Oilers v. Capitals - 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
by Scott Reynolds on Oct 27, 2011 4:30 PM MDT
in Game-Day Threads
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PrintPlease don't forget, dear fans, how hard we've worked for you. We toil night and day to earn a better living for ourselves, and so that we will no longer be a burden to you when the name of your favorite hockey team comes up in casual conversation. You yourselves are witnesses - and so is God! - of our improvement this season. And you know that we have treated all of you as friends by responding to your messages on Twitter and granting an audience to many females after each game. So tonight we encourage you, urge you, even plead with you to cheer in a way that God considers worthy. For he has called you to solidarity with us even when we are overwhelmed because he knows that by sharing in each moment of the building of this team, you will also have a full share in the glory that is to come.
This is why we never stop thanking God that when you heard that our team was not financially viable over the long term, you didn't understand those words as simple human thoughts. You accepted that what was said was the word of God - which, of course, it is - and now this word will continue to work in all those who believe.
Washington Capitals (7-0-0) @ Edmonton Oilers (4-2-2)
Rexall Place, 7:30 p.m. MDT
Television: TSN
More analysis after the jump...
Visiting Team Scouting Report:
The Washington Capitals are off to a pretty heady start with seven consecutive wins - the last one a 7-1 drubbing of the Red Wings on Saturday night - but the shots data at even strength isn't quite as flattering as you might expect. In their first seven games, the Capitals have a Fenwick percentage of just 50.7% (+247 -240) at even strength (excluding empty net situations), and just 48.0% (+171 -185) when Alex Ovechkin is sitting on the bench. Of course, that differential implies a dominant Fenwick percentage with Ovechkin on the ice (+76 -55 for 58.0%). When I first saw that, I immediately checked Ovechkin's zone-start ratio, since you'd probably expect one of the league's best offensive players to get many more starts there than the rest of the team, which would help to explain the gap. But that isn't really the case. Ovechkin has started twenty-eight times in both the offensive and defensive zone, which puts him in the middle of the pack. The guy is just a dominant force. A dominant force that will line up against Ryan Jones if Tom Renney continues his practice of matching lines. So... should be fun!
Expected Lineups:
Edmonton Oilers (4-2-2):
Smyth - Horcoff - Jones
Hall - Nugent-Hopkins - Eberle
Paajarvi - Belanger - Gagner
Eager - Lander - Petrell
Smid - Gilbert
Peckham - Potter
Sutton - Barker
Khabibulin
Washington Capitals (7-0-0):
Ovechkin - Backstrom - Brouwer
Semin - Johansson - Knuble
Chimera - Laich - Ward
Hendricks - Halpern - Perreault
Alzner - Carlson
Hamrlik - Wideman
Schultz - Collins
Vokoun
By the Numbers:
- The Oilers have some conflicting data right now with regard to their play at even strength. The team has earned 52.9% of the goals and 52.6% of the scoring chances, but just 48.3% of the Fenwick events and 45.7% of the Corsi events. These numbers all tend to come together over the long term, so it will be very interesting to see where things settle.
- With Jordan Eberle off the schneid, Magnus Paajarvi is the team's new "shots on goal without a goal" leader. Paajarvi has been credited with 17 shots on goal so far, good enough for 20th in the NHL among players who have yet to score.
- But Paajarvi's got nothing on Ladislav Smid. Smid's career shooting percentage of 1.8% is the seventh-worst among players who began their careers in the 1967-68 season or later (which is when they began assigning shots on goal to individual players) and who played at least 300 career regular season games. But Smid has a long way to go if he hopes to pass Christian Laflamme. The former Oiler had a terrible 0.8% career shooting percentage, which means that Smid will need to take 272 shots without a single goal in order to catch him. But that's not to say he can't do it; Smid is currently riding a streak of 110 consecutive games and 71 consecutive shots without a goal.
- The Oilers have held the lead after the first period four times so far this season. They lost the game all four times (0-2-2), missing out on six points in the standings. Last season, the team also surrendered six points in games where they held the lead after the first period with a record of 15-1-4.
- The line of Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is getting put into optimal offensive situations, which often leads to a lot of cautioning about how good they really are in places like this. That kind of caution sometimes loses track of how well they're doing with that time. All three guys are at or close to a point per game, and they have a wide lead on the rest of the team's forwards in Corsi numbers as well. So while it's important to know that they're getting sheltered, it's equally important to remember that they're having success and that their success is one of the biggest factors in the Oilers' recent ability to win some games.
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I just hope Renney has enough sense to keep the NHL’s youngest player away from arguably the NHL’s best (non-concussed) player.
He saw less than three minutes of the Sedins and no faceoffs.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
So Hemsky is out till mid November, how can the Oilers possibly resign this guy?
The Edmonton Oilers - All we do is win!!
The alternative is trading an elite player away for next-to-nothing for no reason other than the Oilers not being willing to keep him off the ice long enough to heal from injuries.
Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers. Don't you judge me.
by Ben Johnston on Oct 27, 2011 6:00 PM MDT up reply actions
That will be a very interesting negotiation. It’s certainly in Hemsky’s interest to go to free agency if the Oilers won’t pay him the big bucks because someone is always willing to gamble on the oft-injured guy being healthy.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
by Scott Reynolds on Oct 27, 2011 8:22 PM MDT up reply actions
What about $5.5 million a year for 2 years?
He’s had a lot of injuries, no question, but some of it has been luck and some of it has been pressing him back into action too soon. 5.5 mil would be an overpay, but the shorter term would give the team a chance to figure out where he fits in long-term.
Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers. Don't you judge me.
by Ben Johnston on Oct 27, 2011 8:25 PM MDT up reply actions
I don’t see him signing for only 2 years, someone will give him longer term in free agency.
The Edmonton Oilers - All we do is win!!
Alot of that Fenwick disparity came from the 3rd period in the game vs the Pens when the Caps got an early lead in the 3rd and tried to hold on as the Pens basically controlled the game for the last 15 minutes (outshot the Caps 12-0 before finally tying it) and the 3rd period vs where the Caps had a 4 goal lead 5 minutes into the 3rd and the Flyers just hammered the puck on net the rest of the game (outshot the Caps 10-1).
That’s a 22-1 count over a what is about 30 minutes of playing time, 15 minutes of which came in a game with a 4 goal lead.
In theory, there is little difference between practice and theory, but in practice there is!
Tactical contributor to the Copper & Blue and just as boring on the twitters... @dawgbone98
It’s early enough that I’ve just been counting up the games.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
by Scott Reynolds on Oct 27, 2011 8:09 PM MDT up reply actions
When you’re out east, there are 2 1/2 Canadian NHL teams.
by eddy the lip on Oct 27, 2011 7:40 PM MDT up reply actions
I’d take Peckham over Barker any day, but boy have I not missed his stupid penalties.
Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers. Don't you judge me.
i like Peckham a bit (probably just because he’s cheeky), but it would be very nice if he’d settle down a bit.
by eddy the lip on Oct 27, 2011 8:01 PM MDT up reply actions
Heh, apparently Cuthbert agrees with you.
Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers. Don't you judge me.
by Ben Johnston on Oct 27, 2011 8:05 PM MDT up reply actions
I like that Cuthbert. Knows what he’s talking about :)
by eddy the lip on Oct 27, 2011 8:06 PM MDT up reply actions
Did you see the shot totals? 48-25 in Philies favor!
Insert Witty Comment Here
by VanillaAcid on Oct 27, 2011 8:15 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
They were down 5-1, 6-2 and 8-6, so that makes sense.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Holy moly. What a great pass by Eberle. Hall’s had a couple of real gifts so far this year.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
If anyone on the club deserves them besides Gilbert, it’s Hall. Dude is driving play all over the place.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Gagner’s aborted celebration on that last play was pretty funny. The Capitals were very aggressive on the PK though. Seems like they decided it was best to take away time from the puck-carrier and hope that no one gets wide open through puck movement.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
an early celly is one of the seven deadly sins of hockey….by the way scott, did you somehow write this intro after you heard the fans chanting KHABI KHABI KHABI? again…chills buddy
by One_Roy_Save_On_The_Calendar on Oct 28, 2011 12:23 AM MDT up reply actions
The Oilers are pretty lucky to get out of that period with a tie. They were getting their butts kicked at evens.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Gilbert getting the hard match against Ovechkin in the few ES minutes there were in the 1st
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
And Gilbert’s been on him like glue.
It’s not his style, but if Gilbert lays Ovechkin out, he can have my first born.
by eddy the lip on Oct 27, 2011 8:46 PM MDT up reply actions
couldn’t beleive my eyes….saw gilbert confront ovi on the boards, ovi actually shied away from the check and left the puck…for horcoff to scoop up, never thought i’d see the day
by One_Roy_Save_On_The_Calendar on Oct 28, 2011 12:24 AM MDT up reply actions
There are two Oilers who are immediately identifiable no matter how far away you are from the ice or how fast your glance is at the television — Hall and Smyth
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Bad giveaway in the middle of the ice. Not sure if that’s on Nugent-Hopkins for losing the puck, or Smid (I think it was) for the pass into pressure.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
Clearly Smid. Even if it wasn’t, it will be Smid.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
it was gilbert, i was thinking 50 50 at fault at first, then decided gilbert should have been lower in the corner to give himself the reverse option, and the pass was a bit of a grenade…65/35 after 5 pvr replays
by One_Roy_Save_On_The_Calendar on Oct 28, 2011 12:26 AM MDT up reply actions
No idea why Sutton was out at the blueline headhunting there.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Gagner had a really physical shift there. The only time he wasn’t in contact with a Cap was on the shot from the side of the net.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
I don’t know whether that was me, but during that last powerplay the feed cut to a commercial.
The Edmonton Oilers - All we do is win!!
Unless you’re a TSN producer, I don’t think you have the power to go to commercial.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Poor woording on my part, did anybody else get that interruption?
