|
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 7:20 am by Rocky
» Did Barzani agree in Tehran to end the presence of Iranian groups in Kurdistan? - urgent
Yesterday at 7:16 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: We are establishing a new situation for the global energy market through the Development
Yesterday at 7:14 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The government program devoted a wide scope to the government’s vision for oil and gas in
Yesterday at 7:11 am by Rocky
» Al-Awadi: Ending the work of the UNAMI mission is consistent with the government’s vision in this fi
Yesterday at 7:10 am by Rocky
» utube 5/9/24 MM&C 0:02 / 46:46 PM - Al-Sudani - Golden Opportunity - Private Sector - Contra
Yesterday at 5:34 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 5/11/24 Iraqi Dinar - IQD Update - International - IraqTiming - 2024 Budget Schedule - Sp
Yesterday at 5:32 am by Rocky
» MM&C Floating the dinar" returns to the forefront.. Will the Central Bank of Iraq resort to it and w
Yesterday at 5:24 am by Rocky
» The Secretary of the Ministry of Defense meets with the Commander of the NATO mission
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Expert: The stability of the economy is linked to the political situation
Yesterday at 5:13 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary request to lift the injustice against 20,000 Iraqi employees
Yesterday at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance criticizes the government's failure to send the budget schedules
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Minister of Oil: The 5th and 6th licensing rounds will take place within the framework of exploratio
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq is a difficult number in the global market in the field of energy
Yesterday at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Al-Khanjar rejects Al-Halbousi’s request to head Parliament
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Revealing the date of the arrival of the 2024 budget schedules
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Al-Halbousi nominates Talal Al-Zubaie for presidency of the House of Representatives
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky
» "A coup in Iraqi universities"... Replacement of presidents and deans under the new education law
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq is a difficult number in the equation of energy and oil wealth in the region and the
Yesterday at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Minister of Oil: We hope to announce an increase in Iraq’s oil reserves to 160 billion barrels
Yesterday at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Iraq's mass graves...stories that did not end with the burial of their owners, and the "legacy of IS
Yesterday at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Pictures: New licenses in Iraq to extract “huge” quantities of oil and gas
Yesterday at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Transport reopens the Baghdad - Samarra railway line
Yesterday at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Al-Awadi: A government decision to provide sovereign guarantees and guarantees to encourage the inve
Yesterday at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Oil clarifies the mechanism for investing grant funds and licensing contracts
Yesterday at 4:51 am by Rocky
» A $700 million agreement is signed between Iraq and Italy to finance these projects
Yesterday at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Iraq recovers 90 billion dinars from social protection violators
Yesterday at 4:49 am by Rocky
» Sudanese officially launches the two licensing rounds and sets the date for stopping gas burning
Yesterday at 4:48 am by Rocky
» An economic vision for the standard of competition for exploratory plots in Iraq
Yesterday at 4:47 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Islamic Bank announces an increase in its capital to 300 billion dinars
Yesterday at 4:46 am by Rocky
» A communication from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Interior in Kurdistan regarding “herb
Yesterday at 4:44 am by Rocky
» Popular agreement to end the “cancer towers” crisis in the oldest villages of Diyala.. Document
Yesterday at 4:42 am by Rocky
» What is the reason for OPEC's decision to stop publishing its estimates of the volume of global dema
Yesterday at 4:41 am by Rocky
» It includes 29 projects in 12 governorates.. Launching the fifth supplementary licensing round and t
Yesterday at 4:40 am by Rocky
» Among them are 8 Chinese companies...an economic view of the criteria for competition over explorato
Yesterday at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Sudanese: Gas burning will stop within 3-5 years
Yesterday at 4:38 am by Rocky
» With the extension of its legislative term.. Will the Iraqi parliament succeed in resolving the budg
Yesterday at 4:36 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani's angry message to Guterres: We do not need UNAMI.. Describe your belongings and leave
Yesterday at 4:35 am by Rocky
» As a result of corruption charges... Parliamentary signatures were collected to dismiss the director
Yesterday at 4:33 am by Rocky
» 13 countries are competing for 29 fields, and Anbar and Muthanna have the lion’s share... Details of
Yesterday at 4:30 am by Rocky
» Ending the international coalition’s mission...negotiations may take more time
Yesterday at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Oil reveals a mechanism to support services and establish infrastructure projects in the producing g
Yesterday at 4:27 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim: The future cannot be mortgaged to volatile oil prices
Yesterday at 4:26 am by Rocky
» The New Generation Movement files a lawsuit to dissolve the regional government: It is unable to mak
Yesterday at 4:24 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The government program devoted a wide scope to the government’s vision for oil and gas in
Yesterday at 4:23 am by Rocky
» Al-Rafidain: Loans for purchasing residential units start from 5 to 150 million
Yesterday at 4:21 am by Rocky
» Iraq launches a new licensing round to develop oil and gas fields
Yesterday at 4:20 am by Rocky
» Signing an agreement between Iraq and Italy to finance industrial projects worth $700 million
Yesterday at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Minister of Oil: Soon we will announce the increase in Iraq’s oil reserves to 160 billion barrels
Yesterday at 4:18 am by Rocky
» The Chinese company ZPEC wins the investment in the East Baghdad field - the northern extensions
Yesterday at 4:17 am by Rocky
» utube 5/9/24 Iraqi Dinar | Ali Alaq Announced New Rate Finally Showing New Rate On Tv Screen | Din
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:55 pm by Rocky
» A leader in the National Bank: We are committed to the federal decision and to postpone the election
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:28 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim: Iraq's future cannot be mortgaged to volatile oil prices
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:24 am by Rocky
» The conflict of the corridors: the path to development from a historical perspective and the door to
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:22 am by Rocky
» The Kurdistan Region demands that the federal government spend 1.1 billion dinars.. What is the reas
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:21 am by Rocky
» Tomorrow, Iraq is preparing to launch a complementary round of gas licensing
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:19 am by Rocky
» A government move to restore the funds of the Trade Bank of Iraq
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:17 am by Rocky
» The Central Bank informs France of plans to restructure the banking sector
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:15 am by Rocky
» A government advisor reveals the fate of the budget tables
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:13 am by Rocky
» Iranian mediation between Baghdad and Erbil... Revealing the most prominent files of Raisi’s visit t
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:10 am by Rocky
» Reconstruction and development is a priority.. A parliamentary committee follows up and monitors gov
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:08 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim comments on the agreements concluded with Türkiye and confirms: Iraq is on the right path
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:06 am by Rocky
» Tomorrow... Iraq takes a step that will give it gas equivalent to 200% of imported Iranian gas
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:04 am by Rocky
» A long and disturbing message.. The Iraqi government “blames” the United Nations because of “other p
Fri 10 May 2024, 9:00 am by Rocky
» The Governor of the Central Bank and the French Ambassador discuss developments in the banking secto
Fri 10 May 2024, 5:18 am by Rocky
» Al-Bajari: Iraqi companies will have a great opportunity to work after opening the door to investmen
Fri 10 May 2024, 5:16 am by Rocky
» Transparency: Imports from Sulaymaniyah and Halabja during the past week amounted to more than 10 bi
Fri 10 May 2024, 5:13 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The delayed projects left great damage to the level of services in Babylon
Fri 10 May 2024, 5:12 am by Rocky
» Economist: The fluctuation of the dollar is “the balance of speculators”
Fri 10 May 2024, 5:10 am by Rocky
» {Al-Furat News} publishes the text of Al-Sudani’s request to Guterres to end UNAMI’s work in Iraq
Fri 10 May 2024, 5:08 am by Rocky
» A former MP accuses Türkiye of transferring its conflict with the workers to Iraq
Fri 10 May 2024, 5:05 am by Rocky
» A call to the Sudanese to remove American forces from Iraq
Fri 10 May 2024, 5:03 am by Rocky
» Oil Parliament: Ankara holds Erbil responsible for the oil fines it owes
Fri 10 May 2024, 5:02 am by Rocky
» The government is silent...the reality of removing American forces from Iraq
Fri 10 May 2024, 5:01 am by Rocky
» The radiation protection law in the first session of the next legislative term
Fri 10 May 2024, 5:00 am by Rocky
» A Spanish company raises controversy and a representative reveals a parliamentary movement against i
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:59 am by Rocky
» Sudanese officially requests the end of the United Nations mission in Iraq / documents
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:58 am by Rocky
» Because its sessions were not held, the Kirkuk Council faces a judicial complaint, and its members d
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:56 am by Rocky
» Former US Chief of Staff: We slaughtered huge numbers of innocent people in Iraq and other countries
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:55 am by Rocky
» The Association of Private Banks counts the percentage of shares traded on the stock market during a
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:53 am by Rocky
» The European Union and Iraq agree to increase cooperation between them
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:52 am by Rocky
» American Bank: Expectations to increase Iraq’s oil capacity in 2025
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:50 am by Rocky
» Central Bank Governor to the French Ambassador: The plan to restructure government banks will change
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:48 am by Rocky
» Integrity confirms working to conclude a memorandum of understanding with the Kuwaiti Anti-Corruptio
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:47 am by Rocky
» Highlights of the Prime Minister's visit to Babylon
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:46 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Transport discusses with a Turkish delegation the latest developments in the develop
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:44 am by Rocky
» Free of charge.. Issuing approximately 13 thousand unified cards for those covered by social protect
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:42 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary committee advises the government to deter trespassers: Slums are one of the reasons
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:41 am by Rocky
» Embassy Protection confirms to “Baghdad Today”: The missions are safe and we have taken proactive me
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:38 am by Rocky
» Water resources resolve the controversy of the “Wadi Al-Tea” project.. It will nourish the Hamrin ic
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:37 am by Rocky
» After approving the National Security Strategy...a parliamentary movement to host “responsible” figu
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:36 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim calls for the distribution of plots of land to the families of the martyrs of the Popular M
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:34 am by Rocky
» Order 160 Committee completes the “port scandals” papers... and searches for a legal outlet for impl
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:33 am by Rocky
» It revealed the details of its contract with four companies to complete the census requirements... P
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:31 am by Rocky
» Egypt, Morocco and Qatar praise the Iraqi Integrity proposal to establish the Arab Law Enforcement C
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:30 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Parliament enters its legislative recess and requires holding an “extraordinary” session o
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:28 am by Rocky
» The Sudanese has not rested since the morning.. He carried out 12 activities and allocated a trillio
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:27 am by Rocky
» Blinken's agent: Erbil is a strategic ally of Washington in a 360-degree relationship
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:25 am by Rocky
» Oil seeks to convert refinery products to “Euro 5”... high quality and environmentally friendly
Fri 10 May 2024, 4:24 am by Rocky