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Morning, Oilers fans.
After a complete, 60-minute effort against the Winnipeg Jets Saturday, Edmonton finds itself 3rd in the Canadian division. But they are now 7 up on 4th place Montreal (who lost to Ottawa). And the Oilers are just 3 back of 2nd place Winnipeg with whom Edmonton has 2 games in hand.
As Leon Draisaitl quite appropriately put it, there is no “X” beside Edmonton in the standings just yet. But we’re still seeing signs of post-season preparation. And I expect one more notable result of that prep to come and soon.
That and more in this week’s edition of…
9 Things
9. I’d love to see the Jets and Oilers in the 1st Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. These 2 never seem to disappoint. Even though the Oilers won the season series 5-2 all 7 tilts were entertaining. I enjoy watching the Jets and have respect for them. And besides, doesn’t Edmonton’s road to the cup always go through Winnipeg?
8. The newly signed Dylan Holloway is a month away from being able to play. I would have had no issue with Holloway joining the Oilers for the balance of the regular season. I feel a little differently about that now with him coming right off a broken thumb and straight into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. His new deal doesn’t start until Fall so maybe just let him fully heal. But an ATO with the Candors this Spring may not be out of the question.
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7. The amazing Mike Smith continues to turn back the clock. His victory on Saturday saw him pass Nikolai Khabibulin for W’s all-time with the franchise. He now sits 11th all-time and is 1 Win back of Jussi Markkanen for 10th. Grant Fuhr leads with 226. Smith stops pucks, yes. And his puck handling adds a valuable dimension. But he also gives the club a swagger that good teams need.
6. I like the acquisition of Dmitri Kulikov. Most NHL coaches will prefer a guy of Kulikov’s skill set and maturity in tough situations late in games and for pressure-packed post-season moments over a rookie or sophomore D-man such as Caleb Jones or William Lagesson. Both may end up as good pros. But right now, what they aren’t (and can’t be) is 700+ game NHL D-men. Jones got crushed again Saturday in chances For/Against.
5. Everybody seems to keep asking when Dave Tippett will split up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Well, maybe Dave has figured out that Winnipeg can’t contain them. And if that’s the case, then why split them up? Going into last night against the Jets, 97/29 while on the same line together for about 20:00 TOI had outscored Winnipeg 5-0 and outshot them 21-4. You maybe split them up against a different opponent in the playoffs, but you have to get there to win. By the way, Draisaitl played 27:08 Saturday night and was 67% on the dot.
4. Prior to Saturday’s game, Jim Matheson mentioned that Joakim Nygard had only played 52 NHL minutes so far this season. Nygard’s insertion into the lineup was a bit of a surprise to us. But I suspect Dave Tippett is looking forward to the post-season, and meeting Winnipeg in the 1st round looks likely. The Jets Defence is probably the weakest of the 4 Canadian playoff teams. Nygard’s speed drew a penalty on the eventual winner and his forechecking was effective. They wouldn’t have spent 1 of their 4 call-ups on Nygard if they weren’t planning on using him more than once going forward. More on call-ups in a minute…
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3. I listened to Jack Michaels and Bob Stauffer call Saturday’s game on radio. I don’t know if those sitting at home fully appreciate just how difficult it is to do play-by-play off a monitor when you’re not even in the building (which is how all road games have been this season). I realized this early in my own career when I saw Devon White play center field for the Blue Jays from a press box for the very first time, sitting next to the legendary Milt Dunnell. Prior to that I’d only seen White on TV. I saw things from that seat that they don’t show on television because they simply can’t fit it all on the screen. The in-house experience helps a broadcaster deliver a 3D experience to their radio (and TV) audience, all the while appreciating these marvelous athletes just that much more. But of course radio doesn’t have pictures. So, conjuring up those “eye-lid” movies is all important.
When the broadcasters can’t be there, the timing and cadence aren’t the same. They miss out on natural cues and those alternate, “outside of the frame” glances that get picked up from being “up top” but are rarely seen at home. And, of course, they don’t get all of the energy that any broadcaster sops up by osmosis from the house. Instead, they have to generate it themselves in a studio, all the while trying to make it sound “real”. Trust me, that is not easy. And then imagine again how creative they need to be when, with zero warning, their monitor fails. Jack & Bob (and newcomer Cam Moon, when Jack’s over on TV) have executed this season at a very high level, especially considering these difficult and extenuating circumstances. And on top of that, they need to keep themselves and by extension their own families safe when going to and from the rink for home games. Respect.
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2. So, lets talk some more about that Joakim Nygard development. Dave Tippett and his staff know they’re in the postseason. While they’re absolutely still trying to win each and every game, they are concurrently getting their “looks” at certain lines, matchups and other configurations. Come playoff time you need to be prepared to expose every weakness your opposition may have. And an argument can be made that all 3 of the Oilers potential playoff opponents (in the Canadian division, that is) have one weakness in common: Their blueline can be exposed with the forecheck. Winnipeg’s D is the weakest of the 4. The Canadiens are suspect once you’re past their Top 3 and Shea Weber (whom I respect) has lost half a step. The Leafs have improved their D but still have only 3 fewer Goals Against than Edmonton. And I see their goaltending as the bigger question mark of the 4.
So, who could Dave Tippett add that improves the Oilers forecheck? Nygard is one, we saw that on Saturday. Dylan Holloway is almost certainly not in the picture any longer. Who else on the taxi squad or Bakersfield possesses that specific skill, but who also brings enough other things to the party to be able to contribute at an NHL level for more than just 7-8 minutes a night? I believe that Ken Holland did look at a few veteran wingers at the trade deadline to help fill this role. But at the end of the day, it’s likely that Holland decided whoever was available and for the price that Ken was willing to pay…wasn’t as good and didn’t check as many boxes as…
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1.Ryan McLeod. He’s enjoying a breakout season with the Bakersfield Condors. After a spectacular performance Saturday, he now has 28 points in 28 games (14 goals and 14 assists). McLeod is a strapping kid (6’2, 210) and skates well above the NHL average. Those 2 traits in particular could add up to a strong Bottom-6 forechecking candidate. McLeod can also play either the wing or center (he’s over 50% in the circle this year, a big area of growth), is a top penalty killer and is responsible defensively 5v5 (he’s +23 on the season, among the AHL’s leaders). Oh, and McLeod’s cap hit is only $834K. That also matters to the cap-strapped Oilers. A lot.
Now, you may think that it’s better for Ryan McLeod to stay put in Bakersfield and get some playoff experience. But I’m made to understand that some AHL owners may not even want to even have a playoff. While some clubs have started letting some fans in, it’s not at any level where most of them could make any money. Or, more to the point, lose less of it). There won’t be a Calder Cup. So why lose money just to play divisional championships? Besides, McLeod is already dominating at that level. He’s ready. Plus, how long is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins out for? Do we know? Head injuries like concussions are hard and dangerous to predict.
If you only have 4 call-ups and Nygard is one, James Neal or Tyler Ennis is probably the 2nd. A 3rd Defence spot will likely be held in reserve in case there’s an injury on the RHS and you need to re-call Evan Bouchard?
Logic dictates that the 4th spot would be a Center. And if your postseason plans past McDavid and Draisaitl focuses on employing an aggressive forecheck, is that Center Kyle Turris?
Or is it Ryan McLeod?
Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins
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McCURDY: The Oilers turn in a 60-minute effort in 3-0 win over Jets
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2021-04-18 13:07:16Z
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