Saturday night was embarrassing for the Oilers as a team, and for Oilers fans everywhere. The Oilers fell 6-2 in Vancouver and were dominated from the puck drop to the final buzzer. It was gut wrenching to watch the Oilers play so poorly in a game where a statement to the country of Canada and the league could have been made on the HNIC stage.
The lone Oilers player that I thought had a good night? Ales Hemsky, but most of you want to run this guy out of town. Funny how that works huh? Taylor Hall at center has been brutal. He looks lost out there and has been a non-threat offensively. He was one of the worst Oilers on the ice last night. Justin Schultz? Not much better. Jordan Eberle? Jeff Petry? Nope, try again!
Devan Dubnyk wasn’t very good yet again, which is starting to worry me a little bit. He was beaten on two more long shots that had almost no business going in, and just didn’t look anywhere close to where he needs to be. It’s alarming, because most believe the Oilers playoff hopes hinge on this player. Unless he turns it around, the brown bags are going to be out by November (Yes, mine is ready, and my trigger finger is itchy).
It’s only two games, there isn’t a need to jump off the cliff just yet, but the Edmonton Oilers need to be better, and they need to be better right now. If they keep this up, the season is going to slip away before it ever truly gets started, and that would be disaster in what is, for all intents and purposes, a put up or shut up season in Edmonton.
The best way for the Oilers to get over Saturday night? Bust their asses on Monday night and get in the win column. These next two games leading into the lengthy road trip are must-win games in early October.
NEXT!
Moving forward, the Oilers host another win-less team, the New Jersey Devils, at Rexall Place on Monday. It marks the return of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the lineup, and of Taylor Hall to the wing position. This is a big game for the Oilers on home ice early in the season.
The “kid line” is reunited for this one, which could be very interesting. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will center the top line with Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle on his wings. We saw this line dominate for portions of last season, and can only hope they pick up where they left off in that regard. These are the talents that have to take Edmonton to the next level, and they’re back playing together, which is how they like it.
David Perron skated with Boyd Gordon and Ales Hemsky on line two on Sunday. Hemsky and Gordon have been arguably the best two forwards for the Oilers to this point, while Perron looks like he’s just waiting to explode. He’s got the talent to do it, we saw it in pre-season.
Ryan Smyth is with Marc Arcobello and Nail Yakupov on the third line, which absolutely dumbfounds me. Smyth, through two games so far, doesn’t look like he belongs in the NHL. Part of me thinks he doesn’t make it through the season, and that actually makes me a little sad. Yakupov has been quiet so far, while Arcobello has held his own to this point. Hopefully he and Yak can get something going.
Fourth line will see Mike Brown with Will Acton centering and Luke Gazdic on the other wing. This line isn’t going anywhere sadly, so I won’t complain about it tonight. There’s enough to be frustrated about with this team before diving into the line that sends me into DEFCON 4 every time they hit the ice.
I really like the kid line coming back together. These guys are the horses that are supposed to take Edmonton to the next level, and these guys have some great chemistry. They work well together, and are the best bet Edmonton has for dominating offense.
Overall though, I’m meh on these lines. I like the top six, but the bottom six will keep me from sleeping most of the night tonight. They lack any real kind of offensive threat (Outside of Yakupov) and not a single one of those players are that great defensively. It could be a nightmare for the Oilers if they have to use these two lines often. That’s a problem, and it’s the only issue I have with Craig MacTavish’s work this off-season.
Jesse Joensuu, who was great opening night, is dealing with a back issue, and did not skate today. Ryan Hamilton was recalled, and I’m hoping he gets in the line-up in Smyth’s spot on Monday night. Joensuu was awful last night, but it’s kind of forgivable when you figure he probably shouldn’t have even been in the line-up for the Oilers.
Andrew Ference and Ladi Smid were also banged up in the game, and that led to the team recalling defender Brandon Davidson from the Barons. The Oilers defense hasn’t been very good to this point, and can’t afford any major injuries. Hopefully this recall is just as a precaution, even though it would be a great story for Brandon to get into a game.
The Oilers need to get their stuff together. They have a chance to do that against another 0-2 team on Monday night. Will RNH’s return be enough to push the Oilers forward? Will the embarrassment from Saturday night motivate this team? It’s been an ugly start, and the frustration is at an all time high right now. It’s time for the Oilers to move along and forget these first two games. Let’s hope the Oilers agree.
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