G74 Oilers vs Avalanche: Lander Leaving and Other Songs
March 23, 2017, 2:27 PM ET [47 Comments]
Matt Henderson
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSS • Archive • CONTACT
The Oilers blew it last night and as much as I will point to key plays and particular players, the reality is that everybody who wasn’t part of McDavid’s line played a questionable game at best. Perhaps it was nerves or the inexperience of playing games that even matter this late into the season, but the Oilers looked completely disjointed. Even when the bounces went their way, it was usually part of a broken play.
The lone bright spot in that game, for me, was that in the biggest game of the year – even while his teammates folded like cheap lawn furniture – Connor McDavid elevated his game and beat the checking game that Ryan Kesler had played against him all year. That really is positive news, because ultimately the Oilers finished the game 4-3 when their starting goaltender was awful, their defense handled the puck like it was a live grenade all night, their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lines were either invisible or actively sucking, and they didn’t ice their best possible lineup (Benning needed a rest, I guess).
That 2nd period was the Trump Presidency of NHL periods. It was worse than expected, probably treasonous, and way too orange. After coming out in the first period and dropping 15 shots on the Ducks and allowing only 6, McLellan’s squad could only muster 6 shots in the 2nd frame and allowed the Ducks to rack up 20 shots and chase their goaltender.
Sadder still was that the Oilers had Power Play opportunities in that period and STILL only found a way to direct 6 on net. They only had 4 shot attempts 5v5 in the 2nd frame. Four! ATTEMPTS! In total, Power Plays included, the Ducks out attempted the Oilers in the 2nd 36-11. That’s not acceptable. At least in the 3rd the Oilers performed better, but by that time the Ducks were just trying to lock down the win.
No comment.
Ok. I can’t not comment. What on Earth was Kris Russell trying to do there? On the entry he allows the puck carrier total access to the Oiler zone by being at least 15 feet away from ANY Duck player. After Rakell is already well inside the zone he decides to challenge him, but does it in the Jultziest way imaginable. As Rakell cuts to the middle, Russell’s teammates cut off all the possible passing lanes leaving just the puck carrier as the only dangerous player left in the play. And still – STILL – Russell manages to find himself facing the wrong direction TWICE as Rakell flips him around like he’s a cat chasing a laser pointer.
But the worst part of this is that getting mad at Russell is like getting mad at the Sun for rising in the East. It’s McLellan who opted to play him during the 4v4 when he should have known better. Maybe he felt backed into a corner because he sat Benning in the pressbox because of those damned sideburns and the other options on the right side were Gryba or Larsson and Larsson was going to have to play the next shift anyway.
***
In news I was expecting to hear but was quietly hoping I wouldn’t. There is a report out that Anton Lander will sign in the KHL after the season is over. The report indicates that Lander will sign with Ak Bars of the Kontinental Hockey League and become one of the highest paid import players in the league.
Anton Lander has 22-24-46 in just 31 AHL games this year. He is clearly too good to be playing the prime years of his career in the AHL, making AHL money. The way I see it, I think Anton Lander could probably be playing in the NHL today as a 3C or 4C depending on the club. I really believe that. It’s just that it hasn’t happened yet and teams are more willing to give their own developed players a chance.
Anton Lander was rushed to the NHL too quickly, he wasn’t ready for it, and that painted the way the team has looked at him for a long time. He’s had stretches (Nelson era) where he looked like a real, honest-to-goodness NHL player. He’s had stretches of extreme silence in the offensive zone and when those hit it feels like all he’s ever done is underperform.
In the NHL, this year, Anton Lander has a 1.77 P/60 while 5v5 and a positive Corsi For relative to teammates. He also has a 56% faceoff percentage. He was just fine as far as bottom 6 forwards were concerned. In fact, he was maybe even bordering on good. The problem for him is that Letestu has shown that he can do more, at least in the eyes of the coaching staff. Desharnais was brought in to be the 3C. And, Caggiula is a Chiarelli signing. Lander doesn’t have anyone in the Oilers to go to bat for him, even as he dominates the AHL.
