Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is on pace to score 31 goals and 62 points this season, a fabulous spike in production for the classy two-way center. His role hasn’t changed—responsible defensively and cash when you can — but his usage has and that may be a key to his current success. The Oilers are going to need…
Jesse Puljujarvi got the call yesterday and he’ll be in the lineup today at Madison Square Garden. There are some similarities between JP’s second season after draft and that of Leon Draisaitl in the fall of 2015.
Madison Square Garden has seen some of the greatest performances on the planet since opening in 1879. Stones, Rangers, Knicks, Gretzky, Messier, the history of the place(s) is incredible. Amazing performances for home and away have been a hallmark of the sports franchises, with championships won for visiting teams, Knicks and Rangers. Cam Talbot has…
It’s been a fascinating week for the prospects bubbling under for the Edmonton Oilers. Should the club decide to shuffle the roster before the eastern road trip, there are players pushing for an NHL opportunity—especially Ty Rattie. Let’s have a look at the prospects throughout the system.
Timing is everything. The Edmonton Oilers entered training camp with question marks on right-wing and a passel of unproven players. Entering preseason, we discussed names like Jesse Puljujarvi, Drake Caggiula, Anton Slepyshev and distant (but rising) bell Kailer Yamamoto. Luck, injury and early success allowed Yamamoto to win the day.
This fall for Edmonton Oilers fans has been a lot about frustration. Coming to grips with the fact general manager Peter Chiarelli has assessed this as a ‘growth year’ is difficult when the weather is fine, borderline impossible when the cold winds blow. The team itself has had tremendous difficulty in areas that had previously…
Vancouver Giants winger Tyler Benson (photo) is finally playing hockey and scored a goal in his first game back. During two weekend games, Benson had six and seven shots on goal. At the other end of the spectrum, the Bakersfield Condors were no match for the Stockton Heat, as the Calgary Flames’ farm club won…
I’ve been watching managers and general managers in different sports for decades. Certain facts are universal: Players inherited are valued differently than players procured by the new manager; no GM likes to lose a player he procured for nothing in return; if a manager liked a player two years ago, there’s a good chance he…
Leon Draisaitl makes a difference. We’ve been talking for a long time about LD as the next player who can push the river on his own line, but his extreme value to the McDavid line is once again obvious early in the 2017-18 season. A year from now, with Kailer Yamamoto turning 20, perhaps there…
The Edmonton Oilers play the Washington Capitals tonight, it should be a brilliant game drunk with fantastic plays delivered by ridiculous players. However, there’s also a ‘bad moon rising’ feel to the game. Why? Two reasons: the visiting team got caved in their last game and will arrive in a mood most foul. Also: The…
One never knows with these things but it does appear the Edmonton Oilers are at least casting about looking for early help in the 2017-18 season. Frank Seravalli of TSN wrote an article about the team needing help for Connor McDavid, Elliotte Friedman spent some time on the subject during his 31 Thoughts. So, when…
Nick Ellis is playing in Bakersfield, but a few weekends like the one just past and we’re going to see him in the NHL—at least for a look-see. Ellis shut out the Ontario Reign (32 shots Friday) and then stopped 35 of 36 Saturday night in another Condors win. The result has Ellis boasting a…
