The Flames are an awful hockey team. So why do we keep losing to them?
It helps when your defense bothers to show up. At least two of the goals against the Oilers on Saturday were caused by brutal plays by Jeff Petry in the defensive zone. As bad as Petry played, there is plenty of humble pie to go around. The Oilers D looked scrambled and uncertain for most of the game. Have I mentioned yet how the Oilers need to make a deal to bring in a legit Top 4 guy?
One thing we are finding out quickly is how important Taylor Hall is to this hockey team. Hall's missed four games with a bad shoulder, and the Oilers are 1-2-1 during that stretch. The one win they did get was a game they lost for two periods, and it was against the worst team in the league. Edmonton has been at home for all four games, and the opposition for all four were beatable. Don't give me any of this, "the Minnesota Wild are the best team in the league," business. They really aren't. I don't care what the stats say. Unless the Oilers are playing against the Bruins, Wings, or Penguins, I expect the Oilers to challenge for the win in every game. They should be 4-0 during this stretch; not 1-2-1.
It did occur to me while watching tonight's fiasco that perhaps I've set my sights to high. It's an honest mistake. During October, the Oilers looked like a great team, and I became a huge optimist. Right now, they don't look like the worst team in the league, but they certainly aren't scaring the opposition. It seems a little obvious to me that teams have caught on to Edmonton's D not being very good, and that the Oilers make mistakes when you pressure them. In a way, the Oilers would be better against something like a patient 1-3-1 than against an aggressive team that forechecks hard with two or more forwards. The Oilers need to make some coaching adjustments and fast, as they play too predictably.
Taylor Hall's biggest flaw (being a lovable puck hog) is the team's greatest asset: He lives to carry the puck through the neutral zone and into the opposition's end. He does it with reckless abandon, and often, he gets physically clobbered because of it. The Oilers need him because the defense can't successfully make a pass out of their own zone and longer than 15 feet in any direction. How many quality chances did the Flames get thanks to a horrible pass attempt from the D to the forwards? If Hall was there carrying the puck, there would be no pass attempt to go wrong.
There were some bright spots in the game. Sam Gagner finally got a goal. The Nuge kept up his scoring pace. The 4th line contributed offensively, and that is always a bonus. Edmonton almost tied the game with less than 2 minutes left. Ryan Smyth accidentally blocked a shot that was going into an open net, and then he was absolutely robbed by Miikka Kiprusoff with a save he couldn't repeat again in a million years. Nikolai Khabibulin was brilliant at times, and this game would have been an absolute massacre if it wasn't for him. All of this makes it sound like the Oilers weren't terrible, but keep in mind how bad the Flames are, and that the plentiful talent on the Oilers should mop the floor with them consistently.
For most of the game, the Oilers stunk. There is no nice way to say it. This wasn't a hockey game, it was an embarrassment. I've seen pee-wee games played with more caution and attention to detail. Inexcusable. I'm thinking the Oilers players themselves would tell you it was inexcusable, too.
Aside from pointing out how bad the defense continues to play, allow me to also point out the Oilers are too small up front. While I love what Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle, Sam Gagner, Ales Hemsky and others bring from an offensive stand-point, the Flames battled them off the puck constantly throughout the game. Nuge's line in particular couldn't do anything to stop the Flames inside the defensive zone. The Oilers need to get some beef in the Top 9.
I'll end this blog with some questions for you good folks to give your opinions on. I'm asking for your input in part because it amuses me, and in part because I can't figure out what the heck Oilers management and coaches are doing right now. Maybe one of you can explain this to me.
- Why is Eric Belanger on the Oilers powerplay? He isn't good offensively. I am not saying he doesn't have value...great on the face-off, and a solid penalty killer...but he's not a weapon. I'm actually not convinced he's anything more than a 4th line forward at this point.
- Is the goal this year to make the playoffs or not? This team has some obvious deficiencies. So is the plan to make the playoffs by ignoring the deficiencies, or was saying the Oilers were chasing the playoffs just an empty threat to encourage ticket sales?
- How much longer are we going to have to see Jeff Petry before the team figures out he's not NHL-ready? Bring up Kirill Tulupov. Yes, he's not a great defenseman, but at least he's violent. The Oilers need more cowbell.
- Why am I all-of-a-sudden hearing praise for Theo Peckham? I heard it on CBC tonight, on Sportsnet the night before, and from Oilers radio daily. What is Peckham bringing to the team right now? He's not great defensively, not a great skater, can't pass the puck...but suddenly, he's playing well and his an important part of the team? Check the stats: Oilers are one of the worst teams defensively over the last 10 games. Peckham might not be the problem, but he certainly isn't the solution. I would rather see Cam Barker right now, put it to you that way.
- Are Ales Hemsky and Ryan Whitney still hurt? Because if they are, it's not in the Oilers best interest to be playing them. Yes, I know, we need them playing...but if they get hurt again because they've come back too soon, that would be worse. Both players don't look right to me.
- Can we mix up the lines a bit, please? Put Paajarvi with Nuge and Eberle. Put Gagner back at center and play him with Hemsky and Hall (FYI: He'll be back for the next game). Move Horcoff to the third line and give him Smyth and Jones to play with again. I liked that line. The Oilers won games when that line was together. Move Belanger to the 4th line with Petrell and Hordichuk. When Anton Lander is healthy, consider moving someone to get a defenseman. At this point, I'd suggest moving Belanger, to be honest. I don't really want to give up on Gagner, and Hemsky's value will go up if he can continue getting points. Belanger really hasn't done much for me so far this season, and a few teams would be interested in him.
The Oilers next sleepy effort is on Wednesday against another very beatable team, the Carolina Hurricanes. It should be an easy Oilers win. So let's see how the Oil can screw this one up.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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