The Edmonton Oilers fan base has experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows of the past decade in the calendar year 2017. A 103-point regular season, followed by a playoff series win against the San Jose Sharks and a seven-game thriller against the Anaheim Ducks. It seems like five years ago, it was in fact 2017. Losing is exhausting, that’s a fact.
In summer, we discussed the coming season in terms of tweaks and what was needed to make that next step. Although the big news stories of summer were about long-term contracts for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the nuts and bolts of procurement included Kris Russell’s signing and the trade of Jordan Eberle for Ryan Strome.
I think Peter Chiarelli decided to audition right-wingers and to muddle through on defense until Andrej Sekera could return. That’s the only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from this past summer’s activity. Understand, I’m not criticizing it, just stating what I believe to be fact. It’s interesting then to read his reaction to the first 19 games of the 2017-18 season.
- Peter Chiarelli: “We have to get some traction in terms of winning just one game or losing just one. (The) takeaway is general disappointment. There’s your headline.” Source
Among folks who write about the Oilers on a regular basis who are outsiders, I’m probably the most supportive of Peter Chiarelli as general manager. I’ll point to the Reinhart, Hall and Eberle trades as negatively impacting this team, but will also point out Cam Talbot (that was a major trade, although it seems to be framed as a small addition), Patrick Maroon and other moves helped the team.
That said, the quote above seems to run counter to the way Peter Chiarelli set up this club. In acquiring Ryan Strome as a mirror man for Leon Draisaitl (playing C when LD is RW and vice versa) and not adding a more veteran RW, he clearly (at least a little) opened up opportunities for Anton Slepyshev, Drake Caggiula, Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto.
So, I get the idea of general disappointment, but this was a possibility based on the summer’s decisions, right? Mr. Chiarelli went on to say he still believes in this team and that rhymes with his summer moves. But that quote above has me thinking.
If you construct a roster based on several auditions, and the first 20 games include significant failure, can you be disappointed? Is that enough of a sample size? Do you have a right to be disappointed? I’m honestly not sure you do, unless you’re disappointed injuries didn’t allow men like Anton Slepyshev and Drake Caggiula to compete.
Lineups
Oilers
***Updated****
Maroon-McDavid-Caggiula
Lucic-RNH-Draisaitl
Cammalleri-Strome-Puljujarvi
Khaira-Letestu-Kassian
Nurse-Larsson
Klefbom-Benning
Russell-Gryba
Talbot
There haven’t been any announcements for the Oilers line combinations yet, but we do know that Connor McDavid and Oscar Klefbom both missed yesterday’s practice due to illness. We’ll update the lines as they get announced.
Stars
Janmark-Benn-Radulov
Smith-Seguin-Shore
Eli-Hanzal-Spezza
Roussel-Faksa-Pitlick
Lindell-Klingberg
Oleksiak-Johns
Hamhuis-Pateryn
Bishop
Lineups (subject to change) are courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com
What they’re Saying
From Blackout Dallas:
The Dallas Stars are in an evident bind and it’s all because of a lack of committing to change. They lose, talk about why they lost, and then seem to do the same thing over again in the next game.
Something needs to change. They know that just as much as everyone watching knows. It takes a lot to bring a whole team to committing to change. But once that is accomplished, things turn around quick.
TONIGHT
![](https://i2.wp.com/dev1.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/gdb11.jpg?resize=584%2C511&ssl=1)
GAME DAY PREDICTION: Dallas brings a lot of energy early and the Oilers react in an undisciplined fashion. The Stars score a power-play goal (Jamie Benn) and it’s 1-0 home side after one period.
OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: The second period sees the Oilers come to life and Connor McDavid goes end to end to tie it. No other scoring and it’s 1-1 after two.
NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: The third period features some damned good hockey and great goaltending by Cam Talbot. Edmonton scores a flukey goal (Zack Kassian off the 8-ball and in) midway through the period and Kris Russell scores an empty netter. Oilers win, 3-1, in Dallas! Take that, Mike Modano!
GDB BROUGHT TO YOU BY SHERBROOKE LIQUOR
Take home a growler, a crowler, a sixer, a mixer, whatever. Sherbrooke Liquor. Where’s Your Beer?
Source: NHL.com, Official Game Page, 11/18/2017, 12:00pm MST
What’s with all of the afternoon games? The Oil play ten(!) of the stupid things this year and it’s really starting to annoy me.
It’s 12 afternoon games by my count, and yes its extremely annoying.
and knowing the Oilers record playing afternoon games that is 20 points potentially down the drain….. Time to end another Oilers curse Connor.