If I were him, you’re darn rights I would start to think about maximizing my career earnings at this point. He’s 25 years old. He’ll be 26 in a month. He has 5 more years if he’s lucky to earn really good money and set himself and his family up for a comfortable life. He’s still an RFA so if he goes to Europe, I believe the Oilers will still be owed a contract year from him if he wants to return to the NHL ever. It would be similar to when Radulov had to return to the Preds for that playoff run before becoming a free agent.
So if he goes to the KHL and crushes it and the Oilers want to revisit the possibility of him playing in the NHL again, I think they will have that chance. Otherwise, this is a player who was too good for the AHL but missing something that would make him a surefire NHLer. If he can find a home in Europe then good for him.
LINEUP
As the 2nd half of a back-to-back we get very little information about who would start or any lineup changes. It’s 50/50 who starts in net.
Maroon McDavid Draisaitl
Lucic RNH Eberle
Pouliot Desharnais Kassian
Hendricks (?) Letestu Slepyshev
Klefbom Larsson
Sekera Russell
Nurse Benning (?)
Talbot
Brossoit
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Disjointed. No matter what the Oilers were trying to do, they looked like at least one person was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Breakouts were sloppy, odd-man rushes were bizarrely executed, and a general sense of cohesion was missing. There isn’t a lot of time between the games to dwell on the mistakes, but they need to be addressed tonight. It’s not that Colorado will make you pay for a bad game, because they probably wont. It’s that what happened in Anaheim was an embarrassment and the club needs to atone. We need to see breakouts that look like they’ve been practiced before. We need to see neutral zone play that isn’t just “Jesus Take The Wheel”.
2) The Worst. The Colorado Avalanche are the worst team in the NHL. They just are. It’s not even a close race. They have 20 fewer points than Arizona in 29th place. They are a -98 in goal differential. That’s worse than any Oiler team during the Gory Years. This team is just plain garbage. It’s not even controversial to say that. We can see why Patrick Roy abandoned ship on the life boats before fully boarding all the women and children. Matt Duchene might hit 20 goals. Nate MacKinnon might cross 50 points. They have a 5v5 Goals For percentage of 36.8%. It’s not the worst ever in the fancy stats era, but it’s damned close. Playing a club like this, it should be a prime way for the Oilers to get back into the W column and move on. If they drop this game they should be ashamed of themselves.
3) McRace. I mentioned it yesterday, I’ll do it again today because it’s still true. The plan for the Oilers flows through McDavid. He is everything. If he’s going, and we know he will be, then the Oilers are a dangerous team. He can score at any moment. He can find ways to score on plays that nobody else can even see. The defense is really starting to understand where to find him with the puck. If he’s going tonight then the Avalanche are going to get used and abused. Their no-name defense is ill-equipped to handle him. It could be another big night for McDavid. They don’t have many games left, but if wants to cross the 100 point plateau it’s these next two games against the Avalanche that might do it for him.
Today at 9:31 am by Rocky
» MM&C 5/9/24 The Federation of Chambers of Commerce and the European Union discuss cooperation to fin
Today at 9:27 am by Rocky
» MM&C 5/9/24 Customs, security and economic aspects
Today at 9:24 am by Rocky
» Union of Arab Banks: Iraq's environment encourages investment
Today at 6:57 am by Rocky
» Government advisor: Movement to recover bad debts for the benefit of the Iraqi Trade Bank
Today at 6:55 am by Rocky
» The International Development Bank announces the opening of its new branch in Erbil
Today at 6:52 am by Rocky
» Oil seeks to convert refinery products to “Euro 5”... high quality and environmentally friendly
Today at 6:50 am by Rocky
» Budget delay: the cry for help for paralyzed services and disrupted dreams
Today at 6:47 am by Rocky
» Oil: Completion of projects to improve the quality of petroleum products, and others are under imple
Today at 6:44 am by Rocky
» Chairman of the Securities Commission: 3 million shares, average daily trading volume
Today at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Tamim calls on the countries participating in the meetings of the Arab Administrative Development Or
Today at 6:41 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Endowments: 39 thousand pilgrims, Iraq’s share, and waiving the religious obligation i
Today at 6:39 am by Rocky
» Washington refers to Iraqi legislation that “does not harm” his international presence, and Baghdad
Today at 6:34 am by Rocky
» Deputy: Extending the legislative term depends on sending the budget schedules
Today at 6:30 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Legal: 88 draft laws on the parliamentary shelf
Today at 6:29 am by Rocky
» The head of the movement denies any Iraqi-American negotiations to remove the coalition
Today at 5:23 am by Rocky
» A deputy expects to resolve the issue of electing the Speaker of Parliament next week
Today at 5:22 am by Rocky
» Obtaining the approval of the Minister of Electricity to fill the energy shortage in Dhi Qar
Today at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Economist on the decline in dollar prices: My time and it will not reach its official price
Today at 5:20 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Ministerial Council for National Security approves the 2024-2028 strategy
Today at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Mulla Bakhtiar: Nechirvan Barzani's visit to Iran melted the ice between Erbil and Tehran
Today at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Password "78"... Why did the Sudanese government's interrogations and noisy sessions decline?
