|
Talbot has as much to do with Edmonton taking such large steps forward as anybody else on the team. Some might say he even has more to do with it than McDavid. I say, slow down with that talk, but there’s a case to be made at the very least. Tonight, the Oilers aren’t playing in front of Talbot. Tonight Brossoit gets the start so the pressure is on the skaters to make the difference in the game.
Over the past week we’ve seen Matt Benning take on a bigger role and with it he’s added more timely offense. He’s played 20ish minutes for the last two games while paired with Sekera. He’s scored a goal and added an assist. With Russell set to return, we don’t know where that leaves Benning, but he’s been a fancy stat favourite all year.
Edmonton found a real gem in the College Free Agent market with this kid. He’s not big but he likes to be physical. He’s smart, moves the puck quickly, and has some offensive instincts. There is some concern that he’s hitting a wall physically (or that he will soon). He hasn’t played more than 41 games in any of his last 3 seasons at college, he’s at 45 games and counting with Edmonton. When it comes to his play on the ice, I haven’t seen a player running out of gas. I see a player dying for more ice.
Matt Benning is 3rd on the Oiler blueline in Points per 60 minutes with 0.71 P/60. He’s 2nd on the blue in Corsi For percentage at 53.1%. He’s number 1 in Fenwick percentage at 53.4%. And, he’s 1st in goals for percentage at 58.8%. Yes, his PDO is pretty high, but there’s good process behind the good results. All of these things combined are great news for Oiler fans who look at the rookie defender and wonder if what they’re seeing is real. It looks like it is. When Benning is on the ice, the Oilers out attempt and outscore their opponents very consistently. Music.
When Edmonton prepares for the next 12-18 months, they may want to consider the possibility that Benning is going to push to enter the top 4 really hard. As it stands, I can’t make an argument to keep him off of Sekera’s pairing. I get that Russell is a veteran and yadda, yadda, yadda, but the results speak for themselves.
Sekera + Benning: 254:27, 52.6 GF%, 54.0 CF%
Sekera + Russell: 550:59, 57.1 GF%, 46.1 CF%
Now let’s try that with and without McDavid.
Sekera + Benning + McDavid: 90:25, 62.5 GF%, 58.1 CF%, 101.8 PDO
Sekera + Benning + No McDavid: 162:45, 45.5 GF%, 51.2 CF%, 99.0 PDO
Sekera + Russell + McDavid: 192:53, 75.0 GF%, 47.3 CF%, 107.2 PDO
Sekera + Russell + No McDavid: 358:06, 43.8 GF%, 45.2 CF%, 99.3 PDO
The shot attempts with and without McDavid all favor Benning. Whether it’s raw skill, the fact that he’s a right handed defender, or a combination of the two, Benning is a better partner for Sekera. The goals for favors Benning over Russell when McDavid isn’t on the ice, but WITH McDavid, the goals for percentage is clearly better Russell. Here’s the thing, the PDO jumps off the page. There is absolutely no way 107.2 can be maintained in the future and it’s obscuring the bad process with Russell. The inflated shooting and save percentages will be the first thing to go and when it does it’s going to come in the form of a lot of goals against.
Sekera and Benning. That’s a duo I want to see a lot more of moving forward.
LINEUP
It looks like Russell is about ready to return and in practice yesterday he was on the 3rd with Gryba, but Gryba is being scratched. Not sure what the pairs will look like. Oesterle was sent back to the AHL. Brossoit was 1st off this morning.
Maroon McDavid Eberle
Lucic Draisaitl Slepyshev
Caggiula RNH Kassian
Hendricks Letestu Pakarinen
Klefbom Larsson
Sekera Benning
Davidson Russell
Brossoit
Talbot
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Dro-unbelievable. The 21 year old Jonathan Drouin is not leading the Lightning in scoring. He’s not even 2nd. However, he is an incredibly talented player capable of making game-breaking plays. That overtime shift from the other day was a thing of beauty to watch, and a reminder that if the Oilers give him time and space then he is more than capable of making defenders look stupid. Edmonton’s blueliners are not going to want to give him a zone entry so easily, but getting too close could be a recipe for disaster. He has 50GP, 17-19-36 and I think he’s has the skill to do more.
2) Back It Up. All signs point to Brossoit getting the start in this game, saving Talbot for the surging Panthers tomorrow. Laurent Brossoit has not had a great season so far, and this might be his last chance to instill some confidence in the Oiler brass before the Trade Deadline. Brossoit has played a little over 100 minutes in the NHL this year and has a .919 save percentage but you don’t need me to explain that sample size is small. The last thing he did was stand in relief for a pulled Talbot against the Hawks, where he stopped 4 of the 5 shots he faced. It’s been a month since he last started a game. If LB drops the ball it might force Chiarelli’s hand in getting a more prepared backup.
