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G31: Oilers @ Avalanche - Too Much Partying?

December 11, 2018, 2:42 PM ET [176 Comments]
Sean Maloughney
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT

It seems strange to be discussing Andrew Ference, 4 years after he has been removed from the team, yet here we are.

Andrew Ference was on Friedman's "31 Thoughts" podcast, and he did not skimp on his words describing what things were like during his tenure in Edmonton.

“I think that the quickness that radio or newspaper or fans jump and attack their own guys is horrible. I think that the (lack of) quickness to defend players within the organization. I remember Jeff Petry or Schultz getting raked over the coals and nobody coming to defend them and just trading them after they’ve beaten them down for months, then trading them. It’s like, ‘God.’ It’s not just for those guys but it’s for other guys on the team, you’re looking at it and saying, ‘They don’t have his back. Are they going to have mine when it’s my turn to be the whipping boy?’”


This is not surprising to hear. Neither Petry, nor Schultz were given any insulation upon coming to the Oilers. Both were thrown into positions they were not ready for, and certain media people berated them for not immediately playing like top players. Both men have gone on to have successful seasons with other teams; Schultz has struggled with injuries but has posted crooked numbers in Pittsburgh, and Petry is a top 4 right shot defenceman in Montreal.... Lord knows Edmonton could use either player right now.

The next quote is the one that has people talking...

“You had a group of players that talked about how they wanted to make the playoffs, and talked about how sick they were of losing, and then by Game Three after losing 6-1, they’re straight out to the bar to three in the morning, lighting up the night life scene in Edmonton. Like, come on, give me a break. It was to the point where it was ridiculous where the lifestyle was way more important than actually playing the game and making the playoffs.


The players Ference is discussing here surely included Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent Hopkins, as this is not the first time we have heard stories about how 20 year olds like to party.

Give me a break.

Between the years of 2013-2016 when Andrew Ference was playing for the Oilers (and the 2015/2016 season he only played 6 games) here is the breakdown of those players games and production.

Taylor Hall: 210 games played - 183 points
Jordan Eberle: 230 games played - 175 points
Ryan Nugent Hopkins: 211 games played - 146 points

Were there issues in the locker room between older players and these guys? Undoubtedly. Were these players actions the reason the team was not a playoff team? Absolutely not.

The Oilers of the Tambellini and MacT eras were bad teams because there was no insulation surrounding these young players, a revolving door of goaltenders, and a self proclaimed "#4 or #5 defenceman" in Andrew Ference was playing top pairing minutes.

Remember Anton Belov? Will Acton? Nikita Nikitin? These were bad teams.

I have met Ference on several occasions and he has always come off as an intelligent and well spoken individual, however I disagree with his assessment here.

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Moving on to things that matter, the Oilers play the Avalanche tonight.

Colorado has the most top-heavy lineup in the entire league, yet to their credit and some above average goaltending, they are tied with the Nashville Predators for first in the Central Division.

Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen have combined for 49 goals this season and a total of 127 points thus far this season. Meanwhile the current Oilers top line of Chiasson-McDavid-Draisaitl has combined for 43 goals and 90 points. Nobody had Rantanen selected at the beginning of the year as an Art Ross player, yet he leads the league right now with 48 points.

Via DailyFaceOff, Colorado's current second line is Jost-Compher-Wilson. That line has combined for 18 goals and a total of 30 points. Edmonton's current second line of Khaira-RNH-Puljujarvi has 11 goals and a total of 38 points.

Both teams rely heavily on their top lines; it could likely be forward lines 2-4 that are the difference makers tonight. I hope the Oilers players were in bed last night by 10PM and fell asleep with a warm glass of milk, listening to Enya.

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LINEUPS

OILERS


Chiasson-McDavid-Draisaitl
Khaira-RNH-Puljujarvi
Lucic-Brodziak-Kassian
Zykov-Spooner-Rattie

Klefbom-Larsson
Nurse-Russell
Gravel-Benning

Koskinen

- No official word yet as to the Oilers lineup for tonight, but it seems likely they will go with the exact same roster, including the goaltender who just posted a shutout.

AVALANCHE

Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen
Jost-Compher-Andrighetto
Nieto-Soderberg-Calvert
Greer-Wilson-Borque

Girard-Johnson
Cole-Barrie
Nemeth-Zadorov

Varlamov

- A couple of updates here. Kerfoot was slotted on the second line but is now listed as day to day. Andrighetto will slot up onto the second line and recent call-up A.J. Greer will play on the fourth line.

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4 KEYS TO VICTORY

1) Don't Take Penalties... At All....
The Avalanche are 3rd in the league for total goals scored, yet they sit 11th in even strength scoring. That is because they are 3rd in powerplay goals. Rantanen, Landeskog, and MacKinnon each have 5 powerplay goals to their name; an undisciplined effort from Edmonton will get ugly fast.

2) Young, Skilled 4th Lines. Kerfoot (24), Andrighetto (25), and Borrque (28) are Colorado's 4th line. Borque has been around for awhile, but Kerfoot is in only his second NHL season, and Andrighetto has bounced between the AHL and NHL through his career. Edmonton meanwhile will be icing Zykov (23), Spooner (26), and Rattie (25). Both lines consist of offense first players, who have achieved success by complimenting top end players; they now find themselves having to drive their own line. The Zykov-Spooner-Rattie pairing has been great in the possession department and I have a hunch they will pot one tonight.

3) Those 1 Goal Games. Since the beginning of November Coloardo has 8 losses; four of those have been decided by a single goal, while the other four were decided by 3 goals or more. The Avalanche last two losses have been a 7-1 loss to Tampa, and a 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh. A start similar to how Edmonton opened against Minnesota would go a long way in shutting them down for the game.

4) Nuge's Wingers. Jujhar Khaira has quietly collected 5 points (1G,4A) in his last 5 games. Since being promoted to the second line, we have seen more of the Khaira that was so successful last season. He is engaged in the play and is tenacious at fore-checking. Meanwhile Puljujarvi has not hit the score-sheet but has done a number of small things really well. Hitchcock trusted Jesse to play in the last minutes of the Calgary game and he made a great move to block a shot and use his stick to get the puck out of the zone. Other aspects of his game are improving and hopefully we can see that translate into more offense soon.
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FILM OF THE DAY


Andrew Ference may not appreciate this movie, but I can keep a secret if you can. Party on Wayne, it's Wayne's World.



*Ference quotes taken from this article
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