The Oilers have lost two in a row against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Dallas Stars. It’s definitely a frustrating two games to lose, but it is a different type of frustration in this weeks studs and duds.
Rather than being blown out in either game, the Oilers were actually playing respectable hockey, but blew the games. Against Pittsburgh, the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Oilers had a 3-1 lead evaporate in the third period and suffered a terrible own goal. Against the Stars, the Oilers dominated the shot clock and possession, but could not get that third tying goal against a Kari Lethonen, who played outstanding.
These types of losses happen to the best of teams. It would be great for the Oilers to close them out, especially against the depleted Dallas Stars, but c’est la vie.
Looking at the upcoming schedule, I used to dread the California teams, but not so much this year. The LA Kings lost Quick to injury. The Anaheim Ducks got plastered 4-0 against a struggling Ducks team. Today, the Oilers face the Rangers, who they nearly beat in their last meeting.
It’s not all doom and gloom.
The Studs
Studs #3: Darnell Nurse
Darnell Nurse has really come around this season. As mentioned last week , I love that Darnell Nurse is playing on the third pairing to start the year. Nurse and Gryba have developed chemistry and have played well above what I expected them to. His game against Pittsburgh was an excellent example: he played some key minutes against Malkin and Crosby without allowing a significant scoring chance. Maybe those projections of comparing Nurse to Bogosian or Gudbranson are a bit inaccurate since it’s so early in his career?
Studs #2: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Nuge is adapting quite well to his new role of facing those top opponents to give the other two lines some breathing room and he’s been a driver for his line. Against Dallas, Nuge had a whopping seven shots on net! It’s great to see the usual playmaking centre taking some shots more often, especially considering that Nugent-Hopkins has a good wrist shot. Against Pittsburgh, his line went against the Malkin line and held their own. Would love to see his line cash in some more chances.
Studs #1: Connor McDavid
Hey after an absence last week, Connor McDavid is back at number one with four assists in two games. McDavid looked very dangerous going head to head against Sidney Crosby, to the point that Mike Sullivan had to use a different line against 97’s. The last two games McDavid’s line has been producing some very high quality chances and putting defencemen on their heels. It is a bit troubling that McDavid has not scored a goal in his past seven games, but who cares when he’s second in league scoring with 18 points in 15 games, two behind Mark Schiefele of the Winnipeg Jets.
The Duds
The Calgary Flames
What, is putting two arch rivals on a dud list too predictable? It’s not so much about the rivalry, but how each team is performing (okay I lied) and some downright stupid trade rumours that are coming out. First up are teams kicking tires on Dougie Hamilton. Why are the Flames making a young defenceman, who they only acquired in 2015, a scapegoat? It’s beyond me. The entire blue line core of the Flames has been struggling but I don’t see anyone kicking tires on Mark Giordano or TJ Brodie. Giordano makes sense because he might have a bad contract, but Brodie’s production has evaporated. It would be a very unwise move to trade Dougie Hamilton.
It doesn’t end there for the Flames though. The team has struggled mightily this season and tonight they are losing to the Rangers 4-0 after two. Goaltending was an issue last year, but this year has not been any improvement, which is shocking considering Brian Elliot and Chad Johnson are not bad goaltenders. The Flames are winning Corsi battles, but aren’t producing great shot attempts. It’s a mix of weird coaching, a horrible special teams unit and bad goaltending.
The Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks are even worse. They had a stretch where they were averaging a pitiful seven goals over a span of seven games. Ryan Miller has been playing outstanding but the Canucks are wasting away that effort. Unlike the Flames, I feel the Canucks prospects are even darker. They have two aging players in the form of the Sedins Twins driving their offence and that’s it. When Chris Tanev is hurt, the Canucks are icing one of the worst blue lines in the NHL. To put a cherry on this, there are rumours circulating that Jim Benning is taking calls on Olli Juolevi but that would be a very dumb move to do.
Jim Benning’s track record with the Canucks has been awful. I can’t name a trade where the Canucks have won with Benning in charge. Go figure they are making the coach the scapegoat.
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