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Edmonton Oilers

Forget my earlier post -- this guy is from Saskatchewan and that's all you need to know -- tote that bale, wrangle that steer, make the women weep -- we Sask-boys know how to get'er done.-- go Kris go!!!
 
I was a big fan of Jay Woodcroft, it might sound crazy but I do believe he was our best coach since Glen Sather. I think our current record is a reflection of a very unlucky month more-so than his abilities as a coach. Holland himself mentioned he didn't feel that Jay had lost the room, and considering the way the players played for him in the game against Seattle I don't think he had lost it either. He was a very good coach for us and I know he will be for the next team that snags him up as well, wish him the best.

I've seen a lot of people saying how dumb the organization is for firing him, to me it's the simple business of hockey. We have a team that is supposed to be a cup contender and found themselves tied last in the standings, the coach being fired was inevitable.

I also do like the new hire, while I agree there isn't a ton of sense in firing our young homegrown coach and then hiring another young coach in Chris Knoblauch, I'm glad they did it. I wouldn't have been opposed to 1 year of a highly experienced NHL coach to ride the ship and get the team back on track, but I wouldn't want anyone available at the moment for more than this season. Chris Knoblauch was 2nd on my list of coaches I wanted behind Jay Woodcroft after the Dave Tippett firing, this isn't just a hiring of McDavids junior coach to appease to him as some have suggested, I believe he will be good for us. I also don't hate hiring Paul Coffey as the assistant, it's no secret he's been looking to get into the coaching game, he was going to get this position with another team if one didn't suddenly become available with us. I can't help but get the feeling of that "old boys club" hearing his name though.
 
1-0 Islanders 40 seconds in.

Terrible Draisaitl pass in the offensive zone ends up in a scoring chance on us and a few shots in the first 30 seconds.

Then on the next shift McDavid starts skating up the ice before the puck is anywhere near safely out of our zone leaving Barzal free and clear in a spot he's not going to miss - and didn't.

What is up with these two superstars so far.

Let's go Oilers.
 
I very weak start, but things came alive after two.

Nice to see 29 and 97 looking like they want to be there and engaged.

Skinner had a strong game, but I still do not get how we give up that many shots and chances to a team like that.

Needlesstosay, a W is a W.
 
Edmonton's got some work to do...
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I was at the game last night. It was nice to get a win. The defense seemed tighter in that game and Stu played very well. I think overall though, that was definitely not one of the stronger games the Oilers have played this season despite the favorable result. I'm sure things will start to stabilize more in the coming days as players get used to the subtleties of Knoblauch's system. I had trouble picking out their defensive system, but I think it's still the Box + 1. Overall, the Oilers came out and after a disappointing goal to give up in the first 30 seconds of the game, they really started to take over as the 1st period went on. The second was all Islanders though, the Oilers struggled to establish offensive zone possession and the shot clock reflected it. However they bent but didn't break. The defense was getting in lanes to block passes and coverage was pretty strong. Stu was able to clean up the rest. While the 2nd was definitely their worst period I think it was great to see this team actually shut down the opponent a little bit, they weren't getting their own chances but they weren't giving up Grade-A's either. 3rd period was pretty even, but the Oilers powerplay finally broke through, leading to the win.

Overall I think everything went fairly well: goaltending was solid, defense was good and Connor and Leon were finally scoring. They just didn't really dominate this game the way we know they can and if they can play as well as they did tonight defensively and in goal and manage to put up some for shots and get some more zone time, the rest of the NHL should be wary. Still very sad about Woodcroft being let go but I hope for the team (and my own sanity) Knoblauch ends up being very good.
 
Holloway is expected to miss "a few months" according to Jason Gregor. Terrible news for a young player that was starting to really find his game in the last little while. I'm wondering who they will bring up to replace him. Maybe Erne or Bourgeault? Or maybe they'll use his LTIR money to sign someone.
 
IanO said:
I'd like to thank the kind stranger who gave my 7 year old nephew a brand new #97 jersey out of the blue and it was the perfect size.

THANK YOU

I've told him to pay it forward.
Click to expand...
2 Seasons ago I was at the Rangers game where McDavid went through the entire team and scored the tying goal late and then Leon won it in OT. A guy gave me his pretty much brand new McDavid alternate 2-tone jersey that he said didn't fit him. It was in perfect shape and I still often wear it to games and ODR skating.
 
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