3) Don’t Rush To Judge. The Tampa Bay Lightning are ranked 13 of 16 teams in the East by points, but if the Oilers think this is going to be easy because of that then they might be in for a surprise. The cover of this book might look crappy, but a little closer look shows that the Lightning aren’t quite like their peers at the bottom of the East. To start with, the Lightning are only -6 in goal differential. Philly, Buffalo, New Jersey, Detroit, and Carolina are all -21 or worse. The Lightning have kept their games a lot closer than the others at the bottom. They are also the 7th ranked shot attempt percentage club in the NHL. If their goaltending had any consistency at all I think this team would be much, much closer to a playoff club. Not your typical fare at the bottom of the Conference.
Yesterday at 7:23 am by Rocky
» Governor of Baghdad: 20 projects will be included during the current year in the city of Nahrawan
Yesterday at 7:20 am by Rocky
» More than $242 million in central bank sales today
Yesterday at 7:17 am by Rocky
» Advisor: Sudanese is determined to close the displacement file
Yesterday at 7:14 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The implementation of the 2023 budget witnessed a success that must be invested in
Yesterday at 7:13 am by Rocky
» The Baghdad Council will decide on the nomination of the committees in the coming days
Yesterday at 7:10 am by Rocky
» Al-Samarrai: The Sunni community is not in favor of removing American forces
Yesterday at 7:08 am by Rocky
» A warning from Al-Rasheed to those wishing to apply for advances and loans
Yesterday at 7:06 am by Rocky
» Azerbaijan expresses its desire to participate in the implementation of joint projects in the oil an
Yesterday at 7:05 am by Rocky
» Fuel cards arouse citizens' discontent
Yesterday at 7:03 am by Rocky
» utube 3/18/24 MM&C Iraqi Dinar-- IQD-- Dinar Update -100% Electronic - Real Effective Exchange Rat
Yesterday at 5:21 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 3/16/24 0:05 / 18:16 Iraq Federal Court Brings - Strength to Financial - Politic
Yesterday at 5:18 am by Rocky
» MM&C 3/18/24 Sudanese Advisor: Iraq will leave government monetary dealing in mid-2024
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» A delegation from the Kurdistan government visits Baghdad to discuss the issue of localization of sa
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» Director of the Central Oil Company: We are keen to provide the appropriate investment environment
Yesterday at 5:10 am by Rocky
» The Energy Parliament calls for reporting generators violating government pricing
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» A representative reveals the fate of the laws of “previous sessions”
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Politician: Coordination holds the keys to resolving the “Parliament Presidency” conflict
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq wants to carry out its peaceful activity in the field of atomic energy
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Including a minister and a parliamentarian... 38 arrest and recruitment orders were issued against t
Yesterday at 5:02 am by Rocky
» Integrity: Citizens’ cooperation resulted in detecting inflation and returning state funds
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Agriculture presents 97 projects to the Ministerial Council for the Economy
Yesterday at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: We succeeded in implementing the 2023 budget, and we must continue to complete economic p
Yesterday at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Labor adopts new mechanisms to reduce the phenomenon of begging
Yesterday at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Electronically.. directing the collection of fees tomorrow in an Iraqi governorate
Yesterday at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Held in Brussels.. Iraq receives an official invitation to attend the Nuclear Energy Summit
Yesterday at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Kurdistan has been paralyzed. There has been no liquidity in hand for 50 days, and the truth has bee
Yesterday at 4:53 am by Rocky
» The dollar continues to decline against the Iraqi dinar on the stock exchange and exchange offices
Yesterday at 4:52 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Oil reveals the reasons for Shell’s withdrawal from Nebras: It will be divided into
Yesterday at 4:51 am by Rocky
» The Housing Fund advises loan applicants and launches a link for inquiries
Yesterday at 4:50 am by Rocky
» He stressed that the government’s vision is to make one class not exceed 25 students...Government me
Yesterday at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim and Al-Halbousi stress the importance of choosing a speaker for Parliament in accordance wi
Yesterday at 4:47 am by Rocky
» Iron and Steel Company: Iraq is on the verge of a major industrial revolution
Yesterday at 4:46 am by Rocky
» Economists: Citizens still prefer cash transactions over electronic transactions
Yesterday at 4:45 am by Rocky
» The compass of Iraq's foreign policy in a world of turbulent polarization
Yesterday at 4:43 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance: The federal budget is in the corridors of the Council of Ministers, and there
Yesterday at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Integrity calls on citizens to report the inflation of funds in the sector of the Ministry of Labor
Yesterday at 4:40 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani directs the launch of initiatives for young businessmen and investors
Yesterday at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Representative agriculture emphasizes taking supportive measures for the local product
Yesterday at 4:37 am by Rocky
» An economist calls on the government to support and stimulate the private sector
Yesterday at 4:36 am by Rocky
» Al-Ittihad: Employees and retirees in Kurdistan paid the price of political differences with Baghdad
Yesterday at 4:34 am by Rocky
» Al-Samarrai and Al-Hakim discuss the importance of achieving political and constitutional entitlemen
Yesterday at 4:32 am by Rocky
» Only 23 million dunums. Iraq exploits approximately 50% of its arable land
Yesterday at 4:30 am by Rocky
» Türkiye considers it a political issue.. Where have the negotiations reached regarding Iraq’s water
Yesterday at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Sudanese receives an invitation to attend the Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels - Urgent
Yesterday at 4:27 am by Rocky
» Central Bank sales exceed $240 million today
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 6:52 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance calls on the government to expedite sending the 2024 budget to Parliament
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 6:47 am by Rocky
» ‘We’re So Sick of It’: Northern Border Crisis Gets Worse
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 6:35 am by Bama Diva
» A representative holds Kurdistan responsible for the faltering legislation of the oil and gas law
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:27 am by Rocky
» Warnings of the danger of the increase in foreign labor in Iraq
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:26 am by Rocky
» Iraq's oil exports to America decreased within a week
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:25 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs an “important” meeting to form the Kirkuk government
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:23 am by Rocky
» Investment confirms the adoption of a new method in new residential cities and explains its details
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:21 am by Rocky
» For the first time in 2024.. exchange rates fall to the threshold of 149 thousand in Baghdad
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:19 am by Rocky
» Including gold.. An increase in exports of 3 Turkish products to Iraq during 2024
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:18 am by Rocky
» A detailed integrity report regarding the Housing Fund... called for this matter
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:17 am by Rocky
» Resources count the number of trespassers in Baghdad.. What about restaurants?