Are you experiencing general disappointment with afternoon scheduling
Have little faith in the his “team” (more like a bunch of guys thrown together, and are not playing for each other). Oilers are down 3-0 10 minutes in. Hope I’m wrong but this “team” has shown little jam all season. Plus it’s an afternoon game plus Jamie Benn is a beast
The disappointment is shared and felt throughout the club and the fans , not just Pete and Todd . Has Chia lost the touch at adding personnel to move club forward ? Clubs performances would seem to indicate he is losing his vision , touch and evaluation of talent required to move club forward. New rules minimize our truculence from last season , of that there is little doubt . One would have never expected to be this poor with Connor and Leon on board even if we just kept last years personnel in tact . Chia needs to revamp a new GM strategy from this years disaster rather than ride it out .
10 afternoon games = 20 points we can wipe off the schedule. Hockey players are creatures of habit and I would say a vast majority of all hockey players are polyphasic sleepers. (google it) If the average working person can get screwed up by a 1 hour time change imagine how bad it is to lose that entire section of time they use for afternoon napping.
This is no “oh man I gotta pull 4 hours OT on a night shift” this is a demanding sport that you have to put everything out there while another team with clubs tries to kill you.
I am saying it now, Oilers will lose every afternoon game this season.
Have we ever won afternoon games?
a few instances, generally speaking any in the east are gimme points for the opposition team.
I can’t remember… I think the Oil are 0-2134 so far.
How is it different for the opposition?
Oilers either fly in and stay at a hotel and either play out east where their clocks get reset or the opposition flys here and its like a late afternoon early evening game for them. The deck is stacked against them regardless.
Great excuse making..you sound like an oiler..lmao.
I would say pulling 4 hours ot on an overtime shift is harder than playing a game you love and making millions while doing it!
then you would be wrong.
Ya these hockey players have it very rough.
How about the players actually step up and compete and battle no matter what time the friggin gsme is. How about they leave it all on the ice and have no excuses like “we have to be better “ How about that ??? Is it asking too much ?
Just friggin get it done – man up and get it done. From the coaches to every single player This is getting old FFS
All that article did is confirm that he’s was a pouty baby last season – similar to what he showed when he was an oiler.
Their human beings not machines, this is not lying on your back in -20 working on some machine in an oil field, this is not plugging away at a computer working on some network issue. They have to think at a level faster than you do, they have to be faster, they have to work harder. Why do you think McDavid is so amazing? Because of his hands? his speed? No because not only is he fast, not only are his hand great, he also thinks the game at that speed.
If your head is not in it. you will not make plays.
If you think this is BS and they can just man up, go play a round of shinny against some former CHL players. Shinny is so relaxed they can do it in their sleep, Yet they can think the game that fast, maybe even skate good enough its very hard to understand this when you’ve never been at that level.
Hockey is much more of a mind game than I think people give it credit for.
There should be minimal thinking, that’s where the problems start from over-thinking. It should be natural reaction to the basic fundamentals they have learned their entire lives.
I wonder why SJ, LA, ANH, even Van and Cal pull it off, I guess the Oilers have all the “polyphasic sleepers”. Get a grip!!
Got another theory? Im all ears.
They party all night with McL and Chia, hungover till about 4pm, hence better at night games. Does LA, SJ, ANH lose all their afternoon games? If not there goes your “theory”.
I actually do think players can man up and get it done. The oilers showed it last spring when for example Maroon would not stare at the roof when he missed a chance – he actually worked at retrieving the puck. Not picking on Maroon. All players seemed to battle and compete. Ok most players but I won’t go there today
Real pressure ? A single parent working their ass off to make ends meet in a bad economy.
Excuses are for losers…and this season the oilers are playing like losers
Theory is that this team is just not very good. Always looking for excuses.
Same for both teams. Thats a losers excuse
Do you know the rules apply to both teams so does the schedule.
Unless the schedule dictates that one team plays a butt load of afternoon games while other teams don’t have to.
I don’t know why you think the Hall Larsson trade has negatively impacted the team. Larsson is a pillar of power on the blue line and Hall is just a pair of lips that cries a lot.
Read the article on Sportsnet and you might change your view about Hall.
I saw him here for 6 years why would an article change my opinion
Yes, why would new information cause you to change your mind?
How is Lucic?
Jason and I must see the point of playing in the NHL different. To me it seems Gregor is happy just to make the playoffs, whereas I want to win the stanley cup. How else could he explain his statement that the eberle for Strome deal negatively impacted the club. I am sure at the beginning of the season we all thought there was enough talent on this team to make the playoffs, even without jordans 50 points. Form the 13 playoff games we witnessed last year, Chiarelli saw that eberle was useless in playoff hockey, so he got rid of a soft non factor playoff player with a bloated contract for what he could get.
