Oil Spills - Friday Links - Yet Another Loss For The Oilers

This is the song that never ends / Yes it goes on and on my friend / Some people started singing it / Not knowing what it was / But people kept singing it just because ...

About Last Night

C'est La Vie - The Copper & Blue - There was a lot to like about the Oilers’ game tonight against San Jose. They got the lead early, and despite losing it for a brief moment in the second period, they came back with two quick goals and held it until part way through the third when a questionable penalty from David Perron put the Sharks up a man. The part that Oilers fans won’t like, and have seen so many times before, is the thirty second section of the third period during which the team completely collapsed, giving up two goals to let the Sharks take the lead.

Edmonton Oilers player grades — Oil finally net some goals but can’t hold hungry Sharks at bay - Cult of Hockey - Taylor Hall, 2. His lousy stats (0 shots, 2 giveaways, -2) tell part of the story but not the whole story. I saw him bad right from the first shift when the play died on his stick, and it just kept right on happening. I recorded 9 turnovers by Hall in my notes, which was by no means a complete list. He brought almost nothing offensively, indeed he had trouble getting the puck from Point A to B with the Oilers still in possession. He lost his man, Sheppard, in the low slot resulting in the first Sharks goal. His on-ice shot share numbers were horrific; shots on goal of 2 for and 11 against, and Fenwick (unblocked shot attempts) of +3/-19. One of the worst games of his NHL career.

GDB 33.0 WRAP UP: Oilers @ Sharks - OilersNation - Regardless of whether they played well or not, the Oilers have to find a way to close out games. This was another 1 goal loss that they had a chance at winning. As always, the Oilers were punished for their mistakes. Whether it was a bad line change, a defensive miscue, or a giveaway - they all seemed to end up in the back of the net. The little things are killing the Oilers, and if they want to start winning games they'll have to iron out these details.

Edmonton Oilers show signs of improvement but sink against San Jose Sharks - Edmonton Journal - For the first time since Nov. 28, the Oilers scored more than two goals. They lead after the first period for the second time in as many games and only the fifth time this season. What they couldn’t do was find a way to close out their game against the San Jose Sharks, surrendering two third period goals in Thursday’s 4-3 loss at the SAP Center. They are now 0-13-2 in their past 15 road games against California’s NHL entries.

Oilers cough up lead in third-period collapse - Edmonton Sun - Just when it looked like they might have their ship together, the Oilers pulled another defeat from the Jaws of victory Thursday, giving up two quick ones in the third period to turn an well-earned 3-2 lead into a crushing 4-3 defeat.

More on the Oilers

Thoughts on the Oilers: Culture, gossip and trade speculation - Sunil Agnihotri - I’ve never understood the infatuation with having a "winning culture" in hockey, as if it’s something you can just instill in your club. Really, the only way to obtain the elusive "winning culture" is by, you guessed it, winning. Not by dumping players (i.e., Souray, Horcoff, Gilbert, etc), naming captains, replacing photos in the locker room, or coming up with team mottos.

Edmonton Oilers keep Leon Draisaitl out of the World Juniors, doubling down on a poor centre depth chart and bad development strategy - Cult of Hockey - It’s nice news for Draisaitl. For the Oilers, it’s yet another indication that the team’s management is unable or unwilling to address the team-crushing inadequacy of its centre depth chart. That inadequacy is readily apparent when one looks at the scoring numbers of the team’s pivots at even-strength.

Parents make Oilers-loving son hit the road - Along the Boards - Unable to pry their son off the Oilers' bandwagon, Tiffany and Dave Swanson made the bold decision to cut ties with their insubordinate 5-year-old son.

Why are the Edmonton Oilers so bad in overtime? A "forensic analysis" of some putrid results - Cult of Hockey - The Edmonton Oilers are suffering through another failed campaign with just 7 wins to show for their first 32 games. Much has been made of the team’s inability to get out to a strong start, a repeating problem that sees the club behind the eight-ball most nights, but a closer look reveals they haven’t been so hot at finishing games either.

About the Oklahoma City Barons

Edmonton Oilers Choose Not To Renew Agreement With OKC, Barons Hockey Done After 2014-2015 - Tend The Farm - Friend of the Copper & Blue, Neal Livingston, with his take on the announcement that the Oilers and Barons will be no more.

Statement from the Oilers On Their Affiliation With The Oklahoma City Barons - Edmonton Oilers - I think anyone who paid any attention to the Barons attendance numbers saw this coming.

Oklahoma City Barons Season Seat Holder Message - Tend The Farm - A special message (signed by no one) to the season seat holders in Oklahoma City.

Around the NHL

Will Puck Luck Cause the Buffalo Sabres to Miss out on Connor McDavid? - Bleacher Report - The Buffalo Sabres are not a good hockey team. The consensus pick for dead last in the NHL before the 2014-15 season even started, the Sabres in an average game allow the opposition two shots on net for every one they take. This is a team so self-admittedly terrible that it had presumptive first overall pick Connor McDavid’s Erie Otters come to town and play a game; McDavid himself noted earlier in the season that every time the Sabres lose his Twitter timeline explodes with mentioned.

Viktor Stalberg Placed on Waivers - On the Forecheck - Things haven't quite panned out for Viktor here, but with the remainder of his $3 million salary this year, plus $3 million next year, PLUS $3 million the year after that, there's a chance he clears waivers and ends up back in Milwaukee. After his conditioning stint, at least we know he's in game shape, right?

Curtis Lazar lent to Team Canada for World Juniors - Silver Seven - After a few weeks of will they or won't they, the Senators have announced that Curtis Lazar will be lent to Team Canada for the World Junior Hockey Championship.

Did Claude Giroux wipe a booger on an official? - Broad Street Hockey - It's clear at this point that Claude Giroux has no respect for authority.