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:16 am by Rocky
» At a cost of approximately two billion dinars... determining the completion rates achieved in the Ma
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:15 am by Rocky
» Parliament awaits the “Cabinet of Ministers” law
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:14 am by Rocky
» Provincial councils return after an absence with a heavy legacy
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:13 am by Rocky
» Iraq is the axis and meeting point of East and West
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:11 am by Rocky
» One million beneficiaries of health insurance early next May
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:10 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance: Delaying the budget had a negative impact on the performance of the ministrie
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:09 am by Rocky
» The chaos of urban expansion threatens the agricultural character of Diwaniyah
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:08 am by Rocky
» A project to plant Japanese trees in Erbil
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:07 am by Rocky
» A team to prepare the national strategy for national security in Kirkuk
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:06 am by Rocky
» Next Tuesday...concluding a contract to expand the basic design of the city of Mosul
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:04 am by Rocky
» A festival to reduce food prices in Mosul
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:03 am by Rocky
» Technical committees between Baghdad and Erbil to resume oil exports through Türkiye
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:02 am by Rocky
» A model of economic diversification
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:01 am by Rocky
» Variation in the extent to which Iraq was affected by the decision to reduce the credit rating of {T
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 5:00 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq has made a commitment to receive the entire security file from the Ministry of Inter
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:58 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic stresses the important role of Mr. Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim in the first st
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:56 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Center for Combating Rumors warns against social media celebrities misleading their follow
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:54 am by Rocky
» Integrity investigates the work of the Housing Fund and indicates debts worth 56 billion dinars
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:53 am by Rocky
» Agricultural associations in Karbala welcome the provincial council’s decision to prevent the fragme
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:52 am by Rocky
» Free education lecturers demand that they be given job opportunities and contracts in Kirkuk
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:51 am by Rocky
» The Digital Media Center calls for not browsing links published on a government page
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:50 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic confirms the strength of relations between Iraq and Italy
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:48 am by Rocky
» A decline in Iraq's oil exports to America during the past week
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:47 am by Rocky
» Economic researcher for / NINA /: Iraqi youth are qualified for the labor market and relying on them
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:46 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Planning is following up on the Statistics Authority’s preparations to conduct the g
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:45 am by Rocky
» 5 days after sending the money and the Kurdistan government has not paid the salaries...a political
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:44 am by Rocky
» A political reading about Sudanese political concern.. Amending the election law is one of the attem
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:42 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani to the Baghdad government: Pay attention to the outskirts of the capital, and drainage mus
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:41 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi dinar recovers against the dollar in local markets
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:39 am by Rocky
» Investment provides a summary of Bismaya units... and the new cities have “fixed prices” for the fir
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:38 am by Rocky
» “Hidden commissions” on electronic fuel cards, contrary to what is advertised.. To whom does 100 mil
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:37 am by Rocky
» Al-Hasnawi: The government is continuing to accelerate the completion and opening of lagging health
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:36 am by Rocky
» Oil: The gasoline import file will be closed early next year
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:35 am by Rocky
» “My account or your account”... a new problem behind the delay in the salaries of the region’s emplo
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:34 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq is about to host important events and conferences
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:33 am by Rocky
» In Erdogan's visit to Iraq...the path of development in exchange for water
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:33 am by Rocky
» An American report on Washington’s seriousness in withdrawing from Iraq: Biden does not want to lose
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:30 am by Rocky
» The organization is banned in Iraq.. Baghdad decides the fate of the Workers’ Party after 40 years o
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:29 am by Rocky
» The rain exposes the poor quality of service projects and calls for the dismissal of officials and h
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:28 am by Rocky
» Politician: Ankara needs Baghdad economically, and the path of development is Iraq’s trump card
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:26 am by Rocky
» Economic calls to adopt a new philosophy for implementing strategic projects
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:24 am by Rocky
» Al-Maliki: My alliance with Al-Sadr is possible, and the movement’s distance from it is an unhealthy
Sun 17 Mar 2024, 4:23 am by Rocky