The only way I will accept that Mr. Gregor can be disappointed in the trade is if he says yes Eberle had to go but Chia should of got a lot more for him.
Edit……..eEEEk please change the name Gregor for the name Lowetide in the above rant. Thank you for your cooperation.
its been what a year and still no edit button? don’t thank them, you thank people who do something for you not neglect this site.
Was I just dreaming or wasn’t BM saying they would have one to start this season? What the hell happened?
Here is a scary thought – are we actually over achieving this year considering our lineup ? Are we worse than our record shows ? Last year already appears to be a distant memory with little to get excited about this year with constant regression as our mantra .
What has Chia done to make the Condors any better, along with development down there ? Both clubs in poor shape especially offensively .
Chia is just not a very good GM.
The current roster is wasting the talents of a generational player
Going into the season we all knew there was void on defence because of Sekera injury, we also knew that our wingers were weak both in terms of skill/expierence and skating. Because of the weakness mentioned above and how mediocre they were last year that the penalty kill would be a weakness. We knew the third and fourth lines would struggle to being offence.
That said the powerplay was supposed to be stronger and McDavid and LD were supposed to be the same dynamic duo as last year, that hasn’t happened.Overall they should get better as season moves along, might make the playoffs, but most definitely are not going to be in the conversation for the Stanley Cup.
I love Lowetide and the rest of the ON staff… but for a team with a pretty crappy record, they sure have us going 82-0 in these game day predictions! ?
I think it’s like guessing black or red… if you get red three times in a row you think black is coming…
Hall trade impact positively on the team
For the love of Jeebus, please split up McDavey and Drai.
Honestly LT if you go back to your posts towards the end of last year, you’re hard pressed to find much leaning towards the Hall for Larssen deal as being a bad one. How can you not justify it when we had immediate success as a team…and a strong is the case here this year it’s not all McDavid. It’s a TEAM game and they don’t have it clicking this year. But they certainly did last year, and to say that trade was a loss… I dunno man. I think not. You may like watchingand value offennve more but the fact remains that the game is often won on the back of defensive play. I love Larssen and what he brings and do that trade all day long again and again
Other GM’s would have managed to get some high draft picks included in that trade. Just like players have scouting reports so do GM’s. It’s easier to get deals done with PC for skilled players than it is with other GM’s.
We’d all have liked this season to have started a little better, but we’re only four points out of the conversation with sixty games to go.
I’d hate to see what kind of decisions some of you make in real life that are already saying the season is over and no playoffs. This isn’t Decade of darkness stank with us being twenty points behind already. Four points…
The roast of Peter Chiarelli. The fan base turned on this man quickly.
I wonder if angry fans wait at the grocery store for his wife to show up, so they can talk hockey with her and explain how to do things right. I bet they’re doing it.
Oilers win, Chiarelli is a hero. Oilers lose, Chiarelli gets run out of town.
weed and wit-blanche hoegaarden tonight
some lil peep reminisce in the headline
keep ya head up
Nice hand for Fiddler but an awkward hug
Where is Talbot’s head at? We’re such a juggernaut team so our goalie gives the other team goals. Wake up and be better.
Too late this game is over watching curling now
Talbot seems to enjoy giving the opposition one or two freebies while his team struggles at scoring.
Why is anyone watching this, the game was over the moment it was scheduled at noon
I think the fat lady has song already.
So tired of all the whining about afternoon games. Quit giving them excuses. It’s as if no other teams in division ever have to play in the afternoon….
They are professional athletes – they need to find a way to figure it out.
We (calgary) had the same thing today..and won…quit impowering losses wirh poor excuses
I thought it was 2-0 Dallas, whiskey tango foxtrot. Yes Oilers make me eat crow tonight I wish to die on HUMBLE PIE!
dine* #whereistheeditbutton
dying on pie isnt a bad thing tho
Oleksyak is a focking machine. Is he the biggest guy in the league?
His sister is the real machine. All that Olympic gold is not an easy deed.
Bet she doesn’t complain about what time the competition is. She just goes out there and beats the poop out of all her competition.
She’s the real athlete. Not these overpaid pouty divas
Well said caped crusader
Down 2-0 means nothing when you have mcdavid
Well Todd, that was brilliant, take Maroon off that line for Caj, this just might work.
Puljujarvi pimpin’! I love it.
97 and 91. Ya baby
Just as I get ready to give up on this team…. they suck me back in.
Caggiula ever had a multipoint game before?
16 and 97 and 91. Start n to like 16.
Hey Batman, I was pretty sure you were going to use up your data limit with your dumb trolling on Flames Nation, then all of a sudden you disappeared…? Question, how is the coming draft looking? Should be an exciting one for you guys.
Example of one team that is playoff level and one that is not. Dallas is a playoff level team.