Today at 5:16 am by Rocky
» JP Morgan forecasts an increase in the oil capacity of Iraq and other countries in 2025
Today at 5:15 am by Rocky
» Turkish Minister of Transport: The development road will cost $20 billion
Today at 5:13 am by Rocky
» The Supreme Committee for Reconstruction and Investment approves a package of strategic projects
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Work: Preparing a unified national strategy to create job opportunities for youth
Today at 5:11 am by Rocky
» The Prime Minister's financial advisor reduces the risks of the budget deficit
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Sudanese announces the signing of an agreement with Japan to finance small and medium enterprises in
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Government Advisor: The Securities Commission represents the governance base for promoting financial
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» A unified national strategy to create job opportunities for youth
Today at 5:07 am by Rocky
» A one-week deadline to decide the position of Speaker of Parliament
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Parliament: We coordinate with the competent regulatory authorities to examine medicines
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» The Commission suspends the Kurdistan Parliament's voting procedures
Today at 5:03 am by Rocky
» $100 million to localize the pharmaceutical industry
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Increase in external remittances at the Central Bank
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» A government advisor reduces the risks of a budget deficit
Today at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Culture: We seek to invest in the stability of the country to advance the tourism sector
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Integrity announces the results of a questionnaire on bribery in real estate registration department
Today at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Parliament comments on Sudanese plan to restructure the government apparatus: It needs radical refor
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» The dollar rises again against the Iraqi dinar in Baghdad
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Politician: The government does not deal transparently with the issue of expelling the Americans
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» A government bank participating in an accounting project
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Masrour Barzani: The Kurdistan Regional Government has implemented all its obligations and duties
Today at 4:41 am by Rocky
» French Consul: France strengthens relations with the Kurdistan Region
Today at 4:39 am by Rocky
» Studies Center: Sudanese faces the challenges of maintaining sustainable relations with the United S
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» “The absence of democracy is not possible.” The federal government remains silent on the postponemen
Today at 4:37 am by Rocky
» Taqadum Party: The absence of the Speaker of Parliament disrupted the general amnesty law
Today at 4:36 am by Rocky
» The file of oil export through Turkish territory is under the control of politicians
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» For the sake of the position of president and the budget schedules... there is a preference for exte
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» “If you bring the equipment, let’s begin.” Revealing the secrets of Erdogan’s visit to Iraq and the
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary moves to approve the Human Organ and Tissue Bank Law
Today at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Electricity embarks on an 11-axis plan to develop the energy sector
Today at 4:27 am by Rocky
» Al-Asadi announces work on legislating a law on occupational health and safety
Today at 4:26 am by Rocky
» Al-Rasheed: Increasing the amount of loans for restoration and maintenance of buildings to 50 millio
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» Under the chairmanship of Al-Sudani, Reconstruction and Investment agree on projects related to elec
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» Baghdad and Tehran.. New discussions regarding railway connectivity to transport visitors between th
Today at 4:23 am by Rocky
» Immigration: Our plan focuses on the voluntary return of displaced persons and rejecting their house
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» An Iraqi trade delegation in Iran to facilitate the export of agricultural crops to Iraq
Today at 4:21 am by Rocky
» Sudanese launches work on the Union Mills Project in Babil Governorate
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary demands to resolve the selection of the Speaker of Parliament next week: So far, there
Today at 4:18 am by Rocky
