The Edmonton Oilers played their worst game of the season Sunday evening, falling 4-1 to the Colorado Avalanche.
It was a game the host squad was never really in. The set-back drops the Oilers W-L record back down to .500 (8-8-1), the team itself out of a playoff spot, and extends the Oilers losing streak to 4. Speaking of 4…this was also the fourth consecutive game that the club spotted their opposition a deuce and were forced to try and come all of the way back. That’s obviously gotta stop.
Offensively the Oilers fought the puck just about every time they touched it. The Power Play blew a chance in the 1st Period to respond to the 1-0, only managing 1 shot. Then the man advantage had another opportunity to build some momentum after the 4-1 but again came up dry.
Defensively, they were absolutely eaten alive in the slot. Coverage was poor, made worse by numerous examples of players cheating for offence. And Cam Talbot was bad.
Here’s the tale of the tape. And let me warn you…it ain’t pretty, folks.
Edmonton Oilers Player Grades
CAM TALBOT. 2. Allowed the first goal of the game a brutal :26 in, off an ugly rebound. No chance on the 2nd goal, but on the 3rd…Talbot first lost his post, managed to swat a shot down with his glove, and then served it into his own net for the 3-0. That was all she wrote for Talbot…pulled after 3 goals on 15 shots in 25 minutes. Was far from the only passenger in this game. But at some point you need a save at a key time. And it’s been a while (Chicago, really) since Cam came up with one of those. Becoming an issue.
MIKKO KOSKINEN. 6. Was solid in relief of Talbot, stopping 12 of 13. Koskinen’s best was good indeed: A terrific glove save on Nathan MacKinnon late in the 3rd Period. Given Talbot’s struggles and the club’s dire need to snap out of this funk PDQ I would start Koskinen against Montreal. To hell with loyalty.
CONNOR McDAVID. 4. Victimized on the first Avalanche goal where 97 was soft on the back-check. That was the NHL’s leading scorer Mikko Rantanen, who drilled home his 6th. Wrong guy to lose track of. The Stats guys only tagged McDavid with 1 turnover but I counted 3. No points, struggled on a Power Play that fired blanks, 2 shots, -1 and just 44% in the face-off circle. Flat out-played by the MacKinnon line. Won’t likely see that happen often.
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 3. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is such a quality player with a sterling attitude and worth ethic. It is so rare to see him have a bad game. But he sure did tonight, and at the end of the evening looked frustrated. 2 shots, 3 hits, set up the bang-bang chance for Draisaitl in the slot in the 3rd. Uncharacteristic multiple mistakes committed in the 2nd and 3rd Periods.
TY RATTIE. 4. Rescued what would have been a below-average game with a lovely tip in front off a shot by Adam Larsson for the Oilers only goal of the night. Prior to that, though, Rattie had not been meshing at all with McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins. He was also part of an inneffective Power Play. 2 shots, 3 hits.
OSCAR KLEFBOM. 3. The top D-pairing that has been so very good for the Oilers so far this season was dominated tonight, and neither player was good at all. A soft give-away at his own blue-line on his first shift was rapidly turned in the other direction and into his own net for the 1-0. Klefbom also failed to box out his man on the 3-0. 0 Shots, 0 Hits, 0 Blocks. Schooled in possession stats. His weakest effort of the season to date.
ADAM LARSSON. 4. Adam Larsson really struggled with the impressive speed of the Colorado Avalanche. Got crossed up on the 1-0 and abandoned his man, returning to him too late to prevent the puck from going into the slot for the Grade “A” scoring chance. Pucks were grenades on his stick, apart from the one he directed on net that Rattie re-directed for the 4-1. Larsson never lets up, but tonight was not his night.
LEON DRAISAITL. 3. Was off most of the night, and nearly invisible for the 1st 2 Periods. It was Draisaitl’s turnover in the 2nd Period that sent the puck in the other direction for the 4-0. The Oilers best chance outside of the Rattie goal was a slick Connor MacDavid-Nugent-Hopkins feed on the power play. Draisaitl got all of it from the slot, but so did Semyon Varlamov who darted a toe out to stone him. If that puck goes in and it’s 4-2, the Oilers would have had a chance. They didn’t and…they didn’t.
TOBIAS RIEDER. 3. His quietest game as a member of the Oilers. Lost his check on the 4-0 goal. 1 shot and 1 hit in 15:15.
ALEX CHIASSON. 4. The effort was there but the execution was not. Had 4 hits in 12:21 and was -1.
DARNELL NURSE. 5. For the most part this D-pairing held its own in a lopsided game. A shot and a hit for Darnell Nurse. But he also served up a couple presents to the opposition. And he was in chase mode far too often in his own zone. A hooking call left his teammates short-handed for 2:00. Not great but others were far worse.
KRIS RUSSELL. 6. While it was far from a perfect night for veteran Kris Russell, he was certainly the best of a bad lot. A shot, 4 hits, 2 blocks and drew a penalty in 18:02. And when you glance at the possession stats he and Darnell Nurse came out of the night well ahead of things (Russell CF% REL of 17.72, 18-8).
RYAN STROME. 3. Practically Invisible. And when you glance from his name across the stat sheet tonight it reflects that. 0 points. Minus-1. 1 hit. 0 Blocks. 0 takeaway’s. Decent on the dot (63%) but need to be a lot better at everything else.
MILAN LUCIC. 5. Milan Lucic was one of the few Oilers that showed a pulse. Earned a well-deserved assist on the Rattie goal by first retrieving the puck off of the wall and then sending a crisp pass across to Larsson for the point shot. Lucic has been better the last few games so it was good to see him rewarded with a point.
DRAKE CAGGIULA. 4. Drake Caggiula made a key defensive error when he lost his man (Carl Soderburg) on the 2-0. That obscured what was actually otherwise a decent enough outing. Caggiula had 3 shots and 2 hits, and split time between Ryan Strome’s flank early and Connor McDavid’s late.
JASON GARRISON. 4. Jason Garrison and Matt Benning both gave way too much ground on the 2-0 goal. Fans in that end of the ice surely heard the back-up signals going off on that play and others. It seemed Garrison was left turning in circles in his own end on numerous fire drills in the Oilers zone. A shot, a hit. Served up a nasty give-away early in the game. His 15:44 was a season high.
MATT BENNING. 4. A high event game for Matt Benning who had a few bright moments and who has been much better lately. But there were equal parts chaos tonight. On one hand Benning had 5 shots and is looking far more confident with the puck. On the other, he had issues with his gap management and was exposed wide on a couple of occasions too.
KYLE BRODZIAK, 6. Kyle Brodziak centered the Oilers best line on Sunday evening and it wasn’t even close. Saved a goal with a terrific stick-lift in the 2nd frame in front of his own net. Stripped a couple of pucks to help create chances in the other direction. 2 hits. 60% in the face-off circle. Played with purpose.
JUJHAR KHAIRA. 6. Inserted back into the lineup and was really good. Skated well and seemed much more confident with the puck. Part of that is Khaira making smart decisions and making short little passes in tight spots. Was very physical (3 hits) and also had a good couple shifts on the PK. Good for him.
ZACK KASSIAN. 7. The best of the Edmonton Oilers in this game by a wide gap. Had a good chance early created by his own for-check. It was one of 4 shots on the evening for Kassian, who skated very well and usually arrived at his destination in ill-humor which is just the Zack Kassian you want. Generated a number of dangerous cycles in the Colorado end. 3 hits and a take-away in 14:58. Good game.
The Oilers will try to stop the bleeding at home to Montreal on Tuesday.
Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins
Recently, at The Cult…
STAPLES: Iiro Pakarinen speaks out on his experience with Oilers
McCURDY: Puljujarvi, Yamamoto to Bakersfield
LEAVINS; Weekly “9 Things” column
EDMONTON - Mikko Rantanen, Carl Soderberg and Tyson Barrie each had a goal and an assist as the Colorado Avalanche were in full control during a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.
Cam Talbot stopped 12-of-15 shots in 25:06 of work before being replaced in Edmonton's net by Mikko Koskinen, who turned aside 12-of-13 shots.
Ty Rattie responded for the Oilers (8-8-1), who have lost four games in a row.
