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Morning, folks!
Sorry for the delay:
Morning, folks!
— Copper & Blue (@CopperandBlue) January 18, 2021
It's #GAMEDAY and yours truly has a phone-sized imprint on his torso after sleeping on his alarm.
TL;DR: Links coming.
My life is like if the Princess and the Pea were actually about a man and a Samsung. And that man actually slept like baby on top of that phone, and now it looks like that man is about halfway through getting his incomprehensible rectangle tattoo removed.
It’s not a good look.
Put another way, my torso is looking like the Oilers’ third and fourth lines through three games.
But I digress.
We’re through one week — or three games — of the wild and wacky 2020-21 NHL season and we ‘ve got some performances to dig into. The Oilers have basically averaged 40 SOGs against in those three games, but managed to win one of them on the back of their two MVPs and a 38 (!!!) stop performance from Mikko Koskinen.
The Oilers go again tonight, looking for some redemption against a Montreal side that beat the absolute shit out of them on Saturday night. Then they’ll take their show on the road for a two-game set against the Maple Leafs before the long, arduous bus ride into Winnipeg for the first of two games on Sunday.
The weeks are going to be fast and furious like this so maybe keep your pink slips somewhere safe and avoid the temptation to race for someone else’s.
Some good, some bad from every line so far (though in the case of the fourth line, we’re talking literal split seconds of good here) but, while it is concerning that Jesse Puljujarvi’s line is sporting a 0.0 GF%, Puljujarvi himself has acquitted himself relatively well over the first three contests:
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Note his position ahead of everyone but Connor McDavid in terms of individual expected goals. He doesn’t just look good. He’s been doing things that good players do.
Unfortunately, his linemates have struggled to a significant degree. Kyle Turris does indeed look washed at 5v5 and Tyler Ennis hasn’t yet found his range after coming back from injury.
Totally and completely unrelated, there’s some potential deck chair movement worth watching today:
Grosenick is driving to Edmonton. He has yet to cross border and will wait to see if #Oilers have successful claim on Dell. If so, then expect Grosenick to be placed waivers. If not, he will complete drive to Edmonton. The goalie waiver carousel has been quite a trip this year.
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) January 18, 2021
Stay tuned.
In the meantime, whip back around here for our usual gameday coverage. We would like to give a hearty hat tip to everyone who logged in and let loose in our first three game threads. We love it, and we appreciate it. Hope to see you back there tonight.
LFG.
Get on the Waiver wire Kenny! (Copper and Blue)
Oilers Tapped Dry In 5-1 Loss (Copper and Blue)
Oilers Claim Goaltender Troy Grosenick From LA Kings (Copper and Blue)
2020-21 GAME 4: CANADIENS AT OILERS (Lowetide)
Monday Mailbag – What To Do About The Goalie Problem? (ON)
LISTEN: Frank Seravalli on the Oilers loss & the Ryan Nugent-Hopkins negotiations (1260)
Connor McDavid’s Relentless Drive For Self-Improvement Is Treat That Keeps On Giving (CBC)
More Questions Than Concerns For The Edmonton Oilers Right Now (Sun)
Aaron Dell Is On Waivers (ON)
Heartbreak Pass (Lowetide)
Opinion: Rename The High Level Bridge In Joey Moss’ Honour (ON)
The Day After: Edmonton Oilers Need To Help Mikko Koskinen (ON)
Carey Price In Dominant Form As Canadiens Stifle Superstar-Led Oilers (SN)
JONES: Edmonton Oilers Pick Bad Time To Be Up And Down Out Of The Gate (Sun)
Tatar On Why The Canadiens Felt Comfortable In Win Over Oilers (SN)
Puljujarvi Looks A Lot More Comfortable, Mature This Season With Oilers (SN)
Lowetide: Oilers’ No. 3 Line Has Been A Source Of Anxiety Early This Season (Athletic)