» Sudanese inaugurates a sugar production factory expansion project and three other factories
Today at 4:17 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani confirms the unlimited support from the government to develop the success story in the pri
Today at 4:16 am by Rocky
» From Babylon... Al-Sudani announces the referral of the large Hilla sewerage project, phase two, to
Today at 4:15 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The factories that opened in Babylon provide more than 4,000 job opportunities
Today at 4:14 am by Rocky
» A representative calls for the payment of lucrative compensation to farmers after the flooding of wh
Today at 4:13 am by Rocky
» Government Advisor: The Securities Commission represents the governance base for promoting financial
Today at 4:12 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 5/7/24 Iraq Dinar- IQD Update - Regional Trade - A Progession of Reforms - A Global Bac
Yesterday at 6:53 am by Rocky
» MM&C The Iraqi Private Banks Association told NEWS: These are the results of the Prime Minister’s me
Yesterday at 6:52 am by Rocky
» After a break of more than 9 years.. the resumption of a government trade meeting between Iraq and A
Yesterday at 6:51 am by Rocky
» Deputy: The general amnesty law will be passed
Yesterday at 6:46 am by Rocky
» A change in the fuel smuggling map... “control” over the central ports and “laxity” in the north
Yesterday at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani takes three urgent decisions to block the wheat mafias in Iraq
Yesterday at 6:41 am by Rocky
» Electricity embarks on an 11-axis plan to develop the energy sector
Yesterday at 6:39 am by Rocky
» “Thug and smuggler.” A female representative talks about a crocodile in Parliament blackmailing exec
Yesterday at 6:37 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani told the US State Department: Iraq is keen to strengthen its democratic system
Yesterday at 6:36 am by Rocky
» The Central Bank sells more than $275 million at auction today
Yesterday at 6:34 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Commerce stresses the observance of the Iraqi standard in the supply of goods
Yesterday at 6:33 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Trade Bank announces its participation in the process of localizing the salaries of Kurdis
Yesterday at 6:32 am by Rocky
» Iraq adopts an advanced system to combat money laundering and terrorist financing
Yesterday at 5:25 am by Rocky
» Increase in Euphrates River levels due to Turkish water releases
Yesterday at 5:22 am by Rocky
» Demands the need to legislate the capital law
Yesterday at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Parliament decided to extend the legislative term by one month
Yesterday at 5:20 am by Rocky
» A bank participating in the process of localizing the salaries of employees in the region
Yesterday at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary request to the Ministry of Finance regarding defense mobilization dues/document
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Dollar prices in Baghdad and Kurdistan today
Yesterday at 5:16 am by Rocky
» Al-Rasheed decides to increase the ceiling for granting “construction” loans to 75 million dinars
Yesterday at 5:14 am by Rocky
» A government plan to expand the construction of water harvesting dams
Yesterday at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Frozen or banned? An Iranian official reveals the fate of Tehran’s money in Baghdad
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Trade Bank participates in the process of localizing the salaries of Kurdistan Region empl
Yesterday at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Finance confirms the Iraqi government's desire to benefit from the expertise of French companies
Yesterday at 5:09 am by Rocky
» After targeting its branch in Kurdistan... Dana Gas announces a decrease in its profits to $38 milli
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary understanding to extend the legislative term to approve the 2024 budget schedules
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Stopping the Commission’s procedures regarding the region’s elections
Yesterday at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Foreign oil companies violate Iraqi laws
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» The position of Speaker of Parliament depends on the political agreement
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» The Ministry of Finance decides to send the April salary to the Kurdistan region
Yesterday at 5:02 am by Rocky
» It did not reach the Council.. Parliament determines the mechanisms for dealing with the 2024 budget
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» 88 projects awaiting resolution.. What will happen to the stalled laws in Parliament? - Urgent
Yesterday at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives the US Undersecretary of State
Yesterday at 4:59 am by Rocky