Oilers Recall Nurse + Other Notes

Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli told the media before the start of the season that when he recalled Darnell Nurse and Leon Draisaitl, he wanted them here for good at that point. Will Chiarelli be able to stick to his word? We’re going to find out, as the Oilers have recalled the young defender from Bakersfield.

Why? The Oilers currently have two blue-liners banged up, as Justin Schultz is sick and Griffin Reinhart is battling an undisclosed injury. To make room for Nurse, the Oilers predictably put Reinhart on the IR.

Recalling Nurse will help the Oilers, but it’s also a pretty risky move by the club. Let’s face it, right now Edmonton is far too slow on the blueline, is struggling to move the puck and mistake prone in this area of the ice. The Oilers are somewhat better in this area than last year, but they still aren’t good enough.

Darnell Nurse will immediately help those issues and only help more as time goes on. That said, we must remember that Nurse is a rookie professional and is going through the growing pains of learning the game at this level. There will be tough nights, key mistakes and tough goals against. I’m not sure if Edmonton can afford that right now.

I’d expect to see Nurse play tomorrow night, and I’m excited to see him get looks in another NHL regular season game. I’m not sure if it’s the right move, but I think this will be a long term recall for Nurse in Edmonton. He might never see the AHL again.

Goal or No Goal?:

So everyone has given their opinion on the McDavid controversy from the end of Sunday night’s game. I hate the call because it prevented Edmonton from tying the game late and from gaining a point in the standings, possibly more. Going back on the road with a 4-5-0 record is a lot different than with a 3-6-0 record.

From some of the angles we have seen, it certainly looks like that is a goal. It’s also worth pointing out that the official right next to the net ruled it as a goal, then changed his ruling, signaling that he wasn’t sure.

My problem is how this was handled. The NHL says it has to be conclusive to overturn, and yet this call was essentially overturned on the ice. If the ref initially called for a goal, that should be his call. If on the review it could not be determined if the puck went in, then the initial call should have stood.

I think the NHL got it wrong and the Oilers lose out because of that. That being said, this is what it is and the Oilers can’t let it be something that lingers with them.

Why The Inconsistency?:

I haven’t been writing as much recently, but I’ve still watched all of the games. I can confidently say that the Oilers look better than last season. Their PK unit has been solid, their goaltending has been average or slightly above, and they’ve looked more structured and overall better as a team. That’s a big step.

That said, Edmonton still has some major roster holes. The defense simply is not good enough, they get exposed way too often and far too easily. Washington tore Edmonton apart with speed and skill, there was nothing guys like Justin Schultz could do to stop them, that’s a problem.

The power-play is an issue too, it simply has not been good this year. That being said, I believe once Jordan Eberle returns, Edmonton will see an uptick in this area.

To the answer the initial question, I think while Edmonton is improved, they are inconsistent because of a tough schedule to start and some major roster deficiencies.

Next Homestand:

After Tuesday’s date in Minnesota, the Oilers will come home to face Montreal, Calgary, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh before heading out for a lengthy road trip. I truly believe that Edmonton will need to win three out of four in that stretch to have it considered a success.

That would put Edmonton right back into the conversation for being a .500 team, and would give this group some much needed confidence. I think it’s possible too, as Calgary is struggling mightily and the Oil have had some success against the Flyers and Habs in recent memory.