One thing I didn’t really count on was that Hall would still be relatively effective on the 3rd line. I was expecting he would play a couple of games just to get his legs back up to game speed and then Nelson would untether him. It’s been 4 games and his minutes have stayed relatively low all things considering but he’s still picked up a point in every game.
Taylor Hall has played 16:14, 18:52, 16:24, and 17:59 in the 4 games he’s played since returning from that leg/ankle injury. He came back saying that his ego wasn’t so big that he couldn’t play on the 3rd line and I’m really happy that’s the case. The top line of Pouliot-RNH-Eberle has been fantastic and the Roy/Yak combination has been getting the job done as well. The team needed someone who has been the face of the franchise since he was drafted 1st Overall to accept a role on a depth line that he probably hasn’t played on ever in entire hockey career.
Now, Hall doesn’t end up spending all of his time with Lander and Miller, but the trio have proven to be a competent group. Miller was top 5 in AHL scoring until he was called up, he’s still in the top 10 and his speed is better than I thought it was going to be. Actually, everything about his game has been better than I was expecting. He has decent hands, wheels, and can keep up with players like Hall. That last part isn’t easy for a lot of players. Anticipating what NHL scorers are going to do on the ice isn’t something most AHLers can do. Miller has picked up 3 points in his 5 games and scored that beauty Shootout goal for his 1st NHL tally.
The Oilers have been trying and failing to come up with the right mix for 3 scoring lines forever. This might not last forever but for right now they finally have it rolling along. RNH and Eberle both have 16 points in their last 10 games. Yakupov has 8 points in his last 10 games. Derek Roy has 7 points in his last 10 games. Then the Oilers have Lander, Miller, and Hall doing their thing on the 3rd.
I say enjoy it while it lasts. There have been very few bright spots this year for Oiler fans but the offense and the scoring depth of the roster in the last month has been one of them. Eventually the Oilers will likely go back to playing Hall higher in the order more often but we can all remember back to the time when the Oilers discovered the existence of Unicorns and had 3 scoring lines.
LINEUP
I’m just going to assume that the Oilers keep the same forward lines and defense since they really don’t have much other choice. Nikitin hurt his foot but could still play but he could be replaced by a cardboard cutout and we might not notice. The real question is whether Nelson rewards the Bachman shutout with another start. If I had a vote (and I assure you I never will) I would be all for rewarding any player who earns it no matter where they fit in the long run. The Oil have done a solid job under Nelson of fostering a better working culture and I think playing time by merit is the way to keep that alive. He got a shutout in a season where Oiler goalies are coming up Snake Eyes. Let him play.
UPDATE: Bachman is in!
Pouliot RNH Eberle Purcell Roy Yakupov Hall Lander Miller Gazdic Klinkhammer Fraser
Klefbom Schultz Marincin Nikitin Davidson Aulie
Bachman
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Only As Good As The Goalie. The Oilers have had 2 good starts in a row from their goalie and sure enough they got 2 Wins. No NHL team can win on a regular basis without quality starts form their goaltenders. Flip that around and no NHL team can win on a regular basis if their goalies are constantly giving them bad starts. When Ben Scrivens (or whomever is back there) is playing well then the Oilers have proven in the last month that they have the firepower to win games. In March the Oilers have averaged 3.1 Goals for per game which places them in 4th place in the entire NHL. The problem is they have also given up 3.5 Goals per game in that stretch which is 2nd last (Toronto is giving up 3.9 per game). Just make the saves and Edmonton can win games.
2) Last Stop Outside Of The Pacific. After this game the rest of the Oilers’ schedule is against Pacific Division opponents. It’s also the last of the “easy games… on the schedule. And I say “easy… knowing that there are no easy games for a 28th placed team. However, the rest of the schedule goes: Ducks, Kings, Flames, Kings, Sharks, Canucks. Edmonton’s record against the Central Division is 4-9-7 this year. That’s not good but compare it to 3-17-3 versus the Pacific and it starts looking a whole lot better.
3) Jarome. It seems almost impossible that Jarome Iginla at 37 years of age is leading the Avs in scoring. This was supposed to be about MacKinnon, Landeskog, Duchene, and Ryan O’Reilly but the old man has shown them how it’s done all year. At the same time you have to give a hand to Iginla for staying at the top and also wonder how much longer it’s going to take the Avalanche’s best young players to take that next step. I think Nate MacKinnon is going to be a Star one day but his Sophomore Slump really hurts Colorado. He looked like he was on the rise in his last 10-15 games before breaking his foot, but right now Iggy has 10 points in his last 10 games and he’s the guy to focus on.
Puck drops tonight at 7:08 PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet One. Tank On! Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy