Welcome to Friday’s Burning Questions, a weekly feature answering queries submitted by actual readers. The world is packed with stupid people. Walk out your front door, throw a stone in any direction and you’re bound to hit one. However, there are no stupid questions, so get them in by Twitter to @rygarner or e-mail at [email protected].
The Oilers just won, but it didn’t feel like a win. How much credit do the Oilers deserve for beating the Sabres?
Harvey P.
You don’t post YouTube videos of yourself dunking on a six-foot hoop. You don’t call out “I’m the king of the world!” after climbing a flight of stairs. You don’t talk trash after beating a blind guy in a game of hopscotch. You’re an adult, for crying out loud—you don’t even play hopscotch. And you certainly don’t do a happy dance and buy a round for the bar after the Edmonton Oilers beat the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2.
How much credit do the Oilers deserve? Some victories—when you dominate a quality opponent for 60 minutes and the outcome is never in doubt—earn an A+. Other victories—when you score on a fluky goal against a basement-dweller and get relentlessly peppered for the next 58 minutes without giving one up—get an F. After Friday’s win, the typical Oiler fan’s internal struggle might play out like this:
The Oilers snapped a four-game losing streak. I don’t care who they were playing, a win is a win. (A+)
They beat the Sabres, one of the worst teams in modern NHL history. That shouldn’t be celebrated. (F)
Coming off a disheartening loss, they were playing the second of back-to-back games on the road. (A)
It was a white-knuckle win against a team that looks to Drew Stafford as its leading scorer. (D-)
They had 52 shots on goal and 17 blocked. That’s impressive and shows a high compete level. (A-)
Only three goals on 52 shots. The shot quality was poor, and a lack of finish is painfully evident. (D)
They trailed twice in the game, and rallied for the win after falling behind in the third period. (B+)
You should never trail the Sabres twice, or find yourself down a goal to them in the third period. (D+)
They got balanced scoring from depth forwards Iiro Pakarinen, Mark Acrobello and Boyd Gordon. (B)
The grinders had to save their bacon, because the PP struggled and top line didn’t have any points. (C-)
They didn’t barf all over themselves defensively, and Keith Aulie had a pretty decent showing. (B-)
Martin Marincin let Stafford walk right in on the Sabres’ second goal. He belongs in the AHL. (C)
This could go back and forth forever. Just call it good and look ahead to the Rangers on Sunday. (C+)
Rank the current Oilers players from most likely to be shipped away to the least likely. As many or as few as you like.
Aaron B.
This is an interesting exercise, factoring in what the Oilers have (wingers) versus what they need (everything else). I decided to separate players into five different categories, from most likely to be shipped to least likely, and then rank the players within each category. I took into account rumblings I’ve heard around the league, player contract status, team need, salary cap implications, and gut feeling.
Whatever You Do, Don’t Buy My Jersey – Petry, Yakupov, Eberle, Marincin
Given the Oilers’ reluctance to sign him long-term, Petry is the team’s most obvious trading chip. The Yakupov-Eberle debate rages, but #10 goes long before #14, for a lesser return. The team seems to be souring on Marincin a bit, but his upside would be attractive to possible trading partners.
You’ll Forget I Was an Oiler in Three Weeks – Perron, Klefbom, Fasth, Scrivens, Hendricks
I would hate to see Perron go, but it’s a possibility when you look at the team’s structure. Klefbom is in the same boat as Marincin, although I think he’s more secure right now. Flip a coin to ship either goaltender, but I can’t imagine teams being interested. Hendricks looks to be a keeper.
Don’t Look At Me, I Just Got Here – Purcell, Nikitin, Fayne, Pouliot, Draisaitl
I can’t see any of the new arrivals moving. Purcell is the obvious one in the group because he isn’t signed to an exorbitant long-term deal, just the same exorbitant short-term deal as Nikitin. Fayne is here forever, nobody would touch Pouliot for that kind of term, and Draisaitl is the future.
No Other Team in the NHL Wants Me – Arcobello, Aulie, Acton, Pakarinen, Joensuu
There’s a good chance each one of these guys clears waivers. In fact, some of them already have. Joensuu might not deserved to be lumped in with the bunch, but he hasn’t established the same reputation as a veteran guy like Hendricks. Hard to see anyone here moving.
Go Ahead, Name a Son or Daughter After Me – Schultz, Gordon, Ference, Nugent-Hopkins, Hall
These guys are completely untouchable. Schultz is supposed to be the wunderkind, and the organization will never give up on him after he personally chose to come to Edmonton. Gordon and Ference are heart and soul players. Your great grandchildren will know who RNH and Hall are.
Hi Ryan, what are your picks for every game this Sunday? I mean the winners of every game in the NHL, NFL, NBA, darts, etc.
C-Flo
Time to channel my inner Jimmy the Greek. Here are the winners for everything going on in the wide world of sports on Sunday. And just to follow suit with the Oilers goaltenders, who Drew Remenda describes as being “terrifically accountable,” I’ll check back in on Monday with a full recap of the results.
NHL
Edmonton-
New York Rangers
Tampa Bay-
Detroit
Toronto-
Ottawa
San Jose-Chicago
Vancouver-Anaheim
NFL
Kansas City-Buffalo
Miami-
Detroit
Dallas-Jacksonville
San Francisco-
New Orleans
Tennessee-
Baltimore
Pittsburgh-New York Jets
Atlanta-Tampa Bay
Denver-Oakland
St. Louis-
Arizona
New York Giants-
Seattle
Chicago-
Green Bay
NBA
Orlando-
Brooklyn
Utah-
Detroit
Sacramento-
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia-
Toronto
Miami-
Dallas
Golden State-Phoenix
Denver-
Portland
Charlotte-Los Angeles Lakers
Golf
WGC-HSBC Champions: Rickie Fowler
NASCAR
Quicken Loans Race For Heroes 500: Matt Kenseth
Soccer
Sunderland-
Everton
Tottenham-Stoke City
West Bromwich-
Newcastle
Swansea City-
Arsenal
Tennis
Barclays ATP World Tour Finals
Nishikori-Murray
Federer-Raonic
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