Oil Spills - Draisaitl Falls Short In Memorial Cup Debut

It's going to be a lovely Saturday, you really should go outside and enjoy it. If you don't feel like doing that, well here are a few things that you could read.

On the Oilers

Todd McLellan on Not Winning A Stanley Cup With the Sharks - The Copper & Blue
What does McLellan think about his team's playoff failures?

Commemorating the Golden Ticket: Good Idea or Bad? - The Copper & Blue
The Oilers season ticket renewal package. Good idea? Tone deaf? Masterful job of trolling?

Expectations - Jackie Dawson - The Oilers Rig
Time to talk about your expectations for the 2015/16 season.

Is it worth it for the Edmonton Oilers to keep Matt Fraser, who Peter Chiarelli waived while in Boston? - Jonathan Willis - Cult of Hockey
2014-15 Edmonton Oilers in Review: Matt Fraser It’s easy to understand why NHL teams—three and counting—have time for Matt Fraser. He’s reasonably big and he scores goals and guys who combine those two qualities tend to get away with having other flaws.

McLellan's Rookies - Lowetide - OilersNation
Todd McLellan is going to coach one of the NHL's all-time rookies if things break right this fall and Connor McDavid will most certainly be the best freshman McLellan sees in his NHL career. We can gain some insight into McLellan's view of (normal) rookies by looking into the past and seeing what he valued when in his early years with San Jose. As with our recent look at Peter Chiarelli's past in this area, there are some surprises.

Edmonton Oilers will pay draft pick compensation for GM Chiarelli, coach McLellan - Jonathan Willis - Cult of Hockey
It’s been an encouraging spring for fans of the Edmonton Oilers, and not just because the club won the draft lottery and with it the right to select Connor McDavid.

Memorial Cup

How the Memorial Cup should lose the host team, and have 4 champions - Buzzing the Net
There is more than a sneaking suspicion that the CHL will probably address the wrong problem when the day that the host-team format for the Memorial Cup is finally ditched.

Quebec Remparts exploit Kelowna's lapses in discipline to grab Memorial Cup opener - Yahoo Sports
Leon Draisaitl and the Kelowna Rockets fall in the tournament opener.

On the Barons

Farewell to Oklahoma City - Jonathan Willis - OilersNation
The Oklahoma City Barons played their final game last night, falling by a single goal in the seventh game of their second-round series against the Utica Comets. After five seasons, the Oilers will be sending their prospects to a new AHL team in Bakersfield starting next year.

The Oil Barons Run Dry - Zach Laing - Oil on Whyte
Following last nights game seven loss in the Calder Cup Western Conference finals to the Utica Comets, the four year run that the Oklahoma City Barons have had has come to an end.

Around the NHL

2015 Passing Project Data Release: Volume I - In Lou We Trust
In this article, I lay the groundwork for how and when I plan to release our passing data. This first post, in what will likely be a long series, goes over basic player stats. Read on for the details.

10 Questions for the New York Islanders Offseason - Lighthouse Hockey
What of Michael Grabner, Lubomir Visnovsky, Matt Donovan, Michael Dal Colle, the backup goalie position? ...And other summer questions.

The Western Conference Final - Hawks vs Ducks

Game 4 Preview: Stranglehold or Deadlock - Anaheim Calling
After Game 3, the Ducks will either be one win away from a Cup Final berth or they will be tied 2-2.

Joel Quenneville's series of rash Game 3 adjustments did not work - Second City Hockey
Coach Q tried to turn the series on its head with a number of changes to the Blackhawks in Game 3, but most of them crashed and burned.

The Eastern Conference Final - Lightning vs Rangers

Rangers even series with 5-1 win - Raw Charge
The Tampa Bay Lightning put forth a good effort, following a game plan that typically pays off for them, but didn't have an answer for Henrik Lundqvist, who rebounded from back-to-back games surrendering six goals.

Rangers vs. Lightning Recap: Rangers Blowout Lightning, Send Series Back to New York Tied - Blueshirt Banter
The New York Rangers blew out the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight by a score of 5-1 after a huge performance from their key players.

Question of the Day

How do we celebrate this? Beers? Tears?

On Sunday May 24th, it will have been 25 years since the @EdmontonOilers won their last Stanley Cup. #Oilers pic.twitter.com/vfXOSJAC6N

— Dani W. (@Dani_DCFan) May 22, 2015