has vaulted the Stars into a 4 point lead for the 2nd Wild Card spot. Edmonton is 12 points back of them and 8 points back of the final playoff spot.
Colorado is playing at a 94 point pace. For the Oilers to surpass that they would need to go 25-9-6 over the last 40 games (a 115 point pace). I’m not saying this is impossible, but I am saying it is highly improbably and with every loss the dream dies a little more. We are at the point in the season where the postseason is almost entirely out of reach.
No doubt this is related to the insider reports from John Shannon (who has been correct about a lot of Oilers news) and Nick Kypreos that the pressure has shifted away from the players and onto the coaching staff plus management. With Wayne Gretzky and Bob Nicholson in attendance for yesterday’s game, it’s hard not to think that major decisions are right around the corner.
Edmonton has 6 days without a game starting after Saturday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. By that time even the most hopeful among us might have to deal with the standings – Oilers Brass included. We wonder who gets fed to the lions. Nobody can feel comfortable in this situation. The coaching staff is being undone by special teams. The management built a loser when the team should have been surging. Everyone who handles hockey decisions is in danger.
Peter Chiarelli has been making questionable decisions every offseason he’s been in charge. It started with the Reinhart deal, which was bad on day 1. The next summer he traded Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson. The summer after that he traded Eberle for Ryan Strome. Now he has veteran defensemen locked up with NMCs but no stud RHD to play with Klefbom or Nurse, no PP QB from the blueline, and skill on the wings is a major issue. The top 3 centers he has are the ones he inherited. His best moves are Talbot and Maroon. Talbot is not having a great campaign and Maroon is a pending UFA.
There will always be sheep that defend an Oiler General Manager no matter how awful they are, but the reality is the Oilers traded Hall, Eberle, and a 1st but all they have to show for it are Strome and Larsson. I cant tell you what’s going through Bob Nicholson or Wayne Gretzky’s head, but for me it’s visions of what could have been.
Peter Chiarelli was given a collection of young talented players and given a very specific mandate: “Support these players. Surround them with complementary players that can help them win.… Instead he’s traded core pieces for pennies on the dollar and now the person who comes in after Chia has to fill holes that weren’t there before.
Points Back: 8
LINEUP
Since Talbot was pulled we can expect him to start in Chicago. Maroon should be back in after huis suspension. Brossoit cleared waivers.
Lucic McDavid Puljujarvi Maroon RNH Caggiula Cammalleri Draisaitl Strome Khaira Letestu Kassian
Klefbom Russell Nurse Larsson Sekera Benning
Talbot
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Kane vs Draisaitl. You’ll recall that in the last game against the Hawks featured Leon Draisaitl being benched for a large portion of the 3rd period, coming back to score the game-tying goal, then promptly losing his jock while getting twisted up by Patrick Kane in OT. Yesterday Leon Draisaitl got his very first PP goal of the season. Hopefully he takes this game as an opportunity to build on that very sad bit of personal accomplishment and make up for his performance the last time these clubs faced off.
2) The Cat. Wee little Alex DeBrincat is 4th in Blackhawks scoring with 13-13-26 this season. The 5’7…, 165 lb skater was passed over by every team in the 1st round of his draft year despite scoring 51-50-101 in 60GP that season with the Erie Otters. Now he’s 7th in rookie scoring for the league. He played with McDavid in Jr and is a friend of the Oiler captain. Surely the two enjoy playing against each other. We look to see how they perform. DeBrincat scored in the last game against the Oilers.
3) Larsson Wakes Up. When the Oilers traded for him, they knew they weren’t getting an offensive defenseman. Fine. Still, the expectation was that Larsson could at least handle the puck and maybe make a pass or two. Every player has a different set of skills, but Adam Larsson’s game seems to be deteriorating – not improving. Even though it will never be his calling card, Larsson is on pace for his worst offensive season to date. He’s played 34 games and has just 3-1-4 this year. A single assist! They need more from Larsson no different than how they need more from Klefbom.
Puck drops this afternoon at 1PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet West. Game On!
Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy