Edmonton Oilers show potential in 1-0 loss to Vegas Golden Knights

[@richardgroom8391]

good point 😉

[@s-a-n-d-o-t-e-c]

A big standout for me that solidified that I wasn't going to be sad was the empty-net performance, Vegas was scared and couldn't even think of scoring on the open.

[@s-a-n-d-o-t-e-c]

If I were to sum up everything simply from a few years of watching this team, the Oilers are a flow team - the top end talent relies on flowing play on both sides of the puck to accomplish tasks without getting injured or expending too much energy, but flow requires that every player on your team is paying attention to it and playing in service of it. The Oilers themselves talk about the communication and positioning (positionless) as the reason their penalty kill was lights-out in the playoffs, the 'ball hockey' style that was successful in the powerplay, it's all about smart players using their IQ to do the 'flowy' thing in the moment regardless of position. To me that makes total sense of the struggle when you turn over important parts of the roster, but it also points to huge upside once everyone 'gets it' - assuming all of the players you added are smart more than anything.

[@epiphany519]

Game 25. Long post follows with base game statistics including some for the Vegas Golden Knights. Read, don't read, up to you. These are BASE stats not detailed ones. My comments and observations at the end. Statistics for Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights December 3rd, 2024 Edmonton Oilers: S Skinner 15 Saves on 16 Shots = .938 Save %age (Exceptional) Vegas Golden Knights: Barbashev 1 Goal Hill 28 Saves on 28 Shots = 1.000 Save %age (PERFECT, Shutout) Oilers VGK Shots on Goal 28 16 Hits 12 6 Faceoffs Won 30 21 PP 0/0 0/0 Penalty Mins 0 0 Giveaways 14 (13 per NST) 19 (18 per NST) Takeaways 8 (7 per NST) 6 Blocked Shots 16 (15 per NST) 22 (20 per NST) 3 Stars: 3-McNabb, 2-Barbashev (1G GWG), 1-Hill (1.000 Save %age (Perfect)) Player TOI PP TOI PK TOI SOG +/- PIM Hits Blocks Giveaways Takeaways Bouchard 26:36 0:00 0:00 3 -1 0 0 1 0 0 Ekholm 25:28 0:00 0:00 1 -1 0 2 2 1 0 Nurse 22:17 0:00 0:00 4 0 0 2 3 0 1 Kulak 19:05 0:00 0:00 2 0 0 0 3 1 0 Emberson 14:15 0:00 0:00 2 0 0 1 2 0 1 Stecher 12:32 0:00 0:00 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 McDavid 24:58 0:00 0:00 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 Draisaitl 21:46 0:00 0:00 1 -1 0 0 0 0 1 Nuge 18:23 0:00 0:00 2 -1 0 0 0 2 0 J Skinner 15:50 0:00 0:00 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kapanen 15:50 0:00 0:00 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 Henrique 15:13 0:00 0:00 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 C Brown 15:09 0:00 0:00 1 -1 0 1 1 1 1 Podkolzin 14:04 0:00 0:00 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 Janmark 13:29 0:00 0:00 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Perry 13:14 0:00 0:00 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Ryan 8:51 0:00 0:00 0 0 0 2 1 1 2 Caggiula 5:44 0:00 0:00 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 Oilers Faceoff Breakdown: Won Lost Percent Draisaitl 11 6 64.7 Henrique 8 3 72.7 McDavid 5 3 62.5 Ryan 3 5 37.5 Nuge 3 1 75.0 Podkolzin 0 1 0.00 Janmark 0 1 0.00 C Brown 0 1 0.00 VGK's Faceoff Breakdown: Won Lost Percent Karlsson 9 3 75.0 Eichel 6 10 37.5 Hertl 3 5 37.5 Roy 2 6 25.0 Barbashev 1 0 100.0 Schwindt 0 5 0.00 Howden 0 1 0.00 Again, waiting for surgery, couldn't watch or listen to the game just some highlights after the fact. This was an interesting game, one for the record books. Zero Power Plays, One Goal. Only happened 5 times in NHL History. Sucks that we were on the bad side of the one goal. So from the little I could make out it looked like a botched drop pass by Leon goes straight to Barbashev and Bouch stops the first shot (flopping about on the ice) and the 2nd try went through Skinner's 5 hole. This was a game of D and Luck. Vegas got one breakaway, got a lucky bounce off of Bouch and boom in the twine. The D sewed it up from there. No one could get anything either to or past Hill. It's not that they didn't try. This wasn't a game of apathy. It was a game of denial. Ultimately the Oilers were denied either by the Vegas D or by Hill. This wasn't on Bouch. Leon made a drop pass and flubbed it right to Barbashev. Most times he makes it. Some times he doesn't. When he doesn't its typically bad. Oilers outshot Vegas 16 to 2 in the final period and they had chances but changes doesn't always mean goals. Stetcher took a shot to the ear but post game Knoblauch said he was fine. Caggiula was also loaned back to Bakersfield so Hyman will be back next game. Stats wise Oilers outshot Vegas 28 to 16 (not inconsequential), out hit Vegas (yes, I know it's end times) 12 to 6 (so double), won more faceoffs (30 to 21), had fewer giveaways (14 to 19), more takeaways (8 to 6) but fewer blocks (22 to 16). Take care all

[@dariusstarreveld4875]

I’m listening at 12 am