That was probably the most Nikitin thing that could have happened last night. I mean the only thing keeping that from being a comedy was the fact that yet again the Oilers found a way to Lose against a Western Conference opponent. We had eye pokes, pies to the face, and slipping on banana peels. I half expected the Three Stooges were going to do the post-game show.
The Coach took a huge gamble sitting both Justin Schultz and Martin Marincin in the pressbox to play Aulie and Klefbom and for the first time all year the gamble paid off. Removing Jultz from the equation made so much sense it just had to be the right move. I would have preferred Marincin stay in but the fact is that the Oilers as a team played pretty good hockey. They outshot the Predators at home 37-25 and didn’t allow a single goal in regulation. Moral victories might feel pretty empty, but at least they found a way to get a point. The Oilers have only made it to OT 3 times this year.
The one thing looming the largest overhead of this team though has been the fact they haven’t won a single game against the West. 0-11-2 is actually pathetic. I can’t remember any team about to go into December without having at least 1 Win in their own Conference. Even the 1999-2000 Atlanta Thrashers who only had 14 wins all year managed 11 against their own Conference. Actually, by this point in the season they had 3 wins against the East. So, from where I sit, this epic stretch of futility ranks the Oilers among the worst teams to play in the modern era.
Congrats to that, I guess.
But here’s the even crazier part. I don’t understand why they’re so bad. They have highly talented players. They arent being dominated in possession. They arent being dominated on the shot clock. They are better in terms of scoring chances for and against. And yet, they just can’t win. The Oilers ruined Karma when they started this rebuild. That’s my only explanation. It was Hubris to believe that trying to be bad could make someone good and the repercussions for upsetting the natural order of things are severe.
The Hockey gods have forsaken this city and all who support the team. Prove me wrong. Prove me wrong.
I’m not advocating human sacrifice, but is it really out of the question? Just something to think about.
Side Note: If you want to talk about disrupting the natural order of things, let’s talk about Martin Brodeur wearing a St Louis Blues uniform, even in practice. This is an unholy union whose offspring will surely bring evil upon this world. Martin Brodeur hasn’t been good since 2009-2010. I mean he’s been Oilers Rebuild bad for as long as the Rebuild has been going on. He is one of the best Goaltenders to have ever played in the NHL and it is wrong to see him somewhere else. We can forget the bad years in New Jersey, but let it go.
LINEUPS
If I were Dallas Eakins and I reviewed the game I don’t know that I would make changes to the lineup unless Nikita Nikitin hurt himself falling down on that stick that was clearly there screaming “IF YOU STEP ON ME BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN.… Hendricks reportedly couldn’t move his knee yesterday after taking a Weber shot off the leg. Let’s play a quick game of “Would You Rather…. Would you rather block a Shea Weber shot on a part of the body that has no padding or would you rather undergo Civil War era surgery to remove a bullet from your leg? I think there’s a pretty high mortality rate for either. In any case, there’s a distinct possibility that Joensuu (who didn’t play yesterday for some reason) will be in for Hendricks. It looks like Jultz is drawing back in...
Hall RNH Eberle Yak Arco Purcell Gazdic Draisaitl Perron Joensuu Gordon Pinizzotto
Klefbom Petry Ference Schultz Nikitin Fayne
Scrivens
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Do It Again. That was a solid effort even though there weren’t many Grade A scoring opportunities. The Predators are a quality team and the Oilers managed to hold their own. Do it again. Prove it wasn’t a fluke. That’s a tall order for a team playing the 2nd half of a back-to-back, but if they want to start winning on a semi-regular basis they need to put together back to back good games.
2) Lobotomize The Power Play. Kill it with fire! They can’t gain entry into the zone or find ways to out-man the opposition during puck battles. How they cannot find a way to overwhelm the penalty killers who literally, LITERALLY, have fewer players on the ice as they do is beyond me. I’ll give you an example of a little play that gives some insight into the mind of an Oilers player on the PP. The puck went up in the air behind the Nashville net and bounced back down on the ice. Instead of planting and battling for possession, Teddy Purcell gave a quick swat and immediately swooped past and back up the ice to get in position for the transition. Not even when they have more players on the ice do they believe that they can win puck battles. It’s pathetic. They need a big shift in perspective here.
3) Shadow Tarasenko. He is playing video game hockey right now. He has taken 83 shots already this season, 5th in the NHL, and is better than a point per game. His dangles, the kids call them filthy these day. He has taken his game to a new level. His highlight reel from this year alone is better than most people’s career package. He has spent the most time with Lehtera and Schartz, that trio lead the Blues in scoring. Shut them down and you stand a chance. Good luck with that you Oilers.
Puck drops tonight at 6:08PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet West. Game On!
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