Oil Spills: Monday Links - Room For Improvement

About the Oilers

Oilers goalie Cam Talbot posts lukewarm first-month stats - Jim Matheson -- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Oilers goalie Cam Talbot’s last game in October was anything but a Halloween treat, but it was symbolic of his first month’s work. There is room for improvement with his .897 save percentage and a 2.88 goal average in 10 games.

Two Teams - Matt Henderson -- OilersNation
The joke for the last year has been that the Oilers are "Visually Better". The phrase is used in a somewhat mocking context now, but early in the year they HAVE been visually better. Despite this their shot attempt differentials place them in the bottom tier of the NHL once again. Maybe the problem is that we really need to think about the Oilers as two different teams.

Oilers goal overturned after phantom goalie interference, NHL setting dangerous precedent -- Puck Drunk Love
The Oilers appeared to have a clean goal and the officials indicated as much on the ice. The Flames challenged and the call was overturned because of contact with the goaltender. …really?

Thumbs down to goal controversies and the salary cap -- TSN
"Thumbs down" to the controversy that won't go away. Not even Thursday's stirring win over Montreal completely cooled the emotions of Edmonton fans who felt Connor McDavid and the Oilers were robbed of at least one point, and maybe two, when the "common sense" tying goal against Los Angeles last Sunday wasn't counted.

Veteran d-men slumping, but rookie d-men romping on Oilers - David Staples -- Cult of Hockey
National Hockey League teams with defensive woes often decry the lack of solid veteran defencemen. In Edmonton, however, it’s the young defencemen who so far have been getting the job done. It’s the veterans who need to pick it up. In fact, the two-way play of veterans Mark Fayne, Andrej Sekera and Andrew Ference has so far been about as weak as we’ve seen here in the past five seasons, years that include many woeful defensive performances on many woeful Oilers teams.

Oilers finding themselves playing catch-up too often - Rob Tychkowski -- Edmonton Sun
The Edmonton Oilers are going to have to stop drinking warm milk and watching the last 15 minutes of Titanic to get themselves psyched up for games. These slow starts are killing them.

Around the NHL

Getting To Know Jeff Blashill's System - Defensive Zone Breakouts -- Winging It In Motown
Now that we've seen the Detroit Red Wings play a few games under new head coach Jeff Blashill, I wanted to bring to light some of the tactics that he has brought to this team. Specifically, I wanted to look at how the Red Wings breakout of their own zone, how the Red Wings enter the offensive zone, and how the Red Wings set up their forecheck. This will be a three-part series and the first part will focus on how the Red Wings break out of the defensive zone.

Player-tracking technology will be next big hockey revolution -- The Hockey News
The earliest revolutions in hockey happened because of the players. The Bobby Orrs changed the way we looked at position players, the Russian five-man unit altered coaching strategies and equipment technology spawned faster skaters and harder shots. But the next big changes are happening away from the rink, in offices crammed full with whirring and buzzing computer towers and servers.

Common sense things that hockey has no interest in -- Pension Plan Puppets
Or, how Hockey Canada ignored the most logical path for reasons that aren't really clear.

20 Fantasy Thoughts: Drop Dougie Hamilton immediately -- Sportsnet.ca
Every Sunday this season, we’ll share 20 Fantasy Thoughts from the writers at Dobber Hockey. These thoughts are curated from the past week’s "Daily Ramblings" on DobberHockey.com.

Carey Price is out one week with an injury -- Eyes On The Prize
Carey Price won't play tonight versus the Winnipeg Jets, as he's out with an injury.

Did the Hurricanes make the right decision with Noah Hanifin? -- Puck Drunk Love
When you are a young first-round pick in the NHL, a lot of the time the game is handed to you on a platter. Not a lot has to be proven for you to get your time to shine in the NHL. Hanifin won’t be returning to college but could see time in the minor leagues if they don’t deem him ready. So how exactly has Hanifin done in the 10 games that he has played?

Dustin Byfuglien lays a high hit on Brendan Gallagher after the whistle -- Eyes On The Prize
Brendan Gallagher took a high hit from Dustin Byfuglien after the whistle. The hit will be reviewed by the Department of Player Safety.