It didn't take long for Colorado's top line to be heard from, scoring just 26 seconds into the game when Rantanen fluttered the rebound of a Nathan MacKinnon shot past Talbot for his sixth goal of the season and 25th point.
Soderberg scored on a long point shot through traffic to give Colorado a 2-0 lead with 4:27 remaining in the opening period.
The Avs added to their lead with a power-play goal five minutes into the second period when Kerfoot was allowed three whacks at the puck from the side of the net before scoring. That brought Koskinen in to replace Talbot, who allowed three goals on 15 shots.
Colorado kept coming with another goal midway through the second period, as Rantanen fed it in front for Barrie, who scored his first goal of the season. Rantanen regained the lead in the NHL scoring race on the play.
Edmonton broke Varlamov's shutout bid midway through the third when Rattie tipped home a Adam Larsson point shot.
The Oilers remain at home to face the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, while the Avalanche return to Denver to take on the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
What do we take from Pakarinen’s comments, especially in relation to Puljujarvi? Hmm
This in from Ilari Savonen, a reporter for the biggest private TV network in Finland, his interview with Finnish forward Iiro Pakarinen, where the former Oilers forward criticizes the Oilers coaching staff and organization for a failure to communicate with players, especially when it comes to giving players reasons they’re not being played, something Pakarinen experienced quite often in his four years in the Oilers organization.
Savonen was questioning Pakarinen in the context of the team sending down Jesse Puljujarvi to the minors.
I’ve used two Internet translation services, Google and etranslator, as well as a Finnish translation from Rambokala on Reddit and also a translation from Oilers fan Kultrakutri, who looked at the text upon my request, for which I thank her.
According to the Reddit translation, which is in line with the other translations, Pakarinen says the following of the Oilers coaching staff: “They don’t say anything or talk to you about why you’re not playing. At least the Oilers never did. That’s what annoyed me the most… Coach never gives you a reason or reasons. You have to figure it out why you’re sitting in the pressbox by yourself. Also in general the coach and GM talked to us very little. It’s almost like they have some top secret information. I think it’s unfathomable… Communication should be more open, like it is in Europe. Here it goes like it should. In the NHL it feels like the coach is one great ego. Of course the coach will talk to the players about random things, but never about anything personal or things related to your own game.”
Pakarinen said he could not comment on whether this was an issue with Puljujarvi.
My take
This could be sour grapes from Pakarinen, a player who was in and out of the line-up here and failed to stick. This could also be a fair and accurate criticism of the Oilers coaches, including head coach Todd McLellan. It’s crucial to note that both things could be true to some extent at the same time. At the Oilers practice on Saturday, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported McLellan addressing whether or not Puljujarvi would be sent to the minors: “… depends on where we are in schedule and what they’re doing down there, we want a confident set of players and if he can’t gain that confidence or that traction here, maybe the best answer is somewhere else but those decisions will be made as we go forward.” Of course, a few hours later both Puljujarvi and Yamamoto, 20-year-old forwards, were went to the minors. The development of Puljujarvi has been full of lows but also some highs. It was just a few weeks ago that Puljujarvi was flying high after helping the Oilers in a comeback win over the Jets. That got him promoted to a top line with Leon Draisaitl, where his game fell apart somewhat and Alex Chiasson took his spot. He’s looked increasingly tentative since then and the coach pressboxed him for a time. In the pressbox, he was reportedly sitting with asst. coach Manny Viveiros and getting constant tips on how to handle various situations. I like Puljujarvi’s two-way play at the NHL better than many fans — and certainly better than most team insiders. The insiders portray a player who is immature, not fitting in so well with his teammates, uncertain of where to go on the ice, scared to play on a big line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and not wanted on that big line by his teammates. Is this how the coaches see Puljujarvi? I believe it is. But I see a big, mobile and skilled attacker who plays a decent defensive and attacking game. At the same time, it’s clear that Puljujarvi needs to play with more bite, use his body more, attack with more confidence, check with more hustle. He seems to cruise around now as if he expects to have no major impact on the play. He’s become the opposite of a take charge player. I can see why coaches are frustrated with his play, in that his toolkit is amazing but he does indeed seem to play without confidence and determination. Of course, it’s also the job of the coach to build up the confidence of a player, and this is where Pakarinen’s comment relates. Is the Oilers coaching staff doing enough to communicate with young players, to build up their skills, to give them clear instruction on what their role is and how they need to improve, to teach them the skills on how to improve> And is the overall philosophy of the Oilers coaching staff conducive to developing young offensive talent? Again, I’m no insider, I’m not on the practice ice or in the dressing room, so it’s not possible for me to know the answers here. Pakarinen was on that ice and in that room, though, so we can put some weight on what he has to say. How much weight? That’s difficult to know. In the end, Puljujarvi has not yet thrived as a North American pro. I believe he will do so one day, and maybe even one day soon, but it’s going to take a huge effort from him, his coaches and the organization. It’s also going to take some time and patience, which are in short supply at the NHL level. For example, if McLellan doesn’t have a real. 500 won-loss record by the end of November, if his team isn’t fully in the playoff race at that time, he could well be out of a job. It’s either winning or misery in the NHL, and McLellan reasonably wants to avoid more misery. He seems to be going with veterans in his effort to win. So while a fan like me might like to see players like Puljujarvi, Yamamoto, Tyler Benson and Cooper Marody on a Kid Line, with underperforming vets like Kyle Brodziak and Zack Kassian sitting, that’s not how the coach calculates his best chances of winning. In the end, McLellan will pay with his job if he fails, so who can blame him for going with his own head and gut? How could he not do so? Whatever team insiders say about Puljujarvi and his failings, if he doesn’t make it with the Oilers that is not only on the player, it’s also on McLellan and Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli in a big way. The onus is on those two hockey men to figure out how to get the most out of this player. If they fail to do so, let’s not pretend it’s anything other than a failure for them as well. Yes, it could well be that like a Nail Yakupov or a Jason Bonsignore, Puljujarvi just isn’t cut out for the NHL. But from what I’ve seen of his talents, I don’t buy that assessment. He’s got the ability to be a strong two-way NHLer, it’s simply up to him, his coaches and the Oilers organization to bear down and bring that out of him. Next stop is Bakersfield, where we can only hope he gets 20 or 21 minutes per night, not the 16 minutes he got in previous stints down there. That would mean using JP on the top PP, the top PK and the top line. It’s to time to roll with this player, to challenge him, to give him all the ice he needs and see what he can do with it for the next 30 or 40 games. Any other course of action at the AHL level would be a major organizational failure.
At the Cult
LEAVINS: 9 Things on the Oilers heading into Avs game
McCURDY: Oilers (finally) send Puljujarvi, Yamamoto to AHL
STAPLES: Can Cooper Marody make a bigger contribution in Edmonton
According to Oscar Klefbom, they don’t have a designated day to honour military veterans in Sweden, but the Edmonton Oilers defenceman appreciates what Remembrance Day means to Canadians.
Klefbom’s grandfather was a high-ranking member of the Swedish army.
“Back home it’s not that big of a deal,” Klefbom said. “In Finland it’s a big thing because everyone has to serve in the military and all the hockey players had served, but back home it’s not a big thing anymore, and unfortunately, we don’t have something like this, and I wish we did.
“It’s kind of cool to show some respect for my grandfather over here now.”
Folke Klefbom passed away before he could see his grandson play in the NHL, but the two were close in Sweden.
“This (Remembrance Day) is a pretty cool thing for me,” Klefbom said. “He was a big influence to me growing up. I wish he would have seen me when I started playing professional hockey and saw where I was going. It’s pretty cool to honour him now.”
While preparing for the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, the Oilers took time to recognize the sacrifices made by members of the military.
“It’s an important day for all of us in our organization, players, management, staff, everybody recognizes the sacrifice that our military here in Canada and around the world,” said Oilers head coach Todd McLellan. “It allows us an opportunity to live the way we do in a great city like Edmonton and the freedoms that we have and we are very appreciative of that. We realize that we play a game for a living. We’re still under scrutiny, we’re in front of you (media) every day, but that’s a lot different than being under scrutiny in the middle of a battle. We play it, they work it and we’re very appreciative of that.”
Email: dvandiest@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @DerekVanDiest