The Edmonton Oilers - All we do is win!!
Though, if you do, you should go to commercial when Scott Oake is on.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
the second time we’ve ever agreed!
by One_Roy_Save_On_The_Calendar on Oct 28, 2011 12:27 AM MDT up reply actions
Toronto Sports Network cutting to commercial during an Oiler’s power play? Can’t imagine….
(and, yep, not just you)
by eddy the lip on Oct 27, 2011 8:57 PM MDT up reply actions
How in the world does Washington get Ovechkin out against Eager-Lander-Petrell-Barker-Sutton? How does that happen at Rexall?
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Ovechkin does play a lot, so there’s that, but Renney did take that match voluntarily on a draw a couple minutes earlier.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
by Scott Reynolds on Oct 27, 2011 9:01 PM MDT up reply actions
Someone should check him for stroke symptoms.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
If it makes you feel better, he subbed Paajarvi in for Eager on that shift.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
by Scott Reynolds on Oct 27, 2011 9:02 PM MDT up reply actions
Until that shift, I’d say this has been the most dogged Renney has been in pursuing matchups.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Andy Sutton is a bullying man. A bit surprised he didn’t get a penalty on that second one into the boards.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
That was a friggin Khabirebound!
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Who threw that pass to Ovechkin? Peckham or Paajarvi?
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Peckham.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
by Scott Reynolds on Oct 27, 2011 9:09 PM MDT up reply actions
Theo Peckham – making Cam Barker look good since 2011.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Too bad Bruce isn’t here to complain about this biased refereeing :)
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
is that like watching people skate around sutton?
by Passive Voice on Oct 27, 2011 9:23 PM MDT up reply actions
Jupiter is way faster.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
by Derek Zona on Oct 27, 2011 9:25 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
Pens vs. Islanders
James Neal, ES ON:
11 SOG, 3 MS, 8 BS
22 shots directed at the net in 16 minutes of ES time.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
If Crosby ever comes back, this Neal-Malkin-Sullivan line is going to wreck people even more.
Dupuis – Crosby – Kunitz
Neal – Malkin – Sullivan
Cooke – Staal – Kennedy
Letestu/Park/Adams/Asham/Jeffrey/Vitale
Orpik – Letang
Martin – Michalek
Niskanen/Engelland/Lovejoy
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Here comes the Oilers’ penalty parade
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Bruce should come up with some astral-influenced names for the Hall-Hopkins-Eberle line.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Right, the Pipe Line.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
by Scott Reynolds on Oct 27, 2011 9:42 PM MDT up reply actions
That’s so bad that I thought it was a joke at first.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Good grief. The Caps have had more chances in the first two minutes of the third than in the entire second period.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
This period is not going to be fun.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Taylor Hall with an amazing save, but The Mystery Machine is pinned down.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
This is a great system! You have so many more to go!
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
by Scott Reynolds on Oct 27, 2011 9:43 PM MDT up reply actions
Beninati says “Ow” when Laich takes the puck to the face.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Oh, Sutton. Goes for the big hit, and even partially gets it, but ends up way out of position as Semin drives to the net. The Caps ended up with a good chance on that sequence, but the Oilers were lucky Semin didn’t get a one-timer.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
That’s the third time this game.
I want to see DB break this down!
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
The Horcoff line and the Gilbert pairing just keep rolling over the boards any time Ovechkin comes onto the ice.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Renney has no alternatives. Two of his lines can’t even get the puck out.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Sure could use another Dman who could skate and make a pass, Oh god Whitney hurry back.
The Edmonton Oilers - All we do is win!!
Need two of ’em. Petry over a couple of guys might work too.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Hmmm… icing call with the fourth line out there. This could be bad.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
This is when I wish the NHL still had ES zone time, because even though the Corsi is going to be a mess, it still won’t show just how bad this has been.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
That attempted block by Belanger was crazy. Just lying there face-to-face with a guy winding up for a slapper.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
by Scott Reynolds on Oct 27, 2011 10:00 PM MDT reply actions
Like catching a bullet with your teeth.
by eddy the lip on Oct 27, 2011 10:00 PM MDT up reply actions
Loved the DZ patience there from Potter.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
by Scott Reynolds on Oct 27, 2011 10:02 PM MDT reply actions
He leaves me shaking my head every other shift.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
See? See what the coral reef did?
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Sutton must really just love hitting people. I mean… honestly.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
by Scott Reynolds on Oct 27, 2011 10:03 PM MDT reply actions
What in the hell was he arguing about? That was dirty as hell.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
I like Corey Potter as much as the next guy, but Nikolai Khabibulin still probably beats him for most surprising performance of the year.
The biggest fanana of the Havana Bananas.
by Scott Reynolds on Oct 27, 2011 10:09 PM MDT reply actions
Woooooo!!!
Take THAT best team in the league!
Insert Witty Comment Here
by VanillaAcid on Oct 27, 2011 10:12 PM MDT via mobile reply actions
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